Land Between the Lakes Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Albert Lea, Minnesota
United States
Tri Minnesota Racing Series
50F / 10C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 58m 14s
Overall Rank = 96/116
Age Group = F 40-44
Age Group Rank = 4/5
Pre-race routine:

Up pretty early for coffee and oatmeal. It was so cold when we left that I was wearing my snow parka and several layers. Just thinking warm thoughts as we were driving.
Event warmup:

Found a good rack spot in the back near Harvey and Ed M. and I saved a spot for Wendy. TriRoch in the house! Bill had the camcorder going working on a documentary of the day. Lots of chatting and not much warming up going on. When I took the bike out for a short spin, it(of course) resulted in me losing my rack spot. Grrrr... Had to muscle my way back onto the rack. Then got in the water with the wave ahead to get used to the temp. It's all relative because you really can't get used to that kind of cold.
Swim
  • 08m 46s
  • 402 meters
  • 02m 11s / 100 meters
Comments:

Not a bad swim for the first time in OW. I lined up in the front and took a bit of a beating, but that's OK. At least I wasn't stuck in traffic. About halfway through, I got a couple mouthfuls of water which kind of sucked. Some coughing. Blech. The exit with the steps is a huge improvement on the old venue with astroturf and rocks.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing much. This was a good swim and a decent pace for me. Looking forward to improving in it for the rest of the season.
Transition 1
  • 03m 36s
Comments:

Wow, we were all stubling around like a bunch of drunks. Cold water is so disorienting. I had bought earplugs, but forgot to actually use them. Doh! I took extra time to dry off with the Shamwow; you'll be saying WOW! every time. It was just too cold to go out dripping wet on the bike. Bike gloves didn't cooperate with wet hands, so they stayed behind. In the end, after all that thought about clothing, I ended up with my WBG beanie, yellow jacket and shorts. I was a bit chilly at first, but it got better.
What would you do differently?:

Remember to try the ear plugs.
Bike
  • 1h 10m 36s
  • 20.1 miles
  • 17.08 mile/hr
Comments:

I really wanted a repeat of Thursday's ride, but realistically knew that wasn't going to happen. Going out (with a tiny tailwind) I felt very strong, but didn't pass many people. The field was very strung out and there weren't many people to reel in. Maybe that kept me slower. Had some gel and water and just kept a nice cadence. I noticed some horses with their blankets still on from the night chill. Nice. Toward the end of the course, I got to thinking that this was the longest distance I'd raced this year and no wonder I couldn't hold onto that pace. Need to do some longer-faster training rides.
What would you do differently?:

Maybe push it a bit more. Not sure.
Transition 2
  • 01m 31s
Comments:

Better transition. Decided at the last minute to ditch the jacket.
What would you do differently?:

Plan that transition in my head before getting off the bike. I trotted into T2 with no plan in place.
Run
  • 33m 47s
  • 3.5 miles
  • 09m 39s  min/mile
Comments:

Right out of transition, I started running with a guy and we stayed together the whole time. Our first mile as around 9:30 and I wondered if I could hang onto that. He seemed like he was out for a light jog, but I was working a bit. I didn't want to go too hard since I'd had some shin pain earlier in the week. My plan was to hang with him until he was ready to leave. I had no desire to try to go faster. Having a pacer really helps me since I can be kind of unmotivated on the run.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing at this point. Later in the season, I will try to run harder, but I was being conservative about my shins. I'm going back to RR tomorrow and get this shoe nonsense sorted out.
Post race
Warm down:

None. I was starting to get a bit chilled on the last bit of the course. Jeremy got me to the car so I could change clothes and get warm. Ate a banana and had some water.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

The usual. I'm just kind of slow.

Event comments:

The venue change was great after yesterday's fiasco of not being able to find it. Much better transition spot and swim spot. It's bloody cold, but I keep coming back. They said that the weather was the best yet in 5 years, even if it was a bit cold. It was great to see so many TriRochester people there this year too. Oh, forgot to mention, I got first place Athena again this year. Reigning champ second year in a row. Yes, I was the only one again. I actually forgot that I registered Athena until they called my name. Also won a jug of Hammer gel, apple cinnamon. Yum!




Last updated: 2008-12-19 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:08:46 | 402 meters | 02m 11s / 100meters
Age Group: 3/5
Overall: 82/116
Performance: Good
Suit: Promotion Full
Course: Started in line with the dock and swam straight to the first bouy. Left turn and a long stretch to the next bouy. Greater than 90* turn to the swim exit steps.
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 59F / 15C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Average Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 03:36
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
01:10:36 | 20.1 miles | 17.08 mile/hr
Age Group: 4/5
Overall: 89/116
Performance: Good
HR monitor was not working the first 4 miles or so. I saw 00, 32, 41, 00. Not good. Finally it settled in and I was able to monitor it. My goal was to keep it around 163, but several times late in the course it slipped to 158.
Wind: Little
Course: Big rectangle out in the country. Because of the venue change, the bike course ended up long (yay!) and the run was short (double yay!). The wind picked up a bit on the last third of the course, so that was a bit tough.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:31
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
00:33:47 | 03.5 miles | 09m 39s  min/mile
Age Group: 4/5
Overall: 107/116
Performance: Good
Pretty consistent HR although it spiked up the last hill.
Course: Around the lake on trails and roads. Nice course and fairly flat.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks?
Post race activities:
Race evaluation [1-5] 4