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 Swim
Comments: At the horn I MOSEY to the water (alot of peole in the way) and once I clear the chute I sprint along the inner edge to GO! Im in the muck. Im trying to push hard but at the same time trying to avoid the laundrymat. I figue the first buoy is 200 or so and Im jamming my way there. No shoulder burn and once I clear the buoy things get smooth. The crowd thins and now Im mostly drafting. I start catching other caps and I feel good. Then I zone out. I do a breast stroke thinking I missed a buoy and Im actually swimming the Half course-nope green caps everywhere, Im just "off", Im feeling that the course is long and can't see the swim exit. Down to the last set of turn buoys I sight the finish and Im back on. Its real thin-wide open- and I start jamming again. I swim till I touch and begin the run out. Its REAL ROCKY, then REAL MUDDY, and then a long way up the carpet to the concrete. Since I forgot my watch I have no idea what my swim time is. Looking last night I felt pain in BOTTOM of my vienna sausage foot and found that I gashed it at some point. Today my left foot is JACKED-SWOLLEN, sore, itching like crazy, and the botttom is cut and hurting. What would you do differently?: Get in sooner, like I did last year. Be more up front, like I usually am. Be more focused. Dont forget watch.  Transition 1
Comments: Run to transition was fine. Once I get my "balance" in the mud I remove goggles and cap. Neat trick I learned was to leave goggles and cap in sleeve as you pull those off-worked great (2nd time). Got to my spot and the guy next to me has his helmet and shoes in front of MY bike/area. ugh. I guess I should have been faster out of the water. Well I stand there and get my suit of bag it and get my helmet on and get moving. I know I got his shoes wet and knocked his stuff a bit-but he was in MY transition. The T1 time of 2:15 I think is pretty respectable considering the long distance and bagging. What would you do differently?: Get the suit off faster.  Bike
Comments: Quick mount. Passed about 5 people right away. Got going on the 5 mile climb. I settled down here and didnt want to bust it right away. Chugged for the 5 and then got moving. I got my feet in at about mile 1 and 2. No rush all climb. Seems the cold water did well for the vienna sausage and I figured the wet foot in the cold air would be good too. I caught alot of people. Nice thing about starting behind so many waves. Course only got "congested" after the merge (later). Got passed in total by--a relay guy, 2 pros, and 2 40-46 year olds. At one point the course splits OLY one way and HALF the other. Course hets real thin now with people. But with about 8 miles to go we merge. This is where the pros start to be a factor-they're finishing the half course-impressive. I did well the first 5 miles, kept a good push during the middle but started to zone around the merge. Seeing pros refocused me on the fact that we were almost done. Then theres the fun. 2 pros pass me with an unknown. The unknown then drops his speed hard and Im forced to re-pass. I cant get the pro in front of me since we start a hill and I hear the faint sound of an engine-off my left shoulder is an official. Who rides the whole hill and then some with me. Its like a cop following you I swear. I keep my distance off the pro and notice the pro is getting screweed too. Hes got a guy blocking him on the outside. Finally the official passes me and goes about his business. I catch the pro and pass him. I figure why not he should be tired right, lol. If I've got it, why not. Me and the pro leapfrog each other till he finally gets me as we're going into transition. Seeing all my problems with cramping in the past I only drank half my water bottle and splash/rinsed a gel pack. Only did gum from mile 13 on to the finish. What would you do differently?: Nothing I can think of. Im happy with my time and effort. Time is based off my computer seeing as 1-I didnt have my watch and 2-when I went back for my results they were jacked. Transition 2
Comments: Like I learned after the fact I don't have a time for my bike ( I didnt register on bike in, or run out) so this T2 time is a guestimate. 2nd raack into transition on the edge was my spot. Quick "rack", helmet off, socks on (10K), visor on, belt in hand, and strech out the back while jogging out. What would you do differently?: Nothing. Felt quick, everything went on smooth, and back loosened quickly.  Run
Comments: I DIDN'T CRAMP!!!! Finally! I pushed the bike and barely drank, splashed 2 cups of water onto my face during the run and DIDN'T CRAMP-on a very technical course-YAY! Ok so the first mile out was up down around up and down. Can't really feel my legs at this point anyway so just go and try to get set for the run. We loop back and cut throuhg a few parking lots to a slalom of trails-out left and what looks like back in on the other side. We pass the field that sepeartes the course from transition and finish and go out with an expected back in portion too.The turnaround was at mile 3.4 with a mat checkpoint-which did work for me! Which explains why I have a 2.8 mile split, but no finish. After the turnaround its technical course running with hills back to the field back to the hill near T2 up, down, turn turn FINISH. I pushed about as hard as I could, my legs we just spent! No bleeding from what I can see on the vienna. What would you do differently?: Try to run faster its al you can do. No cramping, no pacing all push, and cool raceday. If you take my bike computer time, estimated T2 time and subtract those from my recorded swim, T1, and 2.8 split I could also estimate my 3.4 mile split. Sub 7 average-not my best-I'll take it! Post race
Warm down: Sit-Im spent. I get a towel, tshirt, chip off, and another wet towel. Take the bottle of water congradulate my friend finishing and grab a muscle milk. Walk through the expo and go look at immediate results. I came wanting to A) not cramp B) take home hardware. Am I going home now or waiting for awards ceremony? As I look I have a total time of 2:07:00-but Im in 6th? Odd. I look at me specifically and I still on the course or so the computer thinks. I go to information and they lead me to the caverns of the tech truck. I spend the next hour with a tech, we learn the my chip didnt register at certain mats, I wasnt announced at the finish, I wasnt checked at the finish, and my only hope of proof is from the video. While searching the video I go and get a bite to eat, meet alot of other people who got chip screwed, and get cold and wet from the light drizzle that is happening. An hour later I find out they found me on the tape, apologize for the mishaps and correct my times-giving me a 3rd A/G finish! Stayed and got my bike and gear bags out of T2, without any problems-great organizing. Loaded the car and changed. Went back for award. Pro winner male-bad speech. I'll save detailed comments for PM's and other forums.Then drove home. What limited your ability to perform faster: Back of the pack swim start. Loss of mental focus. Cramping in the back of my mind. Crappy OLY season. Event comments: Funny how in the pic on the site and the awards are hot air balloon inspired-there we not any hot air balloons. Last year they were grounded due to wind-this year they didnt even show. Only miscommunication was closing Transition times, and stem sticker. GREAT race GREAT volunteers GREAT staff GREAT awards GREAT course markings-billboards and ground tape. (even with course changes the week of the race) GREAT SWAG Last updated: 2012-10-15 12:00 AM
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United States
REVOLUTION3 Triathlon
60F / 16C
Overcast
Overall Rank = 14/183
Age Group = M 35-39
Age Group Rank = 3/26
LOL-What a clusterfugh! The "plan" was to split a hotel with a racing friend. He bailed a week out-with no reservations. The "plan" also included leaving the wife and kid at home seeing as it was her birthday weekend. Got the hotel all to myself now-ugh. So I made last minute reservations at LaQuinta (dead center between T1 and T2). Arrived in town and went to the Civic center for registration-no problems! Went to T1 for Bike dropoff-Last year we werent allowed to park in the park, this year we were-YAY! Biek check-in, no problem albiet they asked for my stem sicker and I didnt have it on-I DID have the seat post sticker on-they didnt tell me in registration. No problem bring it in the morning. Water was down 14 feet making a LONG run from waters edge to transition. I was 3 "racks" from bike out, so a long run IN transition too, whatever.Drove to hotel for check in, and went to room-oh yay a smoking room, no others available.
Little Casears pizza for dinner, water, and a pop tart(gingerbread). Laid everything out 3 times (including my newly purchased water bottle!since I forgot mine at home) and crashed early.
Got up early-I dont race till 850 so I figured (BASED ON SCHEDULE PROVIDED) I had plenty of time. Wake at 6 out by 7, 5 minute drive to T2-set up 5-10 minutes, shuttle to T1, 15 mintues in T2 and be ready early with bathroom time. Wake-check, breakfast-check, out by 7-check, drive-check, T2 set-up-check, bathroom-check...oops forgot socks, becuase im still wearing them. SO I walked back into T2 and took off socks and placed in running shoes. Now the walk to the shuttle is all concrete, and the walk to T1 and the swim is a long concrete nature walk so I didnt want to go barefoot. So I put my barefoot feet back in my casual shoes (were provided with morning clothes bag so I could just put them in there) and proceed to walk to the shuttle to T1/swim. I sit and feel something irritating my left foot on the top. Using my right foot I just scratch at it. Apparently shuttles dont take direct routes b/c we took a good 10 minutes to get to t1/swim. And by now my foot is itching like crazy and feels kinda swollen. I get off the shuttle and walk about 50 feet and get to a curb where I take off my shoe and see a dot-bite/sting mark and my second toe resembles a vienna sausage--GREAT!!! Last year I injured my back 2 days before the race and this year...I...well..now this!
I'll continue the story here seeing as now my heart rate is elevated and Im kinda panicking. I walk down to T1/swim and as Im going in the lady at the gate says "good morning, just to let you know please hurry you have 3 minutes."---WHAT-3 minutes!!! I NICELY say "um...I dont race for almost 2 hours and the schedule says transition doesnt close till later" She says I know things have changed from last year were closing transition so the pros and half athletes have a clear transition. OMG!!! So I bust it into transition-get my shoes banded in, water bottle on, helmet on seat, swim to bike bag on aerobars (since its a T1-T2 race they provide you with a bag for swim stuff-wetsuit goggles etc. Once your done with the swim you put all your stuff in a bag and they deliver it later at T2) my gum, gel, and I grab my glide, wetsuit, goggles, and cap and am pretty much kicked out of T1. Now I have to go find a spot nearby to get into my wetsuit. The initial spot I picked wasn't the best. As I'm about to sit down I notice a mass swarm of ants--ummm thanks apparently Ive already been bitten earlier--new spot please. So I go and find another spot. Wetsuit on--gliding and CRAP!!!! I forgot my watch in T2-ugh!!!, so much for no problems. Except my cap in my kit-I had to fish that out. I then stand in the sand digging my vienna sausage into the cold sand in hopes that I can cool it and reduce the swelling while talking to a few people as the other waves start. I decide to get in a light warm-up just to feel the water and get the suit fitted. The water is actually colder than I thought-goo thing I got in-for about 2 minutes-green caps time to go! I make my way to the start and since I decided to get in Im now at the back of the pack, great.