Tri for Your Cause - TriathlonSprint


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Boulder, Colorado
United States
45F / 7C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 55m 52s
Overall Rank = 22/256
Age Group = M45-49
Age Group Rank = 5/17
Pre-race routine:

Didn't sleep well, only about 3 hours at best. Woke at 4am, breakfast of oatmeal, toast, orange juice and coffee. Left the house at 4:45, arrived at Boulder Reservoir about 5:40...set up my transition and got body marked in the dark. The air temp was cool(at least cold to me)at 45f, with a slight SW breeze. I brought a long-sleeve jersey, gloves and leg warmers...just in case.
Event warmup:

Not much warmup. Got my wetsuit on about 25 minutes before my start and and swam a bit, both to warm up and to deal with a full bladder as the number of porta-potties was inadequate. The water, while warmer than the air, would not be confused with Hawaii. I was chilled and my teeth were chattering at the start. The thought occurred to me as I was waiting for the start...here I am in middle of September, at 6:50am, standing waist deep in a reservoir in Colorado, and I'm cold....what the hell am I doing?
Swim
  • 17m 35s
  • 820 yards
  • 02m 08s / 100 yards
Comments:

Tough swim. This was my first open water wave start, and even though the wave was probably only 50-60, it seemed crowded. I managed to take a couple kicks, but nothing serious. No open water for me most of the way to the first buoy. I felt OK, but was having a bit of difficulty getting a good breath. After I rounded the first buoy,the wheels came off...for a bit. I had an episode of exercised induced asthma and was short of breath and weezing. Had to back-stroke most of the way to the second buoy and attempt to recover. I was able to flip over and resume my crawl just before the second buoy, but I'm certain I lost several minutes. I did finish up feeling OK and made back a little time on the way in from the second buoy, but the damage had been done.
What would you do differently?:

The swim will never be my strength, but it can sure be better than it's been. For starters, I need to deal with my EIA, rather than ignore it. Stupid. I will get the inhaler refilled and I will use it. I might also try swimming more...what a novel idea. Finally, I just need more experience with open water, mass starts...No substitute for experience and the confidence gained from each one.
Transition 1
  • 02m 4s
Comments:

Jogged from the swim finish to the transition area and the wet-suit came off fine. I opted to dry off a bit and put on a long-sleeve jersey for the ride. Had a bit of difficulty getting the jersey on and I know I lost 20-30 seconds with that. It was cold...and I just wasn't able to move as fast as I would have liked.
What would you do differently?:

I don't know...maybe don't do a race in September when it's 45F so I don't need to wear a jersey....
Bike
  • 1h 11m 7s
  • 26.09 miles
  • 22.01 mile/hr
Comments:

I was chilled on the bike, despite having the long-sleeve jersey. I regretted several times not opting for the leg warmers and gloves too. I rode a hard, but sustainable pace and passed 20-30 riders (who beat me out of the water and were obviously better swimmers). Everything was going pretty well until I missed one of the last turns before the transition area. I would like to blame someone, but it's probably mostly on me. There were a couple cones, but the voluteer wasn't directing me to turn....so I didn't, I went straight. There were no riders visable ahead of me, and about 200 yards past the turn, I had second thoughts. As I looked back to see two riders I had passed make the turn, I knew I had screwed up. I got turned around and hauled ass back to the turn and really poured it on the last 2 miles to the bike finish. Unfortunately, I could not overtake the two riders and ended up arriving at T2 anaerobic. Stupid.
What would you do differently?:

Would have been a decent bike had I not missed that last turn. I probably lost 90 seconds for that mistake, in addition to arriving in T2 pretty wound up.
Transition 2
  • 01m 17s
Comments:

A little slow as I was quite tired and wasn't well focused. My hands were a bit numb(again, it was cold) and I fumbled with my helmet, the shoe change and the race belt.
What would you do differently?:

Not miss the last turn on the bike.
Run
  • 23m 50s
  • 3.11 miles
  • 07m 40s  min/mile
Comments:

Was still a bit excited to begin the run, couldn't quite find that nice pace I was hoping for. I went out a bit too hard and had to back off after the first mile. At the turn around I stopped for about 10 seconds to drink a cup of water I really didn't want or need. But the 5 year old boy handing out the water hadn't been getting much business... so I took a one and thanked him and his parents for volunteering. Felt OK coming back in, not sure I could have gone too much harder. I did find a kick for the last 400 yards, even though I wasn't catching anyone.
What would you do differently?:

I am not unhappy with the run, but I know I would have had a better one if I hadn't missed that last turn on the bike and gone so hard into T2. Oh well.
Post race
Warm down:

Walked around, drank some water, recovery drink and attempted to eat an awfull breakfast burrito (not successfully).

What limited your ability to perform faster:

The swim issues, missed turn on the bike and the cool morning air.

Event comments:

Overall, and considering the swim and missed turn on the bike, I'm satisfied with the effort and outcome. This was my last race of my first season and will leave me with plenty of motivation to train over the next 8 months.




Last updated: 2007-09-13 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:17:35 | 820 yards | 02m 08s / 100yards
Age Group: 15/17
Overall: 129/256
Performance: Below average
Suit: DeSoto T1
Course: Rectangular, Clockwise
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current: Low
200M Perf. Below average Remainder: Below average
Breathing: Below average Drafting: Below average
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 02:04
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
01:11:07 | 26.09 miles | 22.01 mile/hr
Age Group: 3/17
Overall: 14/256
Performance: Average
Wind: Some
Course: Loop
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Average Hills: Average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:17
Overall: Below average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
00:23:50 | 03.11 miles | 07m 40s  min/mile
Age Group: 8/17
Overall: 57/256
Performance: Average
Course: Out and back, fairly flat, about 30% paved, 70% gravel.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Ok
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? No
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks?
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 3