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Columbia Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic


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Columbia, Maryland
United States
The Columbia Triathlon Association Inc.
65F / 18C
Precipitation
Total Time = 2h 42m 2s
Overall Rank = 321/968
Age Group = M 30-34
Age Group Rank = 45/116
Pre-race routine:

Up at 3:30. Had everything packed so I just filled my gel flask, grabbed breakfast for the road (3 scoops SE in 20 oz water, banana, powerbar). Hopped in with Glenn at the outlets and we were on the road. Got to the race site a little after 5:00 and there was basically no traffic and transition wasn't crowded. Very low-stress start to the day which is always a plus.
Event warmup:

Same as always - no warmup. Just walked around and chatted with Glenn, Shelly and Chuck. Glenn and I were hanging out by Shelly's bike waiting for her to show up and we had to move for a girl that was racked right next to her. Glenn said "well, I guess we'll have to go stalk somewhere else." (Very funny at the time). Anyway - we paced around and then walked over to the swim start. Time went by very fast and I got to see my parents just before getting in the water which was cool. Overall, I was very relaxed, but excited.
Swim
  • 24m 57s
  • 1640 yards
  • 01m 31s / 100 yards
Comments:

What a great swim I had! I had no expectations on time. I just wanted to focus on percieved effort and try to get on the feet of a faster swimmer and see what would happen. It felt like it took forever to make it to the first turn, then the long leg home seemed to absolutely fly by. My HR was 170 when I stood up and I immediately thought that I had gone way too hard and would pay for it later, but when I got home and checked my splits, my average HR was 159 which I think was just perfect for this distance. I'm going to need to pull it back a bit for Eagleman, but I think this was the best effort I had today and I couldn't be happier. The big swimming volume lately paid off.
What would you do differently?:

I wouldn't change anything...I sighted well, dealt with body contact and passing slower swimmers well, and paced well. This was the best triathlon swim I've ever had.
Transition 1
  • 02m 11s
Comments:

Good transition...I felt slow jogging up from the water but gained time relative to the field.
AG rank: 6/116
Overall men rank: 70/968
What would you do differently?:

Wetsuit was stuck on ankles - didn't do a good job of snapping it off quickly.
Bike
  • 1h 21m 49s
  • 25.48 miles
  • 18.69 mile/hr
Comments:

I was a little slow slipping into my shoes because there's only abot 20 yards of flat surface before climbing out of T1. HR was high for the first 3-4 miles but then settled into normal cycling ranges. Some of the downhills and turns were downright scary with the roads being wet and being in a pretty big group of riders. I kept passing and getting re-passed by the same guy for 20 miles which really kept me in the game mentally and I finally dropped him for good on the last decent climb with a few miles left. I've never done a race this big so I got a big charge out of the huge crowd coming into T2. Very cool. 3 scoops SE and water on the bike.
What would you do differently?:

I probably held back a little too much, but I still wouldn't change anything. On the course, I felt like I was keeping a "hard" effort, but as I rolled into transition, I felt really good and thought I should have gone harder. With never seeing the run course, I didn't want to blow it out on the bike so I rode smart. Pace was relatively comfortable except for the high efforts on a couple tough climbs.
Transition 2
  • 01m 6s
Comments:

Another good transition where I picked up a little more time on the field. I'll take every second I can get no matter where it comes from.
AG: 9/116
Overall: 87/968
Run
  • 52m 2s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 08m 23s  min/mile
Comments:

I transitioned to the run very well and my legs felt good within a half mile. I think my training plan which has a 30 minute transition run after 2 of every 3 long rides has really helped. I've obviously heard everyone talk about how tough this run is and it didn't dissapoint. That first hill with a couple switchbacks really got the HR up right out of the gate. I found it difficult on the downhills because they were so steep. I saw Glenn, Chuck, Paul, then Shelly on the run which is always a lift. I like getting high-fives from everyone. My HR recoveries on the downhills were very good and I had a drink at almost every aid station. I used a gel flask Z5 had given me in my jersey pocket for the run which I really liked. It's nice not having the hassle of dealing with individual gel packs. I knew coming out of T2 that I needed a sub-50 minute run to break 2:40 so that became a goal. I thought I was on track until I hit mile 5 and realized the toll the hills had taken on my pace. I didn't lose heart - the entire race was going so well I couldn't help but to enjoy being in the moment. I had enough in the tank to open it up in the last mile or so so I paced well.
What would you do differently?:

Similar to the bike, I couldn't help but to feel like I held back a little too much. While I was out there, the effort felt just right, but with a half mile to go I felt like I should have pushed harder. Again, I wouldn't change a thing...I had a great run!
Post race
Warm down:

Drank some water and hung out with Glenn and the CMS crew. We couldn't find Shelly after looking for quite some time (sorry, Shelly!) so we packed up and hit the road. A post-race stop at Coldstone Creamery ended an awesome day! Glenn and I traded our standard war stories on the way home - it's always fun to ride with him because I'm sure Marianne gets sick of hearing me talk about the race when she's with me.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

For the first time since I've raced triathlons, endurance was not my limiter. If anything, I would say strength was my limiter on this course and more time in the weight room would have been a big help.

Event comments:

There's no wonder why this race is so popular....it will definitely be on my schedule for many years to come. This was the most organized, well-run and supported event I've ever done and the course was fantastic. CTA is really top-notch!




Last updated: 2006-09-12 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:24:57 | 1640 yards | 01m 31s / 100yards
Age Group: 31/116
Overall: 250/968
Performance: Good
Avg HR: 159 Max HR: 171
Suit:
Course: Kind of a J type pattern.
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 68F / 20C Current:
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Below average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:11
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
01:21:49 | 25.48 miles | 18.69 mile/hr
Age Group: 58/116
Overall: 425/968
Performance: Average
Avg: 165 Max: 185
Wind: None
Course: Hilly - out and back with a big loop on the end.
Road: Rough Wet Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:06
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
00:52:02 | 06.21 miles | 08m 23s  min/mile
Age Group: 61/116
Overall: 436/968
Performance: Good
Avg: 166 Max: 185 I took splits on the first 2 miles which were right around 8:15. For some reason that I don't really know, I didn't take any more mile splits after that.
Course: Hilliest 10k I've every run. Good course around the lake and into a neighborhood. Lots of different scenery which kept it interesting - not your typical out-and-back run course.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 2
Physical exertion [1-5] 2
Good race? Yes
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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2007-05-21 8:09 AM

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Veteran
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Centreville, MD
Subject: Columbia Triathlon


2007-05-21 8:29 AM
in reply to: #809304

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Master
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Subject: RE: Columbia Triathlon
nice job---fast transition times! you definitely moved up a few positions there.
2007-05-21 8:31 AM
in reply to: #809304

Subject: ...
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2007-05-21 8:38 AM
in reply to: #809304

Master
1381
1000100100100252525
Clifton, NJ
Subject: RE: Columbia Triathlon

congrats on a super fast swim and reaching the new level of endurance you wrote about in your RR!

 

2007-05-21 9:04 AM
in reply to: #809304

Elite
2844
200050010010010025
Reston VA
Subject: RE: Columbia Triathlon

Wow what a great race! It looks like we took slightly different race tactics. I went to hard the whole time and felt pretty tired on the run and you held back, with I think, better results.

I agree about needing more time in the weight room. Those hills really require some strong legs!

It was great seeing your SMILING face on the run! That was definately a pick-me up because I was hurting going up that hill!

2007-05-21 9:24 AM
in reply to: #809304

Veteran
156
1002525
Subject: RE: Columbia Triathlon
So glad you had a great race!!!  It's wonderful that you could see such good results from all your hard work training.  It was nice to be there and see you finish strong !!!


2007-05-21 10:07 AM
in reply to: #809304

Master
3546
2000100050025
Millersville, MD
Subject: RE: Columbia Triathlon
Thaks for the great report - coldstone sounds great right now, and I didn't just do a tri

Sounds like your plan really came together and the training paid off.
2007-05-21 3:56 PM
in reply to: #809304

Master
1565
10005002525
SMIBville
Subject: RE: Columbia Triathlon
great job. nice swim, too!
2007-05-21 4:18 PM
in reply to: #809304

Pro
4054
200020002525
yep,
Subject: RE: Columbia Triathlon
Great job on the race.  Wish I had such a great day like you did.  Thanks for the comments too!  Good luck at Eagleman.  Sure you give it your all
2007-05-22 2:34 PM
in reply to: #809304

Not a Coach
11473
5000500010001001001001002525
Media, PA
Subject: RE: Columbia Triathlon

Nice race!  Looks like you paced yourself well over a tough course.

Good luck at Eagleman!

2007-05-23 7:56 AM
in reply to: #809304

Veteran
259
1001002525
Maryland
Subject: RE: Columbia Triathlon
Great race and RR, nice swim, and very fast transitions! WTG!

Good luck at Eagleman.

Larry


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