Amica 19.7 Lake Las Vegas - TriathlonSprint


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Henderson, Nevada
United States
Amica 19.7 Triathlon Series
80F / 27C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 46m 58s
Overall Rank = 64/198
Age Group = M35-39
Age Group Rank = 9/24
Pre-race routine:

Woke up around 4:00, ate one sweet potato and had an espresso. Packed up the truck and was on the road at 5:00am
Event warmup:

Made it to the transition area around 5:30am thinking that all the end spots would be taken by to my surprise the end spot in my row was open so I snagged it! Put my bike in place and set up transition area. Had about 30 minutes until my wave started so I listened to music and talked to a few people that I knew. I felt really good going into this race(minus my sore knees) so I was not feeling any anxiety. It was interesting to see some of the people who you could tell it was there first race. I remember feeling the same way in my first race!
Swim
  • 18m 53s
  • 880 yards
  • 02m 09s / 100 yards
Comments:

Given my horrible experiences last year in the swim, I decided to take some lessons. I contacted Russ Eidman at the YMCA in North Las Vegas and took six lessons from him. I learned so much about proper technique and what I was doing wrong, as well as how to train. This was in February of this year and I have been swimming diligently since then and it surely made a difference.

I started about two deep in the middle, something I would have never tried last year. The countdown was quick and then we were off. Instead of feeling like my chest was going to explode I just started swimming with everyone else. Of course my HR was high and breathing was faster then I would want given the start, I was right there swimming along with everyone else and even passing some people. A far cry from my experiences last year where I was getting passed at the start and looking for a kayak!

Made my way out to the first buoy and then used a great technique I learned from Jackie Arcana about swinging your arms around in the direction of the buoy which made the corner much easier. On the way the second buoy I was in the mix with a few others, got popped a few times and certainly popped a few others as I battled for position. That made me smile....

Rounded the second buoy for the long stretch back to where we started and I was starting to feel great. I was in a great rhythm and I was actually passing people for once instead of getting passed. Then I noticed a few string swimmers start to catch up to me and begin to pass. I realized that these were the swimmmers from the relay teams who started 5 minutes after me. I said no way was I going to let these guys pass me and I hitched a ride on their hips to the next green buoy. That was a new experience as well, never had I been strong enough to swim with these stronger swimmers. We made our way to the last buoy, I rounded it and made a string dash to the exit out. I exited the water and saw lots, and lots of bike still in T1, another new experience. Usually its my bike and few others! I smiled and thought to myself I'll have to send Russ thank you text. He would be proud of me!!!
What would you do differently?:

Wow, for once there isn't too much to work on other then getting stronger as swimmer which just means more practice. I was very happy with the way I rounded the buoys and also happy with the short amount of drafting that I did.
Transition 1
  • 03m 55s
Comments:

Had a little struggle finding the zipper cord on the back of my suit, but I found it before I hit T1. Found my spot and started to get the suit off. The left leg stuck when I tried to step out, mainly due to the timing chip. Got my suit off, dried my feet and got my socks on. Got on my race belt, sunglasses and helmet, then unracked my bike. Off to the small climb out of transition and to the bike mount area. Once I jumped on I really struggled getting my feet into the bike shoes which made me start off a little slower then I wanted.
What would you do differently?:

Need to work on getting my feet into my shoes while riding. I was too slow in the first 1 minute of the bike due to this.
Bike
  • 55m 20s
  • 16.1 miles
  • 17.46 mile/hr
Comments:

Despite my slight struggles with my shoes I finally got it together and headed out for the bike leg. I was huffing and puffing from the swim so my HR was flying high. I knew that I needed to get that under control or I would burn out quickly, but I also knew that this was a short bike leg so I had to keep pushing. I pushed myself hard but was getting passed by some people who obviuosly had better bike endurance then I. Made my way up the long climb to lake mead then finally got my bike legs and started to hit it hard. It was fun battling back and forth with some of the same people for most of the race. I felt strong on the bike and really went pretty hard for my abilities. Near the end some guy with a disc wheel went flying by so I decided to try and keep pace with him. I was able to for a little while until the uphill where he took off.

Finally made the second turn around and started up the hill toward lake las vegas, then got the downhill back to T2. I enjoyed that looonnngggg downhill and allowed my legs to rest for a few. Finally got back to the dismount area, got my feet out the shoes and actaully made a rolling dismount for the first time ever. I felt like a pro after that!!!
What would you do differently?:

Need to get stronger and need to better climb hills.
Transition 2
  • 00m 42s
Comments:

I have to say, I friggin nailed T2! 42 seconds, are you kidding me??? Basically I ran down the small hill into T2, racked my bike, took my helmet off, pulled my shoes on(with quick laces) and grabbed my trisports.com visor. OFF!!!
What would you do differently?:

If I could go any faster here I would surprise myself! I was happy with this part of the race. I was 7th in my age group so I do have room to improve, especially in a sprint race.
Run
  • 28m 7s
  • 3.1 miles
  • 09m 04s  min/mile
Comments:

Well, this was the first race where my run was my worst part of the day! But I kind of knew that might be the case given my knees were still hurting and I haven't really ran much in the past month. I wore my knee braces which helped but I felt like I wasn't at 100% for the run. I was also very winded given the lack of running that I had which made it a bad run. I did run just about the entire time with only a few very short stops for water. Hopefully these damn knees heal up soon so I can get back to running reguarly again.
What would you do differently?:

Need better conditioning, especialy speed work. I have to go all out in these short races. A 9:06 pace is not fast enough if I want to be a Big Dog on the podium one day!
Post race
Warm down:

Jumped back into the lake which felt amazing! Had some sports drink and a few grapes, then a sausage/egg sandwich on the way home.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Lack of run training, minor knee pain, need to get stronger on the bike and also my swimming.

Event comments:

Great race experience, I will be back next for sure!


Profile Album


Last updated: 2012-06-04 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:18:53 | 880 yards | 02m 09s / 100yards
Age Group: 9/24
Overall: 60/198
Performance: Good
Suit: Xterra Sleeveless
Course: Start underneath the bridge at Lake Las Vegas and head out to the first green buoy, take a right to the next buoy and take a right. Head back underneath the bridge to the last green buoy, make a right and head to the exit.
Start type: Wade Plus: Shot
Water temp: 72F / 22C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Below average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 03:55
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Below average
Biking
00:55:20 | 16.1 miles | 17.46 mile/hr
Age Group: 11/24
Overall: 63/198
Performance: Average
Wind: Little
Course: A short ride through lake las vegas then up the hill to lake mead. Take a right on lake mead and follow that to warm springs where the turn around is. head back toward lake las vegas but continue on to just short of the toll booth to lake mead national park. Back up the hill then enjoy the long downhill back to transition.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 00:42
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
00:28:07 | 03.1 miles | 09m 04s  min/mile
Age Group: 20/24
Overall: 108/198
Performance: Below average
Course: Out and back in the roads of lake las vegas, then back down a short hill to the finish line.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
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] 5