Subaru US Women's Triathlon Series - Naperville - TriathlonSprint


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Naperville, Illinois
United States
US Women's Triathlon Series
65F / 18C
Overcast
Total Time = 1h 29m 35s
Overall Rank = 254/1885
Age Group = F35-39
Age Group Rank = 55/419
Pre-race routine:

Got up around 4am and were out the door by 4:30am. Fairly uneventful. Ate a Hammer Bar on the way to the race site, while my super jockstrapper jowisc drove. :) Got to Naperville and ran into Laura (startingtotri) and her friend Ellen in the parking lot. We were fairly early to transition, so I got a great spot very close to bike in/out and was really happy about that. Set things up pretty quickly. I was really surprised at how organized I was. I thought forsure I forgot something because it seemed just too easy.
Event warmup:

Jumped in the water and did a couple of out and backs. Felt really great on the warm-up. But then I had to sit around wet for another 1 1/2 hours which caused me to get really shivery cold and tight. Still glad I warmed up though...it's something I have to do before races. Oh, and we also got a BT pic before the start. That was fun!
Swim
  • 13m 53s
  • 820 yards
  • 01m 41s / 100 yards
Comments:

I thought this swim was really tough. It was fairly crowded and because there were so many people walking it was hard to find free water to swim. Add to that the out-and-back aspect (it seemed we were always going around buoys) and it was impossible to get any sort of rhythm going. I finally got more comfortable the second time we headed out and picked up some time. Did a good job swimming it right up until my hand was touch the bottom at the end.
What would you do differently?:

Not sure. Maybe start more to the outside? I was near the front in the middle and it took me a long time to be able to get into my stroke. If I was outside, perhaps I could have gotten more comfortable earlier, even if had to go further to the first buoy.
Transition 1
  • 03m 33s
Comments:

It was a long run from the swim to T1 and I did a nice job maintaining a nice, steady run. Was also fairly quick getting my helmet and shoes on. Didn't really take the time to wipe off my feet since it was a sprint. This caused me to have a rock digging into my toe on the run, but oh well.
What would you do differently?:

I have to learn to jump on my bike while it's moving. I had to come to a dead stop to get clipped in. Not good.
Bike
  • 43m 13s
  • 13.8 miles
  • 19.16 mile/hr
Comments:

Started out on the bike and immediately had pain in my right IT band. I knew that wasn't a good sign and I wasn't going to be able to hammer as much as I wanted. Flipped it into the big ring and kept it there the rest of the race. I think I only got passed once or twice on the bike, which was a nice change. :) I was actually the one doing the passing for once. I did let up a couple of times to take a drink of my Heed and at one point ate three CLIF Bloks. I felt like I had a decent ride, but could have pushed it harder. Was really disappointed when I saw my avg pace.
What would you do differently?:

More time in the saddle I guess. Also need to get comfortable taking turns a little faster.
Transition 2
  • 01m 43s
Comments:

Hmmm...confused by this. Watch shows 1:02? Got a little over-excited when I got there and threw my helmet too far. Had to run out into the aisle to get it. Other than that, was really quick.
What would you do differently?:

Not throw my helmet. Otherwise, nothing. I don't know how I could have been any quicker.
Run
  • 27m 14s
  • 3.11 miles
  • 08m 46s  min/mile
Comments:

Wasn't feeling too great off the bike and I thought it was going to be a long three miles. I was trying to focus on the wave numbers on people's legs and reel them in one by one. About one mile in I saw a "wave 17" pass me. I wasn't going to let her get away with that. Leslie and I ended up pacing each other the rest of the race. I would start to pull ahead of her and then she would pull ahead of me. I can promise you that if it was not for her, I would have faded much earlier in the run. But I'm much too competitive to let someone get away from me. :) Turns out I had a little kick at the end and took off the last .1 or so. Am proud of my strong negative split. Really left it all out there.
What would you do differently?:

At this point, nothing. I ran as hard and fast as I could. Paced it correctly. I should be faster than this, but I need to get to the track and work on it. Most like that won't happen until after SoR.
Post race
Warm down:

Nothing much. Just walked around and ate everything I could find. :)

What limited your ability to perform faster:

First race of the year. I've been training distance and not speed (especially on the run). Other than that, I definitely gave it all I had. I'm just not much of a sprint girl. I don't like the pressure to perform at every second...there is not one point where you can let up! I prefer LSD. :)

Event comments:

This was a very well organized race. Definitely a first-timers race, which is great for the sport. It was big for a sprint though, so you need to have some patience for all the people (it took us a half hour to get back into transition to pick up my stuff!). However, it was great for a first race of the season!




Last updated: 2007-06-23 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:13:53 | 820 yards | 01m 41s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/419
Overall: 0/1885
Performance: Average
Suit: No
Course: It was in a quarry-type body of water set up with what looked like really long lane lines. We swam out-and-back three times. The deep end was 15' deep, but the shallow end was about 3-4' and lots of people walked on that end.
Start type: Wade Plus:
Water temp: 78F / 26C Current: Low
200M Perf. Below average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Bad
Waves: Good Navigation: Average
Rounding: Below average
T1
Time: 03:33
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed:
Biking
00:43:13 | 13.8 miles | 19.16 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/419
Overall: 0/1885
Performance: Average
Wind: Some
Course: Two loops on some neighborhood roads. It was a pretty nice course, albeit a bit crowded (but what do you expect with 1800 women in a sprint!).
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Below average Cornering:
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:43
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Bad
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:27:14 | 03.11 miles | 08m 46s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/419
Overall: 0/1885
Performance: Good
Course: Flat with a couple of small downhill inclines (that was fun!). Mostly neighborhood roads and through the park.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
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] 4