Oceanside Triathlon - Triathlon


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Oceanside, California
United States
Lifetime Tri
Overcast
Total Time = 2h 27m 51s
Overall Rank = 52/232
Age Group = 30-34
Age Group Rank = 7/25
Pre-race routine:

This was my first olympic distance race, and my first race which had separate T1/T2 locations. I arrived at T2 around 5:30 am and set up my running gear, and biked over to T1 to set up my bike gear. I ate some cold oatmeal, put on my wetsuit, and watched the pro start (they were competing for a big purse). My goal was simply to race under 2.5 hours.
Event warmup:

Unfortunately, there wasn't much we could do to warm up. The swim start is the same as the Oceanside 70.3, where they corral you down the boat launch area and you swim in the harbor. Prior to that you are standing shoulder to shoulder with everyone else waiting to enter the water. No opportunity to get a few strokes in.
Swim
  • 28m 36s
  • 1500 meters
  • 01m 55s / 100 meters
Comments:

As soon as we entered the water we were overtaken by a huge cloud of fog. As the horn sounded, and we all started swimming, the best I could do was follow everyone else in front of me. Visibility was probably about 15-20 feet, which means I couldn't see land on either side. I was glad at this point that we were in a harbor, because if it was open water I would have been a bit more concerned about losing my bearings. While there was a lot of confusion and people ahead of me asking which way they needed to go, I was able to follow the pack and finish okay. I was able to hold onto the toes of the lead pack of our wave up to the turnaround, and then they started to pull away. At this point I seemed to have been leading a second pack of swimmers. I took it pretty easy because I didn't have much sighting, and decided instead to conserve energy for the bike and run.
What would you do differently?:

Pray harder for a sunnier day :-). I probably could have pushed the swim a little harder and knocked about 10 seconds per hundred off my time.
Transition 1
  • 03m 14s
Comments:

I immediately screwed myself up in T1. I failed to pull down my wetsuit before I got to my bike. My sleeve got stuck on my watch which took a while to get squared away. It was also a new experience to have to stuff my wetsuit into a wet bag which took up some time. I then got my helmet on and looked at my arm warmers which I had laid out. I decided to throw them in my bag since I had already burned up too much time. Big mistake.
What would you do differently?:

Remembered to strip my wetsuit earlier, swim with gels preloaded in my trisuit.
Bike
  • 1h 08m 55s
  • 24.8 miles
  • 21.59 mile/hr
Comments:

The fog was still with us when we ventured out onto the bike course, and I was immediately cold. Despite that I rode conservatively out on the start and then once I hit the 76 got into my pace. I felt very good on the bike, aside from being very cold. The sun finally poked through at the turnaround, at which point we had to head back into the thick fog and cold. The second lap my face, hands and arms were completely numb, but I was still able to push my pace on the bike and keep my heart rate down. Being that my hands were numb, I had trouble getting my solid nutrition from my pockets, so I stuck with the Carbo Pro I had in my torpedo bottle. This worked out well. It was extremely eerie heading back toward Oceanside on the second lap because the fog had thickened and visibility was minimal. It was only interrupted by the occasional pro passing on the left. Finished with the 4th fastest bike time out of my age group.
What would you do differently?:

Plan to wear something warmer, don't be a hero. Overall happy with my bike, but feel I wasted a lot of energy because of the cold.
Transition 2
  • 01m 47s
Comments:

I was still very numb getting off the bike, so getting my number belt and shoes on was a challenge. Under 2 minutes, happy about that.
What would you do differently?:

Could have been set up a little better and pushed a little faster.
Run
  • 45m 18s
  • 6.2 miles
  • 07m 19s  min/mile
Comments:

I didn't feel fatigued getting on to the run, but the best I can describe I felt weird. My goal was to run at a 7 mpm pace, but I was just above that (due in part to a short porta potty break). I felt wierd because I was still numb and in a bit of cold pain from the bike. Eventually I was able to finally get warm and nail down my pace a bit. I passed a few other people from my age group, which was encouraging. I had some GI issues and cramping in the middle of the run, but just powered through them. I was able to pick up the pace in the last couple miles, so I felt good up until the finish. Great crowd support on the run, and lots of cheering. Crossed the finish line, heard my name, and got my free swag.
What would you do differently?:

As always, run faster. Learn to pee on the bike so I don't have to stop at the porta potty.
Post race
Warm down:

Walked around the finisher area for a while trying to warm up. The free tacos they were handing out helped out a lot! The sun came out right after I finished the race, which made for a beautiful rest of the day.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

The cold and fog

Event comments:

Lifetime Tri puts on a great show. This event was incredibly organized, with lots of bang for your buck. I walked away having finished a great course, with great support, and a bunch of free stuff (backpack, visor, hat, shirt, medal, and tacos!). Only a handful of people this year (less than 300 including pros) for its first year, but for sure it will be more crowded next year and in years to come.


Profile Album


Last updated: 2013-10-23 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:28:36 | 1500 meters | 01m 55s / 100meters
Age Group: 0/25
Overall: 0/232
Performance: Average
Suit:
Course: Oceanside Harbor. Exactly the same as the IM Oceanside 70.3
Start type: Plus:
Water temp: 65F / 18C Current: Low
200M Perf. Remainder:
Breathing: Drafting:
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 03:14
Performance:
Cap removal: Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
01:08:55 | 24.8 miles | 21.59 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/25
Overall: 0/232
Performance: Good
Wind:
Course: Two laps out and back up Highway 76
Road:   Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks:
T2
Time: 01:47
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
00:45:18 | 06.2 miles | 07m 19s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/25
Overall: 0/232
Performance: Good
Course:
Keeping cool Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
Good race?
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