RochesterFest Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic


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Rochester, Minnesota
United States
WIN Multisports
40-4F / 0C
Sunny
Total Time = 3h 22m 34s
Overall Rank = 164/177
Age Group = F 40-44
Age Group Rank = 8/9
Pre-race routine:

This was a big race for me. It was my first Olympic and my husband's first tri ever.

Not the typical training week before this race. My FIL came to visit last a week before the race and we were frantically trying to get the bathroom remodel complete before hosting the family reunion over the 4th. These are not part of the training plan and I'm sure didn't help. I haven't been sleeping much and when I do, I dream about setting tile.

We finally finished the tile setting Saturday night around 7pm. Just enough time to pack up the car and get to bed. Unfortunately, Falstaff the cat from hell, decided it was time to play and kept me up half the night. Who needs sleep?
Event warmup:

As usual, not enough. We jogged around a bit, mostly to the car and back as Jeremy forgot his water bottle. Then we took the bikes out for a couple miles. On the way down for the meeting, I had a gel. After the race meeting, I got in the water and swam a bit. Not much at all.
Swim
  • 29m 45s
  • 1500 meters
  • 01m 59s / 100 meters
Comments:

I planned to cruise the swim and I did. I started in the front but off to the side. Perfect spot for me. I quickly found clear water and caught a rhythm. The first loop went well except for having to swim into the sun. I climbed out of the water and ran for the mat. Running after swimming wasn't a good thing. I took my time getting back into the water, stopping to wash out my goggles before starting again. The second loop felt longer. I swear they moved the bouys while I was out of the water. Still, I kept swimming easily and finished feeling good.
What would you do differently?:

I think I could have pushed it more. I was wanting to conserve energy, but maybe held back too much.
Transition 1
  • 05m 19s
Comments:

It was a long run/stagger up to transition. Of course my suit got stuck. I had to sit down and tug it off. Then my normal slowness issues. And my hair was stuck and I had to redo it so it would fit in the helmet.
What would you do differently?:

New hairdo? Learn to get out of that suit faster? Not sure if there's much hope here.
Bike
  • 1h 33m 57s
  • 24.85 miles
  • 15.87 mile/hr
Comments:

This was not my ideal course at all, even without the wind. Hills and wind are not fun for me. The first 5 miles were shared with the sprint division until they turned around. Up to that point it was pretty crowded. I passed a few people on mtn bikes and beach cruisers. After the sprint people peeled off, I was by myself. Even though I knew I was pretty slow, I kept cranking it and waiting for the turnaround. I was hoping for a sweet tailwind to push me home. It was better on the way back in, but I wanted more help than the wind could give. I took a gel at mile 3 and 22 which worked out well.
What would you do differently?:

Get a faster bike... More on this later. It was an average bike leg for me.
Transition 2
  • 01m 37s
Comments:

Not bad this time. High-fived Bill coming out of T2 and headed out on dead legs.
Run
  • 1h 12m
  • 6.21 miles
  • 11m 35s  min/mile
Comments:

OMG! Whose idea was this? Wow. That was the longest hour and a quarter of my life. I started well; first mile around 10 min. The next mile was slower and then it started to unravel. My IT band issue with my right knee started again into the third mile. My feet were going numb and started to throb. In all, it was painful. I walked several times, but finally finished. Thank gawd.
What would you do differently?:

Run more and HTFU.
Post race
Warm down:

As I crossed the line, the chip retrievers grabbed my leg. Someone else handed me a water bottle and a finisher medal. Then I found Jeremy and his dad. I tried to remember to stretch a bit, but should have done more.

We headed for the food tent and got our lunch. I was starved after this race (over 3.5 hours), so I wolfed down that food. We stuck around and chatted with a few people waiting for the awards ceremony to start. I could tell that my FIL was wanting to leave, but I wanted to hang out.

They were raffling off a sweet tri bike and you had to be present to win. I wanted to see who won it, mainly out of curiosity. We took the gear to the car in an attempt to seem to FIL like we were leaving soon, but I stood outside the car to hear the winner of the bike.

I heard Bill say that when he drew the winner, he noticed it was someone who had been in Mario's class this winter (!) and that the person didn't have a tri bike (!!). Then he announced MY NAME!!! Yep, I won the tri bike. Some people thought that I had left already, so we started yelling and I started running. Somehow I found the legs to run.

The bike is a Trek Equinox 7 and I'm going in this week for a fitting. I have never won anything in my entire life. Seriously, if there was a drawing with 3 prizes and only two other people present, I'd still not win. But this makes up for it. I'm so psyched!

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Many things. Tile, gravity, genetics, no HTFU... And maybe needing a new bike. :)

Event comments:

This was a great race! There were tons of volunteers and everything went very well. For an inagural event, it was superb. Of course I'll be back next year.




Last updated: 2008-03-01 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:29:45 | 1500 meters | 01m 59s / 100meters
Age Group: 4/9
Overall: 117/177
Performance: Good
Suit: Promotion full
Course: Two laps around the pond.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 74F / 23C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting:
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding:
T1
Time: 05:19
Performance: Bad
Cap removal: Bad Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
01:33:57 | 24.85 miles | 15.87 mile/hr
Age Group: 7/9
Overall: 160/177
Performance: Average
Wind: Strong
Course: Out and back with a loop at the turnaround. Lots of turns and hills. There were NO flat spots at all. It took a while to get in a groove since I was constantly changing gears.
Road: Rough Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering:
Gear changes: Average Hills: Below average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:37
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
01:12:00 | 06.21 miles | 11m 35s  min/mile
Age Group: 8/9
Overall: 169/177
Performance: Below average
Course: Wandering course on the bike path. Even though there were a million turns, there were people at every one and it was impossible to get lost. Lots of drink stations too.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
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] 4