Esprit de She Tri Tempe - International Course - Triathlon


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Tempe, Arizona
United States
Lifetime Fitness
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 44m 9s
Overall Rank = 13/141
Age Group = 40-44
Age Group Rank = 2/25
Pre-race routine:

My husband was at a MS150 Charity ride all weekend, so my kids stayed overnight at my parents house. Quiet in the house. Unfortunately the day before consisted of crazy running around and kids activities. So my pre-race meal consisted of a large buttered popcorn at the movies, and a banana with some Sunbutter before going to bed. Got to bed around 9:30 and slept pretty well.
Woke up at 4am, quickly gathered my things, ate half a Bonk Breaker bar, part of a Rise Almond Honey bar. Grabbed my thermos of coffee and out the door at 4:45am.
Event warmup:

Got to transition, set up my things rather quickly, couple trips to the portos, chatting with friends. Quick talk with my coach, then the battle to get my wetsuit on. I swam 2 nights before without my wetsuit, but was glad to have it on for this race.
Went to stand in line with all my age group...waiting, waiting, waiting. We were supposed to leave at 6:33 but I think it was closer to 7am when my wave finally went off.
Swim
  • 34m 19s
  • 1500 meters
  • 02m 17s / 100 meters
Comments:

I had my goggles on perfectly at the start, then within 5 minutes, they got kicked off and I was never able to get them completely sealed again. I seem to ALWAYS have goggle issues. Ugh! So I was able to sight and see through the right side while the left side kept filling with water. Once I got it kind of under control, I just did the best I could and kept plugging away.
What would you do differently?:

put my goggle strap underneath my swim cap. I usually do, not sure why I didn't do that this race. Maybe buy a swim mask...so tired of having goggle issues!
Transition 1
  • 01m 30s
Comments:

The wetsuit strippers had a hard time getting the wetsuit sleeve off my Garmin, but thank goodness for them anyway! I've been trying to keep things simple to make my transitions quick. Seems to be working!
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Bike
  • 1h 14m 42s
  • 38.9 kms
  • 31.24 km/hr
Comments:

I love the bike and it's where I'm the strongest and most comfortable. Over the last 4 months I've been searching for a new bike saddle and the one I used this race was ok. I think I had it a bit too far forward, but it still was fine. I felt strong the entire ride. Tough part of this race is the first lap involves ALL the duathletes, super sprinters and sprinters which makes for a lot of congestion in a very small area. I'm all for people of all abilities doing races, but wish they would understand that if they are slower they MUST stay to the right. Was constantly saying "on your left" to get around people that were all over the place. The hills were super fun going down and going up was a nice change of pace! The second loop was much less crowded and I could really find a good pace and rhythm.
Ate 1/2 a bonk breaker and drank my amino acid mix and water from both my bottles.
What would you do differently?:

Push a little harder and adjust my seat.
Transition 2
  • 01m
Comments:

Nice and quick transition.
What would you do differently?:

nothing. just move quicker
Run
  • 52m 38s
  • 10 kms
  • 05m 16s  min/km
Comments:

I wanted to really push this run to see what I could accomplish. My coach wanted me in Z3 for the first 2 miles, then bump it to Z4 for the final 4. This was my first race using my 910xt and it was nice to have HR data...I didn't look at my pace at all, just kept with the HR. Had to stop once to use the bathroom (every race this happens - guess I drink enough on the bike). I probably pushed up into higher Z4 towards the end but I was feeling great. It hurt, it hurt a lot and was much harder than what I am normally used to working at during races, but it was a test to see what I could do. A couple times I heard people behind me but I didn't let them pass. Drank a few gulps of water at every aid station and poured the rest over my head. Quickly walked up one of the inclines but the rest I just slowed down a bit. Kept my HR where it should be and really pushed the last mile. Finished strong and happy to hear my coach cheering! So happy to be done!
What would you do differently?:

I think I put it all out there that day. With the sun, the heat and what I had in me, I think I had a good run for the training I had been doing, and with a Olympic race just a couple weeks prior.
Post race
Warm down:

Walked around a bit, got some oranges and drank lots of water. Stretched and got a quick stretch from the PT tent. Waited for 3 of my friends to finish. I checked results and thought I was 4th AG. But we hung around for the awards ceremony and during my AG awards, I saw a girl that I know I passed getting called for 3rd in my AG. Then they called my name - WHAT???? I got 2nd AG and was SHOCKED! I ran up, stood on the podium and received a nice necklace and gift certif to the PT clinic. Still can't believe it. After all these years of racing, I finally got on the podium and it felt fantastic!

What limited your ability to perform faster:

the heat and possibly nutrition from the day before

Event comments:

This is a great race, especially for beginners. I said that I wouldn't do this race next year but now that I did well, I may change my mind. The bike course is so congested with people not knowing what they were doing and I wondered if they even had ridden their bike before the event. But I will always support anyone that wants to get healthy and try a race! The run course was better this year with many portos on the run. Last year there was a porto potty at the transition exit and THAT WAS IT!! So it was nice to see more of them out there!


Profile Album


Last updated: 2015-05-05 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:34:19 | 1500 meters | 02m 17s / 100meters
Age Group: 7/25
Overall: 44/141
Performance: Average
Suit: Blue Seventy Fusion full sleeve
Course: Counter clockwise rectangle rotation - same course as usual for Tempe Town Lake
Start type: Deep Water Plus:
Water temp: 75F / 24C Current: Low
200M Perf. Bad Remainder: Average
Breathing: Good Drafting: Below average
Waves: Average Navigation: Average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 01:30
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
01:14:42 | 38.9 kms | 31.24 km/hr
Age Group: 2/25
Overall: 9/141
Performance: Good
Tried to keep my HR in Z3 per my coach.
Wind: Some
Course: 2 loop course with a few hills
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 90
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:00
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:52:38 | 10 kms | 05m 16s  min/km
Age Group: 2/25
Overall: 13/141
Performance: Good
Course: 2 loops with 3 minor inclines on the back half of each loop.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? No
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 3