Lookout Mountain Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Golden, Colorado
United States
Racing Underground
65F / 18C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 42m 39s
Overall Rank = 154/257
Age Group = F35-39
Age Group Rank = 19/24
Pre-race routine:

Got up, got ready, had a bagel in the car on my way to the event. Got there, got everything ready at transition, used the bathroom a couple of times and headed over for the swim.
Event warmup:

Does shivering while waiting for a cap and chip count?
Swim
  • 14m 28s
  • 525 yards
  • 02m 46s / 100 yards
Comments:

I swam this segment about a minute faster than I expected, which was nice. Got kicked once by someone who passed me in the middle of the lane rather than tapping my foot and waiting until the end of the lane (which is what they instructed us to do). Felt a little panicky early on, mostly because I'd been kicked and just wasn't prepared for that in a pool race, or at least not for it the way it happened but eventually I settled back in.
What would you do differently?:

Go last no matter how slow the person who wants to go last claims he is. Also, I should have used my inhaler before the race started. I think it would have helped with my breathing a bit.
Transition 1
  • 04m 36s
Comments:

Ack. This was slow, mostly because I don't walk well barefoot on asphalt. It took me longer than it should have to pick my way over to my bike, and then the bottom of my feet were covered in small gravel that I needed to remove so I could put a bandaid on the healing blister on the bottom of my big toe (from a race two weeks ago). That all just took much time. Other than that, everything went smoothly.
What would you do differently?:

If I knew it would work, I'd leave flip flops near the pool so I could put them on to run to transition. Also, hopefully next time I don't have the blister issue!
Bike
  • 51m 28s
  • 10 miles
  • 11.66 mile/hr
Comments:

The course was really hilly and I wasn't prepared for the amount of climbing we did. Also, I have a hybrid (or as one spectator cheered, "yay for another mom bike!") and it's not ideal for a tri for all the obvious reasons. I think it definitely helped that I'd done so many rides towing one or two kids in the trailer, because at least I was used to hauling heavy loads and that translated into more endurance uphill.

So, the good news was that I made it up the hills without getting off to walk like I saw others doing, but the not-as-good news is that it wasn't a very fast ride.

Also, a couple of miles into the bike leg, I realized I needed to use my inhaler and that would probably help ease my breathing. Sure enough, it did.
What would you do differently?:

Obviously, use my inhaler before the race. Having a road bike would help too (as would winning the lottery or being gifted a road bike...). Also, I realized for the first time that so much of one's ranking depends on the bike portion, so I'd probably concentrate a little more on that by doing longer rides and a lot more hill climbing. I had wanted to do more and longer rides in training, but due to kids and time constraints and all, it didn't happen.
Transition 2
  • 01m 49s
Comments:

The transition area was on an incline, so my bike didn't quite want to stay put once it was in. Also, I should have run with my bike, but my legs were a bit fried from the last long uphill stretch back to transition. Finally, I'd worn my running shoes for the bike part ('cause I only have flat pedals) but one of my feet was going numb so I needed to stop and relace that shoe before going.
What would you do differently?:

Run with the bike into transition.
Run
  • 30m 21s
  • 3.11 miles
  • 09m 46s  min/mile
Comments:

The first mile was hard because my legs were still tired from the last long climb on the bike back to transition, and then we were headed sharply uphill again. Almost everyone was walking at that point, but I'd just done a hilly half-marathon a couple of weeks early and knew I could push through, albeit more slowly than usual. During a short downhill stretch I was able to speed up, lengthen my stride and my legs relaxed. After that I was able to tackle the hills pretty well, and then I sped up on all the downhills as usual. I probably could have pushed harder at the end but I wasn't sure what the last hill climb would look like before the finish line and I was feeling a little under-fueled too.
What would you do differently?:

I might run with a hydration pack instead of just a race belt. I probably could have used the gel I'd brought with me, but I wasn't going to eat it without water. Otherwise, nothing because the run was by far my strongest leg.
Post race
Warm down:

Stretched a little, drank a lot of water and ate breakfast. Then stood in line for a massage.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

My slow hybrid bike, time constraints that didn't allow for more riding, and genetics.

Event comments:

This was its first year. Also, this was my first tri so I'm not sure how this compares to other tris. It was very organized and laid-back which I appreciated. There could have been a few more volunteers on the bike course (though they were asking for more so it's not their fault) and the (teenage) volunteers manning the drink station on the run were too busy with their phones and not quick enough in actually giving out water. Also, it would have been great to have a water station right by transition for before the race. I really liked the pool and the fact that there was a nice bathroom and water fountains right there while we were waiting for our wave.




Last updated: 2011-04-16 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:14:28 | 525 yards | 02m 46s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/24
Overall: 210/257
Performance: Average
Suit:
Course: 25-yard lap pool
Start type: Inside Pool Plus:
Water temp: 82F / 28C Current:
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average Drafting:
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 04:36
Performance: Bad
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed:
Biking
00:51:28 | 10 miles | 11.66 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/24
Overall: 176/257
Performance: Average
Average HR 153. Laps: 23.4 mph, 8.0 mph, 30.6 mph, 27.8 mph, 6.0 mph, 16.8 mph, 8.4 mph, 14.6 mph, 16.6 mph, 7.6 mph
Wind: Little
Course: Hilly with 1106 of elevation gain.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 82
Turns: Average Cornering: Below average
Gear changes: Average Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 01:49
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Below average
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:30:21 | 03.11 miles | 09m 46s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/24
Overall: 80/257
Performance: Good
HR 162 Laps: 10:18, 10:26, 8:37
Course: Hilly, dirt roads, 306 feet elev gain. The course basically went (steeply) uphill for two miles, and then was mostly downhill the last mile.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race? Ok
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? No
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 3