Onion Man Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic


View Member's Race Log View other race reports
Walla Walla, Washington
United States
Walla Wall Multisports
Overcast
Total Time = 3h 07m 12s
Overall Rank = 173/190
Age Group = Athena
Age Group Rank = 3/7
Pre-race routine:

Woke up at 4, suncreened, got a bottled coffee and drove 3 hours to the race site with racinmason. Ate a bagel with peanut butter and a banana in the car and three shot blocks, and sipped water. I slept great the night before and the nerves only hit after turning onto the road to the lake. The racks were numbered and after choosing one of the wrong ones, found my spot. Got everything set up and walked down to the water to see how cold it was - really not too bad. Hit the POPs and listened to the pre-race meeting.
Event warmup:

Wetsuited up and swam a little. The water was pretty murky and the bank was so slimy that it was hard to stand up.
Swim
  • 31m 34s
  • 1640 yards
  • 01m 55s / 100 yards
Comments:

This was a fun swim, I swam a little harder than normal and I'm a little faster this year, so I was in with people more than I have been before. I got bumped and kicked but nothing too bad. Twice I got closed out between two people and forgot that I could swim over legs. My goggles leaked and I had to stop to adjust them several times. I forgot to kick at the end but wasn't very dizzy. I got out of the water feeling pretty good about the swim.
What would you do differently?:

Swim over legs instead of stopping, find some good feet to draft. Felt like I "raced" the swim segment for the first time ever - always before I was just surviving the swim to get to the bike.
Transition 1
  • 02m 39s
Comments:

Long carpeted uphill run/walk to T1 from the water on a boat ramp. Took off top half of suit on the way up the ramp. My heels got stuck in my suit as usual. And the guy next to me had set up his stuff way out in the lane between racks where people had to walk. When I took my bike out, I realized his shoes and things were right in front of my area. The wind was really cold and I was worried about the ride. Shoes on, gloves, glasses and helmet and was ready to go. More uphill to the bike mount area.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Bike
  • 1h 26m 26s
  • 24.85 miles
  • 17.25 mile/hr
Comments:

I was going slow over the initial speedbumps until I saw a guy all aero'd out with a disk wheel go flying past without even slowing down so I tried it. Just then, one person's tire blew right behind me and I saw two other people fixing flats ahead of me, so I started being careful on the bumps again. The forecast said wind 20-30 mph and I think it was fairly accurate. The 'out' was uphill and false flats and into the wind - crosswind and headwind most of the way. What a grind. About three miles from the turnaround I ran out of steam. I was riding hard but all of a sudden my legs got kind of wimpy and I started feeling pretty discouraged. I sipped some fuel and settled in for the next three miles and felt better. Boyohboy was I glad to see the turnaround. I had wondered why all the people going the other way were smiling, but once I started downhill with the big tailwind I was smiling too! Saw racinmason really close behind me at the turnaround, but was past him before I could say hi. Expected him to pass me any minute the whole ride back. The way back was fast and felt good, but the last little bit on the lake road was harder - back uphill and into the wind and bumpy. I drank Perpetuem/HEED mix, but probably should have had more - I finished about half of my bottle intead of almost all of it as planned.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing - I rode hard and felt good. Felt like I was racing instead of just participating. The speed and effort were good for me.
Transition 2
  • 02m 4s
Comments:

Steep downhill after dismount to the T-area. Kind of iffy getting down the hill in bike shoes. Probably would have been iffy after a hard ride in any shoes. Racked bike on handlebars for first time - very easy and quick - I'll do this again. Racinmason came in just as I was putting on my shoes. Said a quick hi and ran out - more uphill.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Run
  • 1h 04m 29s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 10m 23s  min/mile
Comments:

Good hard run. Racinmason ran right behind me for the narrow part, then passed by. I could see him for the whole time but could never quite catch him! I like to run on dirt roads so that was fine, the wind kept me cool, and I drank a sip of gel/water mix every mile and drank some water at each station except the first one. It seemed like I'd been trotting along forever when I finally saw the mile 1 marker. I ran the whole way, and pushed harder than I have before. I felt like I 'left it all out on the course' for the first time. Started catching up to racinmason but couldn't quite catch him. Got 'stuck' behind a lady on the narrow part and couldn't get by (not entirely sure sure I could have passed her even if I'd had room since I was about maxed out) - and finished a couple of steps behind her and about 20 feet behind racinmason. What a fun race! Definitely felt like I raced this one - I think I pushed about as hard as I could the whole time and still finish.
What would you do differently?:

Try to pass the lady at the end. Catch my brother before the finish. :) Continue to run through the year and try to gain a little more speed. THe effort level was hard, but I would like to see a little faster time next time. Otherwise, not much.
Post race
Warm down:

Walked around a bit, should have stretched more. Got everything packed up in the car - why do I have more stuff after the race than before? Got in line for the race meal - BBQ burger and pasta salad...yum. Listened to the awards. Then hit Starbuck's and drove the 3 hours home.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

I was very happy with my performance at this race. It's early in the season and I was a bit worried about the swim since I haven't been in OW much yet, and the wind concerned me quite a bit, but this is the first time I've 'raced' a whole race. It was a lot of fun.

Event comments:

This is a fun early-season race. The course is challenging but definitely doable. The money raised goes to cancer research. They have a good after-race meal and they had one of the best volunteers I've ever seen. I meant to thank him personally but didn't get the chance. I'm looking forward to going back next year and trying to break 3 hours.




Last updated: 2007-05-21 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:31:34 | 1640 yards | 01m 55s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/7
Overall: 0/190
Performance: Good
Suit: IM longsleeve with cap
Course: Two laps of a triangular course, clockwise.
Start type: Wade Plus:
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:39
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: No
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
01:26:26 | 24.85 miles | 17.25 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/7
Overall: 0/190
Performance: Good
HR stayed high going uphill and into the wind with a few spikes when passing.
Wind: Strong with gusts
Course: Out and back. Had to go out the road to the lake which was windy and rolly and had lots of speed bumps and potholes before getting to the main road. The majority of the ride was on a fairly smooth main road.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 02:04
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Below average
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
01:04:29 | 06.21 miles | 10m 23s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/7
Overall: 0/190
Performance: Good
Ran in Z3/Z4 with occasional forays into Z5. Good hard effort.
Course: Out and back - first bit along a narrow lane with some really bumpy grass, then gravel, then onto a dirt road, then to a nice paved running path. Still very windy, but the sun came out.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
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] 4