The Great White North Triathlon - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Stony Plain, Alberta
Canada
Sunny
Total Time = 5h 41m 51s
Overall Rank = 287/622+
Age Group = F4049
Age Group Rank = 13/71
Pre-race routine:

Saturday: little swim, little bike (once the bike issues were fixed), marked and packed everything, dropped off bike at T1, prepped water bottles and gel flasks, chilled out

Sunday: woke up 4:00 a.m. Ate breakfast. Showered. Double-checked everything and packed up. Dropped car off at T2 and went with Grant, Shannon, Wes, Joyce and Max to the start. Decked the bike with the bottles, food, bike computer, etc. Wandered off with Shannon, Jen, and Joyce to the "secret bathroom" (this one even had running water). Ate a banana, drank more gatorade, got on the wetsuit, went back to the beach.
Event warmup:

Was originally thinking of going for a little bike ride, but the transition area and road leading in was far too crowded, so I didn't. Just checked the bike over - made sure the gearing was good to get up the hill, and whispered sweet nothings into the shifters... or whatever. :)

A little bit of a swim in the lake to get water in the suit and get acclimatized.
Swim
  • 37m 5s
  • 2000 meters
  • 01m 51s / 100 meters
Comments:

Started with Shannon, Joyce, Dana, Jen. We let the real crazies start and took a few deep breaths before going in.

Some people complained that they were pummeled and bothered during the race. I really had no issues in that regard - maybe the swim at Pike Lake had me well prepared for this! There was some congestion at the buoys, of course, and at the first buoy on the first lap, someone kicked my goggles, so they started to leak a little, but I fixed it and all was fine.

I followed in people's bubbles for much of the swim. I was amazed at how smooth and strong I was feeling. My arms were a little tired for the second lap, but I just kept repeating "I am smooth and strong", and it helped.
What would you do differently?:

Not much. I was very pleased with my swim. Maybe a little better sighting on the second loop.
Transition 1
  • 01m 55s
Comments:

Had the help of a wetsuit stripper - very nice, no fighting with the suit!

Didn't bother with putting on extra sunscreen - maybe I should have. :)

Had some issues clipping in, but otherwise okay.
What would you do differently?:

Invest in some spray-on sunscreen.
Bike
  • 2h 43m 52s
  • 90 kms
  • 32.95 km/hr
Comments:

Felt super strong for the most part. When I was feeling blah and sluggish, I knew I was needing food. I was taking on nutrition every 15 minutes, plus sipping gatorade the whole way. I sucked on my gel flask, but towards the end, I couldn't get the last bit out. Probably need to have two flasks, not just one for this distance.

There was a very big and unfortunate pothole at the bottom of the big hill going across the river. I hit it at 65 km/h. Yikes! It knocked my bike computer sensor loose, so I stopped to fix it. I also lost the two water bottles in my seat cage. Fortunately, that was the worst I suffered. Another couple of people hit it and fell off their bikes and got injured! I was pretty rattled for a little bit, but I did finally settle down.

I was in the lead for my age group after the bike!
What would you do differently?:

Watch out for potholes? It should have been marked!
Transition 2
  • 01m 22s
Comments:

There was a traffic jam at the dismount line. Somebody stopped super suddenly in front of me, and someone crashed behind me, but I got through okay. A nice volunteer helped me find my spot and get my run bag open. No problems switching shoes, etc. Legs were stiff and did not want to run, so I walked my way out of transition.
What would you do differently?:

Must remember to stretch out on the last portion of the bike before entering transition.
Run
  • 2h 17m 38s
  • 21.1 kms
  • 06m 31s  min/km
Comments:

Ouch - that was a tough run. As per my pre-race plan, I put it all on the bike, and my legs reminded me of that every step of the way. All the people I passed on the bike seemed to zip by me on the run.

I kept thinking I was behind my pace from last year, so I kept trying to get the pace a bit faster. I did manage a slight negative split on the run - a first for me.

Walked through the aid stations, but otherwise kept running. Tried to "draft" off a couple people that were a similar pace to me, especially when running against the wind. (Thanks Greg and Ester!) Not sure if it made a difference - maybe psychological.

"Sprinted" to the finish, but I had nothing left. Yup, I paced myself about right.
What would you do differently?:

More training runs leading up to the race?
Post race
Warm down:

Lots to drink plus fruit as provided. Walked a little, stood in the shade and stretched while I waited for Max. Got my bike out of transition and back to the car. Back at the hotel, had a quick cold bath for the legs. (I couldn't bring myself to do a full ice bath!)

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Running! Need to run faster!

Event comments:

I love this race! Thanks to Wade and all.




Last updated: 2006-09-20 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:37:05 | 2000 meters | 01m 51s / 100meters
Age Group: 8/71
Overall: 184/622+
Performance: Good
Avg 151
Suit:
Course: Two triangular loops in Hubble Lake. Apparently the first buoy was drifting on the first lap, but I didn't notice.
Start type: Run Plus:
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current:
200M Perf. Remainder:
Breathing: Drafting:
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 01:55
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
02:43:52 | 90 kms | 32.95 km/hr
Age Group: 1/71
Overall: 157/622+
Performance: Good
Avg 144, Max 157
Wind: Little
Course: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1103886 Some construction along the road, so some of the road was not in best of condition, but some of the road was freshly paved and smooth. A bit of a tail wind for the last stretch home. Nice! Well supported with aid stations about every 10 km. They had Gatorade, water, bananas. I had no problems picking up nutrition along the way.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Average Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:22
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
02:17:38 | 21.1 kms | 06m 31s  min/km
Age Group: 42/71
Overall: 446/622+
Performance: Below average
out lap: 1:09:28, Avg 147, Max 154 back lap: 1:08:10, Avg 152, Max 165
Course: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1104462 Relatively flat course. Part of it reminds me of the path along the river in Saskatoon. Lots of spectators all the way to cheer everyone on and offer encouragement. Aid stations about every 2 km - maybe closer. They had Gatorade, water, oranges, cookies, and coke.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
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: Good
Race evaluation [1-5]