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USAT Age Group National Championship - Olympic Distance - TriathlonOlympic


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Milwaukee, Wisconsin
United States
USA Triathlon
70F / 21C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 30m 20s
Overall Rank = 1428/2677
Age Group = 40-44
Age Group Rank = 150/211
Pre-race routine:

Got a little bit of extra sleep, as the hotel was a 5 minute walk from the venue. Cliff bar (not my usual PBJ) and UCAN in the hotel room, and then walked over to the race.
Event warmup:

The event warm-up wound up being an event cool-down. We were the first wave, and after they got us into the water, there wound up being a 15-minute delay while they cleared a suspicious bag from the course. Not a big deal to float around in the wet suit, but I was in my sleeveless and started to get cold by the end of it. Eventually the horn went off, and I had to shake off the shivers and go.
Swim
  • 26m 7s
  • 1640 yards
  • 01m 35s / 100 yards
Comments:

WOW!! I've always heard of triathlon swimming being a full-contact sport, but had never really experienced it except for the first 100 yards or so and then intermittently in isolated spots throughout the rest of the swim. This was a totally different enchilada. In the typical local race, there might be a range of people in a +/- 50 person wave swimming anywhere from 1:10's through 2:30's. Even when the water gets a bit congested as you catch earlier waves, you're swimming faster than the people you are catching so you clear other swimmers wihtin a few strokes. This ball of wax had 200+ people that were largely in the 1:10's through 1:40's, so the entire swim, from start to exit, was a compressed group of lots of people trying to occupy the same space. Contact (from light to heavy) throughout. On the positive side, it was easy to stay in the pack and swim a more or less straight line, with the exception of a few times where I had to pull up and adjust my position to find some slightly more open water. At the end of the day, even though it was a challange, I'm really happy with the outcome. 1:25 pace is my best ever by a wide margin. Of the three disciplines, this was my strongest today (top 45% of a fast, fast crowd), and it's given me the confidence that I can go out harder on the swim in future races.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing, except maybe find god and offer a prayer before the start.
Transition 1
  • 02m 31s
Comments:

Decent T1, but I could have run it faster. I was in the back half of my age group getting out of transition. No real errors in the execution - just had to move faster.
What would you do differently?:

Move faster! It's U.S. Nationals!!
Bike
  • 1h 08m 8s
  • 24.85 miles
  • 21.88 mile/hr
Comments:

Generally a good ride. This was my fastest olympic bike, so I'm happy on a personal level. Relative to the group, I wasjust barely in the middle-of-pack. This was where the race started to get humbling. I didn't have it in me to ride much harder without sabotaging my run, and I just had to bite the bullet and let a good number of people ride by me while I stayed focused on my own race. Looking over the power, I think I went out a little too hard: 20' max power (200w) was in the first 20' of the bike. I also might have pushed a little too hard at the end: 1' max power (340w) and 5' max power (237w) both occurred over the last hill just prior to T2. Looking at the start and finish, I might have expended too much energy right out of the water, and I definitely burned some matches working the last hill (maybe I got a little too caught up in a cat and mouse game with a certian elite female coach who caught up to me in the last few miles of the ride). On the whole though, a PR for a bike at this distace and I didn't completely destroy my legs, so a good ride and good experience.
What would you do differently?:

Be a little more careful with my effort level throuhgout. Develop my fitness during the off season.
Transition 2
  • 01m 46s
Comments:

I was a bit too lethargic getting myself out of T2 and towards the back of my age group.
What would you do differently?:

Never forget that I probably had :20 of hustle in T2 that might have gotten me under 2:30 for the overall race.
Run
  • 51m 47s
  • 6.24 miles
  • 08m 19s  min/mile
Comments:

The run was a little disheartening. I dropped to the BOP and was just never able to get myself moving at a good clip. The sun came out during my time on the run course, and it felt hot (but that affected everyone in my age group). I might have compromised myself by going a little too hard on the bike, but at the same time, I'm not sure a mile-per-hour slower on the bike would have yielded me 3' (+/- :30 seconds/mile) of savings on the run. There's no way to ever know for sure, and I think any savings would have been marginal, so I'm not going to beat myself up over it too much. If I had it to do over again, I would have taken the last hill on the bike (237w for 5') a bit easier, and maybe given up 30" on the bike to feel a little fresher to start the run. Given where my HR went when I tried to hang on to my pace at the end of the run, I think I went out at the right intensity and didn't make any real tactical errors on the run itself. Also, after PR's swimming and biking and factoring in a warm run, it was somewhat of a personal victory to merely slow down a bit on the run and not simply implode. I'll take the entire experience as motivation to keep developing my run fitness.
What would you do differently?:

On the run itself, not much. Keep developming my fitness and try to bike smart.
Post race
Warm down:

Walk-around a bit to catch my breath and settle down my stomach and then kick back on a lounger in the NormaTech leg sleeves at the expo.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Overall fitness. I had a great race for me. I've got some work to do to be more competitive with the group at Nationals.

Event comments:

What a blast. USAT did a great job with the event, and the City of Milwuakee is a fantastic venue. It was a little bit of a bummer to get held in the water for 15' prior to the start, but that was only a minor glitch in an otherwise stellar experience.


Profile Album


Last updated: 2013-07-22 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:26:07 | 1640 yards | 01m 35s / 100yards
Age Group: 95/211
Overall: 1107/2677
Performance: Good
Based on the Garmin data, I was at 24:11 when I exited the water and had swam .97 miles, so a 1:25 pace in the water.
Suit: DeSoto First Wave with Speed Vest
Course: More or less an out and back.
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 68F / 20C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Good
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:31
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
01:08:08 | 24.85 miles | 21.88 mile/hr
Age Group: 140/211
Overall: 1166/2677
Performance: Good
+/- 190w (estimate - I didn't stop lap until I had ran my bike back to the rack), normalized at 202w (probably higher given the jog back to the rack). HR at 152.
Wind: Some
Course: More or less 1 long loop.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 86
Turns: Good Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 01:46
Overall: Below average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Below average
Running
00:51:47 | 06.24 miles | 08m 19s  min/mile
Age Group: 173/211
Overall: 1893/2677
Performance: Average
Laps went: 8:00 (161 HR), 7:56 (162 HR), 8:08 (163 HR), 8:41 (162 HR), 8:29 (163 HR), 8:38 (167 HR), 7:46 (last .24) (169 HR).
Course: Largely out and back with one leg out on a spur along the lake.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? No
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5

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2013-08-12 12:15 PM

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Expert
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Chicago
Subject: USAT Age Group National Championship - Olympic Distance


2013-08-12 12:26 PM
in reply to: #4827004

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Elite
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Cleveland
Subject: RE: USAT Age Group National Championship - Olympic Distance

Nice job!

 

Looking at your times, I'd say that we traded places a bit on the swim and bike... and then you left me in the dust on the run

Solid work on a great day of racing!
 

2013-08-12 12:45 PM
in reply to: cgregg

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Expert
1121
1000100
Chicago
Subject: RE: USAT Age Group National Championship - Olympic Distance
Originally posted by cgregg

Nice job!

 

Looking at your times, I'd say that we traded places a bit on the swim and bike... and then you left me in the dust on the run

Solid work on a great day of racing!
 




You must have been the guy clobbering me in the head throughout the swim! The hills on the bike course were deceptively draining. The first turn-aorund and the bridge south of transition just seemed to go on FOREVER. What a great time though.
2013-08-12 2:25 PM
in reply to: Ershk

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Regular
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LHOTP
Subject: RE: USAT Age Group National Championship - Olympic Distance

Nice RR!

Really nice job on that swim, dang.  I'd take that any day.  It was my first experience with that amount of swim cray-cray too.  Not like.  How about that swim exit, huh? 

Solid bike, and I'd agree with you that the course had some toughness.  I thought the cross winds coming back across the bridge were a bit sketchy too.

Really nice pics--cute fam shot.

So, it's you and me going for a 2:20 next year then :)  We can do it!

2013-08-12 2:56 PM
in reply to: switch

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Expert
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1000100
Chicago
Subject: RE: USAT Age Group National Championship - Olympic Distance
Originally posted by switch

Nice RR!

Really nice job on that swim, dang.  I'd take that any day.  It was my first experience with that amount of swim cray-cray too.  Not like.  How about that swim exit, huh? 

Solid bike, and I'd agree with you that the course had some toughness.  I thought the cross winds coming back across the bridge were a bit sketchy too.

Really nice pics--cute fam shot.

So, it's you and me going for a 2:20 next year then   We can do it!




Oh, that's not my family . . . the kids were holding out their hands for hi-five's on the course, so I just went with it. OK, yes, it's my family. My wife literally slipped a disc a week before and still insisted on getting herself and the support crew out there, for which I am eternally grateful.

I like the goal for next year 2:20 or bust!
2013-08-16 8:02 AM
in reply to: #4827004

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Expert
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Fort Wayne, IN
Subject: RE: USAT Age Group National Championship - Olympic Distance
Nice job. I'm with you on the 2:20 goal next year.


2013-09-16 8:02 AM
in reply to: #4827004

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Extreme Veteran
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Frederick, Maryland
Subject: RE: USAT Age Group National Championship - Olympic Distance
It was a great day out there, huh? Congrats on your personal accomplishment! Yeah, like you I had an awesome Olympic distance time and PR I think. But, man I've got to get faster too if I ever want to perhaps get to Worlds one day. Like another guy said, some very fit and fast guys out there! Still, I enjoyed most of the entire experience! Probably won't be back next year if I qualify as I have other goals for 2014.

Good luck in the rest of your season!
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