MinneMan Sprint - TriathlonSprint


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Oak Grove, Minnesota
United States
MinneMan Triathlon
75F / 24C
Overcast
Total Time = 1h 21m 15s
Overall Rank = 123/362
Age Group = Athena
Age Group Rank = 2/12
Pre-race routine:

woke up EARLY - 3am. my alarm was set for 3:45am, but i was so worried that i wouldn't wake up on time that i tossed and turned all night. woke up at 3:00am and couldn't get back to sleep. got up, made some hot cereal (lord knows why i picked hot cereal, since it was already in the 70s when i got up). got my stuff out on the front porch. had some coffee. tried to eat the hot cereal, but it was just toooo hot to eat it. woke up my mom to let her know i was leaving soon (she was watching the girls while i raced today, since bill is in alaska). the head of the country cycle tri team and her husband picked me up right at 4:15. they like to be there EARLY. sure enough, we were some of the first folks into the transition area when it opened. it was almost waking up earlier than normal to have such a relaxing time once we got to the race. good parking spot, awesome transition spot, first one to use one of the port-a-pots (extra proud of that one). alternated hanging out with county tri folks and the awesome bt folks.

about an hour before the race was supposed to start, my tummy was grumbling, so i had some water and half a power bar. couldn't eat the whole thing. did some warm up swimming and decided to race w/o the wetsuit. about 15 minutes before the race was supposed to start, i had an e-gel. of course, then there was thunder and lightening, and the race ended up being delayed nearly an hour. oh well. fuel didn't seem to be a problem.
Event warmup:

some swimming and a little stretching, but mostly i just did laps back and forth between the transition area and the port-a-pots, and between the bt folks and the cc tri team.
Swim
  • 10m 59s
  • 535 yards
  • 02m 03s / 100 yards
Comments:

i decided not to use my wet suit. it was a tough choice. on one hand, i wanted to get more practice getting in and out of it and it helped to use a wetsuit in the olys i did last fall and this spring. then again, this was a short swim, it was warm, and i figured the time savings might be a wash once i got to transition. there were only a handful of people using them anyway. the water temp was 77 - cut off is 79. anyway, my swim time was not great, but i think that was more due to starting off swimming too fast when people were still running around me, and then almost missing the turn around. it was a short swim and that bouy snuck up on me!

last year = 5/17 athena, 8:54, 1:42 pace
What would you do differently?:

wade/run longer at the start.
Transition 1
  • 02m 43s
Comments:

long transition time, but much of that time was the run from the timing pad on the beach all the way along the side of the transition area, then running all the way through the transition area. i didn't hit my split button until i went into the transition area, so on my watch, my actual time in the transition area, gate to gate, was 1:58. there were 2-3 bikes missing off the athena rack when i got in from the swim, but a couple clydes also racked their bikes with us. either way, i knew i was 3rd or 4th out of the water.
What would you do differently?:

should have fixed the straps on my bike shoes prior to the race. only added a few seconds, but i usually have the shoes ready to go before hand.
Bike
  • 39m 11s
  • 13 miles
  • 19.91 mile/hr
Comments:

didn't pay attention to my speed at all, just my cadence. was really surprised that my average speed was basically 20 mph. that might be my fastest bike time in a race yet...checking - YUP! fastest bike time yet. made up for having a slower swim and run this year. guess doubling my bike time this year has paid off a bit :) as practice for the 1/2 im, i had energy drink in my aero bottle, and i drank as much as i could between mile 2 and 8, and then didn't drink anything else after that.

last year = 4/17 athena, 41:14, 18.9 pace
What would you do differently?:

actually, i could have pushed harder. i was trying to keep my pace steady so that i would have some legs, since at buffalo, my legs were lead. my legs felt just fine off the bike, so i could have pushed harder.
Transition 2
  • 01m 17s
Run
  • 27m 8s
  • 3 miles
  • 09m 02s  min/mile
Comments:

second athena on the run? ahh ha ha haaaa. never thought that would happen. had i raced age group, i would have been 7/25 on the run, which is still not bad.

last year = 6/17 athena, 26:34, 8:52 pace
What would you do differently?:

not stop for water at all. i dumped it over my head to cool off, but i probably would have been fine without it.
Post race
Warm down:

tracked down county cycle folks, packed up my gear, hung around and cheered for kris and nora and steven. checked results and was happy to see i was 2nd athena. last year i was 3rd athena. anyway, hung around for the awards ceremony. got a cool mug and a free month membership at the ywca (in minneapolis, so i may end up giving that away to my friend emily). everyone on the tri team placed in their age group. it was really strange not having my family there for this race, but between the bt folks and the tri team, i felt like i had family there anyway. it was so inspiring seeing steven cross the finish line...and then to hang out with my team mates as they all got their awards. honestly, i think steven should have my mug. he was the biggest champion of all at this race!

What limited your ability to perform faster:

um, NEVER SWIMMING?? :)

Event comments:

because i placed last year at this race, i started to feel some stress about how i would do, especially since my performace was less than stellar at my last two races (buffalo oly and the bjorklund 1/2 marathon). i'd been sick prior, but not doing my best had placed some seeds of doubt in my mind about my overall fitness this year. i had a couple really good runs this week, but i was still nervous. i have a friend who is working on learning how to do hypnotherapy and touch point work, so i was her guinea pig the night before the race. we talked about my anxiety and she helped me focus on my one true goal - to have a good race and a good time. i was sceptical, but i really did feel better after we did the visualizations and touch point stuff. amazing. i felt relaxed and happy. i made sure that i kept 'have fun' in my mind the morning of the race, and tried to let go of any expectations. i almost left my watch behind, but couldn't quite let go THAT much. i kept my cyclometer on rpm and miles, and didn't check my mph at all. i had a great time. again, seeing steven finish was the big moment of the race for me. i have never, ever seen anyone SO happy and SO pumped and SO vivacious after a race. it was a good reminder of what an accomplishment finishing any tri is. thanks, steven!!! :)

btw, i LOOOOVE this race. i will do this one every year if i can. it is one of my favorites. the course is easy and pretty and fun. the volunteers are awesome. the post-race stuff is fantastic. i think everyone who stuck around for the awards ceremony left with a gift certificate of one kind or another. it really is a fantastic race, and a perfect race for first timers.




Last updated: 2006-02-13 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:10:59 | 535 yards | 02m 03s / 100yards
Age Group: 4/12
Overall: 169/362
Performance: Below average
Suit: desoto tri suit
Course: out and back
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 77F / 25C Current: Low
200M Perf. Below average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Good Drafting: Below average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Bad
T1
Time: 02:43
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Yes
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
00:39:11 | 13 miles | 19.91 mile/hr
Age Group: 2/12
Overall: 106/362
Performance: Good
Wind: Some
Course: pretty darned flat. some headwind, but overall it was a beautiful morning for a ride. pavement was in great shape, traffic was minimal. only one rough patch about 3 blocks long (but not bad compared to some of the sections of the brewhouse). passed at least one other athena on the bike...passed LOTS of people on the bike. only 2 people passed me, two young novice guys who were in the wave behind mine.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 90
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:17
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:27:08 | 03 miles | 09m 02s  min/mile
Age Group: 2/12
Overall: 165/362
Performance: Average
Course: out and back, much on wooded roads and paths. very pretty.
Keeping cool Average Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
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: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5