Pleasant Prairie Triathlon - International Race - TriathlonOlympic

Pretty good swim. Seeded myself towards the front. Jumped in and my goggles fell down. tried to swim with them full of water, and that wasn't working. So, I stopped an got them back on. This was actually good, as it allowed a couple people to pass me. I grabbed on to some feet, but this dude was flying (did 20:00). I hung on for about 50m, but knew it wouldn't last. I then swam alone for about 500m or so and felt someone on my feet. And then he finally passed me. So, I hung on his feet for awhile. He was a little crooked, but we were going into that awful sun, so I hung with him. I lost him a couple of times, but rode him in for the last 400m. That was good. He finished 2s in front of me.

Slower than last year, but a good swim nonetheless.

2006: 25:30
2007: 22.26
2008: 23:05

A couple things. Its a pretty steep entrance, so the dive in will jar your goggles. I either need to hold on to them, or make them a little tighter. I also made the wrong decision with the full sleeve wet suit. It was way to hot for it. My arms were burning up towards the end. I just wanted out of the suit.

Good transition. 19th overall. The suit got stuck on the chip side leg. So, I yanked harder and my arch started to cramp. So, I just yanked again, and figured the cramp would go away on the bike.

Nothing. I work on transitions, and really believe in the free speed that is available here.

Good bike. The first mile was all about getting my HR down to where I could sustain and hammer. First lap was nice b/c it wasn't crowded, but it seemed tougher. There was definitely a headwind when we hit the road that needed repaired. Seemed like we were on that one for awhile. But my HR came down, and I hammered as best I could. I was averaging about 22.6 for that lap. At the turnaround, my legs really started to feel good and I continued to drink water and get some fuel in.

At about the 15 mile mark, I hear this voice, "come on man, lets pick up the pace". It was Dumpster and he was flying (35mph+) on a slight down hill. I didn't expect to see him b/c he was in the wave in front of me, but he hadn't been swimming, so I figured I passed him on the swim. He got up about a 1/3 of mile on me and was weaving in and out operating the legal drafting to its finest. I started to pick up my pace, b/c, well, I didn't want him to get too far ahead of me.

This worked out good, as we have pushed each other in races before. There are some slight hills and rollers that bring your speed down on this coursse. I was able to get closer to him on a couple of these and then finally passed him back on the 2nd to last turn. I continued to really hammer as the finish line was near (and I didn't want him to pass me back). The only issue with this little cat and mouse game was that I was so focused on going faster, I forgot to take in water. And I needed it. Kind of a rookie mistake, but I got caught up in it.

2006: 1:12:22, 20.6mph
2007: 1:09:26, 21.5mph
2008: 1:00:50, 23.2mph

*added bike computer mph to these splits, as 2008 was 1.5m short, and wasn't a true 9' improvement, but a 1.7mph improvement.


Take in more water.

Very nice transition. I went w/o socks for the first time in an Oly, and it worked fine (no blisters). That chopped off some time, but then I realized I needed some water and took a swig from the aerobottle. Couldn't find my last gel for the run, and took off w/o it. I believe I can do this sub 1:00. Of course, rack position helped here.

1st Overall in my AG! And 7th OA in the race. Free speed, I say!

Drink water on bike, have gel already in a pocket.

Run started off really good. I came out of transition about 10s behind the eventual winner of our AG. I didn't know that he was the leader, but I suspected he was in my AG. He was going at a good clip, so my plan was to just stay with him and then pass him at the end. At least that was my plan.

Run started off great, I felt pretty good for the 1st 1/2 mile. Then, I had this stomach cramp. Not a side stitch but something going on with the stomach. Thought, I needed water, and didn't think it had anything to do with nutrition, as I just had 2 gels on the ride. I tried altering my breathing and the right foot exhale trick, to no avail. I figured slowing down or walking might help, but I decided to just fight threw it. It NEVER went away. It made for a tougher run than I wanted, but glad to see the mental strength was there. My body kept negotiating to walk, slow down, but my mind just kept chugging. Maybe walking would have helped, though? Either way, my HR was going up and my pace was going down and I was losing my rabbit.

I took water at every aid station and there were 5 of them. I took two glasses at the first one, but only got about 4-5oz down. I continued to run with our AG leader, but he was putting about 5-10s more in between us every mile. Even at mile 4 when it was really starting to hurt, I still thought I could catch him at the end. And although, my last 1/2 mile was around 6:30, I couldn't make up the lost time as he was sprinting at the end, too. He got me by 52s on the run, and 53s overall.

1m: 6:53, 155ahr
2m: 6:53, 158ahr
3m: 7:04, 159ahr
4m: 7:11, 162ahr
5m: 7:12, 165ahr
6m: 7:10, 168ahr
0.2m: 6:29, 170ahr

Saw a ton of people on the run and that is always encouraging. I wasn't my usual chipper self, but its tough when you are arguing internally with your body. The body is such a great negotiator ;)

2006: 52:12 (8:24m/m)
2007: 45:12 (7:17m/m)
2008: 43:24 (6:59m/m)

Hydrate better on bike. With my recent track work and tempo runs, I was poised for a sub 42. This run hurt more than it should have.

Grab some gatorade and water. Wait for others to finish. Talked to Holly and discussed the race and how I missed her at the spot she was at last year. Stretched, had my Endurox and talked with other BTers.


I really think I was a little dehydrated towards the end of the race. I didn't go to the bathroom until about noon and it wasn't clear. That was a mental mistake for sure, and I pride myself on taking care of the details.

I tend to be hard on myself, but I like to find the things I did wrong, so I can improve on them next time. I am very excited about this PR (10' in an Oly is phenomanal). I know there is still room for improvement, though. And that is what makes this sport so great. I will get better.

I really enjoyed the race, and it is a great set up in that you get to see so many people throughout it. Took 2nd in my AG, so that was very cool. Got to meet Leroy Butler and take a few pictures with him and Lauren Jensen.


Good race. Large field with some great talent. They really but on a great show and have a great gift bag, too. Some people weren't big fans of the fleece, but Holly loves it (yes, she got mine).

They are weak, however, on the post race food. Very weak.