Hy-Vee Triathlon 5150 U.S. Championship - TriathlonOlympic


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Des Moines, Iowa
United States
Hy-Vee Triathlon
88F / 31C
Overcast
Total Time = 2h 37m 49s
Overall Rank = 260/959
Age Group = M 40-44
Age Group Rank = 37/100
Pre-race routine:

Got up around 4:30am. This is a local race for me so I wasn't too worried about traffic. I made a smoothie with bananas, strawberries, yogurt and a protein supplement. Also had a breakfast bar and cereal. Got down to the parking easily enough and went straight to transition. The whole morning I kept feeling I had forgotten something and as soon as I left transition I realized what it was: flip-flops. I wore my running/biking shoes down and obviously had to leave them in transition. Duh! That meant a somewhat painful walk back to my truck across 1/2 mile of gravel to put my backpack away. At least I had an extra pair of socks to put on to lessen the pain.
Event warmup:

I watched the first elite waves go off, then did some stretching. Very crowded area and not a lot of room to run. Got in line for a port-o-potty and stretched while waiting.
Swim
  • 33m 47s
  • 1640 yards
  • 02m 04s / 100 yards
Comments:

I need to work on this discipline. It's my worst. It didn't help that despite the time-trial start, I still ended up getting swam over and knocked around. The worst part is I felt I was going better than my finish indicated. The water temp was just fine, easy course to navigate. Didn't help that my goggles fogged up almost immediately.
What would you do differently?:

I need to work on this much harder. I did a swim-focused training program from this site and the one positive I can take away from this is I was faster than my very first sprint tri from June where my pace was 2:15. I also think my suit is too restrictive: It's a shorty but also with short sleeves. This off-season I'll be looking for one that's sleeveless. I'll also do more open-water training whenever I can.
Transition 1
  • 02m 20s
Comments:

Had a slight problem finding my zipper, but had a good run up and out of the water and found my rack easily. I haven't graduated to biking/running without socks yet, so that hurt my time.
What would you do differently?:

Get used to biking and running without socks.
Bike
  • 1h 13m 8s
  • 24.85 miles
  • 20.39 mile/hr
Comments:

I impressed myself with the bike. My first complaint right off the bat was as you're leaving the park (first 1/2 mile or so) the instruct you in the pre-race briefing to not pass. I don't like this rule. I was ready to go out and get up to speed right away, but there were 3 people in front of me that were maybe going 15mph. I couldn't get around them fast enough once we got out of the park. After that I got into a good cadence, and was surprised by how many people I was passing. Hardly any wind definitely helped.
What would you do differently?:

In retrospect I could have pushed myself a bit more, but since this was my first Olympic-distance tri, I wanted to make sure I had enough left for the run.
Transition 2
  • 01m 18s
Comments:

Usually I make up a lot of time here since I wear the same shoes for the run that I bike with. I cost myself time here today, though. Came in very well (I had been practicing my flying dismounts) and found the rack easily enough again. I stopped to take a few last gulps of Gatorade and debated whether or not to wear a visor. Stupid little things that cost me time.
What would you do differently?:

Next time I won't worry about stupid things.
Run
  • 47m 19s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 07m 37s  min/mile
Comments:

Great run. I found someone to pace with right after leaving and stuck with her for two miles. After I left her, someone else wanted to join up with me for another mile, and after that I was pretty much doing my own thing. Lots of water stations which was great. I think I could have pushed myself just a bit more, since I had plenty left in the tank for a full-out sprint to the finish line. Felt awesome.
What would you do differently?:

Get a race monitor - I kept asking people I was running with what pace we were running at.
Post race
Warm down:

I felt so great afterwards I really didn't feel the need for a massage. I got some Gatorade G3 (or whatever they call their recovery drink) found my wife and daughter, got some fruit then waited over an hour for a shuttle back to transition.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

It's obvious to me now that my wetsuit is a hindrance with the short sleeves. I was really hoping the water temp had been higher, but I should really train in the wetsuit more. Not having anything to know what my speed/pace was during the bike or run didn't help: knowing how fast I'm going would likely make me push myself harder.

Event comments:

I can't give this an honest assessment since this is only my 3rd tri and first Olympic-distance. Everyone says it is one of the best in the country - guess I have to do some more next year that are outside of Iowa to compare for myself! I had a great time, right up until the shuttle back to transition. I could have walked back faster - and that's not an exaggeration. A few hundred of us had to wait as the sun beat down on us for nearly 90 minutes for the shuttle buses to arrive. Apparently they got caught in the mass-exodus of the parking lot back at the start area. One would think that one of the best tris in the country would have this sort of thing figured out by now. But if that's the only criticism, then that's not too bad of a day at all. I'll definitely be back next year.




Last updated: 2012-06-29 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:33:47 | 1640 yards | 02m 04s / 100yards
Age Group: 67/100
Overall: 711/959
Performance: Average
Suit: Shorty w/short sleves
Course: Out and back, three left turns and a final right.
Start type: Run Plus: Time Trial
Water temp: 77F / 25C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Bad
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:20
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
01:13:08 | 24.85 miles | 20.39 mile/hr
Age Group: 47/100
Overall: 370/959
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course: Slightly different from what the map had indicated, so there were some turns I wasn't prepared for. Didn't impact it too badly. One railroad crossing, one steep climb. Loved having the entire course closed to road traffic.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:18
Overall: Below average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
00:47:19 | 06.21 miles | 07m 37s  min/mile
Age Group: 24/100
Overall: 247/959
Performance: Good
Course: Very flat, easy course until the very end - a short but steep uphill immediately before the finish.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
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: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 4