Gator Olympic Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic


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Bradenton, Florida
United States
Gator Triathlon
72F / 22C
Overcast
Total Time = 2h 58m 22s
Overall Rank = 30/64
Age Group = Under 39 Clydes
Age Group Rank = 1/1
Pre-race routine:

Up at 4:30, whole wheat bagel with crunchy peanut butter and Nutella and a small glass of 1% milk. Also took my antibiotic and a Sudafed, not sure how that would affect things, but there didn't seem to be any issues. Left the house at 5:00 and was at the race site by 5:30. Got marked, chip and into transition in about 5 minutes. This event has an open racking policy rather than assigned racks, so I grabbed an end spot right in the middle between the swim & bike in and the bike & run out. Got set up then went back to the truck to catch about 35 minutes of rest before transition closed. After a short snooze I headed back to check my set up, which I was glad I did because my helmet and sunglasses had been knocked off my aerobars. Fixed that, grabbed my wetsuit, chatted with a few others waiting for the last minute arrivals to squeeze into already full racks, then walked down to the swim start. Hit the restroom one last time hoping I would not have a repeat of last weeks HM.
Event warmup:

The RD "highly encouraged" everyone to warm up prior to the swim start. I took advantage of that time and went for my 50-75 yards just to check goggles and wetsuit fit and get adjusted to the water temp. This was by far the coldest swim I've done.
Swim
  • 29m 49s
  • 1640 yards
  • 01m 49s / 100 yards
Comments:

For only having swam once since last year, this was a very good swim. Probably the best I've sighted during a race especially considering there were only 2 buoys and nothing marking the swim finish/exit. The leg out was fine but after the first buoy, the wind was pushing the waves into my face as I breathed. Return leg was a little better but still had some wave action off shore. As you got closer to shore the trees knocked down the wind.
What would you do differently?:

Avoid the guy swimming back and forth in front of me. No kidding, the same guy crossed my path 4 times and every time, he swam right into or over me. Other than that, this was a pretty good swim. Tried to draft, but was either too fast and kept touching feet or couldn't keep up. Oh well, overall very happy with the swim. Wetsuit was awesome.
Transition 1
  • 01m 57s
Comments:

It was a long run from the swim exit to T1 on a very rough asphalt path, took my sandals down to the swim and left them just off the path right after the timing mat. This work out great, passed several people walking very slowly on the path.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing, I walked the route prior to the race and mentally planned the whole process, that worked well.

Change bottle racks, AGAIN! As I was mounting my bike I kicked one of my bottles out of the rack. Stopped to pick it up before getting started again.
Bike
  • 1h 18m 23s
  • 24.85 miles
  • 19.02 mile/hr
Comments:

Was not prepared for the hills!!! The wind was also tricky. It was an angled cross wind that ended up being a tailwind on the way out and a headwind on the way back. However, because it was closer to a cross wind, you felt like you were fighting the wind the whole way.
What would you do differently?:

More hill training and not push it so hard. Burnt up my quads way too soon on the ride.
Transition 2
  • 00m 55s
Comments:

T2 was very short. Unfortunately, it was very dirty.
What would you do differently?:

Carry my shoes to the water station just outside of T1, then rinse my feet before putting on my running shoes. Tried to wipe them off, but missed some dirt & sand and ended up with multiple abrasions on both feet.
Run
  • 1h 08m 31s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 11m 02s  min/mile
Comments:

Water stops at every mile, very good volunteers, it's just a very tough run without any shade.
What would you do differently?:

Not get sick the week before and miss an entire week of training. Not blow up the bike and die on the run.
Post race
Warm down:

ICE BATH!!! Quads were cramping so bad when I finished that all I wanted was the ice bath.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Not get sick the week before and miss an entire week of training. Not blow up the bike and die on the run.

Event comments:

Even though I did not have as good of a race as I was planning on, I did PR by over 3 minutes. I think this will be my focus distance this summer.




Last updated: 2012-12-08 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:29:49 | 1640 yards | 01m 49s / 100yards
Age Group: 1/1
Overall: 28/64
Performance: Good
Suit: 2XU XXXL from Wetsuit Rental
Course: Triangle with the out and back legs 2-3 times longer than the in between leg.
Start type: Run Plus: Shot
Water temp: 72F / 22C Current: Medium
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 01:57
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Yes
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
01:18:23 | 24.85 miles | 19.02 mile/hr
Age Group: 1/1
Overall: 21/64
Performance: Good
Wind: Cross-winds with gusts
Course: Out and back on State Road 64. Very busy east-west highway. New pavement with nice marked bike lanes. Several small rollers that are deceptive for Florida.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 88
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Too hard Drinks: Too much
T2
Time: 00:55
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
01:08:31 | 06.21 miles | 11m 02s  min/mile
Age Group: 1/1
Overall: 51/64
Performance: Below average
Course: Out and back along the shoulder of the highway to the first side road, then followed that road to the turn around. Very flat and NO shade.
Keeping cool Below average Drinking Too much
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Bad
Mental exertion [1-5] 2
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