Lake Havasu Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic


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Lake Havasu City, Arizona
United States
Tuscon Racing Inc.
70F / 21C
Sunny
 		Total Time = 3h 54m
Overall Rank = /
Age Group =
Age Group Rank = 0/
Pre-race routine:

It started out quite cold out, with the temp being around 60. I got to the race start around 5:30 am. I had just driven up to Lake Havasu City from Phoenix the night before, getting in at 10pm... I had slept very little, and had no problem waking up at 4:30. I ate a Clif Bar for breakfast. The race was supposed to start at 7 am, but didn't end up starting til closer to 8.
Swim
  • 1h 01m
  • 1640 yards
  • 03m 43s / 100 yards
Comments:

Swimming under London Bridge was pretty neat. I could see some elaborate birds nests built on the under-side of the bridge. It is a bit weird to see a European bridge in the Arizona desert. The water visibility was good, if cold. I felt pretty strong most of the swim, although I could not see the bouys on the way up the channel, due to sunshine.
What would you do differently?:

I would not swim this race course again. I really disliked swimming in the cold water. And considering how long it was, it was very demoralizing. By the time I got to the shore, I felt like butter, and could barely walk over the rocks onto the beach.
Transition 1
  • 00m
Comments:

The course required us to walk our bikes through a sand pit to the bike start... I would usually run with my bike, but this was impossible. Especially with still feeling numb from the cold water.
Bike
  • 1h 45m
  • 24.85 miles
  • 14.20 mile/hr
Comments:

I felt pretty slow on this course overall... On the slight incline, I was frequently only poking along at 12 mph. I used to hang out more in the 17 mph range. There were some pretty neat views from the bike course - the expansive Lake Havasu nestled by mountains. I felt pretty comfortable on my seat and aero bars (although not going down hills!). I ate 2 Carb-booms over the course, and had some Accelerade. I think this combo kinda screws my stomach... Need to figure out something else.
What would you do differently?:

I feel like my HR training has left me with less power to complete such a challenging hill course. I think doing more sprints and hill workouts will really improve my performance here.
Transition 2
  • 00m
What would you do differently?:

No problem here.
Run
  • 1h 03m
  • 6.21 miles
  • 10m 08s  min/mile
Comments:

Run sucked... By this time, I just wanted to finish the darn race.
Post race
Warm down:

Stood around and gabbed with friends. Ate some pasta and vitamin water, and a couple banana pieces.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Lack of sprint and hill training. Need to be able to perform consistently at Levels 4-5a.

Event comments:

The Race Director is a sadist. The swim course was long, the bike course was evil, and the website was less than comprehensive in warning racers about what type of course this was... I would not have done this race if I would've guessed it'd end up being a 4 hour event. Even the fast guys added some 30-45 minutes to their times. This was my slowest olympic Tri ever, and primarily due to the course - it added almost an hour to my usual time range.




Last updated: 2006-03-23 12:00 AM
Swimming
01:01:00 | 1640 yards | 03m 43s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance: Below average
Suit: Full wetsuit
Course: Everyone seems to agree that the course was long - some say as much as half a mile longer. We swam out into Lake Havasu, and then headed towards a nearby channel that drains into the lake. The course took us under the famous London Bridge, and back. I didn't even get to London Bridge til 35 minutes after the start. I thought at first maybe the current was holding me back, but I found out from other swimmers later that their times were super slow as well. Nonetheless, the water was COLD the whole way, and I wanted to get out for the bulk of the route.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 63F / 17C Current: Medium
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average Drafting:
Waves: Navigation: Below average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 00:00
Performance:
Cap removal: Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
01:45:00 | 24.85 miles | 14.20 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance:
Wind: Cross-winds
Course: This course really sucked. The real evil part of it was between miles 12-17. The hills were called "the hell of the west." 12-20% grade hills. I could not ride up them... I figured walking up them at 3 mph, would only put me slightly behind the people riding up at 5 mph. Once you finally got to the top, it was an insane rush down hill - completely scary and very reminiscent of a rollcoaster, to be met by a similarily steep hill.
Road: Rough Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Bad
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 00:00
Overall:
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
01:03:00 | 06.21 miles | 10m 08s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance:
My HR was well up into Level 4 for a lot of the run, but I felt like I was loafing along... (10 min miles is quite slow for me traditionally.) Bill (coach) says I was probably dehydrated, and the heat had peaked around 90* F by this point.
Course: Up from the lake, up stairs to London Bridge, across the Bridge to a paved running trail along a semi-major road. The way out was slightly inclined, and lent to a great view of LHC valley at the turn around.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 2
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race? No
Evaluation
Course challenge Too hard
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? No
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 1