Accenture Chicago Triathlon - Olympic Distance - TriathlonOlympic


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Chicago, Illinois
United States
Capri Events
85F / 29C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 20m 58s
Overall Rank = 79/4089
Age Group = M35-39
Age Group Rank = 11/503
Pre-race routine:

Up at 3:45 AM - Coffee, cereal and off to transition. My inlaws parking garage had some low pipes that my bike rack grazed. Luckily no damage but I nearly barfed when it happened. Nice start to the day.
Event warmup:

Light stretching, hanging out with wife and kids & wife's cousin and his wife and kids. The prerace area is fun, the annoucers are pumping everyone up, music is going, everyone is just having fun. Now, the line for the portojohns is long, I had to pee. I admit it, I pee'd in my wetsuit for the first time ever. It was an odd sensation, but worth it ;>)
Swim
  • 26m 30s
  • 1640 yards
  • 01m 37s / 100 yards
Comments:

PB swim by a long shot, I took 4:00 off of last years time. I felt focused, had great navigation and handled the crowd of swimmers well. I was more aggressive in the water, last year I would get frustrated and take my time swimming around people. This time if someone was blocking or navigating poorly I politely swam thru. This was the swim I have been waiting for all year. Considering it was a good 1:20 run from the lake to the pad, my pace is not right above - I probably swam a 1:30/100y.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing at all. Question is, what would I do the same next time?
Transition 1
  • 02m 4s
Comments:

I did well on T1, I was not pushing too hard since I wanted to follow up a great swim with a great bike. Transition went well considering I had to run 400 yards from the lake to the pad then another 200-300 yards to the bike, luckily the bike out was about 80 yrds away from the bike exit. The suit got a little stuck, but thats all.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing at all. Keep practicing, keep focused. 27th in AG for transition so I guess I did ok considering with a wetsuit.
Bike
  • 1h 07m 51s
  • 25.3 miles
  • 22.37 mile/hr
Comments:

Bike went well, I probably pushed the swim a bit harder than I should but its not every day I can make up 3:00 off of my goal race time. I consumed one Gu and most of my InfinIt on the bike - I definite forced myself to drink but glad I did, it was warmer than I thought and the wind picked up nicely in time for our wave to ride. The road surface sucked big time by the way. When can they make LSD a completely nice surface? It was the worst surface in the 3 yrs I've done this race.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. If I could pay into the "Resurface Lake Shore Drive" fund I would if that counts.
Transition 2
  • 01m 42s
Comments:

I tried to do a moving dismount but the crowd was bad so I took it easy, still I got into transition well. I shaved about a minute from last years transitions (total), so I feel that I did well. 2nd OA in AG for this transition, it went well.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing, it all comes down to where your wave rack is, I like being close to the bike out/in and that helps so you don't have to run far in cleats.
Run
  • 42m 49s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 06m 53s  min/mile
Comments:

Run was not as fast as I was hoping, definitely the result of pushing the swim and bike, but I did well in the bike and swim so I can't complain. I got passed by only 3 other runners. It definitely got warm fast after the bike, the other issue was all the athletes, at some points it was three or four across, that definitely contributed to the time but really it came down to pace. I maintained a few ticks below 7:00 for the first 4 miles then kicked it up for the last two - maybe 6:45-6:50. I used up the gas tank fairly well.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing, I've been nursing a sore knee, it was great today but I was worried about it coming back so I may have held back a bit. I probably could have pushed the first 4 miles harder but I wonder what the last two would have been like.
Post race
Warm down:

Post race party/expo. I ate a ton of food and went back for a second beer. Now that's what I call a warm down.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

I don't like these questions, there's always the "what if" thing and frankly I had a great race and feel good about the whole thing. I have done well in other races, but this one is special. To come in 11th in AG out of 503 in a race this size is something I will never forget.

Event comments:

This is the most FUN tri anyone can do in my opinion. Its 8000 athletes, yes but it doesn't always feel that way. The race organizers should be complimented for this fact, the race party has a band, tons of free beer or wine, and is like a street festival. Once again, a great race in Chicago.




Last updated: 2007-11-04 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:26:30 | 1640 yards | 01m 37s / 100yards
Age Group: 28/503
Overall: 287/4089
Performance: Good
Suit: Orca Sleeveless
Course: South to Aquarium then turn north to swim along the harbor seawall to the yacht club area to get out, then run about 500 yrds to the pad then another 300 yards to the bike, its a big transition area.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 72F / 22C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Good
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:04
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Yes
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed:
Biking
01:07:51 | 25.3 miles | 22.37 mile/hr
Age Group: 57/503
Overall: 263/4089
Performance: Good
Wind: Some
Course: Repeat loop on Lake Shore Drive, come up Randolph exit and head north, then come back to around Navy Pier and repeat loop. After 2nd loop come back to transition. The race says its 24.8 but my odo came in at 25.3 miles. I got passed by only 4 bikes, that is a refreshing change.
Road: Potholes Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:42
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Average
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:42:49 | 06.21 miles | 06m 53s  min/mile
Age Group: 20/503
Overall: 89/4089
Performance: Good
Course: Modified for this year, out of transition past the yacht club and swim start to the Field Museum, then round the back toward the convention center and out another 2 miles, then turn back past the museum into the park for the finish.
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: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5