XTERRA Wild Horse Creek - TriathlonLong Course


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Hyalite Canyon, Montana
United States
Big Sky Endurance Sports
Overcast
Total Time = 3h 11m 30s
Overall Rank = 11/26
Age Group = 25-29
Age Group Rank = 4/7
Pre-race routine:

Arrived in Bozeman Friday morning for the bike course pre-ride. Rain and hail the previous night made for horrible traction through the first couple of miles of roots and rocks. Tire slid out on a log crossing resulting in a knee twisting wreck. I was worried I'd torn something, but continued on anyway. Knee was bruised and swollen for the race, but didn't seem to be much of a problem. Camped at Norris Hot Springs Friday night. Swam briefly in the reservoir Saturday. It was cold. Then camped near the race site Saturday night.
Event warmup:

Set up transition. Put on wetsuit. Got in the water and swam a bit.
Swim
  • 28m 31s
  • 1200 yards
  • 02m 23s / 100 yards
Comments:

My swim performance is kind of overshadowed by the fact that everyone in this race was a complete animal. For me, this was a great time, yet I was one of the last people out of the water. Water was cold, breathing panicky, resorted to side stroke and backstroke a few times. BUT I survived. That was the goal.
What would you do differently?:

My form is good. There's just no power behind my stroke. I suppose I just need to swim MORE. Probably have an actual workout plan when I go to the pool.
Transition 1
  • 00m
Comments:

This was pretty fast and smooth. Wouldn't change much.
Bike
  • 1h 48m 29s
  • 15 miles
  • 8.30 mile/hr
Comments:

Overall the bike portion went well. After being one of the last people out of the water, I felt like I had some catching up to do and passed several people, especially on the climbs where lots of people got off to walk. Bike felt heavy, energy was low on the first climbing lap, but the downhill was fun and after eating a hammer gel before the second climbing lap I felt better.
What would you do differently?:

Tape more gels to my bike frame. On the second climbing lap I hardly saw anyone, kind of slacked off here. Try to maintain cadence even when noone else is around.
Transition 2
  • 00m
Comments:

Fast and smooth.
What would you do differently?:

Nada
Run
  • 54m 29s
  • 6 miles
  • 09m 05s  min/mile
Comments:

I'm always amazed at how good I feel on the run. I actually enjoyed this portion of the race the most. The time flew by and I felt great and it was a fun course. I was also surprised by my pace, especially since I don't really run that much relative to biking.
What would you do differently?:

Not much. Maybe try out some new shoes. Both big toes were a little blistered.
Post race
Warm down:

BBQ, beer, awards, drove home.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

My poor swimming abilities... as usual.

Event comments:

Overall this was a pretty big achievement for me. I felt a little defeated after the swim seeing how far back I was, but now seeing the results, I was able to make up some time in the other events and I'm happy with my results. It's pretty cool (and humbling) to see how talented and hard core the Xterra racers are. My goals were 1. to finish and 2. to finish under 4 hours. This was my first Xterra and first longer distance tri. I'm still learning but the best par is that I had moments where I realized I was having fun - which is the point.


Profile Album


Last updated: 2008-06-23 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:28:31 | 1200 yards | 02m 23s / 100yards
Age Group: 6/7
Overall: 22/26
Performance: Below average
Suit: Orca Predator
Course: 2 600 yard laps through Hyalite Reservoir
Start type: Wade Plus:
Water temp: 54F / 12C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Below average
Breathing: Below average Drafting:
Waves: Navigation: Below average
Rounding: Below average
T1
Time: 00:00
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
01:48:29 | 15 miles | 8.30 mile/hr
Age Group: 3/7
Overall: 9/26
Performance: Good
Wind: None
Course: Course started off with a couple miles of slightly technical rooted singletrack (which had dried out luckily from a couple days earlier!). Rode around the reservoir to a few miles of gravel road then to a fairly easy grade climb leading to rocky singletrack downhill. Repeat the climb and downhill loop.
Road: Rough Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 00:00
Overall:
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:54:29 | 06 miles | 09m 05s  min/mile
Age Group: 2/7
Overall: 7/26
Performance: Good
Course: 2 3 mile laps of rolling rocky rooted singletrack
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?
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5