General Discussion Race Reports! » Giant Acorn International Rss Feed  
Moderators: k9car363, alicefoeller Reply

Giant Acorn International - TriathlonOlympic


View Member's Race Log View other race reports
Bumpass, Virginia
United States
Set Up Events
80F / 27C
Sunny
Total Time = 3h 43m 57s
Overall Rank = 135/146
Age Group = athena
Age Group Rank = 5/7
Pre-race routine:

It was nice to not get up at 4 am for a race for once. The 10 am start meant I could get up at 6:30 like usual and get on the road around 8. I didn't have much for breakfast - raisin toast and tea - b/c I was afraid of GI issues. Fed the baby and left. Got to race site. No problems. My rack was right by the swim exit/run start.
Event warmup:

Walked down to the swim start (down a gravel road) in my sandals. (They collected our shoes in boxes by race number to pick up later.) Got in the water and practiced sighting a bit. Water felt great! And it was pretty smooth.
Swim
  • 40m 9s
  • 1640 yards
  • 02m 27s / 100 yards
Comments:

This is the first race I've done with prescription goggles. Holy cow! Way better when you can see! The water got choppy the farther up the cove I went. That was challenging. Sighting and counting my strokes was much better than my last OW swim. I was slower than I expected, however. My stroke suffered when I got tired. I also got a foot cramp, but eventually it went away.
What would you do differently?:

I need to train more and do more drills. I have been taking swimming for granted.
Transition 1
  • 03m 14s
Comments:

7/7; 107/146. I was slow.
My shirt got stuck putting it on this time. And I wasted time putting on gloves. Maybe I should have skipped that. Extra time was largely running up the hill, though. I also had a wave of nausea, which took me by surprise.
What would you do differently?:

I should get a tri shirt I can wear in the water.
Bike
  • 1h 28m 29s
  • 23.5 miles
  • 15.94 mile/hr
Comments:

I had trouble catching my breath at the beginning, but eventually settled into a good race pace. The wind was significant, especially crossing the causeway. Most of the course was very nice - few short uphills, but nothing terrible. There were a couple miles towards the end that were a slog - a slow, long incline - miles 8-9/20-21. Doing two loops actually made the second loop better since I knew what was coming. For instance, there is a sharp turn after a downhill that goes up. I did better on the gearing second time around. I had Clif Shot at miles 3, 6, and 12 or thereabouts.
What would you do differently?:

Maybe take gatorade instead of water? I could have drunk a little more, but I realized heat was going to be an issue on the run no matter what.
Transition 2
  • 01m 46s
Comments:

3/7; 69/146. my best rank of the race! lol
Running down a hill to transition with bike was rough on the legs. When I was done and stood up to "run" I said "Oh Lord!" I was TIRED and it was HOT.
What would you do differently?:

nada for the transition.
Run
  • 1h 30m 17s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 14m 32s  min/mile
Comments:

Man, this was a ROUGH run. First of all, it was hot and sunny and there wasn't much shade. More than I expected, but not much. Secondly, the two loops was so demoralizing. Finally, you run right past the finish FOUR TIMES before you actually finish! On the first loop, I kept thinking, "I can't believe I have to come do this again!!" My main problem, though, was with the heat. I was starting to get some heat exhaustion symptoms. The drink stations had water and HEED. I'd never tasted HEED. It has no sugar! That was not what I needed. I was hungry and running low on glycogen. Anyway, I did some HEED, and a couple more shot blocks, even though I felt sick. I spent a couple minutes in a port o potty. I walked A LOT. The first loop, I wasn't sure I would finish. The second loop I was determined to finish, but I though I might end up in the ambulance with heat stroke. I also had some abdominal cramps, though I didn't pay much attention. After walking some, I'd usually feel a bit better and run some more. The second lap actually felt better than the first. I felt really tight across my collar bone and in my shoulders. Nerves? And what limited me was my fitness - my lungs and heart - my legs could have done much more.
What would you do differently?:

Train more, I guess. I did a bunch of bricks that went well, but I guess I haven't really run that much since having baby 8 months ago.
Post race
Warm down:

I sat down and drank water in the shade at the finish line. I wanted to cry. I was so spent and so glad to be done. I was bummed that I had to walk a long way to get pizza. After I got food and sat in the tent, I got really cold. It was windy. Weird. I was bummed that I couldn't find any bananas or cookies. Just gatorade, chips, and pizza. Listened to the awards a bit before heading home. I was feeling lonely since my boys all stayed home for this one.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Heat was the big one. Wind and chop contributed. Need to run and swim more. And lose more weight. I guess being 8 months post-partum didn't help.

Event comments:

My only complaint was the post-race food. Aren't oreos mandatory triathlon fare? Or at least choco chip cookies. That and bananas or oranges!




Last updated: 2012-06-21 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:40:09 | 1640 yards | 02m 27s / 100yards
Age Group: 6/7
Overall: 104/146
Performance:
Suit: zoot shorts + danskin bra
Course: up the narrow cove, two left turns and back, and then one more turn into the finish. wooden steps and hill up to transition.
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 79F / 26C Current: Medium
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Good Drafting: Below average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 03:14
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed:
Biking
01:28:29 | 23.5 miles | 15.94 mile/hr
Age Group: 5/7
Overall: 118/146
Performance: Good
Wind: Cross-winds
Course: GORGEOUS course. Cross the water some 6 times, rolling hills. Two loops.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 01:46
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
01:30:17 | 06.21 miles | 14m 32s  min/mile
Age Group: 6/7
Overall: 142/146
Performance: Bad
Course: Two loops of a course with two out and back spurs, grass - road - grass - gravel.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %0.2
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Ok
Evaluation
Course challenge Too hard
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Below average
Race evaluation [1-5] 3

{postbutton}
2012-10-06 9:40 PM

User image

Extreme Veteran
541
50025
Virginny
Subject: Giant Acorn International


2012-10-10 9:36 AM
in reply to: #4443889

User image

Expert
1384
1000100100100252525
Charlottesville, Virginia
Subject: RE: Giant Acorn International
Congrats on the race!  That run was definitely rough... that long, slow climb on the 2nd loop in the heat was really challenging.  And really, no fruit at the finish???  I spent 10 minutes looking for it b/c I couldn't believe they didn't have any.  Bleagh.
General Discussion-> Race Reports!
{postbutton}
General Discussion Race Reports! » Giant Acorn International Rss Feed