Lake Minnetonka Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Excelsior, Minnesota
United States
75F / 24C
Overcast
Total Time = 1h 41m 34s
Overall Rank = 257/380
Age Group = F 30-34
Age Group Rank = 20/35
Pre-race routine:

This was a fairly early race (start time 7:30), so I had to leave home by 5 am. Up at 4:30, toast with pb plus sport shake for breakfast. I actually pulled out of the driveway at 4:55, so I was moving fast already. har har Got to race site, set up T area (there was plenty of T space, for once! yippee), did the bodymarking, and waited in the horrendously long line for the bathroom (not near enough port-a-potties, however).
Event warmup:

Short bike ride since I had enough time. Then the prerace meeting, then into the water to warm up a little. Probably swam about 200 yards or so before they kicked us out for the race start.
Swim
  • 15m 14s
  • 880 yards
  • 01m 44s / 100 yards
Comments:

Very good, very comfortable swim. I haven't swam a half mile in a race in a while, so after the initial sprint to clear the pack at the start, I just settled in to a nice and easy swim. Navigated well, not too much crashing into people, no real issues. Felt very good coming out of the water.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Transition 1
  • 01m 56s
Comments:

For once my suit did not get stuck on the timing chip! Hurrah!
What would you do differently?:

Take my wetsuit all the way off before putting shoes on. I did one leg at a time for some reason. Not sure it made any difference as far as time goes, but it looked funny, I'm sure.
Bike
  • 52m 35s
  • 15 miles
  • 17.12 mile/hr
Comments:

I drove the bike course the day before the race and was nervous (as usual) about the hills, but it was ok. This is the best pace for me in a couple years. I know it's largely because of the downhills, but I'll take it. :) I did not pass very many people, unfortunately.

My one issue with the bike course was the mount/dismount areas. We could mount right after clearing the T fence on the way out, and didn't have to dismount until right before the fence on the way in. This is good for making shorter T times, but it made for a lot of congestion around the T area. On the way out, I probably stood for a good 15-20 seconds just waiting for some space to clear so I could mount and get going.
What would you do differently?:

Gone out faster at the beginning. I need to work on this. I am always slow the first couple miles for some reason.

Not drink so much on the bike. I had the stomach slosh going for a while, and could feel a side cramp starting at about mile 10 or so.
Transition 2
  • 01m 15s
Comments:

Straightforward transition. Nothing much to say here.
What would you do differently?:

Speed laces. Still.
Run
  • 30m 36s
  • 3 miles
  • 10m 12s  min/mile
Comments:

I'm honestly astonished that I was even close to 10 mins/mile on this run. I felt like I was hopelessly dragging. I decided not to wear the Garmin because of the humidity factor--I didn't want to be obsessing about pace, but rather just go with RPE and make sure I didn't make myself overheat. Also, I was battling a side cramp right from the start, so I wanted to manage that without knowing how slow I was going.

Blessedly, the course was just about totally flat, and it was overcast which kept the temps down. (It was also only about 9:00 am at this point, so not very hot yet anyway.) I came across a friend of a friend on the way back. He was doing his first race and was walking when I caught up to him, so I dragged him along with me, telling him he could keep up with a slow poke like me. :) Of course he out sprinted me at the end. Jerk. (kidding)
What would you do differently?:

Drank a bit more after the side cramp subsided. I didn't want to risk having it come back, so I didn't drink anything on the run. I poured two cups of water over my head to keep cool though. I was still absolutely raining sweat when I finished, despite the efforts to keep cool.
Post race
Warm down:

Found some water, talked to a few other racers, then packed up and headed home. My husband's work picnic was the same day at Valleyfair, so I had hit the road.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Lack of hill training on the bike, lack of run speed (Same story, different day :) )

Event comments:

I will probably race this same course again in September as part of the Best of US Citizens Race. I wanted to race it this time before registering for the Sept race. I liked it and hope I can make a better go at the hills next time!




Last updated: 2006-01-30 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:15:14 | 880 yards | 01m 44s / 100yards
Age Group: 8/35
Overall: 96/380
Performance: Good
Suit: Promotion sleeveless
Course: A big semi-circle. The exit was rocky enough that they put mats down in the water going out about 25 feet from shore, and the director recommended swimming all the way in to the mats. I had no problems since I always swim until my hands touch the bottom anyway.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current: Medium
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Average Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 01:56
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
00:52:35 | 15 miles | 17.12 mile/hr
Age Group: 23/35
Overall: 279/380
Performance:
Wind: Little
Course: 15 fairly hilly miles, out and back. Good traffic control at the busy intersections. Two pretty big hills right before (and, consequently, also right after) the turnaround. That was kind of unpleasant.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Average Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Too much
T2
Time: 01:15
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Average
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
00:30:36 | 03 miles | 10m 12s  min/mile
Age Group: 24/35
Overall: 316/380
Performance: Average
Course: Out and back along city streets and then on a gravel trail.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Too easy
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? No
Lots of volunteers? No
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4