Kokopelli Triathlon - Olympic Course - TriathlonOlympic


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St. George, Utah
United States
BBSC Endurance Sports
80F / 27C
Sunny
Total Time = 3h 35m 5s
Overall Rank = 235/243
Age Group = M45-59
Age Group Rank = 10/10
Pre-race routine:

Did not do anything special pre-race, which was probably a mistake. I should have paid more attention to nutrition. The only unique thing I did was have a protein bar 1 hr pre-race.
Event warmup:

Got to transition very early and took my time setting things up. Felt very relaxed. Did very little actual warmup. Got in water 5 minutes before my wave and was ready to go when the gun sounded.
Swim
  • 50m 14s
  • 1640 yards
  • 03m 04s / 100 yards
Comments:

"Never try anything new on race day." That would include a wetsuit, right? I was fully aware I was violating this precept. Water temp was 77 so it certainly wasn't needed but it was allowed and I thought the bouyancy advantage would help. And it did at the beginning when I was doing freestyle.

I started at the back of the pack and kept a nice slow and efficient pace. The first quarter mile or so went according to plan and as the pack drifted away from me and there were fewer people to run into, things were looking good. I kept up a good pattern of swimming and sighting and was nearing the halfway point when the faster women's wave, that started about 5 minutes behind me, caught up with me. Splashing, bumping, overswimming me... I breathed in some water and almost choked. For a few seconds I couldn't breathe and had the rescue boat been closer I might have called for help. In the few seconds it took to find the boat 50 meters away I had managed to catch a breath and tread water and realize I wasn't going to drown.

Unfortunately, the swim went downhill after that. I never felt I could get enough air after that, and the wetsuit felt constricting. I went from freestyle to a lot of backstroke (which I couldn't do and navigate very well) or sidestroke (which went fine but was very tiring on the legs, especially with the wetsuit.) Three times on the return trip I stopped to catch my breath holding onto a kayak. Once I thought seriously about quitting but the volunteer was very encouraging and I resolved to keep pressing. Only because the current was helping push me toward shore did I feel a bit of confidence.

I developed a serious calf cramp about 100m from shore and had I been further out at that point I would have probably quit. As it was I half-dragged myself in and limped up to transition, relieved that the worst part was over and knowing at this point that I would finish... not fast, but I would finish.
What would you do differently?:

Need more open water practice for swimming/sighting. Need more experience in my wetsuit. Need goggles that don't fog up, or a better method of clearing them mid-swim.
Transition 1
  • 04m 20s
Comments:

I've never cared about transition times and I didn't here. My calf was still cramping and I walked at a measured pace to try to stretch it out and methodically got my bike gear on. I still felt I couldn't get a deep breath and new the bike part would be tough, so I rested as much as I could and tried to mentally prepare myself for the rest of the race.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Bike
  • 1h 25m 36s
  • 20.5 miles
  • 14.37 mile/hr
Comments:

Knowing the hill was upcoming, I paced myself really conservatively for the first 3 miles. I was still fighting the leg cramp and lack of ability to take deep breaths, which helped keep me slow but didn't help when I finally got to the hill and tried to climb it. I made it about halfway before my calf started cramping up and I decided to dismount and push the bike for a few minutes. Once my calf relaxed I remounted and finished the hill and then slogged through the rest of the ride. I focused on keeping a good cadence and shifting, which I did well. Unfortunately I didn't realize how badly the wind was impacting me until I hit the turnaround and realized it had been in my face the whole time and I could probably have gone a bit faster in aero position.

My goal was to maintain >14mph pace and I succeeded in that goal, partly helped by getting 38mph on that killer hill, going down it this time.
What would you do differently?:

Spend more time in aero position to fight the wind.
Transition 2
  • 03m 15s
Comments:

Nearly fell off my bike at the dismount line by unclipping the wrong foot. Whoops! Other than that I took my time to get the proper gear on, hydrate, GU, and even take a potty break before getting back on the run course.
What would you do differently?:

Unclip the RIGHT foot at the dismount line!
Run
  • 1h 11m 42s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 11m 33s  min/mile
Comments:

Most of the race (and even pre-race) I had been dreading the run. 10K is my least favorite training and racing distance. However, by the time I got there, and knowing I could finish walking if I *had* to, I was comfortably confident. Fortunately, while I was way untertrained for the swim, and probably adequately trained for the bike, I had done running races the last two weekends and actually felt the best on the run leg, maintaining a nice easy pace. I had finally gotten my breathing back and the calf pain was enough to ignore. I took nice breaks every mile at the water stations, pouring water on my head and drinking gatorade at each one. Coming back the last 5K felt great and I was able to cross the finish line with a smile on my face.
What would you do differently?:

Not much!
Post race
Warm down:

Had to get back to hotel in time to shower and check out and get on the road for a 2 hour drive so I didn't do much warm down other than biking to my car.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Swim. Training and sighting skills.

Event comments:

Excellent course, great staffing and volunteer support. Encouraging volunteers and other runners. Only "complaint" was the rough surface on the road in parts, but I heard they'll be repaving it over the next year so it might be better in the future.




Last updated: 2012-09-17 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:50:14 | 1640 yards | 03m 04s / 100yards
Age Group: 10/10
Overall: 230/243
Performance: Bad
Suit: Neosport Sleeveless
Course: Open water counterclockwise loop around bouys in Sand Hollow reservoir. Current was heading toward shore so the out leg took more time/energy than the return leg.
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 77F / 25C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Bad
Breathing: Below average Drafting:
Waves: Bad Navigation: Bad
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 04:20
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
01:25:36 | 20.5 miles | 14.37 mile/hr
Age Group: 10/10
Overall: 227/243
Performance: Average
Wind:
Course: Out and back on paved (but rough) roads. Killer 1+ mile at 8% grade at about mile 3.5.
Road: Rough Dry Cadence: 80
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks:
T2
Time: 03:15
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
01:11:42 | 06.21 miles | 11m 33s  min/mile
Age Group: 10/10
Overall: 227/243
Performance: Good
Course: Out and back on the same road as the bike course. Of course by the time I was running, most of the bikes were finished! Water stations every mile.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
Good race?
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