Whaletown Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic


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Anita, Iowa
United States
http://whaletowntriathlon.com/
80'sF / 0C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 35m 32s
Overall Rank = 72/130
Age Group = 25-29
Age Group Rank = 14/14
Pre-race routine:

Woke up at 4am, at a banana and two pieces of toast. Drove 1.5hr to race site. Ate a little Hammer Gel (raspberry), took an Endurolyte tab, drank some Gatorade. Checked in, set up, went down to the water to check it out.
Event warmup:

Rode the bike for about 5 minutes, just ran through all the gears to make sure everything was working. Swam about 100yds, hung out in the shallows until the gun.
Swim
  • 25m 19s
  • 1094 yards
  • 02m 19s / 100 yards
Comments:

Very poor swim performance. The race was a beach/tread start (your pick), as the course ran parallel to the shore. I chose to swim out towards the start buoy and tread before the start. When the cannon went off, things got crowded -- fast. As always, I started in back, but was immediately swarmed by all the beach starters (mass start fun!). This was made worse by the fact that, about 100yds in, the course got very narrow, shallow, and weedy. Yuck. I was all out of sorts, went anaerobic, and never found a steady tempo. 25 minutes of crap.
What would you do differently?:

Get faster, get stronger!
Transition 1
  • 01m 18s
Comments:

11th fastest T1, I'll take it. Especially since I came out of the water breathing like I'd held my breath for 30 minutes. Got on the bike and on my way quickly, but panting heavily.
Bike
  • 1h 14m 55s
  • 24.85 miles
  • 19.90 mile/hr
Comments:

Well, I thought I did very well here...until I saw the results. Holy crap! There were a lot of very fast people at this race -- the top 42 males were all over 20mph! That seems disproportionally high to me, but I guess it speaks to the high quality of this event and the participating athletes.

I started on the bike very winded from the swim, so my first few climbs were very slow, but I picked it up as I got my breathing and HR down. I passed a lot of people on the bike, which was a good boost. Because I am a bigger competitor, I get to zoom on the downhills and fight the climbs. I kept passing this guy on the downs, and then on the next climb he'd scoot right past me. We started chatting and exchanging pleasantries -- he was nice, and it made the run fun. On the last long downhill, I finally shook him for good.
What would you do differently?:

Indoor training this winter will boost my speed -- I just haven't been riding seriously for very long -- 20mph is my goal average speed for the year, and I was right on target.
Transition 2
  • 00m 48s
Comments:

Large climb right into T2, no room to remove shoes and get my feet on top before the dismount line. Just about biffed in front of a large crowd. Great.

Made it into transition, swallowed an Endurolyte, threw on my socks and running shoes, grabbed my Hammer gel flask, banana, and race number. Tore the number trying to put it on and had to poke a new hole in it. Had my hands full but didn't slow down.
What would you do differently?:

Should have thought about the dismount area situation beforehand. Considering how short of a distance I had to go to my rack, I could have been much faster if I had just left my shoes on and ran with them. My usual plan for speed (feet on top of shoes) backfired. Lesson learned.

Need more fluids in the T-area. I was running short. People were handing out water coming out of T2 though, so no great loss.

Shell out for a real race belt! My ghetto elastic strap/safety pin setup works, but tearing the number made for a tricky start to the run.
Run
  • 53m 11s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 08m 34s  min/mile
Comments:

Really, I thought I did very well on this part. Not too fast, but I really wasn't burned out either. Didn't push to hard until the last 1.5 miles or so and had a strong negative split. Hills were very tough, but I put my head down and passed about 6 people.
What would you do differently?:

Probably could have run harder. Really surprised myself with the amount of energy I had here, a definite improvement over previous race bonks/fizzles. I think the banana (only ate half), Endurolyes, and Hammer gel made a difference in keeping me fueled.

Again, I was really surprised by the fast times people put in at the end of a very tough tri! I need to reconsider my approach to tri running -- people don't get much slower after the swim and bike, as I always kind of figured they would. Another lesson learned.
Post race
Warm down:

Definitely felt better at the end of this one than any other tri I've done yet. I was tired but not exhausted and wobbly -- which is good, since I'm going to my first half IM in two weeks!

Grabbed plenty of fluids, stuck some ice down my jersy (probably not necessary but it felt good!), hung out in the shade and cheered in the rest of the racers.

I was so disappointed by the swim that I went to the pool later that day and swam again.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

The swim killed me again. I'm still learning, but that doesn't make it any easier. It's tough to give everyone a 5-8-10 minute advantage and do well.

Performance wise, I was very satisfied with my bike and run performance. Place-wise, I was not at all happy though -- bottom of my age group for all three sports. The cailber of athlete here was very high though, so I guess for me to be racing there at all is saying something. Still, I've a long way to go.

Event comments:

My first LAST in an age group -- ouch! That's a swift kick to the ego, if ever there was one. But to me that's fuel for my fire. I know I can do better, and this event will give me plenty of motivation for the future.

Also, I feel good for my upcoming half IM (Pigman in Palo, IA) -- the Whaletown course lived up to its reputation as an extremely tough and challenging course, and I came through it in good shape. This was just my 6th tri ever, and my 2nd mid-distance race, so I guess I can't ask for too much too soon. Heck, a year ago I could barely swim 400yds! I feel that if I keep putting in the hard work, the results will come. So, back to the pool...




Last updated: 2005-08-08 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:25:19 | 1094 yards | 02m 19s / 100yards
Age Group: 13/14
Overall: 96/130
Performance: Bad
Suit: none :(
Course: Out and back.
Start type: Wade Plus:
Water temp: 80F / 26C Current: Low
200M Perf. Below average Remainder: Bad
Breathing: Below average Drafting:
Waves: Navigation: Below average
Rounding: Below average
T1
Time: 01:18
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
01:14:55 | 24.85 miles | 19.90 mile/hr
Age Group: 66/14
Overall: 12/130
Performance: Average
Wind: Little
Course: HILLY! This is advertised as the toughest mid-distance tri in Iowa, and I think they are right. There is not a flat spot on the bike -- either all up or all down.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Below average Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 00:48
Overall: Below average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Below average
Jumping off bike Bad
Running with bike Below average
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
00:53:11 | 06.21 miles | 08m 34s  min/mile
Age Group: 13/14
Overall: 69/130
Performance: Good
Course: HILLY! Some major, major, major climbs on this run. Rather warm (mid 80's), little breeze, but low humidity. Lots of water stations -- thank you volunteers! Special thanks to the very pretty ladies in pink staffing the mile 1/5 water station -- the eye candy was a definite boost.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %-4%
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race? Ok
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4