Swim
Comments: I thought I did pretty well and was more annoyed than anything else about the flailing arms and legs and the weeds. It helped that the water was clear. I veered slightly off course about the 150yd mark, but righted myself. During the bouy to bouy length I found a rythm for breathing and swimming. What I thought seemed like a long distance I just put my head down and swam. Next thing I know I was close to the 2nd bouy. Stumbled when I stood up out of the water, was dizzy. What would you do differently?: Sight better, go a bit faster, and not stop/start like I did 3-4 times. Possibly get up and run when others did near the exit. Transition 1
Comments: After getting my bearings standing up after the swim I was able to function better. From the stone steps you had to run on grass past the transition area to get into transition. Also, the temp was about 38-40 degrees and I put on a bunch of cold-weather gear which took up most of the time. What would you do differently?: Be faster and practice taking the suit off from my feet. Bike
Comments: About mile 5 I got horrible calf and glute cramps. Part of my ankle and foot were numb from the cold. After coasting downhill to workout the cramps, I was able to climb back up it without any major troubles. It was about mile 8 when I started to get passed by many with newer bikes and were experienced. I had two gels and a powerbar and drank a bunch of water. This food break slowed me down, although I was worried about running on empty later on. By the end of the bike my feet were numb and my 50-55 min training rides for 15mi did not take into account the hilliness of the area. What would you do differently?: Train on hills, warm up more, get a properly fitting bike (which I did), only have a gel and gatorade as I had a ton of energy left after the whole race. Transition 2
Comments: Nothing too difficult. What would you do differently?: Nothing. Taking off the cold-weather gear took a lot of time. Run
Comments: Started cramping, left calf again, about .5mi into the run and again at 2.5mi. Had to walk for 30 secs to stretch it. What would you do differently?: Run faster as I felt like I had the energy. But I was in it to finish! Post race
Warm down: None - my excuse was the ground was too cold! What limited your ability to perform faster: Not warming up, maybe not enough electrolytes, and just the thought that I might run out of gas if I go faster. So, my excuse was that I could take my time, albeit at a good pace, because my goal was to finish. Event comments: Beautiful course, fun and easy-going crowd, clean and clear lake, well organized, smooth roads (except first and last hills) decent post-race food. Will do again in 2008! Last updated: 2008-05-21 12:00 AM
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United States
Wisconsin Triathlon Series
34F / 1C
Sunny
Overall Rank = 401/736
Age Group = 35-39
Age Group Rank = 61/84
Ate a more carb-rich meal the two nights before. Ate my usual "race day" breakfast of banana, bagel with cream cheese, oatmeal, coffee, and lots of water. Continued drinking water driving to location and had a powerbar. I stopped eating my breakfast 2 hours before event start time.
Little to no warmup, too excited for my first race. Got signed in, marked, transition set up, and hit the john before I got my wetsuit on. Got about 2 minutes of swimming in before my wave was called. I think the leg cramps I had during the bike were due to improper warmup, the air temp, the bike not fitting, and the leg warmers not being igh enough. Next time I know what to do and use my time wisely!