Life Time Tri Chicago - Olympic Course - Triathlon


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Chicago, Illinois
United States
Life Time Fitness
90F / 32C
Sunny
Total Time = 3h 20m 27s
Overall Rank = 1650/2611
Age Group = 55 - 59
Age Group Rank = 53/76
Pre-race routine:

Last meal at 3 pm the day before race. Woke up at 2:20am, ate a piece of bread with white cheese plus small coffee, and drove to Chicago. Secured place in transition area between 4:30 and 5:15am. I had to wait up to 8:40am for my swim wave to start.
Event warmup:

Light jogging and stretching for 15 min. No swim warmup available.
Swim
  • 46m 13s
  • 1640 yards
  • 02m 49s / 100 yards
Comments:

Waves started every four minutes in groups of 100 - 150 people. I positioned myself in the back of my group close to buoys line. Plenty of room for swimming, but still some of the fastest guys swam over me. There was some banging and kicking involved from later waves participants, as I am still slow swimmer. Comfortable temperature and calm water.
What would you do differently?:

Definitely sign up for fall or/and winter swimming class to improve my technique.It seems that I am treading water more loosing a lot of energy instead of actually moving forward fast.
Transition 1
  • 02m 55s
Comments:

The transition area is huge, as about 8,000 competitors in sprint and international distances race. It was well organized, but getting in and out is not easy. Setting my second running shoes close to swim exit, helped make the long run to transition faster and more comfortable. I mapped T1 out before the race, so I knew exactly the location of my bike and where to go.
What would you do differently?:

Run faster out to bike exit.
Bike
  • 1h 21m 42s
  • 24.85 miles
  • 18.33 mile/hr
Comments:

I did not ride as planned in a steady pace. There were some over 22 per mile intervals as well as less than 14 per mile. I am pretty satisfied with the time - one of my best, but in the end of the ride I felt somewhat tired experiencing minor cramps in the left calf.
What would you do differently?:

Practice and find the best gear combination to make a ride with less efforts.
Transition 2
  • 02m 40s
Comments:

I struggled a little with my race number belt not locking in place.
What would you do differently?:

Lock the belt in front of me and then rotate the number to the front instead of trying to do it on the back. Place the belt with number while running.
Run
  • 1h 06m 54s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 10m 38s  min/mile
Comments:

This was a disaster for me. The heat and overall exhaustion from previous two events slowed me down considerably. In the first half of the distance I only walked near water stations, but towards the end I had to walk more. I just wonder why the organizers anticipating such a weather and experience from past races, did not schedule international race early in the morning before sprint distance?
What would you do differently?:

Take it easy on the bike to conserve energy for run in a hot day.
Post race
Warm down:

Rest a while, walked down the post race party, drink water and Gatorade, ate some food, walked again back to transition, rode a bike to parking area.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Hot weather.

Event comments:

Good race, well organized but overcrowded. Not a good idea to schedule international distance before sprint, especially anticipating hot weather conditions during the day.I think that limiting the number of participants in order to complete the event around 9 to 10am as well as scheduling sprint on different day would be more rational.




Last updated: 2013-04-11 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:46:13 | 1640 yards | 02m 49s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/76
Overall: 0/2611
Performance: Average
Avg 147, Max 157
Suit: No
Course: Along the shore of Chicago Yacht Club Harbor. Well marked with red buoys on the left side. Entrance to the water and exit from the stairs. Volunteers help to get out. Lots of spectators on the lake shore. Majority of run to transition area (about 2 minutes - 450 yards) counts toward swim time. Timing mat was rolled out just before entrance to transition. Carpeted path.
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 70F / 21C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Good
Waves: Average Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:55
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
01:21:42 | 24.85 miles | 18.33 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/76
Overall: 0/2611
Performance: Good
Avg 144, Max 154
Wind: Some
Course: Along Lake Shore Drive with two turn around. Moderately challenging with some hilly ride intervals. Too many bikers did not obey the rules and were riding how they liked it - left, right, and in the middle. It was not easy to make a pass safely. In general, the course was a little overcrowded as sprint and international competitors were riding together.
Road: Smooth  Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Average Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 02:40
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
01:06:54 | 06.21 miles | 10m 38s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/76
Overall: 0/2611
Performance: Bad
Avg 144, Max 163
Course: Along lake shore path. The run was between 11am and noon with a temperature about 90F, sunny, very little wind, and high humidity. These conditions screw over the time for most of participants.There were plenty of water stations, but the heat was enormous. Good support from volunteers and spectators. Well marked course with moderate hills.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %3.5
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
Good race? Ok
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] 4