Devil's Challenge Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Baraboo, Wisconsin
United States
Wisconsin Triathlon Series
44F / 7C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 49m 50s
Overall Rank = 444/735
Age Group = 35-39F
Age Group Rank = 18/51
Pre-race routine:

My friend, Siri, rode up with me. We got there ridiculously early, as usual. It was freezing cold - low 30's. So, we hustled to get transition set up, and get body marking done (in the pitch black, next to a campfire), and then went back to the van to hang out for a while.
Event warmup:

We didn't really do much in the way of warm up - just tried to keep from shivering. Three waves ahead of me, I stripped down and got in the water long enough to swim a few strokes and see how bad it was going to be to put my face in.
Swim
  • 08m 41s
  • 440 yards
  • 01m 58s / 100 yards
Comments:

I had a decent swim. It was cold putting my face in, but not shockingly so. I swallowed some water - this came back to bite me later. The water at the end is so shallow that I ended up standing up too early.
What would you do differently?:

I should have swam further in. No sense trying to walk over rocks and such when you can just swim it.
Transition 1
  • 03m 14s
Comments:

This will go down as one of my slowest transitions ever.First of all, you had to run all the way to the other end of transition, and then back to your spot. I passed a lot of people on that run, though. Then, it was so cold that it was imperative that I do a little drying off and putting on of additional clothes. The gloves just did not want to go on, nor did the shoes on already cold feet. I skipped the leg warmers, and was glad I did. I also just went with a bike jacket over sports bra, and was fine with that.
What would you do differently?:

I think I should practice putting on gloves on the bike. That would have saved a LOT of time. I didn't want to do it in the race, because I wasn't sure I would get them on.
Bike
  • 1h 10m 2s
  • 15 miles
  • 12.85 mile/hr
Comments:

Oh man, what to say. Well, first off, this was a race of doing everything wrong in prep. I've never ridden in cold like this, so I had lots of unfamiliar gear. Then, I made the horrible, horrible mistake of eating half of a Clif Mojo bar 45 minutes before race start. I've eaten them on bike rides numerous times, so I figured it was all good. But, I've never eaten them before a swim. Doh! Race start was 4 hours and 45 minutes post breakfast, so I felt like I needed something, but I should have stuck with gel. On the first big hill, about half way up, I suddenly really really needed to puke. It came out of nowhere. I'd had a great start on the bike and was slow but okay on the hill, and then, WHAM. I briefly contemplated just puking off the side of the bike. But, I was going so slowly that I'm sure I would have puked all over myself. So, I got off. I ended up NOT puking (dang I wish I could make myself). But, by then I had to walk the rest of the hill because the last time I tried to clip in and get going on a hill I crashed it. Bah.

Top of the hill comes, and I get back on and I hit the next hill and I'm almost all the way up it and I shift gears and bye bye chain. Arrrggghhh! So, I get off, get up the 10 feet or so left on the hill, put the chain back on, spend a second thinking, "You're a donkey, damn it - get back on that bike" and head off again. There's another big hill between mile 4 and 5. I finally hit my groove there and spun up it fairly comfortably. So, I started making up time and passing people.

Everything was good until I hit the very last big hill. Down shift and drop the chain again. UGH! I've been having some squeaking in a few gears, and I'm now quite sure that something is out of whack. So, when I get back into town I'm going to take it in to get it adjusted.

This was my first race with mechanical issues or GI issues. All things considered, I'm pretty proud of the way I handled it. And, I still beat a bunch of people.
What would you do differently?:

NO solid food before a race.

Get my bike checked out.
Transition 2
  • 01m 55s
Comments:

My feet were sooooo numb. It was rather challenging to get them shoved into running shoes. I also stripped off the jacket and got a shirt on instead. I can't believe how many people were just casually strolling through transition. It's a race! Run!
What would you do differently?:

Meh. I'm not sure there's much to be done about numb toes.
Run
  • 26m
  • 3.1 miles
  • 08m 23s  min/mile
Comments:

Holy moly man. I made up ground on the run! That never ever happens. This isn't a personal best 5k, but it's close. I can't wait to see what training for a half does to my running times.
What would you do differently?:

I took one 30 second walk break. Then, I realized I didn't need it. Ah well.
Post race
Warm down:

Walked around and waited for Siri to come in. Cheered her on. Found the family. Watched for donkeys - but didn't see any.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

The freaking crazy cold, the GI issues, my darn bike failure.

Event comments:

This is a fun race. I'm a little bummed that my time this year was slower. But, the transitions were a big part of it. Well, that and the bike issues.




Last updated: 2007-09-15 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:08:41 | 440 yards | 01m 58s / 100yards
Age Group: 7/51
Overall: 0/735
Performance: Good
Suit: shorty john
Course: Counter clockwise elongated U along the shore.
Start type: Run Plus: Waves
Water temp: 70F / 21C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Average
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 03:14
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
01:10:02 | 15 miles | 12.85 mile/hr
Age Group: 29/51
Overall: 0/735
Performance: Below average
Wind: Little
Course: Extremely hilly out and back, with a loop on the side. Several really killer hills.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Bad Hills: Below average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 01:55
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Bad
Jumping off bike Average
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Below average
Running
00:26:00 | 03.1 miles | 08m 23s  min/mile
Age Group: 21/51
Overall: 0/735
Performance: Good
Course: Out and back, up and down some hills around a campground.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
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: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 3