Island Lake Triathlon, Spring - Olympic Course - Triathlon


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Brighton, Michigan
United States
Element Events
40?F / 0C
Sunny
Total Time = 3h 09m 46s
Overall Rank = 135/
Age Group = 30-34
Age Group Rank = 4/
Pre-race routine:

Laid out everything according to sport. Double checked that I had enough gel and that water bottles were filled. Stuffed everything into multiple bags. Had some spaghetti with salmon for lunch and leftovers for dinner. Butterflies galore, so had some trouble falling asleep.
Event warmup:

Woke up about a 1/2 hour before my alarm went off. Quick breakfast and took forever to pack the car. Got to the race site 15 earlier than planned, but it worked out well for parking, etc. Didn't do much of a warm-up this time related to the cold weather and not wanting to stand in cold sweat while waiting for the race to start. Walking around kept me warm while the race was delayed 15 min because of the fog.

Note: bring cruddy sandals next time.
Swim
  • 30m 59s
  • 1500 meters
  • 02m 04s / 100 meters
Comments:

I probably started out a little too strong for the first 200m. Around 200 or 300m mark, a girl kept on hitting me on the left side. Finally, I stopped swimming, treaded water as she continued to lean right and then swam on and passed her on her left.

When exiting the water, my foot just happened to find a random spot in the lake were there was a dip in the sand. Plop! I fell right down as I was trying to take off the top half of the wetsuit. Oops.

Time was 30:59. Approx 4 min faster than last fall! :D
What would you do differently?:

I hung back, like I usually do for the start of the swim. However, I was really passing people for the first 50m. I should probably start more towards the front line now, I guess.
Transition 1
  • 04m 25s
Comments:

Because of the aforementioned cold weather, I had originally planned to wear super thin socks in my bike shoes. However, upon stripping off the wetsuit, it didn't feel too particularly cold - probably r/t adrenaline or something. I don't feel like I had too much of an issue getting the wetsuit off - it was more that because it was my first time with a wetsuit I didn't have the transition to bike stuff down. In other words, I guess maybe I should have had my tri shorts on under the wetsuit? 'Cause it was a pistol to put those on! Also the compression sock were really hard to get on, too. Ended up going with just a t-shirt, which the drag on the bike was annoying, but the extra warmth was good.
What would you do differently?:

Put my race belt on my bike or something! I didn't realize until I was down the row and was looking at athletes ahead of my that I forgot my race belt. I had the clothing layered in order of putting them on and the race belt was under a jacket that I thought I was going to wear. Had to double back to get it. :(
Bike
  • 1h 32m 28s
  • 24.8 miles
  • 16.08 mile/hr
Comments:

Did my best to actually go all out on the bike portion. The course loops twice and on the second loop I lost my water bottle! :( Thanks be to God that no one hit it as it was rolling down a hill. It ended up crossing over to the other side of the road and landing in the gravel. Not sure how much time I lost picking it up.
What would you do differently?:

No matter how out of it/tired I am, I'm gunna make sure that water bottle is back in place before letting go!
Transition 2
  • 01m 31s
Comments:

Took my time with T2, which, in retrospect, I'm not too happy with. But, since it was the first tri of the season, I think I was being overly cautious. Changed into running shoes quickly and wasted a few extra seconds just to make sure that I had everything before leaving for the run.
What would you do differently?:

Could have been waaay more fluid. Next time, just dump everything into my hat and sort it out as I'm running out of transition.
Run
  • 1h 00m 26s
  • 6.2 miles
  • 09m 41s  min/mile
Comments:

I really like the run course - except for the grass parts. Lol. Around mile 3, I passed a girl who was cheering me on like I was heading for the finish line (there was a sprint being held at the same time), but I told her I still had one lap to go - to which she responded "Me, too!". Since the loop was a sort-of lollipop shape, I was able to exchange more words of encouragement with her went I passed the turn around and saw her as I was heading back on the "stick part of the lollipop".

Started to die before I saw her around mile 3 actually. When I was heading around the same spot on the second loop, I saw a guy way ahead of me who was going at a pace that I felt I could pass (with one mile to go). Ended up catching up to him just past the sharp downhill. I kinda slowed my pace a little bit to entice him to finish strong with me. But, for the last 300 I really busted it out. The guy stayed with me and I just barely edged him out (by like a half a second or just a second) at the end).
What would you do differently?:

Just plain work on running more. Nutrition was fine for the run and I'm happy that I had energy to finish strong at the end. Got tired around one point that probably messed up my average ppm, but overall I'm really happy with the run.
Post race
Warm down:

STRETCHED. Lol. Felt very good. Chatted with a fellow racer who was watching over someone's dog (very cute! I think it was a maltese??). Snacked on a bit of post-race food and waited around for my results to be posted.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

First time with a wetsuit in T1.
Forgot my race belt in T1 and had to double back.
Lost my water bottle on the bike course.
Took my time in T2.

Event comments:

A check at the results showed that I was 4th in my AG ... out of 4 people. :( Apparently I was 2nd in my AG for the swim.... aaaand it went downhill from there. :P





Last updated: 2013-05-26 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:30:59 | 1500 meters | 02m 04s / 100meters
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance: Good
Suit:
Course: I feel like every tri I've done so far was an out and back. This one was shaped almost like a square for the first last, but then an upside-down triangle for the second lap.
Start type: Plus:
Water temp: 66F / 19C Current:
200M Perf. Remainder:
Breathing: Drafting:
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 04:25
Performance: Bad
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
01:32:28 | 24.8 miles | 16.08 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance:
Wind:
Course:
Road:   Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks:
T2
Time: 01:31
Overall:
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
01:00:26 | 06.2 miles | 09m 41s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance:
Course:
Keeping cool Drinking
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?
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks?
Post race activities:
Race evaluation [1-5] 5