St. Louis 5150 Triathlon - Sprint Course - Triathlon


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Innsbrook, Missouri
United States
Ultramax Sports
84F / 29C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 41m
Overall Rank = 119/259
Age Group = M4549
Age Group Rank = 8/16
Pre-race routine:

Stayed in Warrenton, MO the night before with my wife while the kids stayed with Grandma & Grandpa in St. Louis. They would bring the boys to the race the next morning.

Ate dinner in Warrenton at Brewskies and had the Avacado Pasta w/ Chicken and a beer. In bed by 9:30 and as expected had a restless night sleep. The alarm went off at 4:30.

For breakfast I had Greek Yogurt w/ blueberries, chopped walnuts and honey and a cup of coffee. We loaded up the car and were at the race site by 5:40. I wanted to get their early since parking was going to be a nightmare if you showed up late. Ended up being about 50-yards from the Transition area. The weather was glorious - temps in the upper 60's, no wind and very little humidity. Not bad given the fact that just the week before temps were n the upper 90"s with high humidity.

Given this was going to be my first Tri, it was shaping up to almost be too good to be true.

Made my way to transition and again was rewarded for being early. Only three bikes on the rack for my section and no one claimed the end spot - SCORE! Once set-up, I headed back to the car to meet-up with my wife who was in the back of hatch with her coffee and newspaper enjoying the sunrise. I ate half a Honey Stinger Waffle drank some water and we headed over to the finish line area to check out some of the vendors. After that we headed to the beach to watch all the waves take off. My wave, M4549 Sprint, was the second to last group to go off so that just prolonged my nervousness even more as I watched wave after wave take off. Men's and Women's Pro were coming out of the water right before my wave was called to the staging area.

As I walked onto the beach I really focused on my breathing and getting my HR back in check. I positioned myself towards the back right of the pack and prepared myself for what I saw as the most terrifying part of the day :-) And then the gun went off...

Event warmup:

Light stretching and and arm windmills
Swim
  • 10m 21s
  • 500 meters
  • 02m 04s / 100 meters
Comments:

When I got out of the water and looked at my watch and saw 10-mins I was stoked. I felt going into the race I would be between 10 & 12 mins, but not having raced in open water I really thought swimming in a wave would slow me down. After the first buoy I settled into my rhythm of sighting every 6 strokes. I felt I navigated very well and manged to pass several racers along the way.
What would you do differently?:

At this point I think I would position myself closer to front of the wave and push myself a little harder in the middle section of the swim.
Transition 1
  • 01m 30s
Comments:

With bike on the end of the rack it was easy to find and no major mishaps.
What would you do differently?:

I may start training without socks to see how that goes as most of my time was spent putting them on.
Bike
  • 57m 26s
  • 16 miles
  • 16.57 mile/hr
Comments:

With no benchmark to go on I was hoping to Avg 18-MPH for the course. I came in at 16.7. The course was great - good scenery a mix of rollers, flats, climbs and fast descents. I felt I managed my effort appropriately. At times I thought I was pushing to hard and would pay for it on the run, but in the end this was not the case.
What would you do differently?:

Not sure I would do anything different at this point. Training in the future will definitely include more hill work and interval work.
Transition 2
  • 01m 24s
Comments:

Dismount and run to rack went well. Back was fairly tight after ride and really slowed me down when it came time to bend over to loosen and remove bike shoes and then put on running shoes.
What would you do differently?:

Perhaps loosen straps while still on bike and may consider swithching to a Tri specific shoe so that there is only one strap to manage.
Run
  • 30m 21s
  • 3.2 miles
  • 09m 32s  min/mile
Comments:

I definitely underestimated how hilly the course would be but feel I managed it well in the moment. It was a beautiful course in the trees and by the lake.
What would you do differently?:

Based on my HR I could have pushed it a little harder on the run. Need to definitely try to pre-run future courses to eliminate any surprises
Post race
Warm down:

Hydrate with water and Endurox R4, followed by a good stretch.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

They say you should never try anything new on Race Day. Well what I thought was a no brainer bit me in the ass. This was the first time using the Multi Sport function on my Garmin 910. Needless to say, it wasn't doing what I expected and I couldn't get the proper screens to show me my information so I was flying blind on the bike and run. Oh did I mention that my sensor on my bike must have gotten bumped in transport as my bike computer didn't give me a read-out either. So with that said, had I known the mileage on the bike I think I could have managed that effort better and had I known where my HR was on the run I could have pushed it a bit there as well.

Event comments:

I will definitely do this race again. The venue was great with a beautiful setting. I was half expecting a Finisher Medal as I had seen these at other races but can't complain about the nice etched Pint glass for my celebration beer.




Last updated: 2013-06-30 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:10:21 | 500 meters | 02m 04s / 100meters
Age Group: 7/16
Overall: 16/259
Performance: Good
Suit: Tri Shorts & Top
Course: Rectangle with short segments from shore to bouys with an nice long straight section for the in between.
Start type: Wade Plus:
Water temp: 84F / 29C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Average Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 01:30
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
00:57:26 | 16 miles | 16.57 mile/hr
Age Group: 9/16
Overall: 16/259
Performance: Average
Avg. HR 135 bpm (Z-3.3) Max. HR 147 bpm (Z-3.9)
Wind: Some with gusts
Course: This was a great course. A big factor in this is the fact that 90 % of roads had been resurfaced recently and were as smooth as they get for the most part. The section of the course coming in and out of Innsbrook Resort were windy with short & steep hills. The main challenge here was managing the speed bumps - which really didn't turn out to be that big of a deal. The main portion of the course was on State HWYs and the first 2/3 of the course were long rollers, which allowed for good speeds on the descent and good moment for the uphill portions. The course was fairly congested in spots with numerous times where bikes were three across in the lane. If you needed to pass in these situations you needed to move into the oncoming lane. This required you to pay close attention since there was car traffic in that lane. The final 2/3 of the course for me was the most challenging. Having mapped out the course on Garmin Connect I knew from the profile that there were at least 3 descent climbs before the finish with the biggest one two miles from the finish before re-entering the Resort. This last hill climbed 131-ft in 6/10 of a mile. I knew I had to manage this hill correctly if I hoped to have a good start to the run. Once at the top of the hill I turned in the resort and knew the transition was 2 short miles ahead. I gave the legs a rest for this last stretch and prepared for the run.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 85
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Average Hills: Below average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:24
Overall: Below average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Below average
Running
00:30:21 | 03.2 miles | 09m 32s  min/mile
Age Group: 11/16
Overall: 16/259
Performance: Average
Average HR 142 bpm (Z - 2.8) Max HR 162 bpm (Z - 5.1)
Course: This was an out and back course. There was a short section in/out of the transition/finish line that was a lot like a Cross Country course mainly on grass winding up and down off cambered hills. Definitely needed to pay attention to footing here. After this section the course was followed by long climbs followed by long descents. Thankfully the climbs were in shaddy sections as it started to warm up and I was just now starting to feel the effects of the heat. It was really hard to get into a rhythm with no real flat sections to speak of. On each of the hills I had to walk small sections. It was at that point I resolved to myself that I wouldn't meet my goal of a sub 10:00 min pace. And then after a short climb the Finish Line was in sight. It was going to happen, I'm going to complete my first triathlon, BUT not until I first pass another person in my age group :-) Now I know why they put your age on your calf. In the end I was really pleased to see that I officially came in at a 9:48 pace! SO I guess I took good advantage of the descents. Crossing the finish line finally brought me full circle from photographing the KC 5150 a year ago to stepping out from behind the camera and completing my first triathlon.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
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: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4