The Utah Half - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Provo, Utah
United States
RaceTri
Sunny
Total Time = 5h 53m 9s
Overall Rank = 133/340
Age Group = 25-29
Age Group Rank = 10/25
Pre-race routine:

The day before I went golfing in the morning and had had a late lunch (2 PM). At night we had a big pasta dinner and I ate two big plates of pasta. We woke up at 3 and I had a banana and peanut butter bagel sandwich and gatorade bottle. We showed up to transition at abour 5:15 (one of the first ones there) and began setting up transition. After transition was set up I took my bike for a spin to check everything, then took a bathroom stop about 6:30. At 6:45 met up with the family during the pre-race meeting. We went for a warm-up swim and waited for the race to start.
Event warmup:

Quick spin on the bike (more of a bike check) and a swim to get used to the water (50-100m).
Swim
  • 44m 39s
  • 1931 meters
  • 02m 19s / 100 meters
Comments:

The start was ok, but during the initial washing machine someone caught the collar of my wetsuit on their pull and flipped it inside out. This rubbed my neck raw on the velcro everytime I took a breath. Luckily, it flipped back after about 200m. Sighting was ok until we got to the outside of the rectangle. I sighted to the wrong corner and started swimming there. A kayacker had to tap me with his paddle and tell me I was going the wrong way. Poor sigting issues, a hard sun line, and the neck made for a rough swim. I was dissapointed in the performance, but felt calm and ready to go on to the next events.
What would you do differently?:

Sight! I am terrible at it. I need to get out and practice, or just calm down in races. I need to figure something out.
Transition 1
  • 01m 24s
Comments:

Chose not to do a flying mount. No real issues w/ the way transition went though.
What would you do differently?:

Looking at my HR data, I would calm down. 30 seconds in a 5+ hour race is not worth getting a high HR that I had to try and calm down.
Bike
  • 2h 40m 51s
  • 56 miles
  • 20.89 mile/hr
Comments:

I felt fine during the bike and was excited to get some of the time back that I had lost on the run. Looking back on the data, I went way too hard. I should have given up more time to save for the run. My avg HR was way too high (153 w/ max of 175). I also made the big mistake of using the same nutrition plan that I had been using in the desert w/ 112 degree heat on a race day that had a high of 78. Here is what I ate and drank:

15 minutes: 1 GU (100 cal)
45 minutes: 3 shot blocks (100 cal)
90 minutes: 1 clif bar (240 cal)
110 minutes: 3 shot blocks (100 cal)
130 minutes: 1 GU (100 cal)
Drank throughout: 20 oz water and 27 oz Gatorade (160 cal)


What would you do differently?:

I would definately eat and drink less, and add some salt in the mix. I would also cool it and pace myself better. I only had a couple times where I felt my legs, and I should have noticed and backed off then.
Transition 2
  • 01m 37s
Comments:

It was a great transition, until I forgot my race belt... that was the only mistake. I was too focused to make sure that I took my helmet off and forgot the belt. Other than that, it was a good transition.
What would you do differently?:

Don't forget my race belt and have to go back for it.
Run
  • 2h 24m 40s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 11m 02s  min/mile
Comments:

Well this is one run that I am glad that it is over but I will always wish I could have back. I started out feeling great, until about 1-2 miles in I started cramping pretty bad. It was worse than the usual side stich. It was my whole stomach tightening up. I thought a quick walk to bring the HR down would fix it, but it didn't. I had stomach issues from mile 2 on. I wish I would have fought harder through it, but it mentally defeated me. When I saw my time goal go out the window, I let it bring me down more than I should have.
What would you do differently?:

Next time I will conserve on the bike and not eat and drink as much. I will also fight through it more.
Post race
Warm down:

I sat stunned for a while, pretty dissapointed in the run and overall time. Then I tried to get over it and spend time with my family. Not a whole lot of warming down other than walking around. That made for some sore legs the next couple days.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Poor nutrition and poor pacing... First HIM, so hopefully something to learn from.

Event comments:

The main concerns I had coming in were with the bike course. I read reviews that a lot of people flatted and some people had to stop at intersections. I didn't see anything like that. The bike course was a little bumpy, but not bad. I didn't see any flats and they were great about stopping traffic. The volunteers and support were great. The only complaint of the day would be with the swim course. They didn't start setting out the bouys until 7 (time it was supposed to be starting). Then they changed the course to what had been posted. Made for some confusion, but w/ my sighting skills, I don't know that it would have made a difference. Other than that mistake, it was a good race.




Last updated: 2012-05-05 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:44:39 | 1931 meters | 02m 19s / 100meters
Age Group: 0/25
Overall: 0/340
Performance: Below average
Suit: Vortex 4 Wetsuit
Course: It was a lolli-pop style w/ 2 loops around the rectangle at the end.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Below average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Bad
Rounding: Bad
T1
Time: 01:24
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
02:40:51 | 56 miles | 20.89 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/25
Overall: 0/340
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course: Absolutely flat course out and around the lake. I was worried after reading a lot of complaints of people flatting on the course due to poor roads. I didn't see anyone flat and I didn't see any major places that I was concerned about it. The roads weren't perfect, but they were just fine for rideing. They also did a very good job of protecting the riders on the course and they even had the intersection of Univeristy Ave blocked off when riders were coming through. It was a good bike course.
Road: Rough Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills:
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Too much
T2
Time: 01:37
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
02:24:40 | 13.1 miles | 11m 02s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/25
Overall: 0/340
Performance: Bad
Course: Flat course w/ a lot of out and backs. It was a really good course and made it so you could see friends a lot (usually a good thing, but not a great thing when you have exploded).
Keeping cool Average Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Below average
Mental exertion [1-5] 2
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? No
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? No
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4