![]() Swim
Comments: This was my longest OWS to date, and probably my best overall performance in a race. I was faster in other races, but not comfortable. After the second turn, I was comfortable and swimming without much effort. That is the first time that I can say that out of the five tris that I've completed. I loved hearing my BT pals shouting at the turn. Thanks Jenniferlyn. Oh yeah, some dude chucked in the water. Luckily, I didn't have to face it first hand. What would you do differently?: Not much. ![]() Transition 1
Comments: That was the 19th fastest T1. That's pretty good. What would you do differently?: Get the dang suit off the ankles faster. I really lubed up this time and it was even harder. Grrrrr. I think I'm going to trim it. ![]() Bike
Comments: Well, I got out on the bike course somewhat quickly. There weren't a ton of people in front of me. I got passed quickly as I was getting into my shoes, but I caught him later. After that it was a while before anyone passed me. I hit the big downhill and carried a lot of speed into town. I think I slowed down a bit after a couple turns, and that seems like when I got passed more frequently. It wasn't until about 2-3 miles to the turn around until I saw the leaders coming back. Man, those guys were flying. I didn't have the same problem starting out, like I did in Ann Arbor. I felt like my legs were ready to go as soon as I got on the bike. Later in the ride though, they were getting heavy. Borderline crampy. I think I lost a lot of speed on the third quarter between the oly turn around and the sprint turn around. Then I faced the uphill section from the sprint turn around until the end. All in all, I did pretty good. Its a massive improvement from last year, but still not where I want to be. Losing a couple more pounds will help, but there is no substitute for spending time on the bike. What would you do differently?: Bring more liquid with me on the bike. I ran out shortly after the turn around. I underestimated how thirsty I'd be after the swim. I thought I would have been a little faster here. I only beat my previous ride of this route by 3 minutes. I felt like it took a lot more effort to accomplish this though. So, I need to get better at gauging my effort against my speed, I guess. I'm starting to get the hang of racing on the bike though. Legal drafting, choosing places to take nutrition, when to pass, etc. I'm actually very inexperienced, but I feel like I'm getting better. ![]() Transition 2
Comments: T2 ranked 21st overall. Still decent. Must go faster though. :) What would you do differently?: Get sunglasses that go under my helmet straps. Be more deliberate in racking bike to make sure it is secure, instead of going back to double check. ![]() Run
Comments: My legs weren't wrecked coming off the bike, but they weren't rocking either. I made it out of the park, and took a water at Sawmill Rd. I was moving slow, but steady. The plan was to do my best to start out and get my legs under me, then start to stretch it out miles 2-4, then try to hammer 4-end. Ya, right. That didn't happen. I was heating up quickly. I didn't get enough liquids on the bike. I was already having to will myself to keep pace at the sprint turn around. That's a little too early for me. I was feeling weak, but doing my best to keep going. Right after the sprint turn around, the hills started and they hurt. I was slowing down quite a bit on the way up, and not making up for it on the way down. I was struggling. I took a water and a heed at every station from there to the end. The struggles continued to the oly turn around. There was an uphill to the aid station and turn around. I barely jogged up the hill, but walked the station, drank what I could and started jogging again. From that point on, I walked the uphills, and ran the rest. I was just cresting a hill, when I saw a familiar jersey way down the road. Robyn! That girl is strong. If she was hurting, I couldn't tell. She slapped me five and kept going. That lifted my spirits a bit. I think I saw Jackie a little bit after that too. Honestly, I'm a bit foggy on that part. For the rest of the way it was a struggle. There was a volunteer/employee of 3D at the corner of Sawmill and Hadley. He was a great cheerleader. That helped when I passed him. The course was starting to get pretty lonely. As I came into the park, I passed a lady that was really struggling. I slowed for a second, told her we were almost done, and that we'd be able to hear the crowd in about 100 yards. She smiled, and I think that gave her a little relief. I tried to pick it up for the end, but I was spent. Nothing for a kick at the end. What would you do differently?: TRAINING! This is where the lack of training in the last month took its toll. Seriously, I was one second away from being on the run for an hour! Thats gonna have to improve drastically. ![]() Post race
Warm down: Drink, and drink, and drink. Smile and try to talk to trix. Nope, needed to drink some more. :) Went over and talked to Jamie and the kids, plus my dad and stepmom. Then the cramps started to kick in. I was sitting at the time, and I rolled over and mom and dad each took a leg. Wow, what a lifesaver. Hung with family for quite a while, then cleaned out transition, then hung with BT crew for awards. What limited your ability to perform faster: Training. For the last month, I've been bombed with work, family, and personal responsibilities. Knowing what my priorities in life are, I let training slide. I was really excited after my first tri of the year. I carried some of those expectations into the following races, but I wasn't physically in the same shape. So, I wasn't in the best shape to race, but that's okay. I'd make the same choices over again. :) Overall, I successfully knocked out my first Oly. It could have gone smoother, but hey, I did it and I'm happy overall. I underestimated the distance and figured I could just go out and do it based on previous fitness. I think its good that I was really challenged on this. Now, I won't be able to underestimate the HIM in the fall. Event comments: The race was run better than last year. The food was worse than last year. I wish Michigan races would quit using HEED though. Its gross. Last updated: 2008-01-18 12:00 AM
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United States
3Disciplines
70F / 21C
Sunny
Overall Rank = 78/140
Age Group = M30-34
Age Group Rank = 0/
I didn't sleep so well. My 2yo was up at 2am screaming her head off. She ended up in bed with us. Not fun.
Otherwise, business as usual. Same breakfast, coffee, etc. I had everything laid out the night before, so I just needed to wake up and set things in motion.
I set up, hung out, made funny faces for the camera, then swam several hundred yards before the pre-race meeting.