Y Tri Freedom Sprint Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Pearland, Texas
United States
YMCA
85F / 29C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 07m 14s
Overall Rank = 47/380
Age Group = 45-49
Age Group Rank = 8/30
Pre-race routine:

Two cups of coffee, piece of toast with cheese, a banana after setting up trainsition area, and an energy bar about 30 minutes prior to race start.
Event warmup:

1/4 mile jog with a couple of strides, some stretching, had my calf worked on by my chiro buddy who was sponsoring the event, tried to get a knot out.
Swim
  • 06m 25s
  • 328 yards
  • 01m 58s / 100 yards
Comments:

Intention was to stay solid but unhurried in the pool. I got passed at the 50m mark by some guy who way over-estimated his swim time, and one other later, but also passed two people, so was seeded just about right. Intended to put in ~1:55 100's, and ended up at 1:52 after factoring out the 15 sec run from pool to chip mat at entrance to transition.
What would you do differently?:

Swim a bit harder? I don't know. I shot out of the pool because I had my HR in a good zone (~140) and tore into the bike, so not sure given current level of conditioning I would hammer the swim any harder.

Finished 14/30 in age group, 155/380 overall
Transition 1
  • 01m 3s
Comments:

I was surprised that this transition was over 1 minute, as it felt like I was really moving. All went well, quick, even though I had to sit down to put on shoes due to gravel in parking lot transition area (feet had debris on them so had to brush them off).
What would you do differently?:

Nothing, this was a good transition, 5/30 in my age group, 16/380 overall.
Bike
  • 36m 4s
  • 12 miles
  • 19.96 mile/hr
Comments:

My plan was to hit the bike harder than I normally do (this is probably my weakest event), as the bike portion is just disproportionate in length to the other events--you can't go too easy on the bike and expect to make it up on the run, no matter how fast you are. My goal was 20 mph, and I hit that. I spent a lot of time down on the bars, hydrated well, took a pill pack about mile 3 that contained 2 Endurolytes, 1 Anti-fatigue capsule, and 2 Energy Surge pills (all Hammer products). At mile 10 I took about 2 oz of Hammer gel from a flask.
What would you do differently?:

Push harder on the bike. Even though I met my goal, I need to work my bike speed up to 21-22 if I want to place in my age group. Finished 84/380 overall.
Transition 2
  • 00m 52s
Comments:

Again, due to debris in transition area I had to sit down to brush off bottoms of feet before putting on racing flats. Helmet was unbuckled while running bike to rack, off fast, brush off feet put on shoes, grab running cap and Garmin, take off...whoops, 2 steps and turn around to get race number belt, now off again.
What would you do differently?:

Not much, given that I don't have tri bike shoes that I can put on/take off while still attached to bike, this is about as good as it is going to get...just don't forget race belt next time (probably cost me 3 sec).

Finished 10/30 age group, 73/380 overall.
Run
  • 22m 48s
  • 3 miles
  • 07m 36s  min/mile
Comments:

My calf was a bit tight right at first, but I had spun my legs out the last 200m of the bike course, and stood up in the pedals and bounced my calves a bit to loosen them up, so they weren't too bad. I run regularly in the hot sun, so knew what to expect, and to use all available shade to my best advantage. I got passed 2-3 times, but passed many, many people along the way. Miles were 7:45, 7:43, and 7:06. At start of mile 2, I knew I had blisters developing (I run without socks for sprint distance), a half mile later I knew they had broken, just ran through it. My feet are a wreck now though, two large blisters on each foot.
What would you do differently?:

Even though I ran well, I probably left a bit in the tank instead of out on the course. Probably due to the heat I was unwilling to just push it to the wall. My run pace was about 8 sec/mile slower than my run at the sprint tri a month ago, but I attribute some of that to having pressed harder on the bike portion during this race. Clearly, I need to find some tri shoes that have a nice sock-like liner, as my feet can't take this again.
Post race
Warm down:

Bottle of water, bottle of water over the head, cold towel on the neck, walked it out, minimal light stretching at first. Stretched better later on. Had a bottle of Gatorade, two pieces of pizza, some orange wedges.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Heat was definitely a factor, other than that, just my training.

Event comments:

They ran out of bottled water after race, due to heat. Plenty of post race food--pizza, fruit, pretzels, frozen treats, Gatorade, sodas, etc.




Last updated: 2009-05-19 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:06:25 | 328 yards | 01m 58s / 100yards
Age Group: 14/30
Overall: 54/380
Performance: Good
HR moderate (~140) upon pool exit
Suit: No
Course: Serpentine course in three lanes of a 50m pool
Start type: Inside Pool Plus:
Water temp: 93F / 34C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 01:03
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
00:36:04 | 12 miles | 19.96 mile/hr
Age Group: 11/30
Overall: 84/380
Performance: Good
Wind: None
Course: Out and back along both sides of a divided parkway, 4 180 deg turns, 2 90 deg turns, otherwise very straight.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 90
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills:
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 00:52
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Average
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
00:22:48 | 03 miles | 07m 36s  min/mile
Age Group: 6/30
Overall: 39/380
Performance: Good
Course: Out and back, started on a crushed granite trail then finished up on concrete in neighborhoods. About 30% shaded, very hot by this time, probably 90 at least, still humid (over 70%).
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %1.7
Overall: Good
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] 4