Great Buckeye Challenge - Mini (Olympic) - TriathlonOlympic


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Springfield, Ohio
United States
HFP Racing
68F / 20C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 36m 58s
Overall Rank = 55/131
Age Group = 30-34
Age Group Rank = 2/6
Pre-race routine:

This was my first "RV race" of the season, which means I had the luxury of bringing my own bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and living room to the race site. No lines! Woke up. Got dressed. David tri's woke up, made sure Newbz was up, and drove from the campsite over to the race area. We parked and dh went back to bed. I got out, pumped up my tires, and took the bike over. They had a really slick process this time, where they just did the chips and the body marking as you were waiting to go into transition. Nice! I got a PLUM spot on the rack. I got the end spot on the last rack by the exit. (Rack was by assignment, so that was luck.) I made some green tea, ate a couple pieces of white bread left over from last night's dinner, then took the rest of my stuff over. I came back to the RV one last time to use the bathroom again and just sit still for a minute. In transition I saw tnickerson and newbz. Also met and talked with someone in my age group who was really nice and had recognized me from other races.
Event warmup:

None. Once I heard it was wetsuit legal, I put on my full wetsuit so my muscles would stay warm while I was waiting for the start. I hate being shivery waiting for the start.
David tri's brought our kids down to the swim start. It was great to see everyone! And JeremyTrains, too! And Tammy again!
Swim
  • 22m 13s
  • 1192 yards
  • 01m 52s / 100 yards
Comments:

Felt good on this. I haven't raced in my wetsuit all year. I thought all the women in my wave seemed to go on ahead of me, but after the turnaround I started passing men from the group ahead of me, so that was cool! A few times I managed to get control of my concentration and work on my catch, the way I have been in the pool.
What would you do differently?:

Concentrate harder on my stroke. Slightly more lube on my neck.
Transition 1
  • 01m 22s
Comments:

Did great on this. Didn't have a chance to practice as usual, and I had hung a longsleeved shirt over my helmet in case.

Came into transition (dropped goggles trying to do the "trap goggles in sleeve" thing) and went right to my spot. Knew I didn't need the shirt, so I grabbed it and threw it down. Got my suit mostly off and then put on shades and helmet. Helmet snapping was good. The racks were really high, so I had my helmet on the quick release on my rear wheel. Worked out well.

I had the fastest transition of anyone in my age group. Including smoking fast first-place lady. So I no longer think the wetsuit is a drag on my T1 time. I think it was definitely worth it.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. Perfect.
Bike
  • 1h 18m 20s
  • 24.85 miles
  • 19.03 mile/hr
Comments:

I never touched my bottle of water, and was annoyed I was carting it up all those hills and didn't need it, but who knew it would be so cool? I drank my aerobottle of Gatorade, though.
Felt good about my shifting - I did a LOT of it.
I didn't train enough on hills. I forgot this course was so hilly.
I hardly saw any women out there. It was weird. A few guys passed me, but then they stayed in sight. I didn't feel I was going hard in the flats, but I did push the downhills and I climbed the best I could. Stood up several times to attack.

Also, I have a new motto: Don't rest when you crest! (i.e. at the top of the hill, keep pushing over)

I knew about the tight turn. I heard from someone else that a woman crashed somewhere out there. I must have been pretty close behind me, judging from the times of the person who told me about it. I didn't see anything, though. Hope she's OK!

What would you do differently?:

Train on some hills once in a while!
Transition 2
  • 01m 8s
Comments:

This felt good and I even remember thinking that I was starting to do some things instinctively, like getting my feet out when I see transition. I sort of forgot to think of it, but just naturally started doing it. Yay!

I chose socks in T2 because my sockless experiment was not good last time. (The woman I beat at the finish ended up having gone sockless, but her T2 was still slower than mine.) I can see the advantage of waiting until T2 to do the socks. You are bending down anyway, so it takes less time. I had the second fastest T2 in my AG.

I did hesitate, racking my bike and getting my helmet off. Just lack of practice. I probably could have gone 2 seconds faster. Saw the family at T2. They were cheering for me on the way in.
What would you do differently?:

Practice transitions the day before.
Run
  • 53m 57s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 08m 41s  min/mile
Comments:

Felt good. Wasn't pushing super hard, but I was holding my form. I was feeling good. It was nice and cool. Met a 17-year-old boy who I heard behind me cheering for everyone. I was shocked when he passed and was a teenager. I caught up and we talked for a bit. He's planning on doing Rev3 Irondistance and Cedar Point.
I took water at each aid station. Everything was in the same color cups, and the HEED was clear, so it was tough getting the right thing.
At mile 5 I did try to take HEED because I was starting to feel run-down, and it was the grossest thing I've ever had to drink. Blech! It was grape, I think.

PHOTO FINISH:
I was passing mile 6 and we were about to cross the road. I saw some little kids at the road and they were cheering "GO MOM." So I knew there was someone behind me who was a woman and had a more than 50-50 chance of being in my age group. We were going uphill, but I was already telling myself to push to the finish. Knowing someone was back there made me push harder, because I thought I had a chance at the podium.

I could hear her behind me, and as I turned the corner to the finish line, I heard my friends and family and kids cheering for me. I thought about my son's shirt that dh made, which says, "My mom is faster than your mom."
I really turned it on as we came down to the chute.
I heard her coming up next to me, and she puffed out, "Hey, it's OK. I don't want to race you." So for a second I thought, well, she must not be in my AG. Then I thought, I don't care, I want to beat her to the finish. So I absolutely killed myself the last few strides, and I beat her by less than a second. On the other side of the line I saw that her calf said she was 31, so she was in my AG. Her daughter came up to the rail and said, "Did Mommy win?" and I felt this pang of guilt. I told her, "Mommy did GREAT!" But after that I saw the lady b*tching and complaining to her family for the next 20 minutes while I was enjoying my food.

Anyway, I ended up taking 2nd. I came up behind her in transition (to get my bike out and pack up) when she was saying to her parents, "I just didn't feel like I gave it my all, and if she beat me and got 3rd, and I didn't give it my all, I'm just really disappointed." I tapped her on the arm and told her she had placed, because I got 2nd so I'm sure she got 3rd. She smiled and was happy again. Yay!
What would you do differently?:

Not listen to people when they are trying to pass me at the finish!
Go harder at around the halfway point.
Post race
Warm down:

Stood around and ate.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Hill training (lack of)

Event comments:

Different drink cups for water vs HEED would have made life easier.




Last updated: 2009-03-31 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:22:13 | 1192 yards | 01m 52s / 100yards
Age Group: 3/6
Overall: 48/131
Performance: Good
Suit: full wetsuit (Promotion)
Course: Rectangle - clockwise.
Start type: Run Plus: Waves
Water temp: 76F / 24C Current: Medium
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Below average
Waves: Good Navigation: Average
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 01:22
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Yes
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
01:18:20 | 24.85 miles | 19.03 mile/hr
Age Group: 3/6
Overall: 69/131
Performance: Good
Wind: Some
Course: Hillier than I'm used to. Decent road surfaces. One tight turn.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:08
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
00:53:57 | 06.21 miles | 08m 41s  min/mile
Age Group: 3/6
Overall: 66/131
Performance: Good
Course: Some up and down. All on a bike path. Very nice.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
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: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5