Island Lake Triathlon, Spring - Sprint Course - Triathlon


View Member's Race Log View other race reports
Brighton, Michigan
United States
Element Events
42F / 6C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 14m 17s
Overall Rank = 7/219
Age Group = 35-39
Age Group Rank = 1/32
Pre-race routine:

I slept well the Thursday night before. I slept well with the kids early Friday night. I ate well. Work up at 5am. Had the car ready the night before. Ate a bit of pasta, and drove to the race.
Event warmup:

The race started late, so I got to do a 100 swim before the race, but then I got really cold waiting.
Swim
  • 11m 25s
  • 800 meters
  • 01m 26s / 100 meters
Comments:

I didn't swim with my usual group (Stephen aged up), and I had to pace myself. I felt fast, but in retrospect, I took it out too easy.
What would you do differently?:

Go harder?
Transition 1
  • 01m 24s
Comments:

I was frozen.
I was slower than usual by a lot here. I decided to put on a jacket for the wind. I toweled off. Unusual for me. I saw the kid from my heat get to his bike. I took my wetsuit off quite slowly. I saw him finishing transition, and I hurriedly put my helmet on and ran to the exit and mount line like a rabid dog. I wasn't going to give up my lead that easy. I jumped on my bike, wet feet and all.
What would you do differently?:

Find my darn toe covers!
Bike
  • 34m 27s
  • 12.4 miles
  • 21.52 mile/hr
Comments:

So I didn't zip up my form fitting jacket, and I slowed way way down for the first 1/2 mile or more trying to fiddle with it. I also had my gloves sitting on my handlebars... just sitting there being all not aerodynamic. My jacket was flapping in the wind like a sail. But that kid passed me. So I thought, "fuck it", and just went for it. I put the hammer on. It took 4 miles, but I caught up to him on a roller, and felt great. I was now in front of the pace truck. We were the top two in the entire race. But I was a bit winded from the pursuit, so I laid off the throttle for the next two miles. Then the kid caught up to me AGAIN! The kid was now behind the pace truck at mile 6. I now knew my competitor. He was 17 years old! I figured I would used my experience rather than my lungs. So this time, I held back. I waited at 85% or more of my max, and slowly tried to catch up. I saw when he was fast, and when he was slow. He was FAST in really steep hills, but not as fast as me in the flats, and he didn't seem to know the course as well. My time came at mile 8. This time, I pushed and pushed. There was one steep hill left, but I didn't let him catch me, and I was gone. It was me and pace truck until I get to T2.
What would you do differently?:

Not wear my jacket? Or zip it first? Plan better?
Transition 2
  • 01m 51s
Comments:

SLOW SLOW FROZEN HELL. When I rode in on top of my shoes, I couldn't feel my feet at all. It felt like I had bionic legs. I could feel what I imagine were the balls of my feet on the pavement and grass, but most of that information came in because the impact of my "feet" on the ground shook my bones to my core. I went down the wrong set of racks and fumbled to find my spot in an empty transition area. When I found my spot, I started to simply put my shoes on. Left wouldn't go in, so I tried my right. My toes were so frozen that I couldn't even feel my shoe opening. It hurt? I can't tell, even now. After much fighting, my right foot went in. That's when that kid went in. I put my race belt on (usually I do that as I go out). I tried my left foot... hard. So hard that immediately, my whole quad *and* my calf went completely stiff and cramped. I fell over. on. my. ass. The kid ran out. I forced my shoe on. I couldn't feel a thing, so the fact that the insole had bunched up inside didn't bother me until after the race when my feet gained sensory input after thawing. I ran out of T2, and the kid was ahead by around 50 to 75 yds.
What would you do differently?:

Find my darn toe covers! That made a HUGE difference. It was horrible.
Run
  • 25m 12s
  • 3.1 miles
  • 08m 12s  min/mile
Comments:

I really focused on my run form. No more over reaching feet. Keep my head facing downwards. And my run felt *great* compared to normal. I wasn't fast, by any stretch. But it felt like I was working it, and going forward, and not in constant pain. I was passed by the eventual overall winner who was on his way to setting a course record (from a full wave that had started 6 minutes after us), and one guy who was 31. I never saw the 17yo during the race again. I felt great, though. The cramps I got in T2 never materialized on the run itself.
What would you do differently?:

Not much.
I am practicing running off of my bike, and it's helping a lot. Perhaps it's time to do some interval training on a track with running.
Post race
Warm down:

The massage people are awesome.
Chatted. Ran around to change and stuff. I felt good. For once, I felt like I could keep on running!

What limited your ability to perform faster:

I wasn't prepared for the cold. I also didn't have anyone to pace off of the swim.

Event comments:

I love this race every year, EE runs races well, and they've gotten better each year. I am glad to do this series every year.


Profile Album


Last updated: 2013-05-25 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:11:25 | 800 meters | 01m 26s / 100meters
Age Group: 1/32
Overall: 2/219
Performance: Average
Suit: Full Suit
Course: Triangle.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Good Drafting:
Waves: Good Navigation: Good
Rounding: Below average
T1
Time: 01:24
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Below average
Biking
00:34:27 | 12.4 miles | 21.52 mile/hr
Age Group: 1/32
Overall: 4/219
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course: Up and out with two sharp turn arounds.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Below average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks:
T2
Time: 01:51
Overall: Bad
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Below average
Racking bike Below average
Shoe and helmet removal Bad
Running
00:25:12 | 03.1 miles | 08m 12s  min/mile
Age Group: 12/32
Overall: 65/219
Performance: Good
Course: Up and back!
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
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