Pteradactyl Tri - TriathlonSprint


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Brighton, Michigan
United States
Running Fit
70F / 21C
Precipitation
Total Time = 1h 21m 54s
Overall Rank = 129/334
Age Group = 40-44
Age Group Rank = 24/49
Pre-race routine:

Not much routine since this was an evening race - just worked my normal work day, ate several small meals and had a bagel with peanut butter around 4:00. Got there a little early, around 5:15 so I had a lot of time to just walk around. Didn't run into anyone I knew until I was getting ready to head into the lake when I spotted Trish and Ranger.

1xGU and about 4oz of water about 20 minutes before heading into the water.
Event warmup:

Racked the bike, walked around a bit scoping out the course. About 10 minutes of stretching.
Swim
  • 18m 20s
  • 880 yards
  • 02m 05s / 100 yards
Comments:

Well, I didn't come in DFL, but I once again proved that this event is where I have the most room for improvement. This was another good practice for Steelhead since there were quite a few people starting at the same time (probably 60-80). I got caught up in the middle of the pack, ran into several people, but didn't get kicked. Wasn't till I rounded the farthest buoy that I got into some clear water. I passed a few pink caps from the wave that started ahead of me, which made me feel good, but still a slow time overall.
What would you do differently?:

Swim faster!
Transition 1
  • 01m 30s
Comments:

Came out of the shoot and lost track of where my bike was - spotted it and slipped in the wet grass - went down bending one of my fingers - ouch!

I normally ride with socks, but the ground was so wet that I decided to just put the shoes on and go sockless. I never run without socks and usually figure whether I take a few seconds to do it here or in T2 really makes no difference, but because it was so wet I thought I'd save it.

Loooong run from the transition area to the pavement. They had the mount line in the grass about 20 yds out of transition, but there was no way I was going to try to mount there. Between the rain, the soggy ground, and my luck, I figured I'd miss the clip and fall on my arse, so I opted to run up to the pavement. I wasn't the only one who did that - everyone that was around me was doing the same.
What would you do differently?:

Do a better job of remembering where the heck my bike is.
Bike
  • 34m 54s
  • 12.4 miles
  • 21.32 mile/hr
Comments:

My fastest time yet at ILRA - I was very pleased with this ride even though I did almost take out to mountain bikers who popped out onto the road by the railroad tracks as I was cruising down the hill at high speed. Morons didn't look and continued to just slowly ride and weave all over the road. I ended up threading the needle in between them.

I was really geeked when this guy with a disc passed me just flying - figured he'd kill that course, but then I caught him on the hill near Spring Mill Pond, passed him and never saw him again.

The one thing that really torqued me though was that the strap on both of my shoes came up (it clipped the crank to initially undo it) and I could not get them to stay down. My right one kept slapping the top of the gear and the left one kept slapping the crank - was really annoying but I tried not to let it bug me. I initially kept pushing them down, but they wouldn't stay, so I said the hell with it and decided to live with it.
What would you do differently?:

Not sure I'd do anything differently. I felt that I handled the pace just right, not burning myself out and leaving energy for the few hills.
Transition 2
  • 01m 28s
Comments:

I never pull my feet out of the shoes - I don't think I'd gain a whole lot by doing this, however, in this case if I had then I wouldn't have had someone take off with my shoes at the end cuz they would have still been clipped in.

Had a little trouble getting the bike racked smoothly - got caught up on my gear and the bike next to mine.
Run
  • 25m 43s
  • 3.1 miles
  • 08m 18s  min/mile
Comments:

Well, for me this was a good run - just ended up being a lot of really fast people out there. Was only passed by 3 others, so I was happy with that.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Post race
Warm down:

Grabbed a water and had a turkey pita that was really good. Met up with Trish and Ranger and just hung out.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Rain didn't seem to play much of a factor - the only thing that might have made me faster (besides the swim) would be if there wasn't the 100yd dash to the pavement with the bike out of T1.

Event comments:

I enjoyed the race, especially having trained at ILRA so much, I knew the bike course inside and out. I was a bit disappointed by not having the times posted there - this is the first event I've been at where they didn't do that. All they had available were the swim times.

When I got back to the transition area to pack up my bike shoes were missing. I'll give whoever took them the benefit of the doubt that it was a mistake - lots of stuff was strewn around, so I guess it'd be easy to do. I wasn't too upset though, since I had so many problems with the straps - gave me a good reason to go out to Bike Sport the next day and pick up a new pair that strap in the other direction. Yes, I know this is contrary to popular belief, but I've never been one to go with the flow. Besides, I don't try to do the flying leap off the bike leaving my shoes clipped anyway, so makes no difference.

Overall it was a good race and I enjoyed it. A HUGE thanks to Trish and Ranger for showing up to cheer us on despite the bad weather.




Last updated: 2009-07-03 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:18:20 | 880 yards | 02m 05s / 100yards
Age Group: 31/49
Overall: 184/334
Performance: Average
Suit: Sleevless
Course: Simple out and back.
Start type: Wade Plus:
Water temp: 75F / 24C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Average
Waves: Average Navigation: Average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 01:30
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
Yes
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
00:34:54 | 12.4 miles | 21.32 mile/hr
Age Group: 18/49
Overall: 88/334
Performance: Good
Wind: Some
Course:
Road: Smooth Wet Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:28
Overall:
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
00:25:43 | 03.1 miles | 08m 18s  min/mile
Age Group: 25/49
Overall: 171/334
Performance: Good
Course:
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
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: Below average
Race evaluation [1-5] 3