Tri the Parks Triathlon - Blalock Lakes - TriathlonSprint


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Newnan, Georgia
United States
Blue Sky Sports
82F / 28C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 12m 43s
Overall Rank = /
Age Group =
Age Group Rank = 3/25
Pre-race routine:

I already had the car packed the night before, so a quick shower, dress, and I was out the door. Shocking, the drive was actually about an hour and a half as I was thinking it would have been an hour. Still, got down to Newnan with no issues, parked, and walked down to transition. Ended up seeing MikeyBB on my way. He had backed out to let his calf issues subside, but showed to show support and cheer on his All3Sports.com team mates. Same with Ben Holiday with his new metal plated shoulder.

I had checked in at all3sports on Thursday, so I only had to set up transition and get my chip. That really made the morning a breeze.
Event warmup:

No warm up really, but I did a few back and forths on the dam.
Swim
  • 12m 39s
  • 600 meters
  • 02m 07s / 100 meters
Comments:

At Blalock Lakes they actually have another wave go off before the normal 39 AG and below group like TTP likes to do. They had 19 AG and below which included all of the SE Regional racers. Needless to say, most of them are FAST. They were sent off, and we had three minutes before we were sent off.

Well, just like Tanner the first 100m was a slug-fest. Only difference at Blalock was that it did not end after 100m. Somehow I seemed to find the one group of guys that all swam the same speed that I do, and we all wanted to swim right on top of one another. It was crazy, we all were swimming straight from buoy to buoy, but the issue was that I had a guy in front of me, one on each side, and someone back there trying to drag me under by my feet. It was crazy out there, punch, kick, elbow, oops...back to the surface to breath, elbow to the face, and repeat. I had never seen anything like that even through B2B & IMFL's swims.

About the time I was ready to kill myself, I was on top of the turn buoy. I hugged the turn tight and headed for land. Oddly enough, the second half of the swim was completely different from the first half. I had plenty of space, drafted off of feet, and then hips, pass and repeat. I worked my way up the inside of the crowd, and cruised to the exit.
What would you do differently?:

I am not sure what the issue was. Could I have found the one spot in the entire field that same the same speed that I do? Not likely. The return was a completely different swim compared to the first half.
Transition 1
  • 00m 29s
Comments:

The transition mat was about 10 feet from the water's edge, and my rack was straight up through the gate. Lucky for me, someone had marked their spot with a ballon on the next rack over. Thus, I just looked for it to locate my bike.

Quick transition and I was out the door.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing, sub :30 is my target.
Bike
  • 39m 34s
  • 14.9 miles
  • 22.59 mile/hr
Comments:

Exited transition and mounted. I got into my shoes as I crossed the dam with ease, and then came up out of the saddle to climb the hill of the other side to get the blood flowing into the legs. At the top of that hill it is basically flat to the front of the park, and hang a right out of the park.

As normal with the start of most bikes, I passed several guys right at the start due to a slow swim, quick T1, and quickly getting up to speed. After that I found myself alone for a long while. Nothing that notable about this bike course except it was up and down with a net climb for 10 miles, and then up and down with a net down hill for the last 4.9 miles.

None of the hills were that bad, but just enough up and down to break up setting into a real hammer rhythm. The course was marked at 14.7, but I had 14.9 miles on my computer. Not really sure how I added the extra distance though.

The return in the park was definitely a fast one with you gaining a full speed run at the dismount line. You come back down that first hill you climbed, cross the dam which is flat, and dismount is on the other side. A nice cheering section lined up right there to boost your energy into T2.
What would you do differently?:

I should have pushed harder, but since this was my first time racing Blalock I did not know what to excect.
Transition 2
  • 00m 47s
Comments:

Dismounted and looked for that ballon. Racked the bike, shoes on, and headed for the door. Only problem was that I did not look before the race to see where the run exit was. I headed straight out the front, the only problem was that the run exited out the rear of transition and back around. I had to double back through tranistion to exit after figuring that out. Stupid mistake on my part.
What would you do differently?:

Look before the race starts to see where the run exit is. Just a dumb mistake on my part that cost me 10 seconds.
Run
  • 19m 11s
  • 3.1 miles
  • 06m 11s  min/mile
Comments:

Once I figured out the run exit was out the rear of transition, I hit the mat swinging to set the tempo. Hammered it up the first hill which was right outside of T2, and started reeling people in. The first mile is up and down with a net up hill climb, and that 1 mile marker always seems to never come and that did not change today. However, I was finding a rhythm that was a nice mix of pushing & curise control. Plus, the runners ahead of me were coming back quickly. Mile 2 is a mix of up and down, but no real notable net up hill or down hill.

About a .25 of a mile from the turn around I spoted two guys in my AG. I caught the first before the turn, and then the second just after the turn. After that I was back to "no-man's land" with no one really within range. The issue with that is I tend to put it in cruise control, but I knew that the last guy I passed, who was in my AG, was lurking somewhere right behind me.

The final mile, or mile 3, is again up and down but with a net downhill to the finish. I kept it in cruise control until I saw the firetruck whic I noted was sitting atop the first hill outside of tranistion. Once I saw that I picked up the pace to the finish.
What would you do differently?:

Don't set it in cruise control
Post race
Warm down:

I grabbed some water, and walked back up to where my wife/son were to cheer on everyone else.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Bad swim, and not knowing the course. Next time I will know more of what to expect and give it a more wide open effort.

Event comments:

Afterwards I hung out with the All3sports team chatting and goofing off, and talked to everyone I knew out there about how their race went, etc.

It was a solid effort which I was able to edge out 3rd in my AG, finishing just 6 seconds ahead of 4th AG. A bit closer than I perfer. Nonetheless, getting on the podium is getting on. Awards seemed to take a bit longer to start than normal, but then they got rolling. TTP takes a picture of all they guys/women that metaled, and then All3Sports took a group shot.

All-in-all, it was a good day.




Last updated: 2012-05-23 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:12:39 | 600 meters | 02m 07s / 100meters
Age Group: 8/25
Overall: 0/
Performance: Bad
Suit: None
Course: Out and back narrow triangle Started at the boat ramp, and exited about 20 feet over. T1 mat is right at the water's edge.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 82F / 28C Current: Low
200M Perf. Bad Remainder: Below average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Below average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 00:29
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Yes
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
00:39:34 | 14.9 miles | 22.59 mile/hr
Age Group: 5/25
Overall: 0/
Performance: Average
Wind:
Course: One big loop clockwise around.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 00:47
Overall: Bad
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:19:11 | 03.1 miles | 06m 11s  min/mile
Age Group: 4/25
Overall: 0/
Performance: Average
Course: Straight up out and back packed with hills.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
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