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Stawberry Fields Triathlon
2006-03-26
Oxnard, California
United States
USATri
Triathlon - Sprint
Total Time = 1h 05m 25s
Overall Rank = 171/686
Age Group = Clydesdale
Age Group Rank = 10/44
Pre-race routine:
This was my first triathlon, so I don't have much of a routine yet. Picked up my registration packet, racked my bike, set up my transition area, and wandered around the expo area a little.Event warmup:
Went for a 15 minute jog and stretched. Didn't get a bike or swim warm-up in.
Swim
Comments:
This was supposed to be a 1/4 mile swim, but the swim leg was cancelled due to strong currents. After only 4 of 35 competitors in the first two waves were able to make the buoy, the race directors decided to make the event a duathlon and had athletes do a 400 yard "water run" in thigh-to-waist deep surf. See http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp... for more details.
T1
Comments:
Not especially speedy, but I did put my socks and cycling shoes on before running out of T1. I was just happy that I came out of T1 with everything that I was expecting to have with me (remembered to take my swim cap off, didn't put my helmet on backwards, left shoe ended up on left foot, right shoe ended up on right foot, etc.).What would you do differently?:
More practice with transitions...still working my way up to shoes on the pedals.
Bike
Comments:
I really enjoyed the bike leg. I rode the course earlier in the week, so I already had a feel for what it would be like on race day. The roads weren't all closed to traffic, but the police did a pretty nice job of controlling the traffic at intersections and limiting the flow on the roads.What would you do differently?:
I haven't done a lot of speed work on my bike yet, but I was pretty happy with my ride.
T2
Comments:
I was pretty happy with T2.What would you do differently?:
More practice.
Run
Comments:
I was happy with my run, given where I am at in my training (running is my weakest event). I actually felt pretty good coming off the bike -- better than my two brick sessions beforehand.What would you do differently?:
Run more (I am still developing a base) and run faster (I really haven't done much running speedwork yet).
Post race
Warm down:
Walked around for a bit and did some stretching.What limited your ability to perform faster:
Training...I'm still redeveloping my aerobic base after taking several years off from sports (and most physical activity in general, other than some periodic short runs), I don't have a running background, and I haven't done much strength or speed training yet. I felt like I performed to my current abilities.Event comments:
I don't have much to compare it to, since this was my first race, but I had a great time.
Swimming 00:05:21 | 00 yards | / 100yards Age Group: 0/44 Overall: 0/686 Performance: Suit: Course: Start type: Plus: Water temp: 0F / 0C Current: 200M Perf. Remainder: Breathing: Drafting: Waves: Navigation: Rounding: T1 Time: 02:24 Performance: Average Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:Yes Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes Jump on bike: Yes Getting up to speed: Average Biking 00:31:44 | 11.5 miles | 21.74 mile/hr Age Group: 9/44 Overall: 97/686 Performance: Avg HR 179 Wind: Some Course: Mostly flat 11.5 mile loop that included an out-and-back detour of about 1 mile. Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 100 Turns: Good Cornering: Good Gear changes: Good Hills: Average Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right T2 Time: 01:02 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 00:24:54 | 03 miles | 08m 18s min/mile Age Group: 13/44 Overall: 321/686 Performance: Average Avg HR 180 Course: Flat out-and-back along residential street and beachfront jog/bike path. Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right Weight change: % Overall: Good Mental exertion [1-5] 4 Physical exertion [1-5] 4 Good race? Yes 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] 4
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Race Reports Modeled with Permission from
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Last updated: 2006-04-05 12:00 AM
No photos uploaded -
RE: Stawberry Fields Triathlon
BY: ChrisM on 2006-04-06 12:28 PM
damn... "pretty happy" with an almost 22 mph bike split?
Very nice for your first tri, too bad you couldn't have gotten the swim in for the first one, but probably better all around
Man, as long as you can swim, if these are your times while still developing aerobic base and speed, you are going to slay those clydes at future tris
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The only way to get better at climbing hills is climbing hills -
RE: Stawberry Fields Triathlon
BY: MCH13 on 2006-04-06 1:40 PM
Thanks...I was pretty psyched about the whole race since it was my first one. I was especially happy with my bike split, so "pretty happy" may have been an understatement. I have been training since October, but suffered setbacks on my running and bike training due to an achilles tendon injury around New Years. Thus, not many high intensity or hill rides, and very little running of any sort during January and February.
I'm a fairly strong swimmer -- at least in the pool. I had only done one ocean swim before this race though, so I was a little nervous about the current and surf. I was disappointed when they cancelled the swim, since it is a stronger event for me than the run, but I agreed with the RD's decision given the conditions. You were there, so you saw it first hand.
Unfortunately (fortunately?), I will likely be leaving the clydesdale division and joining the AGers (30-34) soon. When I started training, I was around 220, but I am now down to 205-210. As my long runs and long bikes pick back up, I anticipate that I'll probably end up in the 195-200 range. -
RE: Stawberry Fields Triathlon
BY: ChrisM on 2006-04-06 2:08 PM
Good riddance.. bye bye... leave the Clydes for us fat guys LOL.... Did you see the guy who won Clydes? The irony is that he is not a good swimmer, so this was great for him! (in case you didn't....... http://www.brightroom.com/view_user_event.asp?EVENTID=10783&BIB=874&PWD=
Looking forward to more reports. What other races are planned?
Edited by ChrisM 2006-04-06 2:10 PM
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The only way to get better at climbing hills is climbing hills -
RE: Stawberry Fields Triathlon
BY: MikeB on 2006-04-06 2:33 PM
Nice race Matt! Nice bike spliat and congratulations on finishing your first race.
The winner looks like he is 200 lbs of muscle maybe they should institute a minimum body fat requirement for the clyde division.
Mike -
RE: Stawberry Fields Triathlon
BY: MCH13 on 2006-04-06 4:11 PM
Yeah, I saw him before the race (although I didn't know he was in the Clydes division). I definitely didn't see him on the course since he was in front of me the whole time!
I am sensitive to the debate about who should or shouldn't race in the Clydes division (and I don't have a good answer). Ultimately, there will always be athletes who are just over or just under the cut-off, no matter where or how the line is drawn. I remember that when I first decided that I wanted to do a triathlon, I thought it was pretty cool that there was a clydesdale division, so I wanted to get at least one race as a Clyde while I was eligible so I could wear the "C" bodymarking on my leg with pride!
I haven't signed up for any more races (YET), but I would like to do a couple more sprints over the summer and am shooting for an olympic at the LA Triathlon in September. -
RE: Stawberry Fields Triathlon
BY: MikeB on 2006-04-06 4:23 PM
I understand the difficulty in determining who should or should not be a clyde. To me it doesn't really matter, if having a clyde division (no matter how it is defined) gets another person interested in doing triathlons then it has served its purpose. Personally, I race against myself. Yeah you are always racing the people around you as well, but the only person I have any control over is me and that is who I'm trying to beat.
The LA triathlon is a great event and was my first tri, 1.5 years ago. There is something special about riding the streets that are normally so packed that you can hardly drive on them. I highly recommend the event.
Congrats and good luck in all of your future races.
Mike