Desert Half Iron - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Osoyoos, British Columbia
Canada
Outback Events Event Management
25C / 77F
Sunny
Total Time = 6h 24m 42s
Overall Rank = 261/412
Age Group = 30-39
Age Group Rank = 10/23
Pre-race routine:

This was my first half iron distance and my goals were to finish and have fun!

I'd had really good night's sleep the 2 night prior, so I was able to wake up early on race morning (4:00 a.m.). Thankfully, a racer from my province (thanks again Don) let me borrow his Ironman watch as an alarm because my husband and I brought only 2 time pieces--my Garmin and the car clock.

I had my normal oatmeal/Vector Bar breakfast at 2 hours prior and took 1 E-zone capsule 60 mins prior, but was unable to get my Tim Horton's Iced Capp 2 hours before start because the Osoyoos location doesn't open soon enough (need to consume 2 hours before so that I have enough time to empty bladder). I think I will have to shift my cold a.m. caffeine "kick" to 7/11 Slurpees (more nearly universally available). Felt too relaxed.
Event warmup:

Setting up my stuff in transition and a quick swim in the lake before start.
Swim
  • 38m 32s
  • 2187 yards
  • 01m 46s / 100 yards
Comments:

Rank was 67/146 women. I don't have data on overall or age group rankings for individual events.
What would you do differently?:

Pick a faster swimmer to draft behind and change to match a more direct line on the course. Swim faster as I was really not trying hard at all.
Transition 1
  • 07m 48s
Comments:

This was the first time I've raced where there were wetsuit strippers. Honestly, I think it lost me time, but I wanted to experience everything and have fun. And it was!

I dogged it in this transition (and didn't really care) because I made a potty stop in order to bring my HR down and be comfortable on the bike up Richter's Pass. I didn't have to wait in line.

Also, I took a lot of time applying sunscreen because I am white and prone to burning. I even stopped to let the sunscreen volunteers polish up the job.
What would you do differently?:

Get a really solid water-proof sunscreen and apply to body ahead of the swim and just applying sunscreen to my face after the swim. I'll probably always need to go to the bathroom. Again, I really wasn't worrying on my first half iron distance.

Make sure my Garmin was set to bike function. Spent precious seconds on this, too.
Bike
  • 3h 34m 15s
  • 55.92 miles
  • 15.66 mile/hr
Comments:

Rank 63/146 women. Okay, this bike was hard. Really hard, but not impossible. I had a really good time and had to fight the impulse to charge up Richter's Pass at the beginning. I did pass a few people and kept a comfortable pace. I noticed that my road bike would have a been better for a faster cadence because the gear size is different, but my tri bike was lighter.

There was a nasty headwind just down from Richter's that really picked up into Cawston, which provided a fantastic tailwind on the way back! The hills were loads of fun going down. People who don't have to bike in the flat prairie all the time don't know how lucky they are. The ride was scenic and more fun than I've had biking in a while.

Amusingly enough, I was slogging (and mashing a bit because I'd run out of gears) up this steep incline near the end that I thought was the second last hill, so I was saving energy for the last push. Well, that was the last push! I got to the top of Richter's thinking I had one more hard hill and thought: "That was it?!?!" This provided immense amusement post-race for the gentleman who loaned me his watch. :) I really should have known that that was it because I felt like my butt was going to fall off.

The ride down Richter's was great and I tucked and let 'er rip, but I'm too light and one heavier guy passed me.
What would you do differently?:

Do more that 1 hill workout and more that 2 90+KM workouts before the race.
Transition 2
  • 04m 13s
Comments:

Again, I was dogging it a bit here and added some sunscreen to my face. Glad I put on the running socks as my feet were blister-free.

I did forget to take off my bike shorts!
What would you do differently?:

Run the bike in faster.
Run
  • 2h 09m 55s
  • 13.05 miles
  • 09m 58s  min/mile
Comments:

Rank 83/146 women. My goal was to run 10KM without walking breaks (except a couple of steps at aid stations), and I made it to 16KM before I took my first of 3 walking breaks. The last kilometre I finished running at a fast pace (for me).
What would you do differently?:

Take off my bike shorts for the run!!!

Lose weight and increase my quality run workouts.
Post race
Warm down:

Ate watermelon and stood in the lake with a fellow who was using me as a pace bunny!

The massage at the race lunch was awesome!! The sophomore student that worked on me was pleasant and skilled. My piriformes muscles, quads, and calves felt 100% better post-massage.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Not knowing whether I could finish. Taking it easy, so that I could enjoy the process. Holding back in order to assure finishing and using this race as a measuring tool rather than a hard-core race situation.

Event comments:

It's hard to give an excellent rating to this race because I haven't been to other half iron distance races.

Negatives: the buoy/swim caps colour thing alluded to above. I would have liked a better fitting ball cap in my race package. i.e. not too much negative!

Positives: Everything else. The post-race give away/door prize was masterfully done!

Really enjoyed the athletes I met. Some nods to some cool Terrace and Victoria, B.C., and New Zealand dwellers. The Sask athletes were fantastic, too.


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Last updated: 2008-07-08 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:38:32 | 2187 yards | 01m 46s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/23
Overall: 0/412
Performance: Average
I could have swum much faster, but purposefully held back and drafted behind slightly slower swimmers. I really wanted to save energy for the bike leg, which had me nervous. This was the first time I drafted throughout the swim of a triathlon. I seeded near the front of start but only got brushed a few times. This start was very civilized in my section. People were careful and courteous while still attempting to swim hard. The first person I chose to draft behind wasn't a good choice because he took a really wide circuit around the buoys, so I think I swam farther than I would have if I had taken a direct line. The second person I swam behind was perfect for what I wanted. I wanted simply to finish this race and have fun.
Suit: RB Full Wetsuit
Course: The race director next year should consider getting new buoys that are not the same colour as the small boat buoys, and not have the swim caps the same colour again. It was very difficult to sight the course. Bright yellow buoys and bright green caps would have been more helpful. Otherwise, the course was good. I like going counterclockwise for a change.
Start type: Wade Plus:
Water temp: 0C / 0F Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Good Drafting: Good
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 07:48
Performance: Bad
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed:
Biking
03:34:15 | 55.92 miles | 15.66 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/23
Overall: 0/412
Performance: Average
I remembered to eat on the flat or on the downhill in order to keep HR down.
Wind: Some with gusts
Course: Richter's Pass was as advertised. There was rough road into Cawston, but the route was rather smooth, in my opinion. No egregious potholes or danger spots in the road surface.
Road:  Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Drinks:
T2
Time: 04:13
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
02:09:55 | 13.05 miles | 09m 58s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/23
Overall: 0/412
Performance: Average
Walked through most aid stations to keep HR low while eating/drinking
Course: Mercifully flat course and scenic course 2-loop course. The little loop with the little hills that must be done past the finishing area makes it seem harder.
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
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 4