Coeur d'Alene Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic


View Member's Race Log View other race reports
Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
United States
70F / 21C
Overcast
Total Time = 2h 35m 32s
Overall Rank = 117/669
Age Group = >40 Clydesdale
Age Group Rank = 2/21
Pre-race routine:

Not too complicated. Woke up, showered, at 2 waffles and drank a Starbucks mocha. Loaded up the bike and headed for the race.
Got to transition about 5 after 5:00 and grabbed the primo spot on my bike race, right on the end. Dawdled around chatting with my brother John and all the other athletes that I knew there. Got the tires pumped up, body glide on, and carried the wetsuit down to the water.
Event warmup:

Rode my bike about 1/2 mile, just to make sure all was in working order then ran about 1/2 mile with my brother and my friend Todd. Down at the beach I swam probably 200 yards total.
Swim
  • 29m 57s
  • 1640 yards
  • 01m 50s / 100 yards
Comments:

It didn't take long for this race to start going south! About 100 yards into the swim I got kicked so hard right in the eye, that I thought I was going to go out for a second or two. Fortunately, the guy's foot hit right on my goggle, otherwise it probably would have really hurt something. As it was, I saw stars for a bit and had to stop and collect my wits for a minute. Got started again but my rhythm had definitely gotten thrown off. Probably got another 200 yards and a guy cut across in front of me and kicked me right in the nose! I was thinking "you've got to be kidding me!" My eyes were watering and my nose was bleeding just a bit. Fortunately, again, I was right near a marker buoy so I stopped and hung on to it for a minute until I could regain my senses.
Finally got a little clear water and by the first turn buoy I was feeling better. Nose still hurt but I had a bit of rhythm back. The rest of the swim was pretty uneventful compared to the first few hundred yards. Got around the second turn buoy and was feeling quite a bit better so cranked it up a bit and headed on in.
What would you do differently?:

Not get beat to a pulp!
Transition 1
  • 01m 55s
Comments:

About 10 seconds faster on T1 than last year. Glad my nose had quit bleeding by then!
What would you do differently?:

Not much.
Bike
  • 1h 11m 19s
  • 24.85 miles
  • 20.91 mile/hr
Comments:

The bike went pretty well this year. Started out a little slow, as it had rained during the swim and my glasses were all fogged up and wet. Just let the wind dry them out though, which didn't take long. The rain had the roads soaked though which made the cornering and descents very tricky. This is a pretty technical course anyway but with wet roads it was pretty hairy in places.
Started passing people right away and ended up moving from 311th place after the swim, up to 119th place overall, 81st on the bike. The big climb went well, with only three guys passing me on it. Felt pretty strong going over the steepest top part so that was reassuring. There's a bit of a descent after the long climb, with some pretty good corners on it and these were downright scary with the wet roads. 30mph into a wet corner is not for the faint of heart!
I'd been playing cat and mouse with a guy who was really skinny and thus able to climb faster than me. However, I'd get him on the downhills. Kept on him until the last long downhill, when I passed him toward the bottom and then I put the hammer down on him. Never saw him again until after the race!
Kept a good pace back into town and finished off feeling pretty good.
What would you do differently?:

Not much, maybe push just a bit harder on the big climb.
Transition 2
  • 01m 33s
Comments:

The transition area had gotten torn up pretty good with all the rain last night and this morning so it was a muddy mess at T2. I tried to wipe my feet off as well as I could but didn't get it all and this would come back to haunt me later.
What would you do differently?:

Cleaner feet.
Run
  • 50m 48s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 08m 11s  min/mile
Comments:

Felt pretty decent right from the start. Hit the 1 mile mark at 8:10 and held that pace for the rest of the run. Saw my brother and a lot of my Tri-Fusion teammates during the first 3 miles. John was looking strong as always when he went by.
At about the 3 mile mark I started feeling a hot spot under the arch on my right foot. This bloomed nicely and by 4 miles was really starting to irritate me. By 5 miles I was not having nice thoughts about the mud in transition! I knew I was getting a huge blister but there was nothing to do about it except run faster so I could get done sooner! The last 1/2 mile was pretty fun as a lot of my teammates were out cheering, some with an electric megaphone that nearly deafened me as I ran past! Saw John about 100 yards from the finish and got a high-five...well, maybe a medium-five as I didn't feel like lifting my hand any higher than necessary by that time! Finished up with a PR by around 2 minutes 20 seconds!
What would you do differently?:

Not get a blister but I can't say that slowed me down much if any. It hurt but so what...kept my mind off my tired legs maybe!
Post race
Warm down:

Took my shoes off right away so the blister would quit hurting. Chatted with John and some of my friends, went and got some watermelon and a drink, cleaned up transition.
Then hung out until the awards to pick up my 2nd in AG award.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Being old! Well that and getting beat senseless on the swim and wet roads. Sure made for an interesting morning! Ended up with an AG medal, a black eye, a sore nose, and some tired legs.

Event comments:

My bike computer read a little less than the advertised distance, but it did for IMCDA as well. I'll give the benefit of the doubt to whoever measures it as this is now a USAT approved race. The distances should be accurate. Lots of out of town folks here this year which was nice. Even someone from Tampa, FL. I was wondering how that flatlander enjoyed the hills!




Last updated: 2008-07-22 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:29:57 | 1640 yards | 01m 50s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/21
Overall: 312/669
Performance: Below average
Suit: Orca Speedsuit
Course: Counterclockwise triangle.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 73F / 23C Current: Low
200M Perf. Below average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding: Below average
T1
Time: 01:55
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
01:11:19 | 24.85 miles | 20.91 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/21
Overall: 81/669
Performance: Good
Wind: Some with gusts
Course: Very challenging with several good climbs, in particular a 3.2 mile climb that will suck the life out of you if you're not trained well.
Road: Smooth Wet Cadence:
Turns: Below average Cornering: Below average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:33
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Average
Jumping off bike Below average
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
00:50:48 | 06.21 miles | 08m 11s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/21
Overall: 269/669
Performance: Good
Course: Fairly flat out and back loop.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
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: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 5