5430 Long Course Triathlon - TriathlonLong Course


View Member's Race Log View other race reports
Boulder, Colorado
United States
5430 Sports Corp.
88F / 31C
Sunny
Total Time = 5h 12m 47s
Overall Rank = 226/884
Age Group = M45-49
Age Group Rank = 14/63
Pre-race routine:

Alarm went off at 4am. Ate Special K, banana, yogurt, and a bagel on the drive up to Boulder. Set up in transition and went back to car to lube my chamois (I guess that's a nice way to put it). Think that may have startled a passer-by. Girl doing the body marking said, "No Way!" when I told her that the age number should be "46" and that I probably needed to get bigger calves for such high numbers. Saw friends in transition, which is always nice.
Event warmup:

Really just wandered aimlessly to the water and swam about 50 yards.
Swim
  • 38m 49s
  • 1931 meters
  • 02m 01s / 100 meters
Comments:

Managed to swim a little faster than last year, for some reason. Had a guy whack me pretty hard, and enjoyed a kick to the face, but otherwise pretty much went without incident. Just took the swim easy, conserving energy for the rest of the day.
What would you do differently?:

I need a swim lesson or something in order to get much faster at this.
Transition 1
  • 01m 48s
Comments:

I've simplified transitions greatly, reducing the amount of crap I'm carrying on the bike. Just blasted in there, put on the shoes and helmet, and headed out. Pretty fast, really. Felt great.

24th in age group.
281 overall (includes relays).
What would you do differently?:

I don't think much more time's coming off this transition, really.
Bike
  • 2h 38m 37s
  • 56 miles
  • 21.18 mile/hr
Comments:

That was a great little ride. Just wanted to average over 20mph, and squeaked over 21. Followed the Ricci plan to great success (easy on the climbs... fast on the downhills and flats). Cateye says top speed was 45.9, which is pretty cool.
What would you do differently?:

I think I should have just stopped and quit the race at the aid station that was populated with a half-dozen stunning college coeds in bikinis. I mean, how can 1000 idiots just fly by that thing at 20mph as if this silly race is a higher priority? What the hell was I thinking?
Transition 2
  • 01m 30s
Comments:

This was another fast transition. I thought about blowing off the socks on the run, but I was very glad to have stopped to put them on. I think I was much more comfortable. This was another great transition.
What would you do differently?:

Again, there's not much here I can do to improve other than try not to rip my race number (again) when I turn it around on the race belt. It just doesn't provide adequate pecker coverage (in the D3 silly shark suit) when it's torn.

7th in age group.
252 overall (includes relays).
Run
  • 1h 52m 2s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 08m 33s  min/mile
Comments:

Really felt great on this run, and pleased to make it in 8:33's. Coming out of transition from the bike I was just on fire. No problems at all, and kept my race pace throughout. Followed the Ricci 5/5/5 plan here and it worked amazingly well. Basically, it's just an acceleration project that allowed me to catch a bunch of guys in my age group between miles 8 and the finish. Brilliant!
What would you do differently?:

Well, at one point I wanted to take some electrolytes but I didn't have any water because I was just past an aid station. So, I sucked some moisture out of the sponge they handed me and... HOLY MACKEREL! I think they soak the sponges in a urinal before they hand them out. Ick!

Also, at mile 10 I felt like I had to pee. I had a great race going and I've heard of this technique, so I just pissed all over myself while running. I didn't know that I could do that (unless maybe I was being chased by the cops). It was just ridiculous and nasty. I'd probably do it again if I had to, but it really wasn't very pleasant.
Post race
Warm down:

Pretty whipped across the line, and sort of staggered down to the res, where I ran into all sorts of very nice D3 and BT racers. Julia and Ryan really just have to be about the nicest people in Colorado. Others were equally kind. These really are fantastic individuals.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

I think that if I had aero bars it might help get the bike speed up. A swim lesson might be smart. Otherwise, that's about as fast as this old jalopy's going to go.

Event comments:

Managed to beat last year's time by 30 minutes! That's amazing, and it's all because of Mike Ricci and D3 coaching. There's no way I'm improving like that without their support and guidance.

Really a well-run, wonderful, race. Barry's just the king, and this has to be one of the best Half-Ironman events in the country.

Two weeks to go before Ironman Kentucky!




Last updated: 2007-01-01 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:38:49 | 1931 meters | 02m 01s / 100meters
Age Group: 30/63
Overall: 465/884
Performance: Good
Suit: Ironman
Course: Just went straight into the sun past four buoys, and after being thoroughly blinded, turned left for a wee bit, then left again and back into shore.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 74F / 23C Current: Medium
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Good
Waves: Good Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 01:48
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
02:38:37 | 56 miles | 21.18 mile/hr
Age Group: 20/63
Overall: 301/884
Performance: Good
Wind: None
Course: Long, mild clime out of reservoir and up to highway, before very fast descent back down to the diagonal and around back to the reservoir... then doing the loop all over again!
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:30
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
01:52:02 | 13.1 miles | 08m 33s  min/mile
Age Group: 12/63
Overall: 219/884
Performance: Good
Course: Wait until it's blistering hot, then head out on a treeless trail run on a very hot dirt road that meanders around the reservoir, adding several steep hills just for grins.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %2
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
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] 5