Loveland Lake to Lake - TriathlonOlympic


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Loveland, Colorado
United States
USA Triathlon
Sunny
Total Time = 3h 35m 48s
Overall Rank = 430/552
Age Group = F 30-34
Age Group Rank = 36/52
Pre-race routine:

Drove up to Loveland on Friday for packet pick-up and the pre-race meeting. Checked into the hotel, which as it turns out was under construction!! Ate at Carino's, changed one of my tubes, got my numbers up, did one last run through of my transition bag and bottles, and got to bed around 10:00. Woke up at 4:30, added ice and water to the bottles, made my pb and honey english muffin, and headed to the race site. When Ocky realized it would be pretty tough for him to go back to the hotel and get back in, he decided to volunteer. Got a good transition spot near the end of the first rack by the bike start/finish by Julia.

This was my first Olympic tri, and my first 10K in a race, so I went into the race thinking, no matter what, I was going to set a PR!
Event warmup:

Short jog with Julia and Stacie...this seems to be becoming a pattern! ;) Then pulled on my wetsuit, grabbed my cap and goggles, and made the looooong trek to the lake.
Swim
  • 31m 8s
  • 1640 yards
  • 01m 53s / 100 yards
Comments:

Time included the run from waters edge up to the transition area...easily 2:30 to 3:00 minutes. I was in the first wave, with the elite men in the second wave. This meant that for the first time in any of my races, I was caught by a good number of people from a later wave...I don't like that. My navigation was pretty good, but some lady who was kicking like crazy through most of the swim kept zigzagging in front of me--arg!

When you got near the swim exit, at one point the water got shallow enough that my hands were hitting bottom, so I stood up and started pulling off my goggles and cap and started to wade in. Then the water got deeper again, so I had to do the above water crawl to get to the shallow water again. Oye.

Overall, a pretty darn good swim.
What would you do differently?:

Swim in a bit further before standing up.
Transition 1
  • 02m 6s
Comments:

A pretty good transition. Decided to skip the gloves, which I didn't miss at all. I wasted a little time thinking about what I might be forgetting...which was nothing. Ocky was in the transition area cheering me on, which rocked!
What would you do differently?:

Go over my transition area a couple more times before race start so I can get through transition without thinking.
Bike
  • 1h 58m 37s
  • 32 miles
  • 16.19 mile/hr
Comments:

I got on my bike, start going, and realize my computer isn't working. I try fiddling with the wires...nothing. Then I notice my front wheel is on backwards (hubby was being so helpful this morning!). I thought about stopping and fixing the wheel, but decided that since it wasn't affecting the bike functioning, I would just keep going. At least I could get my cadence.

This is quite the challenging bike course! It would be a much faster course in reverse, as it seems this was about 3/4 uphill! The two major hill climbs required use of the granny gear...first time in a race! Had a couple of awesome downhills.

The southbound return leg had a pretty good headwind, which was just one more challenge at the end of a tough bike.

The road was pretty rough in spots, and through many portions of the course it wasn't possible to ride on the shoulder due to the condition of the road.
What would you do differently?:

Check my bike to ensure full proper function before the race starts.
Transition 2
  • 01m 7s
Comments:

A rather smooth transition. Again, Ocky was in transition cheering!
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Run
  • 1h 02m 48s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 10m 07s  min/mile
Comments:

Felt pretty good for me. The mile markers were way off. Due to the markers, at the turn around I thought I was in great shape, with an under 30 minute 5K (fast for me). But the markers on the return didn't match up at all. The finish line was hidden around a curve. At one point, a volunteer told me the finish was "just up there." Seeing a crowd of people up ahead, I started my sprint to the finish. I was about to catch the woman in front of me when, near where I thought the finish was, someone said "just another 50 yards." Crap. I sprinted too early. My finish was not as strong as I would have hoped.
What would you do differently?:

Know the run course.
Post race
Warm down:

Chatted with Julia, walked to transition to hunt down the guy with the fruit cicles (yum!), and found Ocky. After talking for awhile, went to get food, and sat down with Julia, Stacie and Lilia. The food was good, but I couldn't bring myself to eat the burrito--it was just too heavy at that point. Checked results, then packed up and headed back to the hotel for check-out.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

No computer feedback on the bike. Lack of knowledge of the course. Lack of speed training on the run.

Event comments:

This is a good smaller race. Pretty well organized. The organizer mentioned that they had been sweeping the roads for 3 days leading up to the event, but there was still a good bit of debris, and even some gravel at a turn on a downhill, which could have caused problems. Otherwise, no complaints, and I would consider doing this race again.




Last updated: 2006-04-17 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:31:08 | 1640 yards | 01m 53s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/52
Overall: 285/552
Performance: Good
Suit: Sleeveless O'Neill
Course: Clockwise open-jaw square with an extra 200 meters of shore in addition to the 1/4 mile run from the usual bank to the transition area.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:06
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
01:58:37 | 32 miles | 16.19 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/52
Overall: 441/552
Performance:
Wind: Headwind
Course: Loop course from Loveland to Fort Collins with a few long, low-grade up-hills, and a couple of significant climbs.
Road: Rough Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:07
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
01:02:48 | 06.21 miles | 10m 07s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/52
Overall: 445/552
Performance: Average
Course: Out and back, with an extra portion winding around the school property at the end.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
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