Great Buckeye Challenge - Mini (Olympic) Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic


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Springfield, Ohio
United States
HFP Racing
71F / 22C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 45m 9s
Overall Rank = 64/114
Age Group = M40-44
Age Group Rank = 7/12
Pre-race routine:

Up, Check the weather, look at the storm approaching from the west and say "F_c% 1t!" One large coffee and a PB bagel later we were on the road for the 45 min drive to Buck Creek. Parked, walked, SWAG'ed, and set up my transition. Checked out the porta-potty situation... Boy, those handicap stalls are roomy inside...
Event warmup:

Managed to relax and clear the mind (as opposed to Caesar's), so I only put my wetsuit on once (correctly) this time. Then looked for the family, no joy, and headed down to the lake to get in a quick swim. NB: Found the family 10 min before race time...
Swim
  • 32m 41s
  • 1094 yards
  • 02m 59s / 100 yards
Comments:

Wouldn't you know, the new goggles that worked wonders in the previous 2 weeks of training gave me a perpetual slow leak on the left side. This is not an excuse for me being slow. My excuse for being slow was the lack of an efficient kick and poor breathing which kept my head up more than necessary. However, the leaky goggle sure was annoying...
What would you do differently?:

swim, swim, and swim more... I know I can learn to do it much more efficiently. I work way too hard in the water.
Transition 1
  • 02m 3s
Comments:

Hit the lap timer on the Garmin into T1, found my rack easy enough and managed to get out of the wetsuit somewhat efficiently. Glasses, helmet, shoes, bike shuffle
What would you do differently?:

Bike mount line 10 ft beyond the mats distracted me and I forgot to hit the lap timer to capture the start of the bike... DOH!
Bike
  • 1h 13m 45s
  • 24.85 miles
  • 20.22 mile/hr
Comments:

I managed to hit my goal (20 mph avg) across the course, so not too disappointed.
What would you do differently?:

Still need to tune the front derailleur to get into the low gear a little easier. had to force it a few times and take care to not throw a chain. Still need to work on cornering in aero a bit, had to come off the bars too much... work on cornering, especially on gravel... but at least I kept the rubber side down this time...
Transition 2
  • 01m 15s
Comments:

Got my feet out of the shoes on the bike, but I probably was pushing in too high of a gear at the end of the bike, and wound up getting a cramp in my calf while trying to get my second foot out of my bike shoe. This caused my feet to slip off the pedals, resulting in my shoes taking a couple of revolutions on the pedals. No harm, no foul other than a few nice scuffs on the heels of my bike shoes, but I probably lost any advantage of taking the feet out early, especially with the 90 degree left turn at the dismount line.
What would you do differently?:

Next time, down shift a little bit earlier to bring my cadence up and hopefully loosen up the legs a bit.
Run
  • 55m 22s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 08m 55s  min/mile
Comments:

Felt pretty good off the bike, despite the knot in the calf from T2, took it easy for the first ~400m until I felt it loosen up and then opened up into my cadence. Started looking for runners to pick off, found a few 40s and 50s on the calves that made me confident I was making up time from my river rock imitation.
What would you do differently?:

Honestly, push it a little harder... I worked the last mile but wasn't suffering. I met my goal of sub-9:00 miles but I could've pushed it up a bit.
Post race
Warm down:

Walked, Coke, Water, and then went back to cheer on the Twinklebug, giving her a swift, verbal k!ck in the @$$ as I watched her edge out a 20-something across the mats.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Lack of time to train as many miles, and more importantly, as many laps as I wanted to get in the pool. I really need to win the lottery and train full-time.

Event comments:

Only comment would be that the "geography" around the transition area was a bit compressed. Mount/Dismount lines were pretty close and the chute leading into bike dismount was fairly narrow compared to other races and led to some bottlenecks. Overall, a good race and great logistical support from HFP.


Profile Album


Last updated: 2011-08-13 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:32:41 | 1094 yards | 02m 59s / 100yards
Age Group: 12/12
Overall: 111/114
Performance: Below average
Suit: Yes, Full
Course: Clockwise rectangular route, into the deep part of the lake first. Started out slow to try and get my rhythm down, which I think worked well. While this was a bit slow by most people's standards , I think it worked and I met my goals based on where I was with my swim training. Big run up a big hill into transition...
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 73F / 23C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Below average
Breathing: Below average Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:03
Performance: Average
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
01:13:45 | 24.85 miles | 20.22 mile/hr
Age Group: 5/12
Overall: 41/114
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course: Country roads, rolling mostly, with a moderate climb into Catawba. Single loop for the mini. Approx 1-2 miles of the course out of Catawba was recently tarred and chipped, which meant I was unable to take full advantage of the hill I just climbed.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Below average Cornering: Below average
Gear changes: Average Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:15
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Below average
Jumping off bike Average
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
00:55:22 | 06.21 miles | 08m 55s  min/mile
Age Group: 4/12
Overall: 51/114
Performance: Good
Course: Bike path route south and west of the dam, a bit downhill on the way out and up back in...
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
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] 4