Iron Abe Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic


View Member's Race Log View other race reports
Springfield, Illinois
United States
Tri Harder Promotions
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 48m 12s
Overall Rank = 71/109
Age Group =
Age Group Rank = 15/19
Pre-race routine:

Arrived for packet pickup the previous afternoon and drove the bike course to get a feel for it. Up early, and had a breakfast of Cheerios (no microwave for oatmeal at a very bad hotel) and a Cliff bar. Coffee on the way to the race as the hotel did not have coffee pots in the room. Arrived at the race sight early--actually before transition even opened. Once in transition, spent time setting up without having to rush. Had time to chat with some of the other competitors and begin to visualize how I would approach the swim.
Event warmup:

A typical light stretching routine. I was able to get into the water about 30 minutes prior to the start. Swam about half-way to the first marker and back. The swim felt good, but I have learned that I need to do a stronger and longer warmup in preparation of the swim.
Swim
  • 38m 9s
  • 1640 yards
  • 02m 19s / 100 yards
Comments:

Began the swim feeling confident and strong. This was going to be my longest swim thus far. Began the swim in a pack and felt good--keeping up with the others and in a pretty solid rhythm. About 200 yards into the swim I found that I could not catch my breadth--the same problem I experienced in an earlier race. It doesn't feel like a panic attach--I am not bothered at all by the water; it is simply a matter of not being able to breathe for some reason. I get the same feeling in the pool after about 200 yards, but then I press through another 100 or so, and everything is fine. A quirk in my system I guess. A stronger warmup should address the problem...I hope. So I pressed on as best I could. Had to breast stroke for 30 seconds or so, but then my lungs came to me, I put my head down and was ready to catch up to the pack. Unfortunately, in my distraction of feeling behind and now not taking the time to sight properly, I turned at the guide marker and not the turn marker. A lifeguard on a raft yelled at me that I had made a wrong turn. Looking back I noticed my mistake--I was now 100 or so yards off course and had to swim back to the missed marker. By the time I got myself correct, two mistakes later, my age group pack was gone and I was hopelessly behind. 20 minutes into the race and I already felt defeated. Using it as a learning experience, I put my head down (but remembering to sight carefully the rest of the way), and pressed on as best I could.
What would you do differently?:

In order to deal with the breathing issue, I have to do a stronger and longer swim warmup before the event. Work through the initial loss of breath and be ready to go full strong when the gun fires.
Transition 1
  • 01m 34s
Comments:

Because of the really bad swim, I entered transition in what could be described as a bad mood. My frustrations led me to be tense, and the transition wasn't smooth. Fumbled too much with shoes.
What would you do differently?:

Needed to relax more--the poor swim is just a convenient excuse. Also need to practice getting into shoes already attached to the bike. Currently I still put the shoes on in transition and then clip in at the mount line. For the next race I will better prepare for getting into the shoes while on the ride.
Bike
  • 1h 20m 34s
  • 24.8 miles
  • 18.47 mile/hr
Comments:

My bike just continues to stink but not anything I would really do differently. I just need more practice/training on the bike
What would you do differently?:

Nothing different, just more training.
Transition 2
  • 00m 57s
Comments:

Getting out of the shoes on the ride is not a problem, and I felt I manged this better this race than I did in the last. Feeling more comfortable with it--considering I don't practice this enough. Manged to pinch my finger between the bike and the rack, but this posed no problems.
What would you do differently?:

Would not do anything differently--just need to continue practicing to be more relaxed and subsequently more smooth. That should shave off a few seconds.
Run
  • 46m 56s
  • 6.2 miles
  • 07m 34s  min/mile
Comments:

Run is still my strongest area, and this run felt good. Legs took about a quarter mile to get under me, but then the pace picked up and I was feeling good. Passed a number of other runners but no one passed me--not a surprise considering how far back I was after the mistakes in the swim and the poor performance on the bike. The run kept my time from being completely dismal.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing--the run is the one thing that seems to be working for me.
Post race
Warm down:

Did not complete a warm down--felt too frustrated at the end. Drank a bottle of water, enjoyed a light meal (sandwich and chocolate milk) and gathered my stuff. Didn't hang around.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

In part it was my frustration over the swim--which is still nagging at me a bit as I get ready for my next race in two weeks; and my still limited experience on the bike.

Event comments:

This seemed to me to be an average race; although, I am still very new at this with little to compare it to. The organizers/volunteers seemed a little disorganized at times, but overall the race seemed to go on with little problems. I appreciated having chocolate milk at the end.




Last updated: 2012-07-26 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:38:09 | 1640 yards | 02m 19s / 100yards
Age Group: 16/19
Overall: 88/109
Performance: Bad
Suit: No wet suit
Course:
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current:
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Bad
Breathing: Bad Drafting:
Waves: Navigation: Bad
Rounding: Bad
T1
Time: 01:34
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Below average
Biking
01:20:34 | 24.8 miles | 18.47 mile/hr
Age Group: 18/19
Overall: 91/109
Performance: Below average
Wind: Some with gusts
Course:
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 00:57
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Average
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
00:46:56 | 06.2 miles | 07m 34s  min/mile
Age Group: 8/19
Overall: 35/109
Performance: Good
Course:
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 2
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race? No
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 3