5430 Long Course Triathlon - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Boulder, Colorado
United States
5430 Sports Corp.
80F / 27C
Overcast
Total Time = 5h 36m 34s
Overall Rank = 407/934
Age Group = M25-29
Age Group Rank = 33/50
Pre-race routine:

Alarm was set for 3:15, but of course it didnt go off, so I woke up around 3:50ish. I made some coffee and had some cereal then headed out the door off to Boulder. On the way to the race I drank some 90 calorie drink we had received in our race packets. It was ok, better tasting than most. I was just trying to get something in my stomach as it is hard for me to eat in the morning, I have to force it. I arrived at the Res on time and parked my car. I forgot to drink some of the fruit smoothie I had brought. I proceeded to the body marking with all of my equipment, then collected my race chip and set up my transition area.
Event warmup:

AFter setting up my transition area I had some bathroom problems requiring more than one trip(and more than one line to wait in) This would have hindered my warm-up if I had planned for one. This race I wasnt really anticipating much of a warm-up. So overall the grand total of my warm-up was about a .5 mile easy jog back to my car to get my wetsuit.
Swim
  • 42m 9s
  • 1931 meters
  • 02m 11s / 100 meters
Comments:

After a couple hundred meters my timing chip came off my leg. This had never happenned to me before so I stopped to ponder the situation long enough to figure out that the chips float. So I took a couple strokes back to get the chip then started the dance to try to get it back onto my ankle securely. The first time I got it on and took a couple strokes to have it fall off again. Then I spent a minute or two trying to tread water with one leg while using both hands and my other leg to get the chip on. Dont try this at home, I swallowed copious amounts of water, lost time, and wasted energy. Nevertheless I got it back on. Later in the swim a little over halfway I got my goggles kicked off. Again this is a first time thing for me, but treading water with two legs is no problem so I fixed the goggles and lost only about 10-15 secs on the incident.
What would you do differently?:

Make sure racing chip is secured around my ankle before every race. This was horribly difficult to put it on in the middle of the lake.
Transition 1
  • 01m 28s
Comments:

I put socks on and shoes, then run with the bike, so that was fine. I had no problems getting anything on or off.
What would you do differently?:

Nada
Bike
  • 2h 37m 3s
  • 56 miles
  • 21.39 mile/hr
Comments:

Most of the first lap on the bike I was jockeying back and forth with a Hammer rider, an orange shirt guy and a gu guy. They obviously were going at a pace good for them while I was cycling out of my league. I was overconfident in my abilities and although I made it through the bike without any problem it left little energy for my run.
What would you do differently?:

I would focus less on keeping up with people and trying to beat or stay ahead of them. Longer distance races put much more emphasis on racing within your abilities.
Transition 2
  • 01m 48s
Comments:

I had to go to the bathroom the whole bike and so it made my transition a little stressful having to hold it while putting my running shoes on, then stopping at the porta-potty.
What would you do differently?:

Nada
Run
  • 2h 14m 8s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 10m 14s  min/mile
Comments:

I clearly went out too hard on the run with miles of 7:47, 8:35, 8:49, 8:38. I then started to have my IT band screaming at me before even starting the second lap. I knew at this point that I had gone out WAAAAY too hard(it was easy at the time) and my focus turned to just finishing the race in a respectable way. Also besides the knee with about 1 mile left I started feeling sick to my stomach. My last few mile times were 11:35, 12:04, 13:02 which is sickening itself, but this is the first time I got sick in a race and I think it was because I was running too hard at the beginning of the run leg.
What would you do differently?:

Drink a little bit less, not much, I think I drank decently. Mostly and obviously I need to not start at a pace I know I cannot maintain. It just was easy at the time, I must have had a lot of adrenaline. Still the plan was to run 9ish minute miles, so why did I start well under that I dont know.
Post race
Warm down:

By the time I crossed the finish line I was just trying not to get sick onto or in front of anybody, and save a little face. I was successsful in keeping my nutrition in my stomach. After that I had a bottle of water from the finish, and went to the lake for a cool-off. The lake was very cold, my body very weak and unable to heat itself. I got cold fast and retreated to my towel. Then I sat around for a few minutes, stretched, and got in line for food. I gave my burrito to Brandon becuase they arent that good, and saved the bagel, watermelon, and oranges for myself as well as a pepsi and a recovery drink I had on the way home.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

The main limitation was my lack of pacing and overconfidence in the fatigue catching up with me. I just got that race mentality and totally was kidding myself with my paces.

Event comments:

this is a great race. The bike course is a little boring but that is not unusual. They try to keep it relatively flat for the longer distance rather than making us go up Old Stage like in the Boulder Peak




Last updated: 2008-08-12 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:42:09 | 1931 meters | 02m 11s / 100meters
Age Group: 34/50
Overall: 549/934
Performance: Average
Suit: modified wetsuit
Course: The course was an out and around loop exiting the water north of where we entered. Nothing unusual besides the signature swim straight into the sunrise which is a part of every 5430 triathlon in Boulder.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 74F / 23C Current: Medium
200M Perf. Below average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Good Drafting: Below average
Waves: Average Navigation: Below average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 01:28
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
Yes
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
02:37:03 | 56 miles | 21.39 mile/hr
Age Group: 18/50
Overall: 272/934
Performance: Below average
Wind: Some
Course: The course is nice and winds through the backroads north of Boulder. There are some small hills but nothing significant. The Easterly descent was a nice rest on the legs each loop. The course is set up in 2 28-mile loops.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Average Hills: Good
Race pace: Too hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:48
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
02:14:08 | 13.1 miles | 10m 14s  min/mile
Age Group: 32/50
Overall: 570/934
Performance: Bad
Course: The course was 2 loops around the Res.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Too much
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Below average
Mental exertion [1-5] 2
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Ok
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5