Spirit of Racine Sprint Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Racine, Wisconsin
United States
HFP Racing
70F / 21C
Overcast
Total Time = 1h 30m 40s
Overall Rank = 128/207
Age Group = 30-34
Age Group Rank = 5/11
Pre-race routine:

Got down to transition around 6:00, waited in car for rain to let up, and then brought bike down to the racks that were SUPPOSED to be numbered like they were last year, but they weren't, so I took the first spot, on the first rack. This year we were on the other side of the racks since the Women's only was on the side we were on last year.

I really like having all that extra room in transition so that's why I went with the same row that I had last year.
Event warmup:

Got in the water...stuck my face in twice, and realized there was a good possibility that my face wouldn't be going in anymore after that.
Swim
  • 18m 58s
  • 820 yards
  • 02m 19s / 100 yards
Comments:

Absolutely awful. I tried putting my face in and I hyperventilated. My chest felt like it was going to explode. It made me a little nervous, so I ended up tarzan swimming and side stroking the whole thing. I never did get my breathing to calm down.

Almost started crying in my goggles and even started thinking to myself..."What the hell am I doing out here?"

It literally felt like I was getting an electric shock everytime my hand entered the water...I have never experienced anything like that...I'll admit it, I wussed out...it was a little scary.

One funny sidenote...when I got in to "practice" some guy yelled out..."Has anyone seen that penguin?" I laughed!

GENDER PLACE: 47/61
What would you do differently?:

Not hyperventilate and actually swim the freestyle stroke.
Transition 1
  • 02m 54s
Comments:

After that swim, I just decided to have fun, enjoy myself, but still go hard. I gave the camera guy a thumbs up coming up the hill before the turn....I was just happy to be out of that friggin water!
What would you do differently?:

Nothing...faster than last year, so I am happy. I think the order of helmet on, skirt on, shoes on works well. Oh, I also went sockless for the sprint, and it felt ok.

The whole moving of my ponytail after I rip my cap off so my ponytail can go through my helmet was interesting since it felt like I had been frozen in a cryogenic capsule for the last 15 minutes.
Bike
  • 37m 58s
  • 12.43 miles
  • 19.64 mile/hr
Comments:

I have no idea what place I was in on the bike as we still don't have official results, which is BEYOND frustrating.

Passed 3 girls in my age group who no doubt smoked me on the swim, so that was encouraging, and the only people who passed me were men, so that to me is a success.

I felt really strong on the bike compared to Twin Lakes and Batavia. I think the adjustments that IM Brad made to my bike were good ones. The other thing I noticed is that because of my longer rides this year, this race was over likety split!

I think I still need to work on gears and stuff, since I pretty much just stayed in that small ring (is that the right term?) the whole race...is that not correct? Will discuss this with my IM pros when I see them this weekend...I don't know what the exact/best rule of thumb is here. As I get stronger/faster, I really want to make sure I am doing what is "correct."

Didn't really drink a lot on the bike as I had bought the wrong kind of propel, and it tasted like shiznit, so I maybe drank 1/2 a water bottle full.

As I said, I went sockless this time...shoes felt ok.

I also didn't bother with the kleenex this time, and just blew out snot rockets...real lady like I know, but I think that might have helped me keep my speed up rather than having to reach in my bento box for a Kleenex everytime I felt I needed to blow the nose.

One other think I "tried" this time, is coming up out of the aero bars a little sooner than usual to try to stretch out that stomach area, and give everything a little breathing room so this would hopefully help with the cramping issues on the run.

GENDER PLACE: 15/61
What would you do differently?:

Get some tips on gear changes, but overall, I was pretty happy considering it rained all morning.
Transition 2
  • 02m 28s
Comments:

I achieved my goal of a slower transition time here compared to last year...this is what me and the therapist discussed to try to get my breathing relaxed, really get some deep breaths to prevent any spasms and hopefully have no cramps.
What would you do differently?:

Absolutely nothing...

Actually, the more of these I do, I really want to learn how to do that one leg crossover thing like all the big shooters do...but I can wait on that.
Run
  • 29m 38s
  • 3.11 miles
  • 09m 32s  min/mile
Comments:

Again, no ranking as they are not posted.

GOOD NEWS: NO SIDE PAIN!!!

BAD NEWS: I was trying to just run a smooth, no pain 3 miles, that I think it prevented me from going hard. But if I go to hard, sometimes I cramp, so I think I might have backed up a little too much. This is just something I am going to have to work at...if I slow down in T2, and feel strong, I should just go with it. I know I can run through the cramp, even though it is sometimes really painful...

This is my first race though where I felt strong, not fast, strong, and the pain NEVER came on, so I have to be happy with that.

GENDER PLACE: 35/61
What would you do differently?:

Push it a little more if I feel like I can "get away with it" and if pain comes, it comes.

I know I must be patient though...that's what the therapist tells me everytime...I can't help it though, I am a competitive person, and I just want to be able to run like the wind like I am able to sometimes!!
Post race
Warm down:

Not much...the girl that I was with had to get back to the hotel, so she pretty much ruined my hanging out with fellow BT'ers, just as she had at the pasta dinner the night before. See below for further comments on that.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Weather/Cold water

**GOOD NEWS: I DROPPED 13 MINUTES FROM MY TIME LAST YEAR!!**



Event comments:

I am not sure what I rated this race last year...but HFP had a lot of issues this year that I have already expressed my frustration over that I am not going to get into again here.

The comment I made about the friend and the fact that I don't want to be with her during anymore races...turns out, we just don't really mesh well together. I was SOOOO looking forward to the pasta dinner...seeing David and his wife, Peggy, meeting Aidana, RaytownPete, and all the other fellow BT'ers, just hanging and talking and she was rushing to get back to the hotel to go to bed. It was 7:00! I realize as athletes, we all have our schedules, but I wish she would have clued me in on that.

Then she made several snide comments in the morning, and just generally got under my skin...and so that's why.

Still managed to have fun, thanks to MarkK and CindyK for organizing that pasta dinner...I chowed! And I really enjoyed my conversation with MarkK in regards to the future of Wisconsin's golden child, otherwise known as Brett Favre! (Another side note, the girl with me, had NEVER heard of Brett Favre...are you kidding me??? I don't care if you don't follow football, what, you never saw "Something About Mary?")

Not sure if I will come back next year....ha ha, yea, who am I kidding. I am going to the North Pole to practice for the swim next year...who's with me?

Great weekend despite my crabby companion...love to all the BT'ers and Donkeys out there...always nice to see/meet you all.

GENDER PLACE: 27/61




Last updated: 2008-01-25 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:18:58 | 820 yards | 02m 19s / 100yards
Age Group: 9/11
Overall: 174/207
Performance: Bad
Suit: L/S Orca
Course: Same as last year...they pulled in the parallel swim along shore so it was closer to the shallow end, so you could walk in parts.
Start type: Run Plus: Waves
Water temp: 56F / 13C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Below average
Breathing: Bad Drafting: Bad
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:54
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
00:37:58 | 12.43 miles | 19.64 mile/hr
Age Group: 4/11
Overall: 98/207
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course: Real flat (besides the hill out of transition) out and back course. Are the roads worse this year? I thought I read earlier in one of the Wisconsin threads that the road suffered a bit from the winter, and I could tell. Even with the new fancy wheels, I felt like I was bumping all over the place.
Road: Rough Wet Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Average Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 02:28
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:29:38 | 03.11 miles | 09m 32s  min/mile
Age Group: 5/11
Overall: 145/207
Performance: Average
Course: Out over 2 big hills to a turn around, then up one of those hills again, and in to the finish. Run on a path that is really nicely paved, and some neighborhood streets.
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? No
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? No
Plenty of drinks? No
Post race activities: Below average
Race evaluation [1-5] 2