Beach2Battleship Half Iron Distance Triathlon - Triathlon


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Wilmington, North Carolina
United States
Set Up Events
Sunny
Total Time = 4h 55m 17s
Overall Rank = 33/882
Age Group = 35-39
Age Group Rank = 8/78
Pre-race routine:

Coffee, food, bathroom, repeat. I eat quite a bit race mornings. Two microwavable egg, sausage, and cheese sandwiches, a couple of bananas, a bagel with peanut butter, some orange juice and some ham. I was staying with my brother and my sister in law drove us to the start line. I filled my aero bottle with ice and water, then put two bottles with Gatorade/maltodextrin on my rear seat rack, then took the bus to the swim start.
Event warmup:

It was freezing at the start line. I should have brought a throw away sweatshirt. Actually, that was the plan. My brother and I had went to a tourist shop the day before and bought the most obnoxious sweat shirts we could find for under $10, however my brother liked them so much that he convinced me that it wasn't that cold and we should keep them. I got into the water about 10 minutes early since I was in the first heat. The water was a bit warmer than the air and I swam for about 5-8 minutes as a warm up.
Swim
  • 27m 55s
  • 2112 yards
  • 01m 19s / 100 yards
Comments:

I traditionally go easy on the swim and save my energy for the bike and run, however on this race, I decided I would push hard on all three. I'm glad I did. Upon exiting I was told I came out 3rd in my heat, which was the first heat, so I was one of the first HIM athletes into transition which gave me a mental boost.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. I was happy with the swim.
Transition 1
  • 02m 56s
Comments:

I really wanted to kill the transitions on this one. I ranked 13/882 in T1 which was huge for me. I'm always way in the back in transitions.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Bike
  • 2h 42m 10s
  • 56 miles
  • 20.72 mile/hr
Comments:

My bike continues to be my weak point however I felt really good on this one. I pushed hard throughout. Being a strong swimmer/weak cyclist I'm used to getting passed a lot. I didn't get passed until after mile 20, so I call that a win.
Transition 2
  • 01m 45s
Comments:

As with T1 it was one of my goals to really kill the transitions. I ended up 7/882 on T2 which I'm really happy with.
Run
  • 1h 40m 32s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 07m 40s  min/mile
Comments:

I wanted to push the run and "suffer". I felt like I had been too conservative in previous races and wanted to push to the point where I really have to dig on the final 4-5 miles. I succeeded in that goal and the end was tough. I enjoyed testing my limits however.
What would you do differently?:

Relax a little more on the first steep hills and save my energy for the rest of the run. I sprinted up each one just to get them over with.
Post race
Warm down:

Dranks some water and had two pieces of pizza and a couple beers.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

My bike is still very lacking. I am hoping to address that this off season.

Event comments:

One of the best races I have ever competed in. Great course, awesome volunteers and very well organized.




Last updated: 2015-12-03 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:27:55 | 2112 yards | 01m 19s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/78
Overall: 28/882
Performance: Good
Suit: TYR Cat. 1
Course: The swim was in a channel and with the current. This along with the wetsuit had me excited for a fast swim. The chop was a lot more than I expected however and made it a bit difficult for the first half of the swim. It was a battle on timing breaths for sure. Once we made a left turn towards the finish about half way through, the chop went away, but so did the current, so it was a bit of give and take.
Start type: Plus:
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current: Medium
200M Perf. Remainder:
Breathing: Drafting:
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 02:56
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
02:42:10 | 56 miles | 20.72 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/78
Overall: 95/882
Performance: Good
Wind: Strong with gusts
Course: The course was great as far as traffic and topography. It was dead flat which just a couple of bridges to go over. The wind however was pretty strong. Also, since the start and finish are in different places, the wind was in a direction where we got more headwind than tailwind. I've been on a 100 rides where it feels like all headwind...well, this time it was actually the case :).
Road: Smooth  Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:45
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Average
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
01:40:32 | 13.1 miles | 07m 40s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/78
Overall: 30/882
Performance: Good
Course: Overall good course with awesome support. I didn't realize until afterward but the aid stations are manned by different groups who compete for votes. They were all awesome but I wish I would have paid more attention. They were all awesome but I'd have liked to participate more by paying attention. One negative however was that the run course started out with two REALY steep hills. The type you almost have to walk up. They are short but really throw off your rythm.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
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: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5