Columbia Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic


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Columbia, Maryland
United States
The Columbia Triathlon Association Inc.
65F / 18C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 41m
Overall Rank = 325/1350
Age Group = 35-39
Age Group Rank = 70/199
Pre-race routine:

Due to life events leading up to race day, my training had plummeted considerably, and had yet to really get off the ground as planned during the off season. I had an unscheduled "taper" for this race.

Body marking started at 5:15, but I was just over 1 mile from the race site, so I set the alarm for 5:15 with plans of getting to the site before 6:00. Showered, dressed and had a bagel with peanut butter, OJ and a little coffee. Got to race site by my planned time and got marked. Set-up the transition area and waited in line for the porta potty--which took about 20 minutes. I did a brief jog around start of run to get warmed up. It was pretty cold. After the jog it was time to get on my wetsuit before they closed the transition area at 7:00. Luckily my wave was at 7:10, leaving little idle time in the cold weather.
Event warmup:

Short jog to get the blood flowing a little.
Swim
  • 29m 48s
  • 1640 yards
  • 01m 49s / 100 yards
Comments:

Before the race I was concerned over the possible temperature of the water. No worries there, the water felt great--and was definitely warmer than the outside air! A full suit was perfect.

Temperature aside, I was also concerned with just surviving the swim in decent shape. My swim training has been minimal this season so far, just mananging to average 1 workout/week, and this is my weakest sport by far. I was pleasantly surprised. I found a rhythm fairly easily and just cruised along. I held back for the swim for fear of running out of steam, but that never happened. I came out of the water feeling pretty refreshed, aside from the usually clumbsiness that follows a long swim. I definitely could have pushed harder and likely taken a couple of minutes off my time. But given my training situation, I'm pleased.
What would you do differently?:

Had I known how the swim would fair, I would have pushed harder.
Transition 1
  • 04m 12s
Comments:

My T1 times always suck (that's a shocker...me taking my time). If I could get to an average time, say knock the time to 2:30, I would have ranked ~25 places higher.
What would you do differently?:

I need to remember that the transitions are part of the race! Problem is I'm tied to wearing socks and gloves, and I put on my shoes off the bike. The way I see it, I'm really working to train for longer races, where my transition routines really won't change, but my times will be more acceptable since most people will follow similar routines.
Bike
  • 1h 16m 1s
  • 25.48 miles
  • 20.11 mile/hr
Comments:

Again, I was undertrained. My last ride before the race was on the Computrainer 6 days earlier and only 18.6 miles. I really needed more time on the bike, particularly taking the hills. Because of my lack of recent riding it took a good 30 minutes to get my biking legs. I felt pretty weak on the climbs. But as the ride progressed I felt stronger and stronger. Did a good deal of passing at the end of the ride and was able to ward off several "attacks" along the way.

In the end, I'm pretty happy with my performance, having broken into the 20MPH range. This was the first race (and 4th ride) on the GURU, loaded with Zipps.
What would you do differently?:

TRAIN!
Transition 2
  • 02m 7s
Comments:

T2 time was pretty good. Could maybe shave 15 seconds, but not much more.
What would you do differently?:

Move faster.
Run
  • 48m 54s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 07m 52s  min/mile
Comments:

Did only 2 hill runs leading to the race.

My goal was to survive the run without injuring my knees. The night before the race, I was asked what my time goal was, which I hadn't really even thought about. Since I knew there would be a challenging terrain and my state of training, I figured I'd be happy if I broke 8 minute miles, something I had yet to do in a triathlon. I met that goal and my knees feel fine!
What would you do differently?:

TRAIN!!
Post race
Warm down:

Walked around a bit. Watched some of the other finishers. Eventually found the food (of course up another hill!)

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Undertrained. However, I really can't complain. As only my second Olympic distance race and the first of the season, I feel quite good about my performance. I feel I performed better in this race than I did the other Olympic race (Cranberry Country), which came at the end of last season, had shorter swim and bike segments and was a mostly flat course.

Event comments:

Crowd support was fairly minimal throughout most of the race, although there was quite a large gathering along the finishing chute. I high-fived around 20 people while running across the finishing line. A great way to finish!

This will definitely be on my schedule for next year. The race is extremely well organized. The course is awesome. A great Spring challenge!




Last updated: 2006-01-04 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:29:48 | 1640 yards | 01m 49s / 100yards
Age Group: 125/199
Overall: 548/1350
Performance: Good
Suit: Full
Course: Counterclockwise loop around perimeter of the lake. FYI: The course heads East for approximately the first 1/3 of the race, which results in significant sun glair off the water, making sighting a challenge. Tinted or mirrored goggles are highly recommened. **NOTE: "Overall Rank" listings for the different segments are actually the Overall Male Results (Out of 941)**
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 65F / 18C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 04:12
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Below average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
01:16:01 | 25.48 miles | 20.11 mile/hr
Age Group: 40/199
Overall: 167/1350
Performance:
Wind: Some
Course: Nice course. Hilly, but with only a few out of the saddle climbs--and even those can be tackled seated. A few fast downhill segments. Never really had a chance to hammer along the flats; always seemingly climbing or descending.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 85
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Below average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 02:07
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
00:48:54 | 06.21 miles | 07m 52s  min/mile
Age Group: 73/199
Overall: 265/1350
Performance: Good
Course: Race organizers claim this to be one of the toughest 10k's in triathlon, and I have no reason to argue. HILLS!! This run felt like it was mostly uphill--which is an exageration, but it truly is one hill after the next. There is a sharp & steep switchback about 1/4 mile into the run which really sets the stage for what's to follow. Maybe 3 more significant climbs with the rest being small rollers, but they happen to hurt due to the cumulative effect. Beautiful course, partly in the park around the lake and partly in a quiet neighborhood.
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: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5