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Triathlon at Pacific Grove - Olympic Course - Triathlon


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Pacific Grove, California
United States
Tri-California Events
58F / 14C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 44m 40s
Overall Rank = 134/598
Age Group = 50-54
Age Group Rank = 10/48
Pre-race routine:

Got out of bed at about 4:30 AM. Ate some cereal, toasted bagel, and a PowerBar. Sipped on Gatorade. Petted my cat. Packed up my stuff, left home at about 5:45. Arrived in Pacific Grove at about 7. It was still a little foggy.
Event warmup:

Jogged, stretched, swam for about 10 minutes.
Swim
  • 29m 27s
  • 1640 yards
  • 01m 48s / 100 yards
Comments:

The kelp didn't seem quite as thick this year. I stayed relaxed for the first 200 meters or so and didn't waste a lot of energy in the initial scrum. My first goal was to finish the first lap before the next wave started (15 minutes after my wave start). I cleared the beach exit/turnaround/re-entry point with about a minute to spare -- happy about that. I felt pretty relaxed on the second lap and again finished ahead of the next wave start (goal #2). Very happy to finish the swim in under 30 minutes.
What would you do differently?:

I pretty much swam to my current ability and fitness level. Everything went as expected. Good start. No complaints
Transition 1
  • 02m 9s
Bike
  • 1h 17m 14s
  • 25.5 miles
  • 19.81 mile/hr
Comments:

My legs felt stiff when I first got on the bike. At first, I wasn't too concerned. I just tried to relax and hope I'd fall into a groove by the first turn-around. Unfortunately, my legs went from stiff to sore -- my quads in particular. I'm not sure what the problem was. I hadn't done any hard riding in more than a week. But I never came close to hitting my goal speed. Disappointing. But I guess that comes with the territory in triathlons... It was still a fun ride though! :-)
What would you do differently?:

I probably should have just gutted it out and not worried about my legs. I ended up struggling in the run anyway. I had a couple of good hard bike and run workouts about two weeks prior to the race. But my legs never seemed to fully come back to life again. I probably need to put more time and effort into stretching, massage, and recovery nutrition. At least, I hope that's the problem...
Transition 2
  • 02m 26s
Run
  • 53m 24s
  • 6.2 miles
  • 08m 37s  min/mile
Comments:

I was hoping my legs would somehow magically come to life during the run. For the first two miles, they did -- I managed to hold about an 8 minute/mile pace, which was my goal. But when I started the second lap, I knew I wasn't going to hold it. My quads tightened up again, and I slowed down noticeably. From that point on, I just tried to hold form and enjoy the run as best I could. I was hoping to go under 50 minutes, but I didn't even come close. Still, the scenery and the atmosphere in Pacific Grove is so amazing that it's impossible not to have fun.
What would you do differently?:

I'm not exactly sure what went wrong. I'm going to take a closer look at my training and make some adjustments. My running is just not where I want it to be.
Post race
Warm down:

Walked around a bit, drank a lot of water.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

I'm still trying to figure this one out! I'll just focus on the positive for now -- I had a good swim. Also, I beat my overall time from last year and the year before.

Event comments:

The Triathlon at Pacific Grove is a great race. Even though I didn't do as well as I hoped, I still had a blast. Watching the pros race is as much fun as participating.




Last updated: 2013-06-22 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:29:27 | 1640 yards | 01m 48s / 100yards
Age Group: 17/48
Overall: 214/598
Performance: Good
Suit: Orca Sonar
Course: Triangular counter-clockwise course in Lovers Point Cove -- two laps. Crawl through keep Exit water between laps. Repeat.
Start type: Run Plus: Waves
Water temp: 58F / 14C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Average Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:09
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
01:17:14 | 25.5 miles | 19.81 mile/hr
Age Group: 13/48
Overall: 131/598
Performance: Below average
Wind: Some
Course: Out-and-back six-mile course -- four laps. Rolling, curvy seaside hills overlooking Monterey Bay. The longest straight section on the course is maybe 200 yards. Turn-arounds are pace-busters (two per lap). Course is a little longer than 40K. Every Garmin reading I've checked comes out to about 25.5 miles.
Road:   Cadence: 88
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Average Hills: Average
Race pace: Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 02:26
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:53:24 | 06.2 miles | 08m 37s  min/mile
Age Group: 17/48
Overall: 258/598
Performance: Below average
Course: Two-mile looped out-and-back course -- three laps. Great scenery. Some rolling hills and wind.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Below average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race? Ok
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5

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2013-09-20 6:22 PM

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Regular
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Morgan Hill, CA
Subject: Triathlon at Pacific Grove - Olympic Course


2013-09-21 11:13 PM
in reply to: #4860590

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Morgan Hill, California
Subject: RE: Triathlon at Pacific Grove - Olympic Course
Nice job on the swim, and you beat your past times, so that is a good day! Congrats on the race, now to pick a 70.3 for you! The volume needed for that will also likely help you at the Oly distance too.
2013-09-22 1:28 AM
in reply to: kmac1346

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Regular
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1002525
Morgan Hill, CA
Subject: RE: Triathlon at Pacific Grove - Olympic Course

Originally posted by kmac1346 Nice job on the swim, and you beat your past times, so that is a good day! Congrats on the race, now to pick a 70.3 for you! The volume needed for that will also likely help you at the Oly distance too.

Thanks for the encouragement, kmac! Boise, maybe? Yep, some volume -- and speed work -- would be of great help. I'll keep working at it...

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