Carmel Swim Club Sprint Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Carmel, Indiana
United States
Carmel Swim Club
50F / 10C
Overcast
Total Time = 1h 27m 1s
Overall Rank = 376/417
Age Group = 50-54 Male
Age Group Rank = 26/29
Pre-race routine:

One time in my life before a race, the alarm will wake me up! This is the fourth time I’ve done this race, and it always feels like the first. I finally gave up and got out of bed around 5:00 AM. Usual Diet Coke, wheat English muffin and a bit of skim milk. I usually have some cottage cheese, but forgot to get it this time. I’ll blame my performance on that. ;-). That, and being an old, slow, big dude! It was fun this year – my wife, older son and I did the individual, and younger son, daughter and son-in-law did a team. We live close, so were racked and set up by 7:00 AM. Popped a GU 15 minutes before the start.
Event warmup:

Not much of anything. In the past, I swam a little, but have realized that only made me cold. I swim with the Carmel Masters and we had the opportunity to simulate the swim the day before – start, intervals, serpentine swim, etc. Even though it’s the day before, it sure makes the swim a whole bunch easier! I also forgot to have a water bottle with me pre-race – rookie mistake as I think I was dehydrated throughout the race.
Swim
  • 07m 44s
  • 437 yards
  • 01m 46s / 100 yards
Comments:

Even though swimming is my strength, it seems like every year I go out too hard. Made a very conscious decision to go out easy and build during the swim. They did a GREAT job spacing us out – I had absolutely no traffic until the last length when I passed one person (happily I didn’t get passed). I would describe my pace as “pleasant”. I was slower by 20 seconds of my slowest for this race – still not sure if I’m upset about that, because my heart rate was good heading into T1. Climbed out of the pool, and out into the chilly weather.
What would you do differently?:

I don’t know. Pace was slower, but I felt so much better getting out of the water. I was bib #44 but decided to move back to close to 100 for the start – maybe I moved back too far.
Transition 1
  • 04m 1s
Comments:

Air was cold getting out of the pool. It was slippery in a few places – probably not for others, I’m just terribly uncoordinated! Took a bit of extra time to dry off well. Also took time to put on a bike jacket – I think that was time well spent. No real mistakes, I’m just pokey!
Bike
  • 36m 15s
  • 9.4 miles
  • 15.56 mile/hr
Comments:

Like the swim, I made a conscious decision to take it easy for the first couple of miles. Every year in the past, I thought I would see my heart burst out of my chest, but the slower pace really helped – the first two miles or so of this course have some gentle climbs / hills so it was good to feel good. I calculated my pace for 9.4 miles that I entered for this report. Even though it says ten, the course map shows 9.4 – maybe I should have calculated for 10 –then I would have been faster! Winds weren’t as bad as last year, although it seemed breezy in some places. It was definitely much colder than last year. In retrospect, I didn’t push myself very hard. I passed one (or maybe two) and was passed by thousands.
What would you do differently?:

I discovered late in the ride that I was in the small ring most of the way – I was in easy gears to start the ride as planned, but just didn’t change it. I definitely should have pushed more. I was in aero more this time, however not enough. I’m just not taking enough advantage of my bike! I also did not drink much at all – maybe two gulps. I need a longer straw for my aero bottle- I hope this helps me remember for the next race!
Transition 2
  • 01m 45s
Comments:

Not sure what happened here – this was my 10th tri overall and a PR for T2. I’m certainly happy – just not sure what I did to PR this. Maybe it’s just becoming more of a habit.
Run
  • 37m 15s
  • 3.11 miles
  • 11m 59s  min/mile
Comments:

Ugh. My downfall. I could not get my legs under me. Based on my bike time, I should have been well rested. Mile 1 seemed to take forever. Based on my pace, forever is about right. Spent more than my share walking. I did however make sure I was running every time a camera was near! I’ve done enough races now that I don’t get as emotional the last half mile when I know I’m going to finish. I’m getting to the point where I’m enjoying the moment! What a great feeling sprinting to the end! One great advantage of being slow – the rest of my family is always finished, and it’s awesome having them there to cheer me at the end!
What would you do differently?:

Run more, run more, and run more. Bricks help, but it’s NO substitute for the actual race experience.
Post race
Warm down:

Met up with family, hydrated, and ate some awesome Noodles and Company. Happily waited until awards – my wife was second in her Age Group – so happy for her!

What limited your ability to perform faster:

I was about 2.5 minutes slower than last year. Last year, I was about 6 weeks into the BT 20 week 70.3 training plan (GREAT plan by the way!). This year my fitness was not where it was last year. This year as last year, I probably didn’t respect the challenge enough, “even though it’s ONLY a Sprint”! Ha. This is not an easy thing to do regardless of the distance. My lack of hydration I think was a factor too. When it’s cold, you don’t think you need much, but that is a mistake!

Event comments:

The longer swim interval this year was awesome. I also really liked the new bike course. The Carmel Police and volunteers do an amazing job - THANK YOU! I would like to dope slap some of the impatient drivers (it’s early Sunday morning for crying out loud!) that honk and yell at the police officers for holding up traffic for bikers / runners. I do all I can to thank every one of the officers and volunteers that keep us safe. I hope to do this race for as long as this body holds out. I would HIGHLY recommend it for first timers, and experienced triathletes too.




Last updated: 2013-01-29 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:07:44 | 437 yards | 01m 46s / 100yards
Age Group: 11/29
Overall: 0/417
Performance: Below average
Suit: Trip top / shorts
Course: 400 meter serpentine pool swim
Start type: Inside Pool Plus: Time Trial
Water temp: 78F / 26C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Below average
Breathing: Good Drafting:
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 04:01
Performance:
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: No
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed:
Biking
00:36:15 | 9.4 miles | 15.56 mile/hr
Age Group: 26/29
Overall: 0/417
Performance: Below average
Wind: Some with gusts
Course:
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Below average Cornering:
Gear changes: Below average Hills:
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 01:45
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:37:15 | 03.11 miles | 11m 59s  min/mile
Age Group: 28/29
Overall: 0/417
Performance: Below average
Course:
Keeping cool Good Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race? Ok
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? No
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5