Scott Tinley's Triathlon - On Road Sprint Triathlon - Triathlon


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Arroyo Grande, California
United States
Tri-California Events
70F / 21C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 34m 18s
Overall Rank = 90/187
Age Group = M35-39
Age Group Rank = 14/21
Pre-race routine:

This race is the first anniversary of my very first triathlon. After a full year of training and 4 other sprint triathlons this season I was looking forward to setting a new personal record.

Enjoyed my traditional pre-race sushi dinner, Packed all my gear and loaded up my truck.
Event warmup:

Got to the lake fairly early, biked over to the transition area and set up my gear. Enjoyed some light conversation with those on the same rack, ranging from regulars of this event to a couple new comers to the sport.

I was in the first wave so I had to hurry up and get into the water for some warm up before the start. Compared to last year, my first triathlon ever, my nerves were very calm and I was looking forward to the start.
Swim
  • 10m 32s
  • 440 yards
  • 02m 23s / 100 yards
Comments:

Compared to last year, my confidence and swimming skills have vastly improved, partially from weekly ocean swims ranging from .5 to 1.2 miles. As comfortable as I am with ocean swimming I still don't like lake swimming, something to do with how the water tastes.

Seeding myself in the middle of the pack the start was a washing machine of contact. It wasn't too bad and it spread after the first 100 yards or so. I was passed a few times, as I expected, and passed a couple myself which felt good. There were a couple feet I tried to draft without much luck, need to work on that.

Most of the swim I was able to stay with a strong crawl except for a couple spots of breast stroke after a few bad breaths full of water.

Last year's time: 11:07. Already 35 seconds faster than last year, off to a good start!
What would you do differently?:

Work on drafting
Transition 1
  • 02m 6s
Comments:

The run up the boat ramp to transition was a little slow, even with numb feet it was a bit rough. My feet ended up with lots of small gravel stuck to the bottom which I (mostly) wiped off with a towel before putting my socks on. Shoes, sunglasses, gloves, helmet on... grabbed bike and was on my way!

Last year's time: 3:48, delta of 1:42!

What would you do differently?:

Splash some water on my feet to clean them off better, I missed a few little stones which I had to take care of during T2.
Bike
  • 00m
  • 12.4 miles
  • 0.00 mile/hr
Comments:

As I went up the first hill I was not far behind the middle pack from my wave and I smiled knowing my swim was fast enough to keep me with the pack. They pulled away along the lake as my hybrid bike was just not as fast as their road/TT bikes.

My strategy was to start strong along the first couple miles along the lake to gain some time ahead of my shadow I was racing. I kept to my plan and rode strong and fast. A few other racers on faster bikes passed me and again I smiled, knowing that I beat them out of the water.

Crossing over the dam I was hit by a blast of wind coming off the lake and I realized this would be a nasty head wind when riding up the hill back to the dam. It did make for a fun tail wind down the hill and out to the turn around.

On the way back towards the lake the head wind was present but not too strong. The climb back up the dam was steady until near the peak when the brunt of the head wind hit with full force. Pushing through it I cleared that hurdle and kept a steady and comfortable pace along the lake as to not over work my legs the last couple of miles on the bike.

Last year's time: 52:38, delta unknown due to timing not recorded.
What would you do differently?:

Performance wise I'm happy with the bike segment. Upgrading to a road/TT bike and more training will improve my time.
Transition 2
  • 00m
Comments:

I felt a few pebbles in my shoes that I missed during T1 so I had to roll my socks up and clear them out before putting my running shoes on.

Last year's time: 1:53, delta unknown due to timing not recorded.
What would you do differently?:

Make sure feet are clean in T1!
Run
  • 00m
  • 3 miles
  •  min/mile
Comments:

As usual my legs were a bit stiff off the bike, loosening up around 1 mile. My pace was steady and on the slow side, as most of my run training recently has been for distance as I ready for my first Half Marathon a week after this race.

At the first aid station I asked for water, splashed it on my back then took a taste... Poweraid! Lesson learned via sticky back/legs: taste before splash! Good thing I didn't pour it on my head.

The hill at the 2.2 mile was going to be a fun challenge that I intended to run up. I made it about halfway then switched into quick walk/jog cycles through the steep part.

After that it was mostly downhill and my legs were feeling good. Crossing the finish line I raised my arms in celebration.

Last year's time: 32:40, delta unknown due to timing not recorded.
What would you do differently?:

Train more on steep hills.
Post race
Warm down:

Stretched out legs and poured some nice clean water over my head.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Just need to train more. Everything else went smooth.

Event comments:

Fun event and perfect way to finish my first full season.


Profile Album


Last updated: 2013-08-26 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:10:32 | 440 yards | 02m 23s / 100yards
Age Group: 11/21
Overall: 87/187
Performance: Good
Suit: Trisuit
Course: Out and back rectangle around two buoys.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 68F / 20C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Average Drafting: Below average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:06
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed:
Biking
00:00:00 | 12.4 miles | 0.00 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/21
Overall: 0/187
Performance: Good
Wind: Headwind
Course: Out and back. Starts with a short steep up/down hill then levels off for a couple miles. Fun downhill from the dam to another level stretch leading to the turn around. Then it's back up the dam and back to the short hill at the start.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering:
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 00:00
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:00:00 | 03 miles |  min/mile
Age Group: 0/21
Overall: 0/187
Performance: Good
Course: Mostly flat with some gentle terrain along the lake. A short but steep hill at the 2.2 mile mark, then downhill to the transition area. Finish with a quick uphill loop to a downhill sprint into the finish chute.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
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