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Comments: The first wave was all long course 39 and under males. The wave itself was probably 30 people, so fairly small. I lined up in the 3rd row and center, which may have been a mistake, as the first 200 meters was spent getting outside and around the slower swimmers in front of me. I spotted Pete to my right, and thought I was probably in a decent spot relative to the competition. The first lap seemed to be going well, although I was stuck in no-man's land in terms of drafting. Not fast enough to catch the group of "speedsuits", but didn't feel like slowing down to draft off of anyone else. After rounding the first out buoy, I started feeling a bit fatigued, and was quickly passed by Pete and another swimmer. I made an effort to stay on the feet of Pete and the other guy the entire second lap, but was probably 4-5 body lengths away the entire way. I was definitely working a bit harder than I intended, and could feel my legs dragging the entire way back from the turn around. All in all, I was happy with the time, but thought this was an average swim. But still my fastest 1500m to date, even without the wetsuit. What would you do differently?: Push a little harder to get some drafting, work on swimming straight with bilateral breathing (I was pulling hard to the Right which made sighting occur more often).  Transition 1
Comments: 1st AG, 2nd (tie) OA Hey this was fast! Had the shoes pre-clipped and definitely saved some time not having to remove a wetsuit or speed suit. Just find bike, but helmet on, and take off. My flying mount went okay, but getting into my shoes was a bitch. They both got stuck on the tabs, which led to a rough 1st lap split on the bike. What would you do differently?: Nothing, other than still work on slipping feet into shoes faster.  Bike
Comments: After getting immediately passed by Pete and another rider, I tried to find my legs and get into a groove, while keeping them close. That didn't happen, I just couldn't find any power. Pete was out of sight after the 1st half lap, and I was struggling to keep up a decent cadence. I noticed my HR was crazy low despite my perceived effort, so I started taking in some serious calories. Eventually this helped, but I think I overdid it a bit with the gatorade and water. I also took a gel around 30 minutes, and definitely felt some sloshing around... After 3 laps, I was ready to be off the bike. My legs were killing me. Actually my ass, but not the seat contacts. Maybe my hamstrings? I've never had fatigue related pain there from riding, so I'm attributing that to all the sitting I had done this weekend on planes and shuttles. Eventually, I started feeling a bit better and eventually caught Pete RIGHT before T2, but only because he slowed down for me... What would you do differently?: Not sure, typically I am better with my race week prep, but this just wasn't possible with this week. Again, I was content with any results. Plus, I can't be too sad about the 23.1mph split for 4 laps, as I averaged 20.2 last year doing only 2... Transition 2
Comments: 1st AG, 2nd OA Holy, this was fast. Again, leaving the shoes on the bike may be a risk, but it does save some time! What would you do differently?: Nothing. I can't believe it was this fast!  Run
Comments: This run started out the same as last weekend at Jackson County, with Pete leading the way and me trying to stay with him. That lasted about half a mile, and I settled into something more manageable. I was hoping to start around a 7:15 pace and just see how I felt. I quickly learned that this run would be tough, as the heat and humidity quickly started taking its toll. My pace began to drop, even though my HR and RPE went up. I tried to hang on and push myself to catch a few people, which I was able to. But I just didn't have it. My pace began to slow down with each mile, and I was eventually in damage control mode by mile 4. I was on the verge of cramping big time the last mile, and had a really hard time dealing with the sun and heat. The last aid station saved my spirits as the volunteers threw water all over me. I think this was the only thing that prevented me from walking. What would you do differently?: hydrate more leading up to the race, drop some weight, but all in all (again), I'm content with the time and average pace. Post race
Warm down: jumped in the lake. I was insanely hot. Probably even more than SMP tris in the past. What limited your ability to perform faster: A shitty race week with travel stress and boozing with friends at a wedding. Event comments: Firs off, the volunteers and planners did a fantastic job with this race. Everything seemed organized and went off without a hitch. I also appreciated an aid station every mile on the run. It seriously saved me. My only criticism deals with the bike course itself. 4 loops on that course was BORING, almost like riding the trainer. Some shifting, turns and bends, but never was out of the saddle and probably stayed in the same 3-4 gears the entire race. Just a bit mind-numbing. But that is just me and I do understand that's the same case with looped courses. I'd consider the short course again for sure. Last updated: 2013-05-22 12:00 AM
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United States
Midwest Meltdown Triathlon
80F / 27C
Sunny
Overall Rank = 12/73
Age Group = M25-29
Age Group Rank = 2/3
The week leading up to this race after Jackson County had been fairly hectic and void of anything that resembled a typical race week. I think I may have gotten a single swim, bike, and run before the race.
I left for San Diego Friday (up at 3:45am for my 6:00am flight), attended a wedding and drank QUITE a bit and danced my ass off, and was in bed by 2:00am PST (4:00am CST). Long day. Slept for 6 hours, walked and toured a bit of San Diego's Gaslamp district, and flew back home Saturday night, getting home around 11:30pm.
And up at 5:00am for the race....
Needless to say, I was beat. I didn't really have a solid meal the day before, and my body just didn't seem ready to haul ass. Regardless, I made up my mind to just have fun and push myself to the limits I had on the day and be content with that.
Left for Paola around 5:35, arrived at 6:10 and picked a good transition spot near bike and run exit. The race itself was small by any standards, but I don't think it took anything from the race itself.
Took the bike for a 5 minute spin to make sure the wheelcover I taped on for Jackson County was still adhering. I then headed down for a 5 minute swim warmup and got out for the "race instructions", which I appreciated but felt a bit belittled by the RD. But whatever. We then got back in the water and waited 10 minutes before our heat started, which was the first of the day to go.