Iowa Games Triathlon - Triathlon


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Des Moines, Iowa
United States
Iowa Games
88F / 31C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 30m 50s
Overall Rank = /
Age Group = Athena
Age Group Rank = 3/17
Pre-race routine:

We woke up early and headed out. I was going to meet a friend who would also ride with us so we were out the door at 3:45 AM to make the 100 mile drive. Upon arrival in Des Moines we stopped at a gas station for food and so I could change into my tri suit. This afforded me the comfort of a clean well lit bathroom instead of squeezing in a Portta Potty. We arrived just as transition open up. I got my race packet and headed into transition.

Now this is where my advanced planning came into play. I wanted to get their early simply so I could have a quick and easy set up. Without the benefit of assigned spots it was first come first serve. Having been to triathlons where I arrived late I can still remember the near panic of almost not finding a spot. Bad way to start a race.

So early bird was the name of the game. I chose a spot that had my bike right on the outside by the inner aisle so I could clearly see my bike and gear. After a quick set up that was to my satisfaction my friend, son, and I relaxed at the play area.

Another friend who was also competing in this race was texting me saying that he was on his way. Now it is important to know that he had asked me what time he should leave since we live about 5 miles apart. So arriving late should not be on the schedule.

I ate my typical race breakfast of a Peanut Butter Cliff Bar and a 12 oz bottle of V8. Then I went to work on sipping a bottle of water with my ZYM dissolved in it. Friend text me saying he couldn’t find where he was supposed to go, helped him as much as possible. Got my timing chip and body marked. All very relaxed and taking in the race day sights and sounds. Friend finally get here and has a heck of a time finding a good spot. From there we lost track of each other.

Event warmup:

Got in the water for a quick warm up swim and headed back to the play area for a good stretch. Listened to the pre-race briefing and noticed how often the director was stressing the importance of one loop on the swim, three loops on the bike, and two loops for the run. With that covered and out of the way I was in line with the rest of my wave still doing stretches.
Swim
  • 07m 22s
  • 440 yards
  • 01m 40s / 100 yards
Comments:

I have to say that the swim went a lot better than I had expected. I was hoping for a 9 minute swim time but ended up going much faster with hardly any effort. I was able to stay in my group and kept up if not got slightly ahead.
About half way through I noticed that I was in a box of swimmers. I had one on each side and at least one in front and a few in back. So I simply allowed myself to be sucked along and kept up a steady rhythm with my breaths and strokes.
We rounded the last buoy and the front two swimmers peeled off to go at a slower pace. This left the three of us all swimming side by side. It was a quick few minutes and before I knew it the swim was over and I was walking up the beach.

What would you do differently?:

Nothing! Very happy.
Transition 1
  • 01m 32s
Comments:

Got through transition with ease. My plan of having my bike at the end paid off nicely as it was easy to see my spot. I plopped down on the ground to get my socks and shoes on. Was up on my feet and had my helmet on and clipped in place. Bike off the rack and we were off at a run. We had to run down and up a shallow grassy ditch that was a bit tricky but easily handled.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Bike
  • 49m 44s
  • 15 miles
  • 18.07 mile/hr
Comments:

On the first and second time across the railroad tracks I nearly biffed it. I still don’t know how I managed to keep the bike upright. Both times I felt my rear wheel swing out and it took everything I had to get my wheels back in line. Think I aged a few years each time it happened.

The one major hill sucked just like it did two years ago. This time I was doing it on a tri bike with almost two years of hill climbing in my training background. So getting up it was not as bad as before but it still sucked. On the third time I saw one of the larger guys off is bike pushing it up the hills. I yelled a few words of encouragement to him and pressed on. I can only think of the mental effort it took him to continue on when he was not able to pedal his way up the hill.

The stick portion was short but very poorly maintained leaving it littered with small potholes and poor patch jobs. The road was rough on both the bike and rider leaving me to once again call on my bike to hold up for just a little while longer.

Suddenly it was over, I was dismounted smoothly and on my way running to transition. I had stuck to my hydration plan which I’m convinced helped me get up those hills with less effort.

What would you do differently?:

Wish I had better cornering skills. Will need to work on those.
Transition 2
  • 01m 18s
Comments:

T2 went smoothly as could be. Got my bike racked ,shoes changed, helmet off and running hat snuggly in place with little effort. I did take a few moments to get a few more hits from my water bottle because the temp was on the rise.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing, happy with the way things went
Run
  • 30m 51s
  • 3.1 miles
  • 09m 50s  min/mile
Comments:

I totally tanked the run. Try as I might I just couldn’t seem to get my legs to take those nice long flowing steps that I trained so hard to do. Instead I was taking short and choppy steps that seemed to take a ton of effort and produced hardly any gain. For everyone person I passed I was passed by two others.
At least I got to see my friend as he finished his second loop. There was a water stop at the turn around point so it was nice to get a few sips of cold water then use the rest to cool off my head, neck, and back. After huffing and puffing my way through the course I crossed the finish line feeling good. Still upset about the run, but good about everything else.

What would you do differently?:

Run better with longe and smoother strides.
Post race
Warm down:

Crossed the finish line, got my chip turned in, and accepted my bottle of cold water. That water did feel good on such a hot day. I bypassed the food; my stomach can never seem to handle food right after finishing a race. Thankfully I really was not hungry, just thirsty. Made my way back to my son and friend that came up with me. By the time I got to her transition was open and I was able to get my gear and load up. One less thing to do later when my legs where tired.

Made my way back to the results tent next to the finish line and was elated to see that I finished third in my group! This was a first for me and I was soooo excited. My friend and son waited in the shade for the awards where I picked up my first podium metal: bronze color with a white ribbon.


What limited your ability to perform faster:

Not running well.

Event comments:

All in all this is one of my favorite triathlon’s. Its small yet well organized. Most people are there to have fun and enjoy the company of others as well as obtain bragging rights to their friends. I will try to go back next year if my work schedule will allow it.




Last updated: 2013-07-16 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:07:22 | 440 yards | 01m 40s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/17
Overall: 0/
Performance: Good
Suit: no
Course: The swim course was a counter clockwise triangle marked with three large buoys. Two red one yellow. Very easy to spot in the water.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 81F / 27C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Good
Waves: Good Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 01:32
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Yes
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
00:49:44 | 15 miles | 18.07 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/17
Overall: 0/
Performance: Good
Wind: Some
Course: The bike course was a short stick followed by three loops then back to the stick to get back to transition. I knew that this course would be technical but I had forgotten how technical it would be. We crossed the railroad tracks, got up a steep almost never ending hill, around tight to moderate curves in the road, up and down rollers, and multiple sharp turns every loop.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:18
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:30:51 | 03.1 miles | 09m 50s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/17
Overall: 0/
Performance: Below average
Course: I will admit that I was not too happy about the course change this year. It was a two loop course that had us running on two dirt and grass jetties and around oak trees on each of them. So we had to make those two sharp turns on uneven ground and dodge tree roots and braches in the process. Don’t really know why it was changed from an all paved course.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
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: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4