Toyota Desert International Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic


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La Quinta, California
United States
Klein and Clark
Precipitation
Total Time = 2h 34m 26s
Overall Rank = 258/569
Age Group = Clydes 35+
Age Group Rank = 8/18
Pre-race routine:

This was my first Olympic Distance Tri, so I was fairly nervous leading up to this event. I was camping in the RV with my family in the Lake Cahuilla campground, which was nice. I woke up at 2:30 in the morning, thinking about the race, about work, and anything else that came to mind. Man that drives me crazy. Got back to sleep around 4:00 or so and I was back up at 5:00. Breakfast consisted of 2 Uncrustable sandwiches (I really love those things) and a banana. Got my gear together, pumped up my tires one last time and headed over to Transition.

I got a sweet spot on the assigned rack, only the 2nd person there so I took my time setting up my area. I realized later on how nice it would have been to have some plastic bags to cover up my gear. Lesson learned for next time, that's for sure. Met some nice guys in my division and just BS'd for the next 2 hours or so. Those minutes seem to take forever by the way.
Event warmup:

I should have done more, like a short jog or something. I felt pretty tight early on in the race because of that. I did get in the water before our start just to get the shock of the cold water over with and to test my goggles.
Swim
  • 24m 52s
  • 1320 yards
  • 01m 53s / 100 yards
Comments:

I was really really surprised by my swim performance for a couple of different reasons. First, the swim workouts seem to be the first ones in my training program that I am willing to skip, and really should be the last ones I skip, since it is my weakest discipline. Second, about a third of the way through the swim, my arms and shoulders got super tired. I was thinking it was because of the tightness of the wetsuit and that I am just not used to swimming with it.

Surprisingly, the swim was probably my best event of the day after all was said and done. I have never swum that fast in training and I am super excited to swim a lot more in my HIM training program coming up.
What would you do differently?:

I was sighting ok, but I kept bumping into random people throughout the course. Not sure if they were swimming all over the place or if it was me. I was pretty happy with the swim overall.
Transition 1
  • 02m 24s
Comments:

T-1 was not bad considering this was the first time I had to remove the wetsuit in a hurry. I should certainly practice this more before future races though. I think the Body Glide helped though because it did not give me too much trouble. This is when it started to rain and why I did not throw my gear into my backpack to keep it dry is completely beyond me. I guess I was caught up in the moment and unfortunately everything was soaked by the time I got to T2.
What would you do differently?:

Practice getting the wetsuit off. Maybe I can consider riding without socks in future short races to make my T-1 that much faster.
Bike
  • 1h 13m 1s
  • 24 miles
  • 19.72 mile/hr
Comments:

Well, the bike is typically my strongest event, but not today for some reason. I dont know why, but it took me at least 6 or 7 miles to settle into the bike and to really feel my leg muscles. Not sure if it was the cold or the fact that I was swimming harder than anticipated. Overall it was not a bad time, given the conditions. This is when it started to rain. It was only a light rain, but for some reason felt like hail on the bike. Man, I wish I had my jacket with me. It was definitely a cold and wet ride.
What would you do differently?:

I think I would feed a bit more on the bike. I had one gel and a couple of Clif Blocks. I could have used some more nutrition I think.
Transition 2
  • 01m 42s
Comments:

Basically uneventful. My hands were still numb, which made taking off my bike shoes fairly interesting. It is amazing how much you need to feel your fingers to operate the most basic equipment.
Run
  • 52m 27s
  • 6 miles
  • 08m 44s  min/mile
Comments:

Not gonna lie here, I was dragging ass by the time I got to the run. I did not feel like I blew up on the ride, but this being my first at this distance was probably just a shock to my legs. I ran a really fast first mile (for me) at 7:30 pace. So I had to slow down to avoid some serious problems. I started to feel a side stitch at about mile 2, so I slowed down a little more until it subsided. Man I really had to pee also, but I could not bring myself to go into the porta potty and waste what little time I had.
What would you do differently?:

GO to the bathroom when I need to go!!!
Post race
Warm down:

Walk back to the motorhome, took a hot shower and tried to warm the body up...

What limited your ability to perform faster:

I was pleased with my performance. My goal was to complete the race in under 2:40 and I did that by 5 minutes, so I was really happy with that. I did not expect to crack the top 10 in the division, so that was a nice surprise also. I need to continue focusing on the swim and run workouts.

Event comments:

I really enjoyed this race. The RD was great to work with on a couple of logistical questions I had and the volunteers were awesome. I know it sucked for them having to stand out in the rain for a few hours, so I definitely thanked them whenever I could. I will do this race again for sure.




Last updated: 2009-09-26 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:24:52 | 1320 yards | 01m 53s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/18
Overall: 352/569
Performance: Good
Suit: Xterra Vortex (First time)
Course: The course consisted of a diagonal swim out to the east followed by a sharp left turn at the far buoy. Then a long straightaway across the entire lake to the final left turn towards the finish
Start type: Run Plus:
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Below average
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:24
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed:
Biking
01:13:01 | 24 miles | 19.72 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/18
Overall: 292/569
Performance: Average
Wind: Little
Course: Fairly flat and fast course. Basically a rectangle, with little vehicle traffic, from the lake and back. The 2 loop thing is not my favorite, since it messes with your mind having to pass the lake for Lap 2. But it was not too bad.
Road: Rough Wet Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills:
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 01:42
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Below average
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:52:27 | 06 miles | 08m 44s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/18
Overall: 410/569
Performance: Average
Course: 3 mile loop around the lake. The first mile or so was comprised of soft sand and rocky trails. This made for some interesting running and you really needed to pay attention to avoid falling or twisting your ankle. The remainder of the course was on a bike path/hard pack dirt.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
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: Below average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4