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Richmond Sprint Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Richmond, Virginia
United States
ACAC Fitness and Wellness Center
80F / 27C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 32m 9s
Overall Rank = 195/222
Age Group = 25-29
Age Group Rank = 24/28
Pre-race routine:

Got up and ready, ate a banana while loading the car and getting the last of our stuff together (we were in a hotel).

Got to the race in plenty of time, set in up transition and hung out with my wife and son in the bleachers until it was time to start.
Event warmup:

None, unless you count the nervous jittering. :)
Swim
  • 07m 51s
  • 437 yards
  • 01m 47s / 100 yards
Comments:

In line, the guy in front of me was obviously nervous. More than once, he said to me and the guy behind me that if we needed to pass him, just clock him and he'd get out of the way. I responded with "If I try to pass you within the first 200 meters, clock me back, because I am going out too fast."

I say this because I was seeded at number 155 of about 500. I knew that the guys around me could swim, and that I was hoping that I could just swim in a clear pool and keep my breathing under control.

I started the swim feeling great. My stroke felt nice, I was just streaming through the water without feeling like I was exerting myself too much. Then, at about the 125 M mark, I noticed that the guy in front of me passed the guy in front of him, and I was right on the toes of both of them. I saw the lane was clear coming the other way, and being way overconfident after my clean start, I decided to pass midlane. And boy did I blow by them. I hit the wall about 2 lengths before either of them and the adrenaline was pumping, but so was my heart - and lungs. By 225M, I couldn't exchange enough oxygen during my stroke and by the time I got to 270M I had to flip on my back to catch up on my breathing. I was passed by one of the guys I had passed, but I quickly regained my composure and restarted the swim.

I had to seriously focus on my breathing and control to make it to the end, but I did it - barely. My head was mildly swimming and my heart and lungs were flying out of my chest.

I did get about the time I was expecting - so on that front, I am happy.
What would you do differently?:

Kept my pace. I should have drafted a bit until a space broke between the two swimmers and just passed one, and then recover and settle into my stroke again. I was overexerted myself sprinting for as long as I had to pass those two mid-lane.

As per advice from my wife watching, I think I need to work on breath control. Being able to breath every 3-4 strokes with the option to go every 2 could give me a lot of options to catch up on oxygen instead of always going 2 strokes. That and overall volume training so that I can weather those occasional sprints.
Transition 1
  • 04m 38s
Comments:

There was a decent run from the pool to the transition area, which I had to walk part of to recover from the swim. When I got to my bike, I was slower than I should have been because I was still reeling. Eventually, I got everything together and off.

A lot of the time in this transition was getting to my bike. Once I got there, I was pretty happy with my transition. It was a pain to get my bike off the rack, though, because it was too big to fit as intended, so I had to manhandle it a bit.
What would you do differently?:

Practice the transitions. Have a procedure that I can do quickly and without thinking much.

Everything was laid out well this time, which made things go a little faster.


Bike
  • 47m 4s
  • 12.43 miles
  • 15.85 mile/hr
Comments:

I was so happy to get on the bike. I was still breathing too hard and a little anxious from the swim, but as I started riding and just focusing on my cadence, I calmed down fast.

The ride was a really nice ride. I didn't let the fast people on racing bikes lure me into overdoing it. The first several miles is either a slight downgrade or a severe downgrade, so I rode with a high cadence and didn't really grind, knowing there were some good hills later in the course.

I was following some people (well back from the draft zone, but I kept the same distance) for a few miles until we started to go up the hill. Then, feeling a little like Lance, I made my move. On the big, long hill, I passed 5 people (4 on road/tri bikes) and was not passed. Once I got back onto the flat, some people passed me. However, I can put a feather in my cap that people on swanky road bikes watched a guy with hairy legs, reflectors, and a hybrid bike pass them on the hill. :) Even though I have griped over and over about how I have to train in a hilly area, all that work showed on that hill.

I pushed for the rest of the ride, keeping a nice pace for me, but was definately limited by my bike. It just has a speed it likes to sit in, and I have to work really hard to push it faster. I didn't want to completely kill my legs for the run, so I kept a high-ish cadence and kept my speed where I could comfortably hold it.

I was passed by some and passed some, but didn't get reeled into trying to keep up with people.
What would you do differently?:

Have a road racing bike and more speed training.
Transition 2
  • 01m 52s
Comments:

Dismount went cleanly and I made it to my place quickly. I tried to rack my bike but it didn't fit on those racks because it was too tall. So I wasted a few seconds there. Also, I started to run on with my helmet on, but I caught myself about 10 steps from my bike, turned around and took it off.
What would you do differently?:

Have a process. Things were set out nicely, but I was slow actually _doing_ the transition.
Run
  • 30m 46s
  • 3.11 miles
  • 09m 53s  min/mile
Comments:

The run was pretty long. It was starting to get a little warm, and my legs were a little mushy from the bike.

I kept a slow pace and then pushed the last half mile or so with a sprint at the end. I barely kept up to the finish line, so I feel good about using all the energy I could. However, I am not that happy with my performance on the run. I think it is a pure volume thing, more than anything else. I never trained a brick and didn't run longer than the 5k distance in training. I shouldn't expect to run well at the end of a race if that is how I prepare.

However, I did pass about 4 people on my sprint to the finish, which felt good.
What would you do differently?:

Train bricks, and put in a lot more run volume training.
Post race
Warm down:

Met up with my wife and son and walked around, stretching for a few minutes while I cooled down. Had a bagel, some watermelon, and lots of water as I cooled down.

After the results were posted and we were certain we could leave, we packed everything up and started the trek home.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Volume training, mostly. I felt better than in May, but I still have a long way to go to be even close to competative in my age group.

Event comments:

Finishing was very unceremonious compared to my race in May.




Last updated: 2007-08-01 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:07:51 | 437 yards | 01m 47s / 100yards
Age Group: 17/28
Overall: 82/222
Performance: Average
Suit: tri shorts
Course: Pool snake swim, 50M lanes
Start type: Inside Pool Plus:
Water temp: 78F / 26C Current:
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Below average
Breathing: Below average Drafting: Below average
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 04:38
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
00:47:04 | 12.43 miles | 15.85 mile/hr
Age Group: 26/28
Overall: 206/222
Performance: Average
Wind: None
Course: 20K road course that was flat with a gentle grade except one large steep downhill and a long moderate grade uphill.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:52
Overall: Below average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Below average
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Below average
Shoe and helmet removal Below average
Running
00:30:46 | 03.11 miles | 09m 53s  min/mile
Age Group: 23/28
Overall: 175/222
Performance: Below average
Course: Out and back with a few gentle rolling hills on neighborhood roads.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
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: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 3

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2007-08-29 1:29 PM

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Subject: Richmond Sprint Triathlon


2007-08-29 2:53 PM
in reply to: #946072

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Science Nerd
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Redwood City, California
Subject: RE: Richmond Sprint Triathlon

Sounds like you had a great race!  I'm especially impressed by blowing by people on the hill.  That's always one of my goals during this race. 

As far as the swim, I've found that sticking with breathing every 3 - 4 strokes is really helpful in the races.  If you stick with it, you don't spend as much time trying to catch up than you can if you go longer between breaths.

 Congrats on a great job!    Sorry I  wasn't there.

2007-08-30 6:59 AM
in reply to: #946227

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Subject: RE: Richmond Sprint Triathlon
Thanks. It was a pretty good race, although I wish I was faster. That'll come with more training, I am sure.

I am going to work on the swimming breathing soon, and hope to have increased both my overall cardiovascular capacity and ability to go several strokes without breathing by next season/race.

I am sorry you weren't there, either. I hope the leg is getting better.

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