Life Time Tri Chicago - Sprint Distance - TriathlonSprint


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Chicago, Illinois
United States
Life Time Fitness
77F / 25C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 11m 27s
Overall Rank = 2032/2272
Age Group = 25-29
Age Group Rank = 185/221
Pre-race routine:

Spotty sleep. Turkey sausage, egg and cacao shake for breakfast. Met up with the T2 training group at 3:45 AM to get body marked and parade into transition. Drank some water and munched on some Honey Stingers until it was time to line up. I went off at 6:12 so I didn't have to wait around at all.
Event warmup:

None.
Swim
  • 31m 40s
  • 820 yards
  • 03m 52s / 100 yards
Comments:

Much better than last year. Tried staying on the east side of the course but the life boats dodging in and out caused me to zig zag a lot. No problems though. Very calm water, little interference from other swimmers. Very low water level, it was really strange seeing the big algae blooms at the bottom.
What would you do differently?:

Stay further away from the boats, learn how to swim faster (as usual).
Transition 1
  • 04m 4s
Comments:

Sprint group has the best transition racks- right up by bike out again this year. I didn't use the potties this year so that was a solid 2 minutes off my T1 time from last year.
Bike
  • 55m 24s
  • 13.67 miles
  • 14.81 mile/hr
Comments:

Last time doing this race on my frankenstein mountain bike.
What would you do differently?:

Figure out my gears earlier on. I hardly ever ride this bike so it's gearing is kind of a mystery to me.
Transition 2
  • 02m 23s
Comments:

I don't wear bike shoes so my transitions are simple. Tight racks meant I was dodging people who were walking their bikes in. Got to my rack and someone just parked her big hoopty bike using the kickstand, not actually on the rack, so of course I ended up knocking it over while trying to rack my bike. Really had to pee but decided to hold it. Put on hat and race bib while running out.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. I rock at transitions.
Run
  • 37m 55s
  • 3.11 miles
  • 12m 11s  min/mile
Comments:

The bladder situation made me feel really bloated and sluggish but I soldiered on. I think I took two 2 minute walk breaks. This ended up being a triathlon PR run!!! And my fastest 5k this year. Totally shocked. I really didn't think I was moving this fast.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing, apparently. Not sure if a potty break would have relieved the "pressure" enough to make the run any faster relative to the time I would have lost taking the break, but I don't think it would have - I haven't run a 35 minute 5k in over a year, so this strategy worked out well.
Post race
Warm down:

Grabbed food, walked around, then got a massage in the T2 VIP tent. Magical. Spent the rest of the afternoon cheering on my teammates.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Still not a fast swimmer. Bike is too heavy. No complaints on the run other than the icky bladder feeling.

Event comments:

I might want to try the Olympic next year... But I really like that the sprint goes first and gets the best transition racks... Weather was perfect this year. I knocked 19 minutes off my time from last year- mostly off the swim, but a few minutes off T1, bike and run too. I'd like to think that was me getting better but I think it was mostly the lack of crazy waves and wind. Overall very happy with how this race turned out!




Last updated: 2012-08-09 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:31:40 | 820 yards | 03m 52s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/221
Overall: 2102/2272
Performance: Good
Above is official time which included run to T1. Actual swim time was 27 or 28 min.
Suit: Long john
Course: North along sea wall in Monroe Harbor
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 74F / 23C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting:
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding:
T1
Time: 04:04
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
00:55:24 | 13.67 miles | 14.81 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/221
Overall: 1998/2272
Performance: Good
Tried to keep HR around 160
Wind: Some
Course: Loop on north end of Lake Shore Drive. Partially closed course, rolling hills.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks:
T2
Time: 02:23
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Below average
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
00:37:55 | 03.11 miles | 12m 11s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/221
Overall: 1954/2272
Performance: Good
Course: Out and back on lakefront trail.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
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