Alaska State Triathlon Championship - TriathlonOlympic


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Wasilla, Alaska
United States
Alaska Triathlon Association
65F / 18C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 53m 11s
Overall Rank = 52/80
Age Group = M35-39
Age Group Rank = 9/12
Pre-race routine:

On Saturday, the day before the race, my buddy Steve (who lives about 6 miles from the race site) and I helped set up the transition area. Lots of fun and got to meet some good people.

The race started at 10:00a (had to warm up a little bit before the race!), so I got up about 6:30a. Ate a bagel and some cream cheese and started my pre-hydration plan. Packed everything up and set off on the long 10 minute journey to the race site. Wow, it was nice to be able to "sleep in" on race day!

Got to the race site early so I could pick up my race packet, and got a prime transition spot right next to the bike in/out.

Not much of a routine, just walking around looking at the cool bikes, shooting the breeze with some of the other triathletes, and otherwise killing time. Met Jennifer (jeubank) and Veronica (AKtri). Jennifer was doing the swim leg of a team (knee doctor ordered against doing the entire race), and Veronica was doing the complete race. Turns out they're both pretty fast!
Event warmup:

Slow jog for about a quarter mile with Veronica (AKtri) and Becky McKee (http://www.xtremelyalaska.com/), one of the race directors and a bad-@$$ triathlete.

Got my wetsuit on and swam a couple hundred yards before the race just so the cold water wouldn't shock my system.
Swim
  • 26m 35s
  • 1500 meters
  • 01m 46s / 100 meters
Comments:

Since there were only about 80 racers, it was a mass start. When the horn sounded, I just hung back and let most of the pack get in front of me. I probably started out in the back 20 or so, and worked myself over to the inside so I could make a shorter track to the first turn bouy. That lasted for a couple hundred yards until I had to work back over to the right so I would be on the race course! My sight breathing really needs work! About a third of the way into the swim, I started feeling really good and noticed that I was passing quite a few people, including Becky McKee, one of the race directors. I rounded the first triangular turn bouy pretty tight. Actually, I was swimming so fast I grabbed the anchor rope and did a skid turn. Almost. Not really, but I felt that good. Sight-breathed to mark the next intermediate bouy and noticed how far away from the transition area I was. WOW! All the other races I've done I would almost be done by now, but I felt really good so I didn't really think about it that much. The next sight breath I was inside the race course so I worked back over to the right - again. It seems like I repeated this process several times! I caught the heels of one racer to try drafting since I had never done it before. I really couldn't tell a difference. I guess that's something that you notice the difference on over several hundred yards. Actually, I was swimming faster than the person I was drafting off of, so I passed him. I looked up and just about swam into the next turn bouy. Grabbed the anchor rope and made a tight turn again and looked up at the last few hundred meters that was ahead of me. I wasn't tired, but I was really ready to get on my bike. It just gets old after awhile. It wasn't long until I was able to see the sandy bottom of Knik Lake, about 5 feet below (yeah, the lake was pretty clear). Next thing I knew I was treading water and running onto the shore. After getting to my bike, I noticed Jennifer (jeubank) had come up just behind me. I heard her say her time was 26 minutes and something,and I knew that I had just turned in the fastest swim of any race I've done. Granted, the wetsuit was a huge help and it's possible the course could have been short, but it's the highest I've ranked in the swim so far.
What would you do differently?:

Sight breathe better!

I probably should start seeding myself a little farther up front in the future. Not that I'm blazing fast, but it doesn't bother me for someone to run into me and I think I can hold my own in a crowd.
Transition 1
  • 02m 28s
Comments:

I have no idea what T1 time was since they didn't list it on the race results page, but it was fairly slow because of the wetsuit. I saved some time by not putting socks on for the bike ride, and I didn't cinch up my shoes until I was out on the road. So overall I think it was a pretty efficient transition.

There were no transition times listed on the race results. I told them my race number when I came out of the water, and I didn't see any officials taking down numbers at the bike out. I can only assume that both transition times were absorbed into the bike time. The 28 seconds on this transition is so that the bike time rounds to even minutes.
What would you do differently?:

Can't think of anything I would do differently.
Bike
  • 1h 14m
  • 24.85 miles
  • 20.15 mile/hr
Comments:

Let me start by saying "thanks" to race director Bill Fleming who let me use his Litespeed Tuscany so I wouldn't have to bring mine. I took my saddle, aero bars, and pedals, and he put them on for me on Thursday. The fit was close enough to not cause any problems, so I was satisfied.

After leaving transition, I rode on the gravelly parking lot of the Knik Bar. I was pretty uneasy about that because I was afraid I would flat before I even got started. Made the turn out of the parking lot onto the road and a pretty good grade to start the course. Powered up the hill and settled in for a nice, scenic ride. I had ridden the course on Friday, so I knew there was a time- and leg-sapping incline about mile 7, so I went pretty hard to start out with. I cruised along the course with Knik Arm (an ocean inlet off the Pacific) on my left, catching glimpses of it and the towering snow-capped peaks beyond through the tall spruce, aspen, and birch trees that framed the highway. I could see similar mountains beyond the trees on my right and it really made for an enjoyable ride. After making the first right turn, the trees lining the course turned into patches of marshy wetlands that just screamed "big moose habitat"! It was pretty hard to keep my head down and facing forward because I kept looking either side of the road for moose. Unfortunately, I didn't see any moose on this ride, but the scenery had magnetism of it's own. It was absolutely beautiful! After I passed through the marshy area, the course turned into some rolling hills. Nothing too steep, but I was slowly gaining ground on a few racers in front of me. Of course, the cycling bad-a$$es passed me like I was standing still. Passed a couple more people then I hit the slow incline at about mile 7, just before the first turn-around. It didn't sap me as much as it did on Friday, so I was able to power up and make up pretty good ground after I made the turn around and headed back downhill. It wasn't long before I hit some good downhills and got to speeds up to 38mph. That was exciting! I sure would hate to look up and see a moose standing in the middle of the road! Fortunately that didn't happen, but I did see a porcupine road-kill victim. We have armadillos, Alaska has porcupines. Before long I was riding back through the wetlands and the view up ahead was just amazing. The road seemed to go on forever into the mountains miles ahead. It looked like something you might see in a travel magazine, and I really wished I had mounted a camera on my helmet! Just breathtaking! The rest of the course was more of the same, and really spoiled me! Now I'll want to see that on all my rides. I made it back to the race site without incident or wildlife sightings, but it was the best bike leg I've ever had, period!
What would you do differently?:

Maybe take my bike. It's always a dicey situation when you don't ride your own bike in a race. Fortunately, the bike fit really well and I didn't have any problems.

I'm still learning how hard to push on the bike, so it's pretty hard to gauge how much gas I would have left in the take for the run.
Transition 2
  • 01m 10s
Comments:

I derived the T2 time of 1:10 from the video taken by Steve showing me crossing in front of the volunteers marking the dismount zone going into T2 from the bike course, then passing race officials who were writing down race numbers on the run out.
What would you do differently?:

Build up callouses on my feet so I don't have to wear socks on the run. Use Yankz shoelace tyers.
Run
  • 1h 08m 58s
  • 6.2 miles
  • 11m 07s  min/mile
Comments:

The first half of the run was on a dog sled trail and was sandy, rocky, uneven and hilly. For me, this was a difficult trail to navigate the tough spots, but it provided a mental diversion from worrying about my knees. I had not been on the trail but a couple minutes when Veronica (AKtri) came up behind me, paced me for a few seconds, exchanged pleasantries, then proceeded to kick the hell out of the run course! It wasn't long before she was out of sight. I trotted along trying to avoid the rocks and roots, and to keep my footing in the uneven, sandy terrain. Then I had an acute case of cranio-flatulitis (a sudden brain fart) and stepped on a root the wrong way and landed hard on my right side! Great! Now I'll have to worry about a broken hip! A nice lady bent down to help me up but I waved her off, told her I was okay, and sent her on her way. I don't think I've ever felt as much like an old man than at that moment! Oh well... I got up almost immediately, and began my slow trot along the trail. To add insult to "injury", I didn't even get any blood streaming down my leg or a mark to show off. There was only one really bad hill on the way out, about halfway to the turn around, and I ended up walking it. I walked a short distance at each water station, but my total walk distance amounted to only a couple hundred yards. I finally made the turn around at mile 3.1 and the run course turned to pavement. Thankfully the hardest part of the run was over, only 3.1 miles to go! The back half of the run was pretty enjoyable because I was able to take in more of the scenery than on the bike. The only bad thing was that my knees were starting to get pretty sore, and my hips and upper thighs were starting to fatigue just a little. I'll credit the fatigue to the almost non-existant run training in preparation for this race. Cardiovascularly I was doing great, and my breathing never got labored. I really wish my knees weren't in such bad shape or I would have really had a pretty good test on my hands. I finally topped the final hill before the descent into the Knik Bar parking lot and the finish line. I could see the lake and the race site, and hear the race announcer calling out the names of those who finished ahead of me. Got a little spring in my step for a few yards, until my knees spoke up and said "mmmmm, NO!" I was going downhill anyway, so it wasn't a good idea to pick up the pace. Turned into the bar parking lot and made my way over to the grassy area that was the final 100 yard stretch to the finish. Knees be damned! I had to finish strong, so I picked up the pace and flew thru the finish line. Immediately caught a breath or two, then grabbed a banana, muffin, and a bottle of water. It was done. I had just finished my first Olympic!
What would you do differently?:

Take care of my knees a little more diligently. I might not have been 100%, but I might could have been a little stronger on the run.
Post race
Warm down:

Nothing really. I grabbed a banana, some water, and a muffin that they provided at the finish line. I don't know if it was just that I had finished a long race or what, but those were some pretty dang good muffins!! I wandered over to Steve and his family and did my "post-race interview" for the video cam. Veronica walked up to chat a little bit. She had been there for about 15 minutes since she smoked me on the run.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Bad knees, and the lack of run training because of them. Dropping another 30 lbs. is going to do wonders for my knees and run time.

Event comments:

This was my first Olympic distance race, and I must say that I'm very pleased with my performance. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what I need to improve. I just need to let my knees heal, drop a few more pounds, then start kicking in some longer runs and tempo work. Pretty much just follow my gameplan before the knee injuries.

If anyone has a chance to do this race, DO IT! It had the typical Alaska laid back attitude that you don't find anywhere else, but it was very professionally run. The scenery was great, and the weather could not have been better!




Last updated: 2006-06-26 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:26:35 | 1500 meters | 01m 46s / 100meters
Age Group: 7/12
Overall: 29/80
Performance: Good
Suit: yes
Course: The 1500-meter swim will take place in Knik Lake and will consist of a single lap around a triangular course. Turns will be marked by large, triangular buoys with small, round buoys in between. Triathletes will start from the shore and will complete one lap, keeping the buoys on their left. Racers are encouraged to self seed. If you are uncomfortable with contact with other swimmers and anticipate a more relaxed pace, start towards the back of the pack - your time will not be impacted much, and you will enjoy the swim much more. I think the race director used GPS to mark the course. I superimposed a rough outline of the course on gmaps pedometer (http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=353648 - turn on the satellite view, it's pretty cool!) and it seems to be pretty close to 1500m.
Start type: Wade Plus: Shot
Water temp: 62F / 17C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Good
Waves: Good Navigation: Below average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:28
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
01:14:00 | 24.85 miles | 20.15 mile/hr
Age Group: 8/12
Overall: 38/80
Performance: Good
Ave. HR: Max. HR:
Wind: Some
Course: This 40-K bike course features gradual, rolling hills but does not include any extremely steep grades. In general, it is a flat and fast course with one long hill of moderate grade around mile 7. After transitioning on the grassy area next to the lake, athletes will turn right on to Knik Goosebay Road. Bikers will proceed to the "Y" intersection of Knik Goosebay Road and Point Mackenzie Road. Turning right, cyclists will continue to the turnaround located just before the intersection of Point Mackenzie Road and Ayrshire Road. The turnaround spot is obvious; beyond this point the road turns to gravel. Triathletes head back down Point Mackenzie Road to the intersection with Knik Goosebay Road. Athletes take a very sharp right onto Knik Goose Bay Road. After about one mile and right before the Tug Bar, athletes reach the second turnaround. From here it is a straight shot back on Knik Goose Bay Road to the Knik Bar and the transition area. I'll add that it was a very scenic course, with mountains in the background most of the course.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: ?
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Average Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:10
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Average
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
01:08:58 | 06.2 miles | 11m 07s  min/mile
Age Group: 11/12
Overall: 72/80
Performance: Below average
Course: The 10-K out-and-back running course exits the transition area and follows Knik Goose Bay Road on a dog sled trail next to the the side of the road. This is the same direction for the bike leg. After reaching the turnaround, triathletes will return via the paved road. The course is mostly flat with a few short hills of moderate grade. The finish line will be located near the transition area on the grass next to the lake.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %?
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
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: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5