Accenture Chicago Triathlon - Olympic Distance - TriathlonOlympic


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Chicago, Illinois
United States
Capri Events
78F / 26C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 46m 40s
Overall Rank = 1124/4089
Age Group = F 20-24
Age Group Rank = 12/96
Pre-race routine:

Considering this was my first tri, I wouldn't call it a "routine," but the night before I made fettuccine for my boyfriend, my brother and myself (they did it too). We ate early, about 4:30 p.m. or so.
Then I packed my bag, watched some olympics and went to bed. Slept like a baby, surprisingly! Had to get up at 3:15 a.m. though...
Ate some oatmeal for breakfast and headed out!
Event warmup:

Rode my bike down to the transition area, about a 25 min ride. Great warmup, but my wave didn't go off for another 5 hours, so I don't know what good it did me by that point.
Hung out, ate some cheerios, drank lots of water, stretched, got a feel for everything. The late start ended up being a blessing in disguise. I was not in the mindset to race at 6am! By the time 9:21 rolled around, I was READY!
Swim
  • 26m
  • 1640 yards
  • 01m 35s / 100 yards
Comments:

The swim was good. It's my specialty. I was pretty happy with my time, I felt fast and strong, didn't expend too much energy. I could hear my mom and cousin cheering my on the whole time.
What would you do differently?:

Started WAY too far back in the pack. This being my first tri, I was too meek to push my way up front, but next time I WILL! I think I lost 2-3 minutes because of it. I got trampled and started soooo slow! Still debating on whether or not to use a wetsuit next time... viewpoints welcome.
Transition 1
  • 04m 6s
Comments:

I knew this transition wasn't the fastest while I was doing it, but 4 minutes! Yikes! I just needed a good kick in the rear end. I don't have clips on my pedals, so I had to sit down and tie my running shoes and everything. But I also didn't have a wetsuit to deal with.
What would you do differently?:

HURRY! And I plan on getting clips + biking shoes.
Bike
  • 1h 18m 52s
  • 25 miles
  • 19.02 mile/hr
Comments:

I stayed steady, felt fast, overall very good!
I didn't let myself look at my watch until halfway and when I did, I literally said "HOLY SHIT!?" out loud. I was hoping for a 1:30 bike and when I saw 39 min at the halfway point, I was verrry happy!
What would you do differently?:

Next time I do it, I'll push harder because I'd like to improve my overall time, but I was very happy with my bike performance!
No real changes.
Transition 2
  • 02m 20s
Comments:

I felt like this was a really fast transition, but apparently not so much.
What would you do differently?:

Maybe another kick in the rear.
Run
  • 55m 20s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 08m 55s  min/mile
Comments:

I enjoyed it, despite being pretty tired. I was happy with my performance. Started out fast, my first mile was 8:15, then I tried to slow myself down a bit. I may have slowed down a bit too much, because my overall pace was a bit slower than I hoped for.
Lots of fans, especially other finishers who had come back out to cheer others on. That was my favorite part, I actually started to get emotional at one point but had to get my head back in the game! Great course.
What would you do differently?:

Try to keep my pace up. I was hoping for closer to 8:45 pace.
Post race
Warm down:

I was on a HIGH after I finished! Visited with family and friends, went back out to cheer on my brother near the finish, ate some catered food, basked in my glory, etc.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Being a first-timer.

Event comments:

I LOVE THIS RACE!


Profile Album


Last updated: 2008-08-26 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:26:00 | 1640 yards | 01m 35s / 100yards
Age Group: 12/96
Overall: 222/4089
Performance: Good
Suit: No wetsuit
Course:
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Good
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 04:06
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
01:18:52 | 25 miles | 19.02 mile/hr
Age Group: 11/96
Overall: 1813/4089
Performance: Good
Wind: Strong
Course: The bike was beautiful! Biking has been my least favorite during training (mainly due to the sheer TIME it takes to do it). But, I really loved this part of the race! The wind was really strong - against me going north, but behind me going south. Better than the other way around, I guess! This was when I really noticed how NICE everyone was! All of my fellow bikers were chatty and complimentary. So lovely. I did see a few bad crashes. And tons of pot holes.
Road: Potholes Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering:
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 02:20
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:55:20 | 06.21 miles | 08m 55s  min/mile
Age Group: 25/96
Overall: 1540/4089
Performance: Good
Course: Lovely, scenic route along the lake path, tons of volunteers and fans. Very inspiring and performance enhancing.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
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: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5