Triathlon at Pacific Grove - TriathlonOlympic


View Member's Race Log View other race reports
Pacific Grove, California
United States
Tri-California Events, Inc.
Sunny
Total Time = 3h 55m 5s
Overall Rank = /
Age Group = 35-39
Age Group Rank = 73/92
Pre-race routine:

Wake up, get up, get dressed, breakfast, pack up, load Jeep.

We got there at around 7 am, which was later than Eric had hoped to get there (he started at 7:45). We dropped him off with his stuff and his bike and then we went to park. I put all my stuff in my transition area, got body-marked, and then walked to the swim start to see my friends and see Eric off. At this point, it was still overcast and somewhat cool, so I was wearing an extra layer or two over my tri stuff.

After I saw Eric take off on the swim, I headed back to my transition area to set up. I didn't start until 9, so I had over an hour to kill. I set all my stuff up, chatted with some women near me. Then, the men started coming through, which made it tough to move around since they were running right by my little area.

I found a spot of grass and decided to sit down to start working on getting my wet suit on. I greased my legs up with Body Glide from thigh to ankle. I had almost no trouble getting my wetsuit on (which I usually do) so I'm thinking that Body Glide *really* does work. :)

When I had my wet suit on halfway (legs and hips) I grabbed my goggles, earplugs, and swim caps (I wore two -- my silicone cap and the latex race cap), and headed to the swim area. Just as I got down there, I saw Eric coming out of the water, so I ran over to the entrace and gave him a kiss. It was nice that I got to see him again before I raced. He said the swim sucked.
Event warmup:

No real "warm up" per se. Prior to the swim start, I got into the water (Damn, that's cold water!). I swam around quite a bit, in the hopes of actually WARMING up. :)
Swim
  • 49m 44s
  • 1500 meters
  • 03m 19s / 100 meters
Comments:

I had a very hard time with the kelp. I tried to navigate around it, but sometimes it was hard to see above the water, and I didn't know it was there until I was in it. I tried to stick with the main group, but kept getting off to the side some.

Because of the kelp, I had to keep sighting, and that meant I practically swam Heads-Up most of the time. There were places where I could tuck my head down and SWIM for a while, but not too long -- maybe about 25 yards or so.

The first lap sucked, but I made it through. When I was headed up the beach to the "rock" I got knocked down by a wave. Oh well. I think a lot of people did. Surprisingly, I didn't trip over the rock. :)

The second lap started out well. When I came up on the round bouy, I thought, "Wow, this is going a lot faster than I excepted!" Then, I sighted again, and saw the triangle bouys and realized I was just swimming past the first bouy. "Damn. OK, well, keep swimming." That's when the second lap starting sucking worse than the first lap. I started getting passed, a lot. And people weren't just swimming beside me, they were swimming into me, on both sides. The long "back" side as we swim parallel to the shore, was the worst. The waves there made it feel like I was barely moving. And then pink caps were catching up to me in droves and I was really worried about getting kicked in the head. I started using my arms as defensive barriers. On my forward stroke, I'd make sure my arm was between my head and the legs/feet.

The last part of the second lap, I didn't think much about the kelp, but only because I was so focused on not getting kicked.
What would you do differently?:

Not do this swim? Learn how to draft/track better?
Transition 1
  • 08m 48s
Comments:

My suit was stuck on my thighs, not just my ankles, although when I managed to get it off my upper legs, I had trouble with my lower legs too. I've heard other people complain about getting out of their wetsuit, and I think the salt water has soemthing to do with it.

I sprayed my face and shoulders with sun screen. I wish I had sprayed the rest of my arms too.
Bike
  • 1h 36m 44s
  • 40 kms
  • 24.81 km/hr
Comments:

Woo hoo! I moved up nearly 20 spots in my age group on the bike! I felt so strong and good on the bike. I was consistent in my speed throughout --12 minutes out, 12 minutes back.

I pushed on the up hills, and didn't slack off -- only enough to recover --on the downhills (if you can really call them "hills"). I passed a whole lot of people, but was also passed by a whole lot of people as well.

I ate one gel as I approached the end of the first lap. I was planning on eating another one on the third lap, but I had a horrible, sharp pain in my stomach which was probably from the salt water I drank in the swim. I drank most of my Karen-ade (probably about 1.25 liters).
What would you do differently?:

Eat a second gel anyway.
Transition 2
  • 04m 19s
Comments:

I had to run the entire length of the transition area twice with my bike because of the way it was set up and where my rack was -- but so did everyone else in my age group.

When I first hopped off my bike, I walked for a minute until I got my legs underneath me, then started to jog with it.

At my rack, I grabbed my pink skirt and beads first, and put them on there. Then I grabbed my hat and race belt and put them on as I headed out.
Run
  • 1h 15m 30s
  • 10 kms
  • 07m 33s  min/km
Comments:

I had a muscle pain in my left buttock, where it meets my thigh. But it didn't keep me from running. Even considering that, I felt good and strong on the run. By now, the sun was out and it was getting hot.

I walked at each of the aid stations, but I ran the rest of it and felt good. I just kept plugging away. I started to really understand the phase "just hold on during the run."

I was able to hold a good, consistent pace throughout. I was passed by some people who I was hoping to keep up with, but alas, I wasn't able to.
What would you do differently?:

Be stronger? :)
Post race
What limited your ability to perform faster:

Just my general fitness level. I think I did about the best I could have on each of the three events all things considered.

Event comments:

Over-all, I liked this race. It's a fast course, and compared to Wildflower, it's much easier. Will I do it again next year? Probably, but only because Eric will and it's a fun race. I still hate the kelp.




Last updated: 2005-09-12 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:49:44 | 1500 meters | 03m 19s / 100meters
Age Group: 78/92
Overall: 0/
Performance: Below average
Suit: QR Full Wet Suit
Course: The Kelp Crawl. Two laps. It sucked.
Start type: Run Plus: Waves
Water temp: 58F / 14C Current: Medium
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Below average
Waves: Average Navigation: Below average
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 08:48
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: No
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
01:36:44 | 40 kms | 24.81 km/hr
Age Group: 57/92
Overall: 0/
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course: 4 laps - out and back, along the beach.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 85
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Average Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 04:19
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
01:15:30 | 10 kms | 07m 33s  min/km
Age Group: 73/92
Overall: 0/
Performance: Good
Course: 3 loops along the bike trail and city streets. Some slight hills.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
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