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2005 Wilmington YMCA Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina
United States
Set-Up, Inc.
72F / 22C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 36m 59s
Overall Rank = 399M/539M
Age Group = Novice Men
Age Group Rank = 37/61
Pre-race routine:

I really didn't have a prerace routine. I just found my transition spot and put my stuff down. I had picked up my packet the day before so I got my chip and body marking. I then set up my transition area and rode the bus over to the swim start. It was about a mile from the transition area.
Event warmup:

I did not get to warm up. The buses to the swim start were running late and by the time I got to the swim start I had 2 minutes to stage in the water. I did some stretching in the water before the start though.
Swim
  • 24m 53s
  • 1640 yards
  • 01m 31s / 100 yards
Comments:

The swim started off very calmly. I tried very hard to pace myself as it was the swim I was most worried about. I got bumped a few times but not much as there was plenty of room to move around. After about 300 meters I was starting to run out of breath so I changed to breathing every other stroke instead of every third. That worked out well. It was slower but I didn't lose my breath at all. I would switch back to every third as I thought I could but most of the swim was every second. As we rounded the buoys the crowd got closer trying to make the turn and cut it as short as possible there was some more bumping through that area and all the way through the second buoy. I found that if I relaxed I would start catching people and especially if I was relaxed and breathing every third stroke. I would lose some steam as I came up on someone and would tense up until I forced myself to relax again. When we got to the ladders to get out of the water I missed the bottom step that wasn't there. I thought the ladder went deeper than it did. Once I got on the dock I was good. We had about a 300Yd run to the actual swim stop time and transition time start.
What would you do differently?:

I need to learn to breath every third and not run out of breath. I also need to relax and maybe site a little better.
Transition 1
  • 02m 21s
Comments:

I finished the run to the transition area pretty good. Lots of people cheering both out of the water and into transition. As I got to my bike I had already taken my googles and cap off. I wiped my feet down and threw on my socks. That was a little slow as my feet were still wet. My jersey went on with no problems (good idea to leave the zipper all the way down). I threw on my shoes, sunglasses and helmet and went out of transition. The transition out was one lane so I had to walk some behind other people. As I got on the bike I had some trouble clipping in but I don't think it hindered me much (more on that later).
What would you do differently?:

I think I would like to go without socks one time and see if that works but I'm not sure. I would still have to put them on for the run. I'll debate that later. I think I would also like to learn to put my shoes on during the bike ride. I could have saved a minute by doing these two things.
Bike
  • 34m 42s
  • 12.43 miles
  • 21.49 mile/hr
Comments:

After I got clipped in and going we came upon the first bridge, which was maybe 1/4 of a mile from the mount point. It was narrow as they had bikes going both directions in one lane. It was impossible to pass until we got off that road and made a left turn. The road then widened out and I was able to get up to speed. It was very hard not to draft during sections of the race because there were so many people on such a short course. The roads were pretty good and the intersections were well manned and there was no trouble there. I forgot to set up my speedometer so I had no idea how fast I was going or how far I had gone. I passed more people than passed me so that was good. As we were going back towards the bridge in the last few miles a squirrel darted out in front of me and I had to slow and swerve so as not to hit it. The rest was uneventful except for the fact of not being able to pass in the one lane two direction sections. I actually went out of the cones once because someone wouldn't move over and let me by. As I came towards the transition I pulled my feet out of my shoes and put them on top. I almost fell on the dismount trying to get my leg over the top tube but didn't and started the run into transition.
What would you do differently?:

I would drink more fluid. I really need to start doing that. I maybe would go just a touch harder but I think for the first one that was a good pace. I actually ended up faster than I thought.
Transition 2
  • 01m 24s
Comments:

This transition was very smooth. I hopped off the bike and found my spot quickly. I changed shoes without incedent. I made an in-game decision not to change shirts and just run in my cycling jersey. I did not put on my hat and put my race number on during the run out of transition.
What would you do differently?:

I would take the couple seconds to change shirts or at least have a tri shirt on that would suit both. More on that in a minute.
Run
  • 33m 41s
  • 3.11 miles
  • 10m 50s  min/mile
Comments:

I started the run feeling tired but decent. I thought it would be a decent run once the blood moved around in my legs, but alas after about 1/4 mile I started to get side stitches. I decided to try to walk it off for a minute. I walked about 1 minute and started jogging again. It didn't last long as the side stitches came back quickly. I decided to walk a little longer this time. I walked about two or three minutes. I had gone maybe 3/4 of a mile at this point and started jogging again. The side stitches didn't come back after that. I jogged very slowly worried about them and knowing my legs had cooled off some. It was at this point I realized that the cycling jersey was a bad idea. Chafing set in and lasted the rest of the way. I never did get up to a good speed again. I jogged the rest of the way at a slow but steady pace. I did walk through the water stop at two miles to make sure I got all of the water in my mouth. I then preceded jogging in my slow manner. When I finally could feel the finish was close (lots of cars and could see the turn in to the parking lot) I started to pick it up some. As I picked it up I held onto a steady pace that I would have liked to have had the whole run. I went through the tent where they called your name saying you were about to finish and then looked at the clock. Much to my amazement it said 2:09:54 (My wave started 33 minutes behind). I thought, I can make it by 2:10 and made it at 2:09:59.
What would you do differently?:

I need to drink more fluid. I think that is what caused the side stitches. I also think I could have pushed a little harder. I was running comfortably instead of like it was a race. I would also change into a running shirt or just use a tri shirt.
Post race
Warm down:

I walked around for a few minutes. I maybe could have done more but I needed fluid at that point. I was well dehydrated.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Hydration. I really have to drink more during the race. I also probably could have used a gel or something for energy. I also think that the width of the lanes slowed me down a little on the bike. I probably could have gained another minute or two with wider lanes.

Event comments:

This was a nice race. I was very pleased with everything. The only thing that I wish was different was that things there was a little more space in places. That made for having to wait for someone else at times because there was no place to pass. I'm sure that I probably held up my fair share of people as well. I don't know if all triathlons do this but I would also like to see overall times not just overall men and overall women.




Last updated: 2005-09-26 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:24:53 | 1640 yards | 01m 31s / 100yards
Age Group: 19/61
Overall: 264/539M
Performance: Good
Suit: Tri Shorts
Course: 1.5k point to point swim in the inlet between the outer banks and "mainland".
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 84F / 29C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Below average Drafting: Below average
Waves: Good Navigation: Average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:21
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Below average
Biking
00:34:42 | 12.43 miles | 21.49 mile/hr
Age Group: 37/61
Overall: 291/539M
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course: The course was pretty flat. There were two bridges and a few turns. There were sections of the course where the bike were going each direction in one lane which made it real tight. It was very hard to pass during these sections.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 01:24
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:33:41 | 03.11 miles | 10m 50s  min/mile
Age Group: 51/61
Overall: 493/539M
Performance: Below average
Course: The course was a flat loop with an out and back thrown in for distance. It had two bridges that had a fairly narrow path.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Not enough
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: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4

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2005-09-26 11:43 AM

New user
0

Burlington, NC
Subject: 2005 Wilmington YMCA Triathlon


2005-09-26 7:34 PM
in reply to: #253569

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Expert
725
50010010025
Wilmington, NC
Subject: RE: 2005 Wilmington YMCA Triathlon
Great job! Sounds like you really hammered through this race!

Next year we definitely need to do a BT gathering. Just couldn't quite pull it off this year.
2005-09-26 8:18 PM
in reply to: #253569

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Expert
831
50010010010025
Raleigh, NC
Subject: RE: 2005 Wilmington YMCA Triathlon
Nice job Michael...we were in the same wave...I must have come out of the water right behind you. That swim was a beast. Have you tried running with no shirt? I used to get chafed so much, I now just do all three with no shirt. I agree about the tight bike lanes, I think I could have had a much better bike time if I didn't keep getting stuck behind people. Maybe we can meet up next year...good luck in the off season.

chris
2005-09-27 7:03 PM
in reply to: #253569

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Regular
58
2525
Apex NC
Subject: RE: 2005 Wilmington YMCA Triathlon
Good time on the swim!! I was following you,, about 2 min back. Go with the tri top. This was my first race with one. Last one I did what you did and about killed myself getting into the different shirts.. I looked like an idiot, flinging my arms, getting my head stuck, etc. Yes go with the tri top..
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