Black Bear Olympic Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic


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Beltzville, Pennsylvania
United States
CGI Racing
55F / 13C
Precipitation
Total Time = 2h 47m 34s
Overall Rank = 131/364
Age Group = CLYDES
Age Group Rank = 3/11
Pre-race routine:

Up at 4am. Take time getting ready. Hot soak to loosen up. Body glide all the bits. Coffee, eggs, GU brew, peanut butter. Check gear.Get to the race 1.5 hours before transition closes, 1:45 before first wave goes off.
Event warmup:

5 minutes of light swimming. Jog 10 minutes from transition to car and back get spare tube after pump failure and then Performance Ultra Light tube failure from using CO2 to pump....no more Performance Ultra Lights.
Swim
  • 28m 46s
  • 1640 yards
  • 01m 45s / 100 yards
Comments:

I was pleased with the swim. I practiced OWS 3 times prior in addition to practicing in the pool since January. The swim time was faster than I was doing in the pool...hello wetsuit, race pace and trying not to let my neighbor (wave 4 minutes ahead) get to far in front.

Although not a fast swimmer I got fairly proficient at bi-lateral breathing this year. I was surprised to mostly bag that and breath on every left side stroke. Swimming with 100+ other dudes changes the game mentally and its something you just can't practice in the pool. Controlling your brain not to panic in OWS with 100 others is paramount.
What would you do differently?:

I lined up on the outside left a few back. Seemed to work pretty good. I don't know if I should of stayed left longer or not. There were lots of hands and feet that never really went away.
Transition 1
  • 02m 16s
Comments:

I used a 2 strap Sidi road race shoe. Left the toe strap secured and the mid foot strap through the eyelet but not velcro'ed. The tongue is not secured so I had to wiggle it a bit. TRI shoes would help. Definitely think the uphill run barefoot and getting into shoes on board is faster. The distance from t1 to mount was a long par3.

Thanks Joe B for pressuring me to ride without socks and leave shoes clipped to bike.
What would you do differently?:

At some point get tri shoes.
Bike
  • 1h 21m 30s
  • 24 miles
  • 17.67 mile/hr
Comments:

Lots of back pain from mile 1 through mile 15. Not something I had during training. I had gone lax on core workouts since April. I passed about ~40 people and had 1/2 that sustained a pass. I think many of the riders weren't training for the hills.
What would you do differently?:

Continue core exercising daily.
Transition 2
  • 01m 48s
Comments:

took time to spray feet clean of grass with water bottle and put socks on
What would you do differently?:

Maybe try a "sock-less" shoe for OLY races. It takes at least 30 extra seconds to put socks on...esp when feet are wet
Run
  • 53m 16s
  • 6.2 miles
  • 08m 35s  min/mile
Comments:

I felt like I was running in slow motion. I passed only a few people and was passed by 20 or so. Some of that was the fast age groupers since this was a out and back x2. Some of it was probably people I passed on the bike. I wasn't hungry but I took the gels at the aid station that offered them before the dam. It gave me something to do to take my mind off the run to open it, squeeze it out and pocket it....sometimes the little mental things can make a difference.

My family was near the finish to cheer me on. That was nice since I got to pass them on both loops. On the last loop they put there hands out for high 5. As I passed them running I put my hand out and the runner behind me struck my calve with his knee. Not painful hard, geeze if it were the swim it would have been nothing...but it was enough to throw my hamstring into a full on cramp...instead of high 5ing my wife I came at her with a scream....I yelled "sorry, cramp!" and hobbled 100 yards to the finish staying ahead of the 4th place CLYDE by 20 seconds.
What would you do differently?:

More bricks.
No high 5's till after the finish line.
Post race
Warm down:

Shivering packing the bag in transition.
Checked the race results thinking you don't know if you don't look (thanks Josh)
Ask my family and neighbor to stay a little longer because I think I'm the 3rd place fatty!


What limited your ability to perform faster:

I think I could have done with less steps in transition. Maybe a sock-less run if that works in training. TRI shoes for bike.

Event comments:

This was my first TRI. It was a mental challenge throughout staying on top of how much energy to use in each event. The swim takes effort to stay focused and in control more than the transition, bike and run.




Last updated: 2010-05-16 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:28:46 | 1640 yards | 01m 45s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/11
Overall: 193/364
Performance: Good
Suit: Xterra Vortex 3 Full
Course: Beltzville State Park lake, horseshoe shaped, clear, clean lake.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 65F / 18C Current: Medium
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Average Drafting: Average
Waves: Average Navigation: Average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:16
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
01:21:30 | 24 miles | 17.67 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/11
Overall: 83/364
Performance: Good
Wind: Some
Course: Very hilly Pocono's course. Only 2 flats. .5 mile leaving the park and 1 mile before finish. The rest is largely up and down. There weren't many climbs more than 1/2 mile. The roads were wet and there was some intermittent light showers. Maximum speed descending was 43 mph. Road surface was mostly good miles 1-16. Miles 16-21 had potholes on descents with one enough be a career-ender.
Road: Rough Wet Cadence: 80?
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:48
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
00:53:16 | 06.2 miles | 08m 35s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/11
Overall: 211/364
Performance: Average
Course: Out and back x2 on mostly hard pack and dirt double-track, some muddy sections, some pavement. 2 short hills.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %NA
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: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5