Hy-Vee Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic


View Member's Race Log View other race reports
Des Moines, Iowa
United States
Hy-Vee Triathlon
83F / 28C
Overcast
Total Time = 2h 36m 58s
Overall Rank = 249/959
Age Group = M35-39
Age Group Rank = 47/126
Pre-race routine:

Didn't sleep well at all. But, I got up on schedule, went potty, got my stuff out of the hotel room and drove to race, ate a PB Bagel and downed 12oz. of water.
Went to set up transition a bit, then went potty 2nd time and back to finish setting up. Very normal pre-race.
Event warmup:

Nothing of course. Met up with my new buddy before he lined up for the Clydesdale Wave and chatted some more. I had plenty of time before the Age Groupers went off so I watched a bit of the swimming and walked around.
Swim
  • 31m 26s
  • 1500 meters
  • 02m 06s / 100 meters
Comments:

Ugh, I didn't have it this time. I navigated worse than any other race I've done and I got unlucky a lot by running into other swimmers and having to stop or go around people numerous times. I know that this would have added a bunch of time to my swim that didn't need to be there. Just unlucky I think. I did get off course by about 20 seconds almost at the end which was not going to help either. I finally got pissed enough at the end to keep up with everyone and catch a few people at the end.
What would you do differently?:

I think it would have been better if I just went over my comfort zone especially since I lose so much time on the swim anyway.
Transition 1
  • 02m 14s
Comments:

I had a good run up the beach and back to Transition. I was not well rehersed once again and I fumbled a lot with my number belt and my Sportband. Once everything was on though, I ran well with the bike and did my flying monkey and had a way better time getting my feet on the shoes and getting the "F" outta there. Ran way past the mount line per usual and passed 4 guys mounting. They most likely caught me later but I like to think that it made a difference for me :)
What would you do differently?:

At some point practicing T1 will have to become a part of my training. I just get "lazy" and rely on figuring it all out in the moment instead of practicing something and commiting to it.
Bike
  • 1h 14m 46s
  • 24.85 miles
  • 19.94 mile/hr
Comments:

Training for this course is not impossible if you do any sort of city biking with lights, and traffic stops. The hills however are a different story. These weren't deal killers but I think that my recent HIM race left me fatigued enough where I didn't have the extra gear I needed to get +20mph. I tried to push it but there wasn't any strength/power in my legs. I just wasn't having a good time like I did at Pigman and it got to me.
What would you do differently?:

Not sure...the poor bike effort was most likely to fatigue from a HIM 2 weeks prior. But, there's also the chance that I was recovered but I didn't have my speed since I haven't trained with intensity much this year. I think that taking some ergogenic supplements may have been needed to help in the PRE.
Transition 2
  • 01m 19s
Comments:

I pushed the pace again for that last mile into T2, and manuvered well to get into the park. I didn't gauge the dismount line well at all and I swung my leg around my bike way to early. With both legs now on the same side of the bike I was left to just coast and not able to pedal anymore. That just sucked and wasted almost 10 seconds just coasting in.
What would you do differently?:

Gotta re-con Swim in, Bike in/out and Run out in better so I know where my stuff is and how to get out quickly. Thats just Tri 101 and I know better. I really didn't have a sense of urgency for this race at all and I needed to give this event the res
Run
  • 47m 15s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 07m 37s  min/mile
Comments:

Well, the dreaded swim was over and the bad bike had come to a merciful end. I felt strong and well within my comfort zone to start the run. I went off at a fast clip and decided I'd try to hang on and gear up for that famous hill before the finish. I got passed within the first 2 miles by a couple of guys in my age group and I didn't pursue them. I wussed out and didn't use them as a reason to compete. In retrospect, I really should have and used them to get a better finish time. I felt good through 2.5-3 miles and didn't take a gel like I should have. The miles were going really fast for me and when it came time to hussle I didn't have the mental reserve to push with. I had held back way to long and at this point it was too late to kick it into high gear.
What would you do differently?:

I need to take my Gu's/sugar/calories in whether I feel like it or not. By the time you figure out you should have taken them, it's way too late to fix the problem. Also, I need to really think about my pacing strategies. If I'm not training enough to know I have a reserve then I have to hold back and negative split the run.
Post race
Warm down:

Drank a lot of fluids and ate my way through the post race food. My HR and body came back to normal almost immediately. This is also another indication that I didn't push myself.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

I think that having done the HIM only 2 weekends prior robbed me of my speed for this shorter race. Not that I could have swam or bike much faster, but I have put down faster 10K's in worse conditions prior to this event. Also, I need to figure out nutrition over short course events. Keeping me upbeat and energetic is a must. And, this is especially important if the bike course is hilly since I have nowhere to train for hills in Chicago.

Event comments:

Well, I really enjoyed the race and all of the things the organizers did to provide a top notch event. I wouldn't say I was wow-ed by it all but I can definitly appreciate all the gear, shwag, and course ammenities that were provided. You just can't beat having a Q&A with Olympic medalists and pro's so close and available to anyone with a question to ask. I met Sarah Groff, Javier Gomez, Greg Bennett, and the legend, Paula Newby Fraser! Also, I literally ran into Matty Reed on Court Street as he was making his way to the lake for the mens elite start. Having met him in Chicago last year it was just really cool seeing him again and wishing him a good race. They were all so approachable and actually getting to "hang" with them was not something you get to do everyday. I was looking forward to seeing Macca again but it just didn't happen. Oh well, he's still "the man" in my book.


Profile Album


Last updated: 2012-01-01 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:31:26 | 1500 meters | 02m 06s / 100meters
Age Group: 60/126
Overall: 508/959
Performance: Below average
The effort on this swim felt more strained than the others this year. I didn't really know what that meant for the rest of the day so I held off a bit which didn't put me in a great mood to start. My PRE was pretty low for almost the entire swim as fear got the better of me and I didn't want to set myself up for a blow-up later.
Suit: Full Orca Equip
Course: Rectangular course run counter-clockwise with the bouys on the left (except for the last couple before the right turn back to the beach).
Start type: Run Plus: Time Trial
Water temp: 77F / 25C Current:
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Bad
Breathing: Good Drafting: Below average
Waves: Navigation: Bad
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:14
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Below average Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
01:14:46 | 24.85 miles | 19.94 mile/hr
Age Group: 68/126
Overall: 455/959
Performance: Below average
Wind:
Course: This was a somewhat hilly course, with lots of turns, cornering and crit. style aspects.
Road:  Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Below average
Gear changes: Below average Hills: Below average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:19
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Below average
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:47:15 | 06.21 miles | 07m 37s  min/mile
Age Group: 31/126
Overall: 245/959
Performance: Below average
Felt great coming off the bike, no crampiness lingering or stomach issues either. Definitely felt like my HR was in a good place to start the run.
Course: Point to point course with a nice stretch along the river and the last bit hitting a couple of hills right before the finish.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 2
Good race? No
Evaluation
Course challenge Too hard
Organized? Yes
Events on-time?
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 3