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 Swim
Comments: It was a long wait to the swim. Waves started at 8:15am and mine didn't get off until ~10am. I feel bad for those who had to wait even longer. Sitting in hot sun in wet-suit waiting and waiting. (Not enough volunteers for swim safety). However, I was able to keep relaxed and found a nice spot to sit on a rock while most everyone else stood around. Anyone ever see "The Right Stuff" where one of the astronauts are waiting for take off which continues to be delayed. Yeah, I was relaxed. ;) I wanted to stay relaxed as possible before and during the swim and focus on doing the distance. My first OWS last fall was a tough experience; very overwhelming. This went much better. Certainly not to potential, I had to stop and backstroke a couple of times; form was shot; and sighting (although better last OWS) was still poor (added at least an extra ~120 yds) But I'm going to chalk it all up to being so uncomfortable out there. When I get as comfortable swimming OW as in a pool that time will reduce dramatically. And this swim was a big-step in that direction. I can't wait to go back. And the overall time (though slow) destroys my last OWS time. So the swim went well as far as goals were concerned but certainly not up to potential. This is good news for USG race down there next month. What would you do differently?: Focus on form and swimming OW like I do in the pool. I wasn't aggressive. Too concerned about getting winded and it killed my form which caused me to have to swim harder which got me winded. Basically more work to go slower. Also do a better job of spotting. I have a tough time with this and tend to drift right (my breathing side). The last couple hundred yards I started using the sun as a guide and that helped a lot. If I can spot better and focus on good form it will reduce my time considerably. The distance LOOKS so much longer than a pool and that gets in my head a bit and becomes intimidating where it shouldn't be. Also: WARM UP. The OWS WU is more important to me than any other. Get in do some form work (catch, fist, bi-lat) as it makes a big difference in workouts it will make a big difference here.  Transition 1
Comments: Long couple of hundred yards from swim exit to transition area barefoot. Little slower than I like getting my shoes on. Still need to get new inserts for the shoes. However, I did make up a number of places in both TI and even more in T2. What would you do differently?: Strap the bottom straps of my bike shoes before hand like I did last race. Still want to practice jump on bike transition.  Bike
Comments: Good ride. I passed a lot of people and was only passed by a few of the OLYs and maybe a couple of sprinters. Considering I left T1 in 354/36 and got off the bike 171/24 I made up a lot of ground. And I was ready for the climb. I pounded it out. Chain came off about 1/3 right before it got the steepest up. I handled it quickly though it took away some momentum. What would you do differently?: I could have pushed harder on the last half and probably came out a little strong before the hill and first getting on the bike. But it is also where I passed a LOT of people. Had my bike computer been functioning I'm sure I would have pushed myself harder on the back half. Having the computer makes a difference. It was difficult to follow avg speed on my watch. I didn't push quite as hard because I wanted to save my legs for the run and I was passing so many others. But I think +20 mph avg is very doable next month. Transition 2
Comments: Good transition. Got shoes unlatched while on bike. What would you do differently?: Work on a gold medal dismount.  Run
Comments: You can't take this run on the pace time. This was tough. The strides work paid off here. My leg strength helped substansially. From T2 I lost 2 places in AG and 15 overall. Which wasn't bad for me. And I had a very strong sprint the last couple of hundered yards where I passed another 10 or so people at least. Still I would have like to done better. What would you do differently?: I started off too fast. The first half mile or so was at a sub 7'30" pace on pavement and downhill. By the time I hit the trail my HR was up too high and I couldn't hold long at all and had to walk a little. Walked briefly 3 or four times on some of the steep climbs and slow downs through water stations. I wasn't alone. My pacing on the 5K at Alta was excelent. I need to take the same approach. It keeps the momentum building and makes for a stronger race. Post race
Warm down: Ever see 'Chrstmas Story' where the kid sticks his tounge on the pole in the middle of a cold winter. Don't stick a freezing cold popsicle in your hot dry mouth until you've gotten it to cool down a little . . . Lots of water, bannana, orange slices, little stretching. Bike ride back to car. What limited your ability to perform faster: A lot of travelling the week prior. Driving down alone the day before. I was worn out. Some personal stress and mental fatigue. But I was able to put it all aside and have a focused race. The swim is where there is obviously the most room for improvement. My AG overall time was 22 minutes back. Take out the swim and I am only 7 minutes back from AG leader . . . Lastly, pay attention and get my split times with my watch. I didn't do a very good job again this race. I focus on racing and forget about timing myself. Event comments: This race is close to being amazing -- especially if you like a challenging course. Unfortunately what held organizers back were the number of volunteers. This really hurt the swim wave. Parking was also a hassle but not much you can do there. Not quite as organized as Utah Tri races (I think it is great how they call out finisher names as they cross the finish) but still good. There were a lot of participants and spectators. Since the race is getting some national recognition hopefully it will continue to improve and I overheard people saying this race was an improvement over last year. A lot of people didn't like the trail run but I thought it was a great challenge. I understand it is not a part of USG next month however. The bike is also a good challenging ride. Nice finisher medal for everyone and the long-sleeve breathable T shirt is great with pin stripes on the sleeve and a killer logo (that I didn't know if I liked at first but ends up looking very cool). Good race. Just wish I could have enjoyed it with some friends for family. Don't drive down and back alone! Profile Album Last updated: 2006-01-17 12:00 AM
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United States
80+F / 27C
Sunny
Overall Rank = 165/739
Age Group = 35-39
Age Group Rank = 23/63
I want to post this first and foremost about a very sad death that took place. It broke my heart to read about it:
http://www.sgtri.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=136
The drive down to St. George ALONE was a long one (5 hours). I'd been out of town for the last couple of weeks, didn't get in until late the night before and had a good deal to take care of before being able to get on the road. Finally made it to Quail Creek reservoir by 7:30pm to get in ~20 minutes of OW warm up; didn't stop but to get a Whooper on the way down as to have some time to get the practice so I was hungry by the time I got to registration.
Made it to the Abbey Inn for registration around 9PM. Went to my hotel and checked in. Realized I'd forgotten my race belt and went back to the registration site to pick one up from one of the vendors. By now I was a more than a little H.T.G. (hungry, tired and grouchy - watch out!) Decided to settle on Village Inn for some chow and did the Lumberjack Slam finished around 10 p.m.. Headed to Albertsons to get some milk, oj and banana for my breakfast drink; picked up a couple of Myoplex shakes and back to the hotel. Had planned on replacing the wiring on my bike computer but it was late and decided it might take too long and wasn't worth the hassle not having it tested prior to the race. The good old Timex GPS on the arm would have to do. Repacked my transition bag; loaded the car except for my bike; drank a Myoplex shake and got in bed around midnight.
Woke up ~5:30 a.m. and I was not in the mood to race. It had been a hard, long drive down, I was a little bummin' because after having a great weekend last with my SO visiting family in GA we had some miscommunication and decided not to drive down together (along with my Mom who was also going to join us but did not). It shouldn't have been that big of deal but it ended up being one of those little bumps in the relationship road that can sometimes get bigger than they need to be. So my mind had been wrapped around this for a few days and most of the day previous and I woke up and had no desire to race and seriously thought about getting in the car and driving home.
But I decided to get my butt up and come down to do what I came to do.
Still it was a bummer heading over there, getting set up, and waiting around watching everyone with friends and family. This was the first race where I hadn't either with me or anyone I knew who was racing. I thought this might be a good thing to keep me focused on the race but realized that the camaraderie, friendship, and personal element make races as enjoyable as anything about this sport itself.
Still I was determined to put out a solid effort and make it a good experience.
10 minutes of light jogging with a few short sprints. Bike from car to transition area ~1 mile. No swim warm up which was a mistake. Spent some time listening to MP3 player (I almost called it a Walkman)! This helped keep my HR down before the race and stay relaxed.