Gateway Triathlon - Olympic Course - Triathlon


View Member's Race Log View other race reports
Carlyle, Illinois
United States
3 Disciplines Racing
72F / 22C
Precipitation
Total Time = 3h 32m 27s
Overall Rank = /
Age Group =
Age Group Rank = 5/5
Pre-race routine:

This is a two hour drive from home and normally we (training buddy Mary and I) would drive down the night before, but that was not to be. We decided to just leave Springfield at 4:45 a.m. of course when you know you have to get up you sleep like crap. I kept waking up every half hour or so to check the clock. Was it time to get up yet? At 3:30 I went ahead and got up even though my alarm was set for 3:45. Showered, threw on tri kit under shorts and tee, ate a bowl of oatmeal and met Mary and another friend Ginger at the County Market.
Event warmup:

No warmup really. We got there a 7. They didn't have my registration. I had transferred to this race from the East Tawas Half and somehow that got lost in communication. So I spent some time getting that straightened out. Then went back to car to get bike and stuff. We had to park a long way from transition. A bad storm was rolling through the area and race admins kept everyone up to date. They were going to delay the race until after the storm passed through, but there was a chance it would be cancelled. So we kind of hung out waiting to see what would happen. Walked down to the beach with the idea of swimming a bit but they were pulling everyone out for the pre-race address.
Swim
  • 36m 54s
  • 1500 meters
  • 02m 28s / 100 meters
Comments:

Felt really calm and relaxed. I knew there were ten buoys to this course, so just concentrated on counting them as I passed. The wind got really bad out by the turnaround and I kept getting smacked in the face with waves regardless of what side I breathed on. This was probably the most difficult swim I have done. Had a few moments of concern (I won't say panic) out there in the chop.
What would you do differently?:

Considering conditions, I felt I executed the swim ok
Transition 1
  • 05m 15s
Comments:

After that horrific swim, I knew this was not going to be a PR kind of day so I just decided to take my time and not worry about trying to beat my abysmal times from prior years. The wind was steady between 15-20 mph and I really did not want to go out there. So I just took my time, ate a gel, dried my feet, blah blah...
What would you do differently?:

Hustle a bit
Bike
  • 1h 26m
  • 23 miles
  • 16.05 mile/hr
Comments:

Tailwind going out, headwind coming back. This race is always like that.
Transition 2
  • 02m 42s
Comments:

I was assigned a rack all the way at the far end of transition, kind of waddled across transition and racked the bike. I was just tired and fried from the rough swim and fighting the bike. Ate another gel, took my time getting my running shoes on. Wondered why I even do triathlons.
What would you do differently?:

Pick it up?
Run
  • 1h 21m
  • 10 kms
  • 08m 06s  min/km
Comments:

Walked much of this.
Post race
Event comments:

3D does a great job with their races. They normally have sub sandwiches, but today for some reason they ran out of them very early. I'm slow, so I guess I understand this, but some people who ran 3:00ish said they were out of food early. Suspect that non-racers were helping themselves, which is a problem at a lot of races.




Last updated: 2015-04-14 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:36:54 | 1500 meters | 02m 28s / 100meters
Age Group: 0/5
Overall: 0/
Performance: Average
Suit: Xterra full sleeve
Course: Basically a rectangle -- swim waaaay out into the lake, then a 25 meter sprint to the turning buoy. Normally this lake is pretty shallow but the water was up and with the wind, there were some significant swells out there today
Start type: Wade Plus:
Water temp: 64F / 18C Current: Medium
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Bad
Waves: Average Navigation: Average
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 05:15
Performance: Bad
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: No
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
01:26:00 | 23 miles | 16.05 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/5
Overall: 0/
Performance: Average
Wind: Strong with gusts
Course: First half is pretty flat and very pretty. Goes around the lake and out into the country. It gets pretty rolling and there are a couple of significant hills starting at mile 7. I always question if it would be better to use a road bike on this course.
Road: Smooth Wet Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 02:42
Overall: Below average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
01:21:00 | 10 kms | 08m 06s  min/km
Age Group: 0/5
Overall: 0/
Performance: Bad
Course: Hot, open course that runs across a big open dam, up a hill and across another dam. Very little shade, two hills.
Keeping cool Below average Drinking Too much
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
Good race?
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