Chicago Triathlon - Triathlon


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Chicago, Illinois
United States
76F / 24C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 44m 30s
Overall Rank = 358/2795
Age Group = M40 to 44
Age Group Rank = 45/241
Pre-race routine:

Woke up at 2:45 AM...or, I should say, got out of bed at 2:45. I didnt sleep at all. Ate an english muffin with peanut butter. I prefer a bagel and peanut butter. I drank about 20 oz of water as well and started sipping on Powerade. I was anticipating a warm day during the run, so I wanted to make sure I had electorlytes. I drove down and at a banana on the way. I was one of the first few inline to get bags checked and got the PRIME transition spot at the end of the rack! Getting up early pays off. I finished the 20 oz of Powerade about 30 minutes before the swim.
Event warmup:

None. No swim warm ups were allowed
I prefer to have a swim warm up. I perform better with a swim warm up. I had to wait about 2 1/2 hours for my wave at 8:16. I started sipping on a Cliff gel 30 minutes prior to start. I think this is good for me. Gives me a little bust for the swim.
Swim
  • 31m 38s
  • 1760 yards
  • 01m 48s / 100 yards
Comments:

Overall, this is a solid swim for me. I started in the front of the wave; I think this was the correct spot for me: not too many people passed me and didnt have to swim through many people..save the previous waves. I really didnt have to sight much at all; and this was planned. I tracked the shore line and bouys during my bilateral breathing which kept me on a good path. Again, I have a tendency to pull right with my wet-suit on. My Garmin had the course at 0.98 miles which inlcuded the 1/4 mile run to transition. NOt sure to believe my garmin on distance...been having problems lately with distance. Can anyone confirm the ACTUAL swim distance (not including the run)? I had set a goal of 34 minutes and completed in 31:38, so I was estatic. The run from swim to transition was brutle. My goggles and swim hat must have slipped out of my wetsuit during this run. I have mastered the skill of stashing the goggles and hat in my wetsuit sleeve as I take my arm out of wetsuit, but I must have not tucked them in well enough.
What would you do differently?:

Push my self a little harder and work on a better body rotation and catch. I have reviwed a lot of OWS data and have concluded I swim faster sans wetsuit. I feel this is mostly because of the restrictions of the wetsuit. The wetsuit may not fit me in the shoulders all that well. I truely feel my rotation and catch are compromised by the wetsuit. I may consider sleeveless for next year. Wish I had more time to try OWS with and without my suit to get more data.
Transition 1
  • 02m 5s
Comments:

This was a fast transition compared to age group. I had a long run from swim in to my bike, so this time is very fast considering that distance. Could have been bettter as I struggled to get my feet out of wetsuit.
What would you do differently?:

I need to practice more on removing the wetsuit and putting my glasses and bike helmet on at the same time. THis did not go verry well.
Bike
  • 1h 14m 47s
  • 25.6 miles
  • 20.69 mile/hr
Comments:

Biking continues to my week link; however, this was a solid ride for me. I averaged 20.6 MPH by my garmin...I am very happy with that. After about 8 miles, I dialed it back a bit because my HR was in high zone 4. I wanted to keep it low zone 4. Riding a cyclocross with race wheels has some disadvantages compared to the aerobikes. 95 % of the peeps who passed my where on aerobikes :(

I drank all of my 20 oz of powerade on the bike. I likely need a little more fluids on the ride. I need to try HEED or CR moving forward. Some salt tabs in the drink may have been beneficial as well.

I tried a Cliff gell during the bike at about mile 16. I have difficulty getting these down. I was also sick of all of the sugar from the Powerade.
What would you do differently?:

Try different liquids during training. Try differrent gels.

My superman jump on to the bike worked well; save my trisuit (near the money maker) getting caught on the seat. This has never happend before..trisuit is getting wore out and likely too big for me now :) Should tri-suits last longer than 8 races?
Transition 2
  • 01m 48s
Comments:

This was a very fast transition compared to my age group. After getting to the race early and getting the PRIME spot on the rack, some asshat sets up his bike on the outside of the rack (bike leaning on the end post). USAT needs to DQ these ass hats!

Had a cliff gell in my shoe for the run.
What would you do differently?:

Not much!
Run
  • 54m 9s
  • 6.2 miles
  • 08m 51s  min/mile
Comments:

A solid run. The heat and humidity; cooking myself on the bike; and lack of run volume the previous 3 weeks (ankle injury) likely compromised my run a bit. Was hoping for 52 ish. However, I was very happy...I gave it my all.
HR data was spot on for what I wanted to do.

I tried sipping on the gel during the first mile. Again, difficult time getting down even with water. At each age station, I poured one cup of water on my head; drank one cup of water; and one cup of gatorade. Unfortunately, I dont drink all that well while running so not a lot of liquids got down.
What would you do differently?:

Take in more liquids.

need to try different gels.
Post race
Warm down:

I started to get goose bumps and the chills, so I took down some gatorade and water. I didnt feel the greatest until the gatorade hit.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Run volume leading up to the race.

Event comments:

Plenty of volunteers and all were great!

The bike portion is quite congested and people didnt know the rules: ride on left and pass on right.

For my first Olympic, I am very happy with my time 2:44. I anticipated 2:50, but swam and biked faster than anticipated. I will try to improve on this time at the ITU in Chicago next year :)

Sad to see the tri-season coming to a close..only one more race :(




Last updated: 2013-07-08 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:31:38 | 1760 yards | 01m 48s / 100yards
Age Group: 49/241
Overall: 490/2795
Performance: Good
Suit: Full Wet - Suit
Course: Swam south between the shore line and buoys (about 400 yards); 180 back swiming north to the start sigthing off the buoys; and veered to the shore line for another 900 yards.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 70F / 21C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Average
Breathing: Good Drafting: Below average
Waves: Average Navigation: Average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:05
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Below average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Below average
Biking
01:14:47 | 25.6 miles | 20.69 mile/hr
Age Group: 88/241
Overall: 689/2795
Performance: Good
Average HR: 156 Max HR: 176 - at the very start of the bike.
Wind: Some with gusts
Course: Two loops along lake shore drive. What is unique about this course is that bikers ride on left and pass of right. A lot of people didnt know this, and it was congested at times. Slow riders on the right were aboundant.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 75
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:48
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:54:09 | 06.2 miles | 08m 51s  min/mile
Age Group: 52/241
Overall: 483/2795
Performance: Good
Average HR: 161 Max HR: 171
Course:
Keeping cool Good Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
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