Tri Indy - Olympic Course - Triathlon


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Indianapolis, Indiana
United States
Tuxedo Brothers
75F / 24C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 16m 2s
Overall Rank = 26/413
Age Group = 45-49
Age Group Rank = 4/39
Pre-race routine:

Slept in a tent! (fitful sleep). Got up at what my body said was 3:45am. (I crossed a timezone that I didn't realize I was going to be crossing).

Took my time hanging out around the campground eating and drinking and changing in to race clothes. The temp was 59 degrees so it was chilly.
Left and followed Dirk to the race site and arrived in the neighborhood of 6:20ish for a 7:30 start.

Had already picked up packets so set up in transition next to Dirk. Got everything set up there. Then got body marked. Then went to the car for my wetsuit. Realized I needed to visit the portajon so waited in a long line while Dirk and Lisa and Evan headed up to the start.
After finishing my business I got to head up to the swim start which doubled as my warmup.
Event warmup:

I had my goggles, cap and wetsuit in my hands as I jogged along the canal to the start. 1500 meters.
Before arriving I noticed swimmers coming down! But I wasn't worried too much because in this race they are not Nazis about numeric order. I knew I could start when I wanted to. But I figured that I was going to miss Dirk's start!
Once I got there I checked in my training shoes, socks and shirt to be brought back to the finish for me.
Then I pulled on my sleeveless wetsuit which went on REALLY easy! I had never used this wetsuit before. Never even tried it on. It was $40 on ebay a couple of years ago.
I thought it was a great chance to use it because the water temp allowed for it, but it wasn't cold enough to need a full suit...and getting out would be easier. (not normally a consideration, but the bike was racked only about 50 feet from the water exit and I was sure to be spending time getting the suit off after arriving at the bike)
Once the suit was on I was able to step in to line near the start so there was no getting UN-warmed up this time!!!!

Swim
  • 29m 10s
  • 1500 meters
  • 01m 56s / 100 meters
Comments:

I felt good during this swim. Never got gassed or uncomfortable. I thought I was moving well too...but wasn't.
I never found someone to draft off of, I always seemed to be catching slower swimmers and never noticed faster ones overtaking me.
At the end, over the last 100 meters I was stuck behind a clump of people that were across most of the canal and going super slow. Never had a way to get around or through them without being a jack ass. So I had to keep stopping, standing up to look for a path, swimming a few more strokes before colliding with feet, rinse, repeat...
Had to basically get in back of the line and exit the swim steps that way too....
What would you do differently?:

Swim for 5 hours a day for 10 years so I can be average!
Transition 1
  • 01m 13s
Comments:

As I got out of the water I couldn't feel my hands. They go numb whenever I swim 800+ meters continuously. So I struggled to find the Velcro and cord on my back...while doing so I walked because it wouldn't have been possible if I'd been running.
Once I found it and got it unzipped it was fast.
As I approached the rack I saw Dirk's bike gone which is what I expected because I thought he'd started before me.
There was a woman there near me who couldn't get her suit off of her feet. She asked how to get it off and I said to step on it and pull! She tried to no avail. So I took the time to grab her suit and her leg and pulled it off for her!

put on my helmet, grabbed the bike and ran out with the bike. After the slow wetsuit maneuver (down to waist) my T1 was really good.
What would you do differently?:

Figure out a solution to the numb hands!
Bike
  • 1h 00m 57s
  • 40 kms
  • 40.00 km/hr
Comments:

Wasn't sure how to pace. Not only was the ride 40k, but the run was 10k. I'm used to painfully hard efforts from sprints and wasn't sure how to pace this. I opted for something comfortable, because that's a relative term and what feels comfortable in a race is often harder than we think. I would say I paced it well off of perceived exertion.

Some of the road sections were dreadfully poorly paved and actually hazardous.
Another hazard was the large number of other racers on the course. There were sprint athletes and duathletes on the course at the same time and I had to contend with them.

I didn't have any water on the bike...really didn't take fluids during the race and it worked out fine...perhaps only because it was so cool!

I kept expecting to come upon Dirk on the bike. I wasn't sure what color his race outfit was but I knew I'd recognize that blue Boston Marathon tattoo on his calf....but alas, never saw him!

But since I was thinking he had already started when I went, I thought that I could still beat him even if I never caught him....Oh, was I wrong!
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Transition 2
  • 01m 5s
Comments:

Shoes didn't go on during first attempt...had trouble balancing on 1 foot...always the case. But it wasn't really too bad. I just took my time, calmed myself and waited a moment to find my balance.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Run
  • 43m 35s
  • 10 kms
  • 04m 22s  min/km
Comments:

I had no concept of pace, but the run pace felt pretty brisk and I never needed to slow (as I perceived it). I remained comfortable aerobically and never found myself breathing too heavily. It was nice to be racing somewhere below threshold for a change!!!

The pain in my heels didn't really factor in thankfully!

I did do damage to a toe though! Ouch.

I enjoyed passing tons and tons of people on the run! I got passed by about 5 people during the run. One of them was obviously at the front of the race and was on his 2nd lap while I was on my 1st lap. The others were just faster runners than me and passed me gradually...they could have been duathletes or sprint distance racers too, I couldn't tell.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Post race
Warm down:

Nada! Just walked around. The stiffness in my heels set in immediately....well, not stiffness, agony.
My hip flexors were also very painful.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

? bad swimming!

Nothing else really...if I had pushed the bike harder the run would have suffered...Might have been able to run a little faster if I had been sufficiently motivated...such as if Dirk were right there and we were fighting over the last mile... But it would have really hurt..as it is I was able to finish the race and stand upright!!! That's a nice change! Maybe longer races are my thing!
How about keeping these paces for a HIM? I think I will try!!

Event comments:

The weather was amazing and can't be planned for! The rest of the race was good. I liked the location, the canal, the flat course!!!

Needs pavement fixed.
Needs a couple of changes to the way they manage the bike course



Profile Album


Last updated: 2013-08-05 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:29:10 | 1500 meters | 01m 56s / 100meters
Age Group: 0/39
Overall: 116/413
Performance: Below average
Suit: Sleeveless Rocket Science
Course: Canal had a handful of wide, 90 degree turns...nothing like rounding a buoy. It was about 4 feet deep throughout. There was a bridge that narrowed the canal down significantly at one point creating a bottleneck. Otherwise it was quite wide.
Start type: Dive Plus: Time Trial
Water temp: 75F / 24C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Average
Breathing: Good Drafting: Bad
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding:
T1
Time: 01:13
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
01:00:57 | 40 kms | 40.00 km/hr
Age Group: 0/39
Overall: 7/413
Performance: Good
None. Wish I had some!!!
Wind: Little
Course: Mostly flat. At no point did I see less than 22 mph on my speedometer. The entire race was done in the big ring with only 3 rear cogs used. There were 2 places we crossed railroad tracks and both of them are just as we are entering a turn...and we aren't going across the tracks perpendicular to them. However, the situation was made worse by the way they managed those areas on the course! I may write to the race director to mention what I think they did wrong.
Road: Rough Dry Cadence: ?
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills:
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks:
T2
Time: 01:05
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
00:43:35 | 10 kms | 04m 22s  min/km
Age Group: 0/39
Overall: 44/413
Performance: Good
Wish I had splits!!!
Course: The run course is flat and a large portion of it is shaded. It was a nice run course...there were a few spots on the route that are narrow and only wide enough for 2 side-by-side at a time. These spots created congestion points for passing, but I can't claim that it ever affected my run time.
Keeping cool Good Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4