Buffalo Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Buffalo, Minnesota
United States
75F / 24C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 24m 8s
Overall Rank = 269/593
Age Group = M 30-39
Age Group Rank = 73/132
Pre-race routine:

Woke up a little before 5:30, showered to wake up my body, made some breakfast and headed out the door. Even managed to get a stop in at Starbuck's for some coffee. I wasn't sure what time my wave was going to go off but I thought it better to eat in the car so that I'd be as close to 3 hours pre-wave as possible. I had apple cinnamon oatmeal, a slice of peanut butter toast, a banana, and a small latte. Turned out to be just right.

I arrived at the race site and got body marked (#499 - was that a niner?) and my transition area set up. I ended up getting a pretty great spot - right in line with the swim exit, close to the bike entry/exit, and on the grassy knoll. I was also racked two bikes away from Kelly (kelpeng) and her husband, Mark and another friend doing the Sprint. Met up with a whole load of BTers and snapped a quick pic.
Event warmup:

Ran about 10 minutes before the pre-race meeting and then got in the water for a few strokes before the start. I think this will be one area that I definitely need to work on. I'm not a great swimmer so anything to help me feel more comfortable for the swim would be a big gain.
Swim
  • 07m 58s
  • 402 meters
  • 01m 59s / 100 meters
Comments:

Man, I just couldn't get settled in. I started pretty well. I was in about the middle of the pack and found some clear water after a bit. There was little issue with encountering other swimmers but I definitely couldn't find a good pair of feet to hang on. I probably couldn't have seen said feet anyway. The water in this lake is pretty green. Not gross green but definitely low-visibility green. I managed to round the first buoy just fine but got a little freaked by a swimmer who was struggling and just laying on her back. Again, I couldn't get settled in and get my breathing feeling normal. I think its reflected in my HR, too. In the OWS I did the other day, I was looking at HRs in the low to mid 160's. Here it was an avg. of 178. HELLO ADRENALINE!

The thing that sucks about this is that I'm not confident in my swim skills in the first place. I'm not afraid of the water or other swimmers or anything like that. I just don't feel like I know how to RACE effectively. It has me a little freaked for the 1500m swim in my first OLY in just 40 some odd days but I'm sure I'll be fine. More time in the pool, more time in the lake, and another race on 6/25 should help.
What would you do differently?:

Learn how to warm up effectively so that I can settle in, find my breath, and get into a good rhythm.
Transition 1
  • 03m 11s
Comments:

There was a pretty long run from the beach up to the transition area. Plus, it was uphill. I was really sucking wind. The wetsuit came off just fine and I was very quick in getting my shoes and helmet on and getting the heck out of there. One mistake was not opening up the straps on my bike shoes prior to the race. That cost me a few seconds.
What would you do differently?:

Get some tri bike shoes! Or, at least remember to open the straps on the shoes I do have.
Bike
  • 43m 11s
  • 13 miles
  • 18.06 mile/hr
Comments:

I thought my bike went pretty well considering the hilly course. I did have to rein in the HR at the beginning. I looked at my watch about 5 minutes in and saw a HR of 189. My bike LT is 183. I was sucking wind and knew I couldn't hold that kind of effort over another 35 minutes or so. As time went on I got better and better at cranking moderately hard on the downhills (got up to 38.6 mph on one) and carrying that momentum into the uphills. I was still getting passed like crazy on the uphills but I can't expect anything different at this point in my training. The winds were pretty strong throughout the course and only one section was a tailwind for us. The last 3 or so miles was a very heavy cross wind which it seemed everyone was struggling through. The true insult to injury moment is the relatively sizeable hill that finishes the ride. I'm not sure you could even get out of your shoes if you did have tri shoes.

As for the pace, my bike computer tells a little different story. The distance on it reads 13 miles and I was very close to the bike entrance and exit. Perhaps they have a little longer course than advertised. No matter, I averaged between 17 abd 18 mph and that's pretty good for me at this stage.
What would you do differently?:

Assuming my current fitness level is something I can't do differently, I'm not sure there's much else I'd do. Perhaps bomb the downhills even more to ease the pain on the uphills?
Transition 2
  • 01m 52s
Comments:

A pretty good transition. I was quick to get my bike racked, helmet and shoes off, socks and running shoes on and on my way. I ran with my hat and race belt and put those on while running.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Run
  • 27m 59s
  • 3 miles
  • 09m 20s  min/mile
Comments:

In the first half mile or so I really thought this was going to be a brutal run for me. My hamstrings were really tight as well as my right calf. All felt like they could cramp at any moment. Thankfully, that never happened and I managed to pace with a couple people for a while and chat a little. That always helps take the pain away. I was wearing my Team Dork Rocket tri-top and had lots of people commenting. One guy coming in from the bike on the OLY course yelled "GO DORK ROCKET" so loud that he scared the crap out of me. Another woman I was running with said she was a "Dork In Training" and we chatted for a bit. The first half was pretty slow because it took that time for my legs to come around but I did see 9:10 at Mile 1. I was reasonably happy with that. After the turnaround I was able to kick it up a little but it doesn't seem to have helped my pace much. Again, I'm not disappointed with my finish as I was hoping for something between 27:00 and 28:00. I kicked pretty well the last 1/4 mile to the finish and got a great shout-out from the race announcer.

CELEBRITY SIGHTING: A little background: Chris Legh and Natascha Badmann were racing and got about a 24 minute head start. So, Chris did a 1500m swim and a 40K bike in the time it took me to swim 400m and 20k bike + 24 minutes. At about the half mile mark of the run, he blew by me like I was standing still. Absolutely amazing what those top pros are capable of.
What would you do differently?:

I might try to push it a little harder a little sooner and see if the legs will cooperate. I think more bricks will help me get used to what my body will let me do.
Post race
Warm down:

Got some water, Powerade, yummy little bread bites, 1/2 a banana, and a cookie! Sat and stretched a little. Managed to find Kelly and Mark and we hung out and watched Denise (Denise2003) and Dan (AcesFull) finish and hooked up with Autumn and family. A very nice time spent relaxing on the grass and BSing about nothing.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Training. I'm OK with where I am today but know that there's more in me. I'll just keep at the training and racing and see what happens.

Event comments:

A very excellently organized and run race. There were volunteers all over the place and they were very helpful. The post-race food was mediocre but I suppose that's what you get when cooking for 2000. I do wish they would've had a little more organized information in the race packets. For instance, I didn't know the intervals between waves and didn't know whether "Heat 11" meant that I was going to be in the 11th wave. We can assume things but it could drastically change your preparation.




Last updated: 2006-02-01 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:07:58 | 402 meters | 01m 59s / 100meters
Age Group: 54/132
Overall: 218/593
Performance: Below average
HR AVG. = 178
Suit: ProMotion Full
Course: Three sides of a square. Two left turns.
Start type: Wade Plus:
Water temp: 70F / 21C Current: Medium
200M Perf. Below average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Below average Drafting: Below average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 03:11
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed:
Biking
00:43:11 | 13 miles | 18.06 mile/hr
Age Group: 77/132
Overall: 238/593
Performance:
AVG HR = 181
Wind: Strong with gusts
Course: Hilly course partly through Buffalo and mostly through the farm country surrounding Buffalo Lake. Hilly for me. Not according to Autumn.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 90+
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Average Hills: Below average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:52
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Below average
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:27:59 | 03 miles | 09m 20s  min/mile
Age Group: 93/132
Overall: 362/593
Performance: Average
AVG HR = 180
Course: Out & back. Slight hill up to the finish.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
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: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4