5430 Long Course Triathlon - TriathlonLong Course


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Boulder, Colorado
United States
5430 Sports
80F / 27C
Sunny
Total Time = 5h 12m 23s
Overall Rank = 216/798
Age Group = M30-34
Age Group Rank = 33/97
Pre-race routine:

Got to the transition area a little late due to a combination of deciding to sleep in and not be there when it opens since getting the primo spot isn't going to be as big of a deal in the half, and also because we had to pack up the car and basically underestimated the time that would take. It ended up cutting into the morning, so lesson learned. Aside from that, I felt pretty decent. Was slightly concerned about having something similar happen pre-race as at the Peak, but once I realized that wasn't going to be the case, I put it out of my mind and focused on everything else.
Event warmup:

Set up transition and did a quick run. Could've been better, but oh well. Realistically, I probably didn't need a long warm-up anyway (at least that's what I told myself). We rode our bikes from the car to transition so I went through all the gears at that time to ensure everything was okay. Wandered around the beach, talked to Jen (Matt's wife) and Michelle (Mark's wife) who were volunteering and then got in the water.
Swim
  • 38m 38s
  • 1931 meters
  • 02m / 100 meters
Comments:

The swim unfolded into three parts. The first 1/4 was awful. Even though I know I'm a slow swimmer and will get passed, I prefer to start in the front and let people pass me rather than be right in the middle of everything in the back. Turns out the swim included instruction for all 97 30-34 males to go right over me and I've got the cuts and scrapes all over my arms and shoulders to show for it. This lasted for maybe the first 500 meters and then things started to clear out and improve. The next part was great and was about 50% of the swim. I found my breathing rhythm, stayed calm, and increased my turnover. My mantra for the day was to be positive all the way through and I kept telling myself that I chose to be here and that everything was going well so there's no reason not to keep pushing. The last quarter wasn't bad, but I basically started to run out of steam. I couldn't maintain my faster turnover and although I found a guy to draft off of, he pulled up to breast stroke and I got kicked squarely on the top of my head. He was apologetic and I just kept going. Just focused on getting from one buoy to the next, turned and saw the shore and made it in.

My goal time for the swim was 38' and I came out of the water in 37'40" so I was happy with that. Even though it's not reflected a ton in the times, my swimming and confidence in the water has improved a lot this year. No way I could have covered this distance one year ago.
What would you do differently?:

Starting at the front is fine and I'll keep doing it, but I should probably start on the outside rather than in the middle.
Transition 1
  • 01m 48s
Comments:

Didn't have the intentions of flying through here, but still a little longer than I thought since my wetsuit got stuck on my heels and I had a slightly difficult time getting my socks on wet feet. Oh well.
What would you do differently?:

Same urgency to get my wetsuit off and relax with everything else.
Bike
  • 2h 40m 27s
  • 56 miles
  • 20.94 mile/hr
Comments:

Went out according to plan, which was easy easy easy at first and let anyone pass me that wanted to until my HR dropped into Z2/1 comfortably. About 15' in I started the nutrition plan but was slightly concerned because my stomach felt really bloated and I was uncomfortable. Thought about what others had said, which was just because you feel like crap for 30 or 40 minutes doesn't mean the day's over and to keep going since things can change. Fortunately, they did. Put down my bottle of HEED and tried drinking my Perpetuem, but couldn't get it down. Maybe got 1/4 of the bottle down but was gagging to do it. Threw it out at the bottle exchange and took on Gatorade Endurance, which I had no problem with. Also had a Clif Bar and 2 gels, as well as about 32 ounces of water. Had to pee for pretty much all of the second lap but just kept pedaling instead. My magic number for cadence again was 90 and any time it fell below that I switched gears and kept spinning. I'm sure I could have pushed harder, but I only missed my goal time by 27" so I'm happy with the bike.
What would you do differently?:

Learning experience so I think about that for later. Eventually I'll probably need to know how hard I can push without making me blow up on the run, but I was happy with this.
Transition 2
  • 02m 11s
Comments:

Transition was uneventful. Finally was able to pee before heading out on the run. Forgot to take off my HRM, which was extremely annoying on the run.
What would you do differently?:

Take off my HRM!
Run
  • 1h 49m 17s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 08m 20s  min/mile
Comments:

Tried breaking the run into 5 miles easy, 5 miles of tempo and a 5k. Didn't quite work out that way. I stopped at all of the aid stations and drank Gatorade and water (at each) and dumped water over my head) while walking through. Did that until I felt bloated and then I'd drink a little water and throw the rest over my head. I think that worked well since I never felt hot or like I was overheating on the run. The first 5 miles were uneventful and I got into a good groove. Tried picking up to tempo and that lasted for one mile. My breathing was fine, but my legs weren't having it so I did what I could to maintain a high cadence and keep going with what I had. Felt some aches and pains, but more or less tried to will them out of my body, which somehow seemed to work okay. I still hurt, but only to the extent that I expected (okay, maybe a little more). My hamstrings were getting tight, but there was no cramping so I figured I'd keep going. With about 3.5 miles left this guy passed me, going only slightly faster so I hopped right behind him and settled in. He had a GPS on and said only 3.2 miles left (once he realized I was there). It was nice to have a running partner and we agreed to keep working together so we switched out pacing about every quarter mile. He was really encouraging and somewhere in there he said something about doing a good job of holding pace since he was having a hard time and was only doing the run as part of the relay. Anyway, coming down the last mile was good and I said we just need to get to the crowds and we were home. Once we did that I dropped him and saw a group of people in front of me so I kicked. Passed two before the chute and 4 in the chute so there was noone I could see finishing before me, which was nice.

At the Peak Adam and I were talking about how all the pros came across the line and would hang their heads with their hands on their knees, wondering if it was for show or what. Without even thinking, I was in the same position since it was either that or collapse on the ground.

My goal time was 8'30"/mile and I ended with 8'20"/mile. And this is the first half marathon I've ever run.
What would you do differently?:

I ran like I wanted, but just didn't have the Muscular Endurance to do everything I wanted (tempo and a good 5k).
Post race
Warm down:

None. Sat in the shade for a while and found the BT crowd. Hung out there until I was feeling increasingly worse and basically just wanted to go home.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Muscular Endurance. I'm happy with my performance, but know that I'll be faster with more training and more ME. I couldn't differentiate any of my run splits like I wanted to. That said, there was nothing more I could give out there.

Event comments:

Two things. First, if you're going to send out an email that says to respect the neighbors and not pee alongside the road, put some frickin portapotties on the bike course. There were none. Peeing I have no problem doing on the road, but in the beginning when I was bloated and having GI issues I was looking for them more for comfort of knowing they were there if needed. Fortunately that worked out okay. Also, the run course mile markers were weird. Not all the miles were marked and basically nothing for the second lap. Given the organization of the other two events, this is something I'd expect to be right on.




Last updated: 2006-03-14 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:38:38 | 1931 meters | 02m / 100meters
Age Group: 0/97
Overall: 408/798
Performance: Good
Suit: ProMotion Sleeveless
Course: Long rectangular shape.
Start type: Wade Plus:
Water temp: 74F / 23C Current: Low
200M Perf. Below average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 01:48
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
Yes
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
02:40:27 | 56 miles | 20.94 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/97
Overall: 225/798
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course: 2 laps with slightly rolling hills. Kind of a deceptively hard course.
Road: Smooth  Cadence: 90
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 02:11
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
01:49:17 | 13.1 miles | 08m 20s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/97
Overall: 0/798
Performance: Good
Course: 2 laps, basically around the Res.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
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] 4