Athens Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Athens, Texas
United States
Athens YMCA
39F / 4C
Precipitation
Total Time = 1h 12m 51s
Overall Rank = 19/220
Age Group = M 30-34
Age Group Rank = 4/19
Pre-race routine:

Up for a quick shower and bar, then we left the cabin and headed to the Cain Center. Still plenty of parking when we got there, so we grabbed our bikes and headed inside. Do like having body marking and bike check inside. That way you don't have to strip down outside until go time.

Got everything set up, checked on the peeps, then headed inside.
Event warmup:

Found Dave and Jacque already in the pool so I drafted Dave as best I could for 150 meters (in other words, he left my slow tail behind after 25). He was gracious enough to let me borrow a towel so I didn't sit around shivering during Jack's pre-race rant.

Swam another 25 after the meeting just to warm up. Standing by the window was pretty nippy. Water was nice and toasty.

Shortest wait I've ever had for a pool swim. Talked and watched for about 5 minutes and then it was my turn.
Swim
  • 05m 6s
  • 300 meters
  • 01m 42s / 100 meters
Comments:

Goal was to break 5 minutes. Tried to catch the guy in front of me but he swam about the exact time I did. Just focused on long strokes and hitting the wall just right. Hadn't practiced flip turning while changing lanes, so I figure that only hitting the rope once was pretty good. Lost focus for a few strokes, which may have cost me that 6 seconds.

The last 50 I finally caught a guy and let him do the work. Wasn't worth trying to pass him in a 2 way lane. The last 25 I cut inside him and beat him to the end.
What would you do differently?:

A little practice with flip turns and lane changes would have been nice.

Overall I was pleased. Passed one guy, didn't get passed by anybody. Only 14 seconds behind Iron Dave, so that's not too bad.
Transition 1
  • 01m 5s
Comments:

Way better transition than last year. Think I started and campfire and made smores.

All I did was throw on a jacket, grab my race belt and get my helmet and shoes on. Remembered to put Zoom-Zoom on last this time. I had debated before the race about sunglasses, but I decided it was more important to not get my contacts dried out when riding.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. Once of my smoothest.
Bike
  • 44m 34s
  • 13.8 miles
  • 18.58 mile/hr
Comments:

This was suck. I knew I didn't have a lot of bike volume going in as I had been in a run-focused mode since November. It's just frustrating to push your legs with all you have and they produce nothing for you. Granted, it's far from a fast course (fastest bike was 22), but it's just frustrating to have NADA.

The course was rough chipseal the first 3.5 miles, then a heavenly smooth stretch to the turnaround. Started raining on me as soon as I got out to the loop. The course and the rain just made life miserable. I wasn't cold, surprisingly, but I just didn't have anything.
What would you do differently?:

Have energy.
Transition 2
  • 01m 5s
Comments:

There was a hard turn at the end of the bike course that I thought was the dismount line, but the line was about 100 yards further. So I pretty much coasted to a stop. Probably should have remembered this from last year. Lost some time there.
What would you do differently?:

Not stop or slow down until I have to.
Run
  • 20m 12s
  • 3.11 miles
  • 06m 30s  min/mile
Comments:

Felt were completely numb coming off the bike so I just ran on my toes the first mile. Passed tons of folks the whole way. Felt awesome the first mile, felt better the second mile. Legs just started to wane on me the last mile. Had a shot at breaking 20, but it wasn't meant to be.
What would you do differently?:

Speed up the last mile instead of slowing down
Post race
Warm down:

Airplaned into the finish line, then straight to transition to get some dry clothes on. That was good enough for me to warm down. After than I just hung out taking pictures.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Bike course and bike legs.

Event comments:

Great venue for a race, but the bike course just plain sucks. It's one thing to have a challenging course, but the bike course is just not any fun. Unless they find a different course to take the bikes, I'll only be back as a volunteer.




Last updated: 2008-10-30 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:05:06 | 300 meters | 01m 42s / 100meters
Age Group: 1/19
Overall: 32/220
Performance: Good
Suit:
Course: Serpentine swim, 1st and last lane 1 way, middle lanes 2 way.
Start type: Inside Pool Plus:
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current:
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 01:05
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
00:44:34 | 13.8 miles | 18.58 mile/hr
Age Group: 6/19
Overall: 44/220
Performance: Bad
Av HR - 167, Max HR - 176
Wind: Some
Course: Out and back along the loop around town. Massive chipseal and some long rollers.
Road: Rough Wet Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks:
T2
Time: 01:05
Overall: Below average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
00:20:12 | 03.11 miles | 06m 30s  min/mile
Age Group: 1/19
Overall: 11/220
Performance: Good
Mile 1 - 6:25 (175 HR), Mile 2 - 6:24 (177 HR), Mile 3 - 6:34 (180 HR)
Course: Great out and back run course. I've run this 4 times in tris and 5Ks so I know it pretty well.
Keeping cool Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Ok
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? No
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4