5430 Long Course Triathlon - TriathlonLong Course


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Boulder, Colorado
United States
5430 Sports Corp.
Sunny
Total Time = 4h 58m 45s
Overall Rank = 164/884
Age Group = M25-29
Age Group Rank = 13/44
Pre-race routine:

Watched Kona that I TIVO'd from last weekend and went to bed at about 9:15. Alarm wentoff at 2:30, got up and ate a Clif bar and drank half a bottle of Gatorade. Set the alarm again for 3:30, but I hit snooze until 4:00 when I got up and pee'd, then ate another Clif Bar and polished off the bottle of Gatorade. Put on my tri suit, t-shirt and sweatpants, loaded up the car and was on my way to Boulder. On the way I opened another bottle of Gatorade and sipped from it and ate another Clif bar once I had transition set up. Donned the wetsuit and headed to the beach.
Event warmup:

Not a whole lot. Swam around a little and pee'd in my wetsuit. I swear I think that is my favorite part of the day.
Swim
  • 26m 55s
  • 1931 meters
  • 01m 23s / 100 meters
Comments:

Lined up at the very front and took it fromthere. I saw one guy from my wave and he dropped us like a rock (all day too, he finished in 4:07). Other than that I had no problem getting out ahead and staying there the whole swim. Looking at the results one other guy beat me but he DNF'd. At about the 3rd buoy on the way out I was catching the previous wave and rounding the buoy people from all prior waves were in the mix. The sun was directly in out face on the way out but after rounding the buoy sighting was fine. I did stray off course by maybe 15-20 yards but one I caught myself it was only a couple seconds until I was on course again. It had been on my mind all week about whether o wear my suit or not. People who do the Boulder Stroke and Stride series had been saying that the water was really warm. It wasn't that bad and I felt comfortable in my suit. However, about half-way through the swim I could feel a headache coming on. I actually came out of the water in 26 minutes flat after looking at my watch. The swim time includes a run up the beach to a timing mat before you enter T1, which took 56 seconds.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing really.
Transition 1
  • 02m 31s
Comments:

This is where I lost a minute. As I got to my rack and was getting my wetsuit off my timing chip and strap got caught up in the leg. I got in there and pulled but I hooked my finger on the strap and it broke and my chip came off and was caught in my suit. At most of the races I've done the chip strap had been one of theose neoprene types with a velcro closure. For this race it was plastic, like one of those bracelets you sometimes get. At IMAZ in the goodie bag there was a chip holder. I don't know why I packed it in my bag the night before but THANK GOD I did. I had to dig in my bag to find it and finally got it set and on my ankle. Otherwise things went OK.
What would you do differently?:

Well, obviously not rip my timing chip off, but thankfully I was prepared.
Bike
  • 2h 24m 41s
  • 56 miles
  • 23.22 mile/hr
Comments:

I really like this course. It is fast fast fast. The first loop was good and I passed people like it was my job. Myself and this guy riding a Guru seemed to play cat and mouse but on the second loop I dropped him. The second loop was a little tougher and I had to pee, so I chose a downhill and just let it go. I felt a lot better afterwards. The ride was pretty uneventful especially on the second loop and there was a lot of clear riding. When I came in I couldn't believe how few bikes were racked.
What would you do differently?:

Not much at all. This was my best showing on the bike ever.
Transition 2
  • 01m 30s
Comments:

Noting too eventful here. There was hardly anyone in the T-zone so I didn't have to fight my way through to get to my rack. Socks went on easier than usual.
What would you do differently?:

Again, it could be faster.
Run
  • 2h 03m 5s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 09m 24s  min/mile
Comments:

This is where I fell off. I knew it was going to happen. Ever since IMAZ and moving out to Colorado the run has been a struggle for me. It's been the most dificult for me to acclimate to the altitude with. I have also been suffering from a knee/hanstring/ITB situation that I had just wised up and figure out the problem a couple weeks ago. STRETCHING. My longest run I think had been 1:15 and probably only about 8 miles and that was on a day where I really didn't care about how my knee felt, I jusr ran. Other than that, I was lucky if I got out for over an hour a week and there was a period of about a week and a half where I didn't run at all. So I got what I put intro it, nothing. Granted, it is faster than my previous two HIM run splits, but it's not good enough. I can't be mad though because I knew damn well going into the race that the run was going to be pure survival and nothing else. The sun decided to come out and it go hot, really hot. Every aid station cups of water went over the head and in my mouth as best I could. It wasn't as bad as I was expecting, but I was still happy to be done with it.
What would you do differently?:

Obviously, get back on the running horse.
Post race
Warm down:

My freinds said they were going to come up to see the finish, but I never saw them. That is until I was sitting and eating pizza at the post-race activities when they found me. Turns out they gotr a little turned around and were paying to enter the Res at the same time I finished. Oh well. It was nice that they came up. After they left I packed up my car but headed back to the finish because my friend Gisela was still to come in, but while I was packing up I herd her name announced. I went back and had a change of clothes, went down to the beach and got inthe lake and rinsed off and floated around a little. That felt SO GOOD. Changed out of my tri shorts and into a regulat pair of shorts then checked out the awards ceremony. Lucky for me I won a pair on sunglasses in a raffle. Too bad I need prescription. They are cool though, I will see if I can get prescription lenses for them.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

LACK OF RUN TRAINING.

Event comments:

Good race, good day. I really wanted to get under 5 hours and somehow I did. I liked the idea of instead of a finisher's medal, they gave you a finisher's pint glass. That will definitely get used. Also, this was a PR by 32 minutes.




Last updated: 2007-07-01 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:26:55 | 1931 meters | 01m 23s / 100meters
Age Group: 3/44
Overall: 17/884
Performance: Good
Suit: Ironman Stealth Full
Course: Rectangular. Out, make a left and the 4th buoy, then make another left and back into shore.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 75F / 24C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting:
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:31
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed:
Biking
02:24:41 | 56 miles | 23.22 mile/hr
Age Group: 10/44
Overall: 79/884
Performance: Good
Wind: Some
Course: Double loop on some great roads.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:30
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
02:03:05 | 13.1 miles | 09m 24s  min/mile
Age Group: 22/44
Overall: 164/884
Performance: Below average
Course: Two loops around Boulder Res, SUPER exposed to the sun and heat.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
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: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4