Tempe International Triathlon - Olympic Distance - TriathlonOlympic


View Member's Race Log View other race reports
Tempe, Arizona
United States
Tucson Racing Inc.
Sunny
Total Time = 3h 43m 39s
Overall Rank = /
Age Group = Athena
Age Group Rank = 0/
Pre-race routine:

I wasn't feeling well the night before the race and ended up with a 101 fever right before bed. In a way it was good because I could stop worrying about the race and just worry about getting a solid night of sleep. I was actually in bed by about 9 pm, which is unheard of for me. But you know how it goes..I was checking the clock every hour and laying there awake. I think I did manage a solid 5 hours though.

My alarm went off extra early at 3:30 am to double check everything. My fever was gone and I was going to proceed with racing. I had my usual peanut butter toast and coffee but today I tried to get down a bit of a protein shake. I don't normally drink a protein shake on race morning but I have been drinking one for my longer rides and it seems to work well. But I just couldn't even stomach the milk as I was way too nervous. I took two sips and decided to ditch that notion all together. :>X

I got down to transition right about 5:15, I think. I found the ESCKTC and set up in their row. I am not a good person to be around before a race because I worry so much and the club was all awesome and supportive. I followed Jerry around and Aaron helped me with my chip.

About 30 minutes before the race I went off on my own and went to the bathroom one more time. I made my way back to the water and sat and watched the sprint waves go and stared at a dead fish floating next to the edge (nice). Dave and I sat and watched a guy have a panic attack in one of the waves. Gosh, it broke my heart watching him hyperventilate and no one came and pulled him out. He made his way to the boat dock and clung on for dear life. Then he pulled himself out. You could tell he just couldn't breath. All I could think was that it was just heartbreaking to get through all of that training and have it stop right there in your first 50 m of swimming. I am a sap like that.

I had to run and have one more drink of water before my wave got in the water. I get dry throat when swimming and I really didn't want to drink from poop lake.

Alas, it was my time to get in.
Event warmup:

None. :>X Time seemed to just slip through my fingers!
Swim
  • 35m 48s
  • 1640 yards
  • 02m 11s / 100 yards
Comments:

I had already swam this course in my mind about 100 times so mentally I was really prepared for it. Thanks to Splash and Dash I was prepared to be bumped and jostled at the beginning and that didn't really bother me at all this time. I wasn't prepared to be kicked in the head but it was ok. I did stop and catch my breath a few times but for the most part the swim went really well. I knew by the time that I got to the first buoy that I was going to be fine. I just kept swimming and swimming and swimming. By the time I was about half way through I stopped a second and said hi to one of the guys on the surf boards. He immediately jumped up and asked if I was ok. I said yes and started swimming again and as I was swimming away I thought, "you have no idea just how ok I am right now, LOL". At one point I could hear some kind of "plinking" sounds off in the distance. I wasn't sure exactly what they were but I thought maybe the next waves hitting the water. As I rounded the final far buoy the sun was in my face and I couldn't see where I was going. I decided to swim in a straight line and just get here. Oops, I think I veered into the middle of the rectangle a bit so I know I swam a little long but it turned out ok. I really could not believe it when I saw the stairs and it was time to get out. It went really super smooth and I was thrilled. I got to the top of the stairs and gave a giant woop! for the crowd. Then I saw a few from the tri club and gave them another woop! I was soooo happy!
What would you do differently?:

I was totally happy with my swim. I need to become a more efficient swimmer in general but for where I am at today I am happy. I plan on many more OWS this summer to get faster.
Transition 1
  • 02m 28s
Comments:

The splits aren't up yet but I know I was slow here. I am guessing right around 3 minutes though if I back out my other times. I was not rushing just getting everything done.
What would you do differently?:

I need to hurry it up. :>D
Bike
  • 1h 39m 41s
  • 27.41 miles
  • 16.50 mile/hr
Comments:

I set off on my bike making a mental note to stay to the right. I knew that even at my best pace I was going to be slow out there. My only goal was to hit over 16 mph as that is the fastest I have trained at. I was hoping that I would get closer to 17 but with the little climbs and the sharp turns it turned out to be 16. There were a few spots that I had a calf cramp but otherwise it went smooth. I saw Paulette and she looked super strong and I saw Jen with her East Siiiiide sign that just cracked me up. Once I hit the last lap I felt super energized as I knew it was almost time for the run.

Of course I got passed and heard "on your right" 10,000 times. It really didn't bother me at all and I came to love the sound of the expensive tri bikes as they whooshed by me. It sounded like a hoover craft "woom woom woom". It always made me smile. I saw several people walking bikes back and was so thankful that Tewonda made it through the day in one piece.
What would you do differently?:

Same as the swim. I just need to spend more time biking at higher speeds. I also need to put aero bars on my bike but that won't come until the fall probably. One step at a time. ;>) I also plan to take spin classes this summer so hopefully that will help with speed on the bike as well.
Transition 2
  • 02m
Comments:

I saw most of the tri club bikes were back already. D'oh! I better get going!
Run
  • 1h 22m 24s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 13m 16s  min/mile
Comments:

My big disappointment of the day was my run. I had practiced brick after brick after brick to be ready for this. As soon as I started moving though I had nothing. My legs weren't really cramped but they were tight and felt blah. Somewhere right during that first mile I lost any fight that I had. I don't know why but it was like I gave myself a permission slip to walk. I even had a conversation with myself about how it would feel later to know that I didn't press through and I was ok with it.

There were some highlights to the run though. The first was what I call dancing with a guy. He would run, I would walk and we swapped spots for about 10 minutes. Finally I caught up to him and asked him how he was doing. Turned out he had started in my wave and this was his first Oly as well. We were both whipped but happy to be getting through. I really couldn't hang with him so he left about mile 4 where I had my worst mile of the day.

As I crossed the bridge for the second time a younger guy came up and said, "great job". I don't know why that motivated me and I picked up his pace and ran with him for a few minutes. As he ran off I said, "thanks for the ride". I noticed on his calf that he was 21 years old! What a nice boy. Right then another guy came and gave me a high five. As they both ran off I yelled, "the back of the pack rules!" They both pumped their arms in the air in agreement. :>D

When I rounded one corner there was a guy encouraging the stragglers. He said, "do you hear them? they are waiting for you!". I said, "yeah, they want to go home." He looked me square in the face and said "don't ever say that, you are doing this!". I thought that was really encouraging.

I saw a few of the tri club on this last little leg, some running strong and some on a death march like mine. I also saw a few off to the side cheering. I am so thankful to the tri club and all of their encouragement. Who knew that when I logged on to Beginner Triathlete that day to find a group swim that I would find such encouraging people to do this with.

As I rounded the corner to the finish I saw my family. What a nice vision for tired eyes. I walked when I got to them and they all were hollering to GO! GO! They didn't realize that I had not a single ounce of go left.

I crossed the finish line and let out a giant "WOOP!" It felt stupendous to complete this race. It was hot, the bike course was long but I finished!
What would you do differently?:

Ugh, I am not sure. I think I was just tapped out around the 3 hour mark. It could be that my nutrition is not really nutrition for this long of an event or it could be that the fever from the night before took part in the run. I know though that I need to keep running and lose weight!
Post race
Warm down:

Hung out at the ESCKTC tent!! WOOT WOOT!!

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Just overall ability. I came in 3rd or 4th from the bottom for the WHOLE event. I had a blast and I did the best that I could but seriously, no one wants to scrap the bottom that low. I won't let my back, back of the pack take away my joy from the day. Never one time did I think, "never again". I just kept thinking, "next time...next time." It is barely two years since I got off the couch and started moving at all and here I just completed an Olympic triathlon. I will get faster, stronger and I will be back. It's going to take a ton of work but I can do it!

Event comments:

I had a great time on this course!! My only complaint is the steps on the run..twice! Seemed a bit cruel at the time but I guess it worked. The drink stations and volunteers were wonderful!


Profile Album


Last updated: 2008-04-03 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:35:48 | 1640 yards | 02m 11s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance: Good
Suit: Sleeveless Neosprint
Course: 1500m Rectangle in Tempe Town Lake
Start type: Plus:
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current: Low
200M Perf. Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average Drafting:
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:28
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: No
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed:
Biking
01:39:41 | 27.41 miles | 16.50 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance: Average
Wind: Little
Course: Four loops around the Tempe area. Some slight climbing on the bridges but overall flat.
Road:   Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks:
T2
Time: 02:00
Overall:
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
01:22:24 | 06.21 miles | 13m 16s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance: Bad
Course: 2 loops around Tempe Town Lake
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
Good race?
Evaluation
Course challenge
Organized?
Events on-time?
Lots of volunteers?
Plenty of drinks?
Post race activities:
Race evaluation [1-5]