Swim
Comments: The sprint swimmers went off in 2 waves, male then female, separated by about 5 min, then it was all oly swimmers together. I am happy with the swim. My first ows in a race. I decided that I wanted to be very conservative, and waited about 10 seconds after the horn before starting... to avoid the fray. I never felt uncomfortable, except the suit does not fit me that well. Several times, while swimming, I managed to pull the sleeves up a bit, as I was feeling the shoulders to be too tight/restrictive. I will get a better-fitting suit. The water was clear, so easy to see others, and I was able to stay safe and even draft a bit. I did swim a bit wide on the second part of the triangle to avoid a bit of congestion, but it was open. What would you do differently?: Probably go a bit harder, as I really felt it was like an easy jog effort. Overall, I was happy. Transition 1
Comments: A bit slow here. I went with the slow is smooth... but it was not fast :) I got the suit down to waist on the run from the water with no issues, cap, goggles, and earplugs off/out, but getting the suit the rest of the way off was not so smooth. I got my eyeglasses on (need them to see!) shoes on, helmet on, the bike off the rack, and onto a run without issue. What would you do differently?: On my next suit, I think I will trim off the bottom of the wetsuit legs to facilitate easier removal -shout-out to LB :) Bike
Comments: Again, I was happy with this effort. The wind was strong at points, with some good gusts.I wanted to have a good strong ride, but not have it ruin the run. I think it went well. I passed a couple riders from the race, as well as many who were part of a separate event going on over the weekend. I had quite a few riders pass me, and I tried to stay right to not block/hinder them. It was sometimes not easy with the wind. It was nice offering and receiving encouragement. I was mindful of the drafting rules, and tried to be a courteous rider to other athletes and anyone volunteering or cheering. I rode the Cannondale tri bike that I had just 'built up'. It is a frame set with wheels and cockpit I got used off of CL several years ago... I am a big procrastinator :) I recently took the drive train off a very small bike I bought used, transplanted them, as well as replacing the round base bar with a Vision bar. So a proper fitting and a lower front end will help in the future. What would you do differently?: Much more time in the saddle, and a focus on raising my ftp will go a long way to improve both the ride as well as the run. Transition 2
Comments: I opted to ride to dismount line, unclip, then run into t2 with shoes on.... I recently hurt my side/ribs, a couple weeks ago so thought this might be best. What would you do differently?: ride with feet on shoes and do the moving dismount. Run
Comments: My goal was to run the entire run, and not be forced to walk. I had hoped to be at or just under an hour, so I am pretty happy. My legs were feeling very heavy, and the itb area of both knees was beginning to hurt, but I kept telling myself I was going to finish the run by running it all. Sometimes I feel disappointed in my current run times, as I used to be competitive at univ as a 400-800 runner, and have several sub-40 10 k times. But, that was 25+ years, and a few pounds, ago. :) I will get my 10k time lower! What would you do differently?: Not be old and slow :) Ok, only one of those can be changed, and I will work on getting my run to be more in balance with the swim and bike portion. Post race
Warm down: Walked to the line up for pizza and fruit !! It was really good pizza, and there was lots of it, and sliced melon, banana, drinks... It was great chatting with others in line, and cheering for those who were finishing. What limited your ability to perform faster: Partly age :) Seriously, if I want to perform faster, then more training is required. I was excited with the result of the effort I put into the race, and have really enjoyed the training up to this point. Event comments: Joe Dixon has rebuilt his brand, and I think this race was a success. There have been some unhappy customers, but I hope that he continues to move forward. It was my first experience at one of his events, and as far I was able to tell, everything ran very well. I will definitely enter another of his events. This was my first Olympic distance race, and my second ever tri. I did a short mini-sprint 4 years ago, and love the sport. Being called up as 3rd in my AG was a surprise - I realize it is all about who shows up, as there were only three in my AG, so it was sort of a pity award :) But the AG before and after mine had 12 and 8 entrants, which shows how active people my age can be. I am already excited about entering a half distance next year, as I am not getting any younger. Aaaaand, maybe, juuuust maybe, an iron distance event in the future.... :) Last updated: 2015-09-14 12:00 AM
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Canada
http://www.dynamicraceevents.com/events/cultus-lake-triathlon/
16C / 61F
Sunny
Overall Rank = 68/116
Age Group = 50-54
Age Group Rank = 3/3
Drove to Cultus Lake on Sat, and camped at Entrance Bay campground. Went to package pickup Sat afternoon, then off for a ride on the first part of the bike course (up the hill, down the hill, a short section of the flat, then back up the hill and down the hill :)
Had dinner at a local pub - dinner was unremarkable, but the Sapporo was good :)
Enjoyed a campfire for an hour or two, then hit the hay. Had not slept in a tent in a while, and that, plus the nerves did not permit a great night's sleep. Up early, packed everything up, got tri suit on, sweats on, ate 2 granola bars, drank a bit of Amp/cola mixture, and some water, brushed teeth, then headed off to get the day going.
Arrived at transition, set up, got body-marked, hit the head, then got into wetsuit.
I was getting pretty darn excited, as this was my 2nd ever tri, and first Oly.
uhh.... I waded into the water with my newest best friends, did a short dip to get the suit wet/adjusted, then waited for the start.