Devil's Challenge Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Baraboo, Wisconsin
United States
Wisconsin Triathlon Series
60F / 16C
Overcast
Total Time = 1h 31m 42s
Overall Rank = 190/747
Age Group = Novie
Age Group Rank = 29/74
Pre-race routine:

Got up after 4 and a half hours of sleep, made some coffee, ate some oatmeal and bread and listened to some calming music.
Event warmup:

Not much. A little stretching and a quick splash in the lake was all I felt I needed.
Swim
  • 10m 18s
  • 440 yards
  • 02m 20s / 100 yards
Comments:

This was the longest distance that I have ever swam and only the second time I've done an OWS. Because of that, I started way back and right in the wave. Add to this that I'm a terrible swimmer and my 10:18 finish feels like a miraculous thing. There was no way that I could keep my freestyle stroke for the whole race, so I did a bit more than half in a backstroke. Checked every bit to make sure I wasn't going off course and I didn't hit anyone while swimming, so I'd say that this was the absolute best I could hope for.
What would you do differently?:

All that being said, I definitely need to train more. Other than that, I think I stuck to my plan perfectly and wouldn't have changed a thing.
Transition 1
  • 02m 19s
Comments:

This definitely could have been faster, but I followed my plan and had everything well organized enough that it went smoothly. I flew out of my wetsuit and was thrilled with that. Might have taken me 10 seconds to get out of it at my bike.
What would you do differently?:

A lot of things. I tried the rubber band with my shoes clipped in technique and it didn't go very well. I also forgot to unstrap my shoes pre-race and failed to see that my helmet wasn't fitting properly. Wasted a good chunk of time dealing with those issues, but really don't have anything to complain about.
Bike
  • 54m 3s
  • 15 miles
  • 16.65 mile/hr
Comments:

...Then it all started going to hell. My chain came off 6 times. 6 TIMES. This is not an exaggeration or misread. Of course it came off on the uphills where I was in my 50/11 gearing, so it wasn't catastrophic in and of itself. Frustration set in, but I think I toughed it out pretty well.

I passed every single person in view on the bike. I was passed each time my chain came off (by the same groups of people), but I recovered to overtake them each time. By the time I got to the end of the course, there was no one near me and no one in front of me. That felt really nice since I knew that I put out the best effort that I could with the circumstances.

Overall, I'm not thrilled with this ride, but due to my circumstances, I handled it well. I feel like I could have finished under 50 minutes and that would have been really nice.
What would you do differently?:

Really pay attention to my early morning set-up and start a checklist of things to go over. Like bring my water bottles. Oh yeah, I forgot those at home.
Transition 2
  • 01m 7s
Comments:

Did very well here. I was in a flat-out sprint with my bike and everything played out as it went in my head. Only 10 seconds off the fastest t2!
What would you do differently?:

I can't think of anything.
Run
  • 23m 57s
  • 3.11 miles
  • 07m 42s  min/mile
Comments:

If not for someone passing me and thus causing me to run him down for 2 miles, this portion would have been a debacle. My left calf was cramping and twitching something fierce, there was zero left in the tank and I started running seriously about 4 months ago, so I had no concept of how to push through the last 5k of any race. I walked for about 50 feet while I tried to find my toes, which were completely numb and then decided that I would not be happy if I walked another step.

All in all, I'm fairly certain that I put a strong negative split on that last half, thanks to the guy that was pacing me. Leaving it all on the course is something that I'm a firm believer in and I accomplished that.
What would you do differently?:

I'm not sure, but it's clear that I have to do something different. I won't be happy until I'm safely in the mid-teens on my 5k's, but all I can too to get there is too train more.

Which I'm going to do. :D
Post race
Warm down:

Warm-down? HA! I would have had to be warmed up first. I just found my family, gave them hugs and kisses and sat down for a quick bite to eat. My insolence will be paid for tomorrow, I'm sure.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Lack of training. I'm not making any excuses here.

Event comments:

The flip flopping on the changing bike course was absolutely ridiculous. It was changed twice in a week and while it affects everyone equally, it's not fair to those of us that trained on the wrong courses. Their reasons must have been pretty good to do this to everyone, but it's just not acceptable. They need to be better organized.




Last updated: 2008-09-14 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:10:18 | 440 yards | 02m 20s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/74
Overall: 0/747
Performance: Good
Suit: Full
Course:
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 70F / 21C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Average Drafting: Below average
Waves: Good Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:19
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
00:54:03 | 15 miles | 16.65 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/74
Overall: 143/747
Performance: Below average
Wind: None
Course: This course is absolutely brutal. "It's only a sprint," you scream. Well, it kicked my butt. Since my bike computer didn't want to work today, I can't say quite how long the uphills were, but I'm guessing the first uphill was a solid 2-3 miles of climbing. Not something that I trained for (especially since they did a last second course change...AGAIN...and I had trained for the other route) so it was a bit much. As mentioned in my T1 comments, I didn't get into my clipped in shoes very well, due to the fact that I left my straps buckled. Rookie mistake that I'll never make again. It took quite a mile for me to get into my shoes and I lost at least a minute doing that.
Road: Potholes Dry Cadence: 80s
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Average Hills: Good
Race pace: Too hard Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 01:07
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:23:57 | 03.11 miles | 07m 42s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/74
Overall: 302/747
Performance: Average
Course: Nothing too crazy, just an out and back with some mild ups and downs.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Too hard
Organized? No
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 3