St. Paul Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic


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St. Paul, Minnesota
United States
Vacation Sports
78F / 26C
Sunny
Total Time = 3h 01m 37s
Overall Rank = 148/182
Age Group = F 40-44
Age Group Rank = 4/7
Pre-race routine:

We drove up in the morning, so the alarm went off at the buttcrack of dawn. I had coffee and a PB bagel in the car. Somehow I had misjudged the time and we ended up super early to the race site. Oh well, better than late. Somehow I managed to dump over my bike and step on it. Then the rear wheel wouldn't move. The wheel barely moved and was jammed up against the brake. A bit of a panic to get it fixed, but we managed to get it right. I still took it to the bike repair tent to have the dude check it out.
Event warmup:

Since we were so early, we actually had time to take the bikes out for a warm-up. It was then that I realized how awful the roads were. Holes, cracks, rough patches. Like it wasn't even paved. After the bike, we went down to check out the swim and hang around until the start.
Swim
  • 34m 43s
  • 1600 meters
  • 02m 10s / 100 meters
Comments:

Most definetly not my best swim. I found a rhythm, but it was pretty slow. On the second lap, the sprint wave joined us and it turned into a huge mess. Backstroke, breaststroke, frogstroke, doggiepaddle: you name it, they swam it. I just kept my head down and tried to hold my line.
What would you do differently?:

Not sure. I think it's time for some interval training in the pool. Basically, I have one speed. The endurance is there, just not the speed.
Transition 1
  • 02m 28s
Comments:

As usual, I took way too much time. Had to reset the bike computer. And get my hair in the helmet. And get the shoes on. And the watch.
What would you do differently?:

Hustle.
Bike
  • 1h 15m 35s
  • 24.85 miles
  • 19.73 mile/hr
Comments:

Straight out of T1, I was in too big a gear (thanks bike repair dude!). Had to sort that out. I ate a gel within the first 3 miles, but drinking was difficult with all the bumps. Around mile 5, I got boxed in really bad and nearly wrecked as I caught about a foot of air over a huge bump. After that I learned to stay in the middle of the lane, not the right side. The rest of the course was fairly uneventful. Lots of teeth-rattling bumps and intersections. Good news- I passed a lot of people. This was also my first try at riding sockless and it went fine. I think I'll keep doing that.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing really. I think I did the best I could given the road conditions.
Transition 2
  • 01m 41s
Comments:

Getting a bit faster. Jeremy was waiting for me and I just propped my bike up, knowing that he would take care of it for me. Thanks, hon! Putting socks on dry feet is much better. From now on, socks are for T2.
What would you do differently?:

Not much. Pretty good T2.
Run
  • 1h 07m 14s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 10m 50s  min/mile
Comments:

Let the suffering begin! As I started out, my knee felt good. I haven't run on it much at all since HOTL; only one long run in 3 weeks. I kept making deals with myself about walking along the way. Walk break at mile one. OK, no mile markers. Walk break at 22 min. OK, how about 25 min? No, the second lap is just ahead. Jeremy picked my up and ran with me on the second lap. I finally took that walk break at 43 minutes. We kept chugging along and didn't see many people. Another walk break at 58 min and then it was time for the finish. I saw a couple people that I could reel in and did catch them. I think I sprinted a little early, but I was able to hold it pretty well.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing really. This was my best run this season. I've got a lot of work to do on my running, but this was good for where I'm at now. I'm sure that having Jeremy along for the second lap was a huge help. Thanks again, hon!
Post race
Warm down:

As I crossed the finish, I stopped for the kids to grab my chip. They seemed fairly clueless as to what they were supposed to do. After they figured it out, I searched for some water. Not much left. And food. Not much there either.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

I really didn't come into this race with a good competitive spirit. Just kind of ho-hum. My swim needs speed work. The bike was pretty good. I hung on for the run, even though it started to hurt. Once this knee heals, I need speed work on the run too. Right now I have one speed, slow.

Event comments:

I don't think we'll do this one again. The organization wasn't awful, but the lack of water on the run and at the finish was a problem. Although there were tons of volunteers, many didn't have a clue what was going on. And the bike course was crap. That was the deciding factor.




Last updated: 2008-03-01 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:34:43 | 1600 meters | 02m 10s / 100meters
Age Group: 3/7
Overall: 105/182
Performance: Below average
Suit: Promotion full
Course: Two clockwise oddly-shapen laps.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Below average
Breathing: Average Drafting:
Waves: Navigation: Below average
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 02:28
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed: Below average
Biking
01:15:35 | 24.85 miles | 19.73 mile/hr
Age Group: 2/7
Overall: 124/182
Performance: Good
Avg HR- 164 Max HR- 174
Wind: None
Course: Double out and back on a closed course. And, it wasn't the full 24.8; more like 22.3. This was the absolute worst bike course I've ever raced. Just terrible road conditions. Bad to the point of being dangerous. I got more irritated with every bump. Seriously, could they not have found a better road?
Road: Rough Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering:
Gear changes: Average Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:41
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
01:07:14 | 06.21 miles | 10m 50s  min/mile
Age Group: 5/7
Overall: 171/182
Performance: Good
Avg HR- 161 Max HR- 172
Course: Two laps around the lake. Let's just have a comment about the "run around the lake" format around here. It sucks. Especially when you have to do it twice. All the way around the lake I could see the beach and I knew that I could swim back faster than I could run. At least the course was nice and very well marked. And pretty flowers, too.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race? Ok
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? No
Lots of volunteers? No
Plenty of drinks? No
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 3