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 Swim
Comments: This swim was not miserable, I was just slow, even with a wetsuit. This seemed like a really long 1/2 mile. It was certainly way longer than the Webster Lake tri a few weeks ago (where I did 16 minutes at what felt like the same pace) I looked out at the buoys before the start and thought - "That looks a long way - wonder which 3 of them we have to go round?" Imagine my dismay when the first wave just keeps swimming around the outside of all five of them... I swam at a nice steady pace, but in a very unsteady line - my sighting was just awful and my ability to swim in a straight line was even worse. Every time I looked up I was heading for the dam, rather than the finish area about 50 meters to the left of the dam. But looking on the good side, at least I had plenty of open water... What would you do differently?: Swimming is really my weak sport (or so I thought until the run...) Get some lessons. Swim in a straight line. Maybe lose the wetsuit in such warm water.  Transition 1
Comments: I'm getting quicker with getting the wetsuit off and doing everything in the right order. Getting my bike shirt on is still taking time, as is socks and sneakers (even with the Yankz). Ashamed to say I wasn't clear about which way to exit for the ride, which is Tri 101, right? What would you do differently?: Maybe get a tri top to avoid putting a shirt on. Make sure I check out where to exit.  Bike
Comments: Compared to the other parts, I was okay with the bike ride. The pace seemed slow for everybody - although I did less than 17 mph, I was right in the middle of the overall placement, which is not normal for that speed. The first 3-4 miles were a slight uphill grade and into the wind, so everybody was a bit slower. After that, the ride was really nice - very gentle ups and downs, some nice country roads and no traffic to worry about. Couple of long gentle downhills, where you could get in a tuck and really move. What would you do differently?: I pushed the pace (for me) right to the end to try and make up for the swim. In retrospect, I should have let up for the last couple of miles - the 30 seconds I would have lost would easily have been made up on a faster run. Transition 2
Comments: This should be fast for me, since I ride in my sneakers with toe-clips (so old school, but so's my bike)  Run
Comments: This was a very hard run. I could hardly bear to push the Autocalc button get my pace for this run. I normally do a 8-8:30 pace for a 5k, just as a comparison. Not fast, but nowhere near the 11:20 I did on this run. My legs were on the edge of cramping for the first half-mile. Eventually it went away, but I couldn't pick up the pace at all. It was really hot (85 degrees, maybe) and I drank plenty on the run, but I think needed more on the bike before to go faster. Lots of other people going slowly was my only comfort. Walked through all the drink stations and a couple of other spots also. Lots of friendly spectators and several sprinklers kept me going. What would you do differently?: Get a second water bottle holder on my bike and drink more on the bike. Go slower on last couple of miles of bike. Avoid summer races? Get fitter... Post race
Warm down: Drank plenty, swam in the lake. Avoided the beer line (10 am was still a little early for me) What limited your ability to perform faster: Apart from overall fitness? I guess I really don't do well in hot weather. And figuring out a better hydration plan might help on the run. Event comments: Pizza and beer - really? That might do it for others, but I would prefer some different drinks beside water and more choices of snacks, fruit etc. Overall, though the race was very well-organized, particularly for the inaugaral. It's a nice swim, a great bike and a good run, with lots of volunteers and a fun area to hang after the race. I would definitely think about coming back next year for this one (particularly if the registration isn't through Active.com...) Last updated: 2010-07-19 12:00 AM
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United States
B&S Event Management and Heat Training
Overall Rank = 323/427
Age Group = M 40-49
Age Group Rank = 62/69
Normal cereal breakfast, with a coffee en route and a PB sandwich and banana snack about and hour before the race. I have diabetes and was pleased to finally get my blood sugar right before this race, waking up at 120 and at 150 pre-snack before the pre-race snack, and 95 at the end of the race.
Parking was not easy for this race, but eventually found a spot. Registration and body-marking were all very smooth, with no lines. It was really warm, so the big question was wetsuit or not. It looked like nobody was wearing a wetsuit at all, but in the end a few were, so I decided to follow their lead, even though it meant I couldn't place - not a big loss, as the rest of the report will show... Perhaps 10% of racers overall were wearing wetsuits - I figured I could use all the help I could get for the swim.
Ran a little and then decided to take a quick bike-ride just to be sure everything was good, even though time was moving on. Glad I did, because the chain came off just as I started riding, so I took care of that then rather than during the race.