Tri Indy - Olympic Course - TriathlonOlympic


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Indianapolis, Indiana
United States
Tuxedo Brothers
Overcast
Total Time = 00m
Overall Rank = 231/504
Age Group = Clyde
Age Group Rank = 11/40
Pre-race routine:

Didn't sleep well the night before, but still got a couple of good hours in. I felt great driving to the event and didn't need a whole lot of caffeine to get me going. I ate an English muffin with peanut butter and a piece of toast for breakfast. I started to hydrate as soon as I woke up, and it showed and I had to hit the port-o-potty about three times before the start.
Event warmup:

I walked the mile to the start and then quickly jumped in the water to get acclimated before we were sent on our way.
Swim
  • 30m 55s
  • 1500 meters
  • 02m 04s / 100 meters
Comments:

The swim started off with a time trial start and I was up towards the front. I haven't done too many open water swims and I should have been more careful with my sighting. I tried to stay about 4 feet off the right wall, but I was not swimming very well. I was all over the place in the canal. My family got to walk right along side me while I was swimming and it was very motivational. The water was pretty warm, but there was a section with about 600 yards to go that went under a bridge that got really cold. It took my mind off of how badly I was swimming though.
Right before the end, as a great example of how horribly I was sighting, I ran into the wall as the canal tightened up. My wife saw the whole thing and is not going to let me forget that for awhile.
What would you do differently?:

I need to practice sighting more and improving my stroke over the winter. If I want to get better I need to make sure that I actually get serious about how to swim. I really felt I wasted a lot of energy here that could have been used later in the race.
Transition 1
  • 02m 4s
Comments:

I took a little extra time getting my feet dry before putting my socks on as I wanted them to be as dry as possible. Turns out, as you will see later, that it was a waste of time.
What would you do differently?:

I actually need to rehearse my transitions. I think with a little more practice I won't feel like I have left something behind. I just needed to trust that I had everything I needed and go.
Bike
  • 1h 06m 20s
  • 24.85 miles
  • 22.48 mile/hr
Comments:

I really wanted to put on a show with the bike. I knew that I was going to suffer on the run but I was going to go at it on the bike. There were a couple of places where I couldn't go as hard as I wanted to because of the road being so bumpy. I did a really great job of cornering and I think that helped me move up a couple of places. There were a couple of places where I got caught in traffic, but it wasn't too bad overall. I didn't see really anyone drafting except for one small group of three, which ticks me off in an endurance race like this. I wanted to get up the muster to pass them, but I couldn't get my legs to power up there.
What would you do differently?:

I'm going to break down this winter and get two things. A proper bike fit and an aero helmet. I've been slacking off in my workouts lately and it showed on the course. I know I can go a lot faster than this, I just have to start following a plan.
Transition 2
  • 01m 23s
Comments:

I couldn't get my bike racked because of the way that people had put their bags and the racks where too low. I should have come in and mounted the bike by the handle bars instead of the seat. I got my shoes on quickly and the helmet off, but I was convinced I missed something.
What would you do differently?:

Bring the gel packet that I forgot. I also will learn to rack the bike by the handle bars because it seems to work faster when the racks are low.
Run
  • 1h 06m 45s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 10m 45s  min/mile
Comments:

Wow, I suck at running. I knew that since my hip injury I haven't been able to put in the miles that I needed to, but I thought I would get some form of adrenaline rush being out there and I could get through it. That was a bad idea. I started off slow and seemed to get slower. My shoes didn't help me at all. They were like two ton bricks that I was lugging around. I tried a pair of running socks that I used once in training for a short run for this race and that was a HUGE mistake. These socks had a ton of cushioning that socked up all the water that I dumped over my head. I should have gone with the socks that I usually train with that are thin and moisture wicking.
I also forgot one of my gel packets in transition and I didn't have any more on me. I was planing on taking my second gel after the second lap, but I used gatorade instead. I don't train with gatorade, so that affected me a little bit.
My original run/walk strategy didn't work out anywhere close to what I had planned. I thought I would just run to the aid stations and walk the first tenth of a mile afterwards then run to the next one. I feel like I walked more than I ran, but when I pushed it I could feel my heart rate skyrocket. I jogged the final three tenths of a mile and nearly died at the finish line. I was about to collapse and started to hyperventilate. I just forced myself to stay upright and walk around. About 30 minutes later, I started to see normally again. That is the hardest I've ever pushed my body.
What would you do differently?:

I need to run more. There is simply no getting around it. I don't enjoy running at all but I love this sport and if I want to get better it comes down to the run. This is another major focus this winter. I also need to make sure that I pack enough gel packets to get me through the run. I had more pockets available on my tri tank and in my tri shorts and on my race belt that there really isn't an excuse why I didn't have one available.
Post race
Warm down:

I walked around until I stopped seeing spots and my vision returned to normal. I grabbed some more gatorade and a mt. dew to see if I could get some sugar and caffeine in me. I couldn't even think about eating as my food was all in knots.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

My run is my most limiting factor. I signed up for a half mary in October, so hopefully that helps my run training. I think my swimming is something that is easily correctable, but I'll just have to see how the winter conditioning program goes.

Event comments:

The post race food leaves a lot to be desired. Even though my stomach couldn't handle it, my family would have enjoyed something to eat while we were sitting around waiting for me to recover. The other issue is how long it takes them to post results. They are very slow putting up results and they don't post them to the web until late that evening. The bike course was really bumpy, but that was expected because that's the way downtown Indianapolis is. I love the venue, but they really need to work on these few things to improve this race. That being said, I will be back next year and hopefully about 20 pounds less and kill this time.




Last updated: 2011-04-22 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:30:55 | 1500 meters | 02m 04s / 100meters
Age Group: 0/40
Overall: 161/504
Performance: Below average
Suit:
Course: A canal swim that is pretty straight for the first 1000 meters then turns a few times before the finish. Canal is only a few feet deep.
Start type: Plus: Time Trial
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current:
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Below average
Breathing: Good Drafting: Below average
Waves: Navigation: Bad
Rounding:
T1
Time: 02:04
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Yes
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
01:06:20 | 24.85 miles | 22.48 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/40
Overall: 79/504
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course: Very bumpy course that follows the White River in downtown Indianapolis. Olympic distance had to do two laps.
Road: Rough Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Average Hills: Average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 01:23
Overall: Below average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Below average
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
01:06:45 | 06.21 miles | 10m 45s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/40
Overall: 410/504
Performance: Bad
Course: The run follows the white river along a paved trail. The course starts out going over the bridge to the Indianapolis Zoo and then follows behind the Zoo north along the White River then turning back to the park half way.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
Good race? Ok
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Below average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4