Chicago Triathlon - Olympic Distance - TriathlonOlympic


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Chicago, Illinois
United States
Capri Events
80F / 27C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 37m 9s
Overall Rank = 237/3321
Age Group = M30-34
Age Group Rank = 38/403
Pre-race routine:

I had steel cut oats when we wok up around 3:15am, but since I had a late wave start I had a banana somewhere in the middle and sipped on a 32oz Gatorade until the start.
Event warmup:

Running to the Port-O-Potties count?
Swim
  • 32m 17s
  • 1640 yards
  • 01m 58s / 100 yards
Comments:

Most violent swim start I've experienced yet! I'm not complaining, though, I thought it was fun. It was just a little choppy but I felt that was my environment since I used to be a lifeguard here in Chicago and swam in choppy water all the time.
What would you do differently?:

Only thing I can do is train harder to swim faster!
Transition 1
  • 02m 36s
Comments:

Went kind of slow since I did get stuck in my wetsuit a bit. I did have a good run out of the swim exit to my bike, though, passed a bunch of people there.
What would you do differently?:

Probably use some suit juice or something!
Bike
  • 1h 13m 13s
  • 24.85 miles
  • 20.36 mile/hr
Comments:

Well, this is Chicago and if you ride here you better expect that headwind almost any time you go north by the lake. It was a little tough going north but I felt pretty good. Going south was fun though as I was able to get up to almost 30mph at times. Also, many of you would say this was flat, but not me! I ride on the bike path that is just east of the Drive and that's flat. The Drive had a bunch of mini hills every street it went over, but I managed quite well and even passed people going up.
What would you do differently?:

Can't say I could do anything different. Cycling is my weak spot but I felt I did pretty well here. As with swimming...MORE TIME IN THE SADDLE!
Transition 2
  • 02m 54s
Comments:

As I got off the bike I had the jelly legs, so running felt a little awkward. I decided to wear socks for this race since the week before I got a blister above/behind my heel while running sockless. I tried putting my socks on standing up but was stumbling so I decided to sit down and the second sock I put on upside down, so I wasted a little time there. After that I went in my bag and got some GU Chomps because I lost a gel while on the bike course. I opened it up took them out and got my hands all sticky lol! I walked out of transition and there was an aid station right there so at the beginning of my run I lost some time getting the stickiness of my hands.
What would you do differently?:

First I have to pay attention putting on my sock and also I should bring extra nutrition that I don't have to touch with my hands!
Run
  • 46m 7s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 07m 26s  min/mile
Comments:

Here is where the fun and the pain start for me! I started off with that horrible feeling coming off the bike but I held the pace I was looking for. Not sure when exactly I found my running legs but they came about. All I knew is I wanted to beat my run time from Minneapolis which was a 7:29 pace. It was quite motivating for me passing people left and right and the first time I got passed was a little before mile 3 I think. I kept an eye on my Garmin making sure my average pace stayed a good amount under my goal, probably hovering around 7:23-7:24 or so. Early in the run I felt my quads starting to cramp a little, but it was nothing to slow me down at that point. Come mile 4 my quads were pretty bad and still fought it and kept my pace. On the 6th mile is where I slowed down a little, not sure of my split because I pressed a button on my Garmin that I shouldn't have, but it was somewhere around 7:40. Coming from under the bridge just after the 6 mile mark I picked it up a little to finish strong ending with a 7:26 pace. I'm happy about the run especially since I pushed the bike harder than my last olympic but was still able to keep my pace.
What would you do differently?:

From the cramps I'm thinking I either may not have been hydrated or just came on from pushing the bike. However, it didn't slow me down a whole lot and I feel I had left everything on that run course...not much I can do different.
Post race
Warm down:

Walking around looking for friends and family.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Might not have been properly hydrated, who knows.

Event comments:

I found the Chicago Tri to be a good race despite what people have said about it being over crowded. Ok, it was crowded and I was held up a few times on the bike and run but I have no idea how much that would have cost me, 1min? 2min? Either way, I had a great time and that's what matters most. And hey, got a PR out of it, too!




Last updated: 2011-05-21 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:32:17 | 1640 yards | 01m 58s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/403
Overall: 347/3321
Performance: Good
Suit: Xterra Vortex 3
Course: The first 325m was heading south to the turn around and the rest was straight north to the swim exit.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 73F / 23C Current: Medium
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Good Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:36
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
01:13:13 | 24.85 miles | 20.36 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/403
Overall: 503/3321
Performance: Good
Wind: Strong
Course: 2 loops on Lake Shore Drive with turnarounds at Chicago and Foster.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 90
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 02:54
Overall: Below average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Below average
Running
00:46:07 | 06.21 miles | 07m 26s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/403
Overall: 248/3321
Performance: Good
Course: A mile through Millennium and Grant Parks and then almost the rest of it was on the Lakefront path. Then onto Columbus Drive to the finish.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
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