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 Swim
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
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
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
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
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
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United States
Iowa Games
88F / 31C
Sunny
Overall Rank = /
Age Group = Athena
Age Group Rank = 3/17
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.
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.