Triathlon at Pacific Grove - Olympic Course
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Triathlon at Pacific Grove - Olympic Course - Triathlon
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Swim
Comments: I got a bit caught up in the excitement of the start, but got it under control fairly quickly. The cold water messed with my breathing for the first few minutes, but eventually settled down to be no issue at all. Having swum this last year I was ready for the kelp and got through it without much difficulty. Second lap felt much better than the first and I knew I was ahead of last year's pace when I got back in the water ahead of the wave starting behind me. Ended up shaving 7:29(!!) off my swim last year. What would you do differently?: Pay more attention to the kelp. There were definite swim lanes you could follow in many places that would avoid the kelp and allow you to keep your rhythm and pace. Transition 1
Comments: Swim ends on a low beach requiring running up stairs and ramps, but not too bad. Compared to last year, much better. Last year had trouble with balance getting out of the water, and had to walk up the steps/ramps, but this time out of the water and running to the bike. What would you do differently?: nothing Bike
Comments: Wanted to achieve an average speed of 21 mph and per my Garmin, did exactly that. Timing chip says only 20.4 mph - don't get it; how could they be that different? Complete rookie error on the dismount where I failed to completely unclip my left shoe, resulting a fall that dislocated my left ring finger, leading to further issues in T2. Funny part was that the spectators were asking if I was OK and I gave them the thumbs up signal with my left hand, except my ring finger was bent in such a way that it was clearly not ALL OK! I was happy though, beat last year's bike time by 7:10. What would you do differently?: Unclip properly! Not much else as I hit my HR and speed goals as reported by my Garmin on-course. Transition 2
Comments: Well, as I said in the bike part, during the dismount I managed to dislocate my finger. Run the bike to the rack and get it on, then take a look at my finger. At the first joint the second segment was up and riding out of the socket (or so it looked) with the finger bent at a very unnatural angle. I was hoping it was just a dislocation and grabbed the top of the finger and yanked and everything went back to where it belonged and all was well - with the finger. Unfortunately the whole finger thing put me off my sequence as I could not take my helmet off until I fixed the finger. Once the finger was back in place, got my shoes on, grabbed my race belt and headed out - not noticing that I had NEVER taken my helmet off!! Yup, I was THAT GUY during the run, the one with the helmet on. I got a lot of good natured ribbing from other runners and spectators, but took the position it made me more aero. Rookie mistake #2. What would you do differently?: Maybe take off the helmet, but otherwise satisfied Run
Comments: It wasn't until I was about half a mile in I realized I still had my helmet on. All I could do was laugh at myself and be prepared to laugh with everyone else. Made a lot of people smile, that's for sure, and I'm sure the photos from the race will be memorable. At least I had the presence of mind to take it off before I crossed the finish line! I love this run as the pace was pushing my previous bests but I was feeling pretty good. Ended up beating last year's time by 4:10. What would you do differently?: Be helmet free. Post race
Warm down: Visit the medical tent to get my hand looked at to make sure it was just a dislocation. Then walk some to cool down and get some of the post race nutrition in my. Neglected to stretch, which I felt in the car ride home. What limited your ability to perform faster: Probably my own lack of understanding of my limitations. I could have pushed harder on the ride and run probably. Last updated: 2013-09-08 12:00 AM
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2013-09-14 7:01 PM |
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2013-09-16 1:18 PM in reply to: #4855739 |
2013-09-16 1:53 PM in reply to: kmac1346 |
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United States
Tri-California Events
57F / 14C
Overcast
Overall Rank = 81/600
Age Group = 55-59
Age Group Rank = 2/16
Pre-Pre-race. Found out on Tuesday I had come down with a case of Shingles. Prognosis was lots of pain and lots of itching/burning around the rashes. Good news was that I could still race if I was feeling up to it. Made the call yesterday and went for it not knowing how it would affect my performance. This morning got up at 6 had my pre-race bagel and peanut butter and down to the venue with 2 hours until my wave started, so had plenty of time to leisurely set up my transition area.and watch the first wave start.
A 15 minute run and stretch routine, into the wetsuit and into the 60 degree water to get acclimated and swim ready.