Liberty Triathlon - Half Ironman - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Independance, Minnesota
United States
Cadence Multisports
60F / 16C
Overcast
Total Time = 5h 15m 40s
Overall Rank = 30/136
Age Group = M30-34
Age Group Rank = 7/23
Pre-race routine:

Got a little lost on the way there due to road construction, but I got straightened out. After arriving, I pulled my stuff together, topped off the air in my tires and as I pulled off the pump head, I tore the stem right out of the tube. Flat. In the parking lot. Bummer. Replaced the tube and decided I'd rather flat in the parking lot than at mile 45!
Event warmup:

Short run at the site, followed by about 10 minutes on the bike. Then, I mostly walked around to keep the blood flowing and did some stretching.
Swim
  • 27m 14s
  • 2112 yards
  • 01m 17s / 100 yards
Comments:

What a great swim. I got to the front of the group at the start so I could get into the clear. Swam with a group of 4 for the first 600 meters or so, and noticed I was only with 1 other guy. We rounded a bouy pretty tight and brushed each other a couple of times, but I was able to swiim away from him without exerting too much energy. I was feeling pretty good - first wave out and I'm in 1st place! - until a REALLY fast guy from the second (3:00) wave passed me with about 150 meters left to shore. Bummer. But I still felt great.
What would you do differently?:

Probably nothing. I felt great, didn't push too hard, and navigated really well. I was right on all the bouys.
Transition 1
  • 01m 46s
Comments:

I haven't practiced getting the shoes on while riding much, so it wasn't all that smooth. Also almost forgot my race number for the bike. This was the first race I've done where the run number had to be displayed on the bike, too. dropped a bottle out of the X-Lab when I swung my leg over the seat. Oops. Had to roll back a few feet to pick it up and get on my way.
What would you do differently?:

Run a little harder out of T1 with my bike.
Bike
  • 2h 24m 45s
  • 56 miles
  • 23.21 mile/hr
Comments:

Felt very comfortable on the bike. Almost missed the second turn on the course due to small signage and not having ridden or driven the course previously. I tried to gain some speed on the way out because the wind was at my back, and I knew the wind was going to kill my average on the way back in. I tried to conserve some energy for the run. Took in 2 large bottles of Gatorade Endurance, one small bottle of Heed (yuck!) and a 20 oz bottle of water along with 4 packets of Carb Boom (yum!).
What would you do differently?:

Probably not much besides get more familiar with the course and figure out where I could pick up more speed.
Transition 2
  • 01m 34s
Comments:

Rack was at far end of transition area, so not a really fast transition.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Run
  • 2h 02m 23s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 09m 20s  min/mile
Comments:

There are a lot of fast runners out there. I'm not one of them. My goal was to finish the run in about 2 hrs, so I'm pretty happy with 2:02. My quads were cramping badly at the first aid station, so a cup of heed (yuck!) along with a banana and some pretzels were in order. I was on the edge of cramping most of the run, despite having to pee for much of it, too. It looks like using endurolytes is in my future.
What would you do differently?:

Get faster so I get passed less! Take in some endurolytes or other electrolyte supplement on the bike and the run.
Post race
Warm down:

Walked around for 20 minutes or so, followed by some light stretching. I iced my feet and knees when I got home. Joints felt great, and muscle soreness was about what I expected.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Overall running ability.

Event comments:

I enjoyed the race. Better signage out on the bike course would be helpful, and more course guidance on portions of the run where the course is not obvious would be helpful, but it was good overall.




Last updated: 2006-06-12 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:27:14 | 2112 yards | 01m 17s / 100yards
Age Group: 1/23
Overall: 6/136
Performance: Good
Suit: QR Ultra John
Course: 1 loop rectangle - return into the chop from the breeze.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 70F / 21C Current: Medium
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting:
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 01:46
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Yes
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
02:24:45 | 56 miles | 23.21 mile/hr
Age Group: 4/23
Overall: 13/136
Performance:
Wind: Strong with gusts
Course: Nice course - county roads with wide, fairly clean, smooth shoulders. Corners need to be swept better - volunteers could have been instructed to bring straight brooms to get rid of the piles of gravel. Windy when headed back into transition.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 90
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:34
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
02:02:23 | 13.1 miles | 09m 20s  min/mile
Age Group: 10/23
Overall: 72/136
Performance: Average
Course: Mostly paved paths in a county park
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
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: Below average
Race evaluation [1-5] 3