Chicago Triathlon - Sprint Distance - TriathlonSprint


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Chicago, Illinois
United States
Capri Events, Inc
Sunny
Total Time = 4h 01m 21s
Overall Rank = 1877/1879
Age Group = F 30-34
Age Group Rank = 161/161
Pre-race routine:

I woke up at 2:45 or so, ate a granola bar, a banana, and made sure I had everything for the race. I'd packed my bag the night before but I went over the list again. I got dressed, watched some Weather Channel coverage of Hurricane Irene, and went to meet my teammates (Team In Training).
Event warmup:

The hotel was probably a mile or so - maybe a bit less - from the entrance to transition. I walked it with my bike because I wasn't sure I could ride in the dark well, and it was 4:00am! That gave me a moment to psych myself up (not out) and stretch out my legs and get the feel of moving.
Swim
  • 52m 59s
  • 820 yards
  • 06m 28s / 100 yards
Comments:

The water in the harbor was the choppiest I've ever swam in - which granted, isn't coming from years of experience. That said, there were people with a lot more training than I have had being pulled from the lake because they got sick and couldn't make it.

As it were, I did hold the wall about 25m in, decided that wasn't going to work if I ever wanted out of the dang water (and the dreaded wetsuit), and then didn't hold the wall again. I did stop a few times and tread water when the new swim waves were passing me. I decided getting kicked in the head wasn't going to improve my time.

Overall, even if I didn't break any records, I'm pretty impressed with my ability to not stop moving. Also, my time would be a lot better if I hadn't had a bout of motion sickness (thankfully no throwing up) upon exiting the water and having to walk the 2/5 of a mile to T1.


What would you do differently?:

I'd take some Dramamine before getting in water that choppy again. I'm not joking.

That aside, I need to work on consistency. My coaches watching me said it was the best swimming I did all season - when I swam! So I need to work on not getting flustered, stopping, and then having to start again.
Transition 1
  • 08m 54s
Comments:

I found my bike pretty easily - I was near the end of the row and the person next to me (who was very nice) had a bright green duct tape arrow next to HER bike, so I could just use that to find it! I'd laid everything out well, and decided to use the running shoes on the bike, since I don't clip in.

I also ate some fruit punch Sport Beans and I actually did feel better afterward.
What would you do differently?:

I'd have my contacts so I would be able to see! Otherwise, I think it went okay.
Bike
  • 1h 42m 24s
  • 13.67 miles
  • 8.01 mile/hr
Comments:

I'm not a fast rider - obviously - but I maintained my training pace of 8mph, so I'm not upset with my time. I was also riding a 20 year old mountain bike that got snarky when I changed gears, so I think that probably had an impact.

That said, I felt like surviving the swim was the hard part and once I got past that, I just wanted to finish and not die. So I took it pretty easy on the bike, and I really actually enjoyed it.
What would you do differently?:

I'm buying a road bike before my next race, and I think that will help a ton - plus, as always, more training!

I also went sans-gloves since I didn't like the ones I had, and that wasn't a HORRIBLE idea, but it wasn't my best move ever. No blisters, but I had sore spots for the next day or so.
Transition 2
  • 04m 58s
Comments:

I did fine with finding my spot, racking, and getting to run entrance...till I started trying to finish my granola bar.

Let me tell you - granola bar + dry mouth = EW.
What would you do differently?:

NO GRANOLA BARS!

Also, next time I might have clips, so I'll have to change shoes!
Run
  • 1h 12m 4s
  • 3.11 miles
  • 23m 10s  min/mile
Comments:

My lower back was hurting quite badly when I got off the bike and I never really recovered. I ended up walking most of the run, which made me feel silly, but I - again - was focused on finishing. Which I did!
What would you do differently?:

I would actually run!
Post race
Warm down:

I met up with my coaches and the staff person from Team In Training and went back to the swim entrance so we could watch some of my teammates run. I thought I'd never want to walk again, but I felt pretty good, actually, and ended up walking a few more miles over the course of the day.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

I need to get more comfortable on the swim, get a road bike, do some ab work to have a steadier core, and lose 100 lbs.

Event comments:

This was a good first race - except the choppy swim. The bike and run are flat, there's TONS of people cheering you on, and you get a finisher medal, and really, who doesn't want one of those?




Last updated: 2011-08-10 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:52:59 | 820 yards | 06m 28s / 100yards
Age Group: 160/161
Overall: 1847/1879
Performance: Average
Suit: Sleeveless, full length
Course: The swim SHOULD have been easy - it's 800m straight north. No turns or other nasty things to watch out for, unless you're terrified of seaweed.
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 74F / 23C Current: High
200M Perf. Below average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average Drafting:
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 08:54
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: No
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
01:42:24 | 13.67 miles | 8.01 mile/hr
Age Group: 161/161
Overall: 1868/1879
Performance: Average
Wind: Some
Course: The course was against the wind going out and with the wind coming back - which was PERFECT because about the time my body started going, "Okay, you can stop now," the wind stepped in to help. You start out on a hill, but it's not exceptionally steep or long. I switched to a lower gear and was fine. The course was mostly flat and you could coast a lot of it, honestly, if you wanted to. The bottleneck everyone warned me about at the turnaround really wasn't bad, though it was a tighter turn than I'm used to.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Average Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 04:58
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
01:12:04 | 03.11 miles | 23m 10s  min/mile
Age Group: 161/161
Overall: 1877/1879
Performance: Below average
Course: The course is flat and quite senic. I noticed this, going 3mph.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
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:
Race evaluation [1-5] 4