Race report: July 17, 2010, Evergreen International, Hudson, IL.
I was 9/13 in my age group overall. 3:12 with a 2 minute penalty, I just learned about. No idea what it was about. Didn't know about it at the lake or I would have asked.
Swim: 39:36 for a 2:30 pace. I felt good. No problems sighting. I thought I was going harder than the time shows. I slowed coming in to get ready for the bike. No problems in the T1.
Bike: 1:17. 20.1 mph. The watts seem low. I was at 75% overall. I went out well, stayed aero through the first portion. Then my seat slipped backward at the halfway mark. I would have had to be 6'2" to stay down then. So I debated stopping to fix it but since I could ride it OK as a road bike, I chose to do that. Cadence was 95. I did coast down hills to get a breather when spinning seemed to be too much work for too little gain. Totally unsure about that.
Run: I baked. I wore my hydration belt, drank all that and never missed a chance for fluid on the course. I ran from water station to water station, then walked through them to get the water down. Unsure if I should have done that given the overall time and the nearly 11 min pace but truthfully, I am glad I did. I saw one guy bonk with heat stroke ...I had to get the emergency guys to go get him. I don't think that cost me much if any time.
My thoughts: The swim was fine, the run was what it was. Hot. I don't do hot very well at all. I can cut 1:30 off that pace when all I do is run, though. So I need to improve the bike more to save more juice for the run.
I think the front end of my tri bike is too low for me. It was set up for Geno as an optimum race bike and that worked for him. I struggle to look ahead. I feel like I don't expand my chest enough breathing. And my neck, shoulders and back start to ache. I need a more comfortable set up. I believe if I were more up in front and more comfortable, that I could crank more watts out. I'm going to talk to Doug the fitter at Vitesse to see if they have the stems on hand to figure what might work. If not, then I am going to call Kyle because I know he has a good selection down at Spin City.
All in all a rugged little test of endurance and I survived. Wish I were higher in the standings in my AG and I have to find out what the penalty was for. Never satisfied but content that I lived through the heat.
UPDATE: Penalty was not a personal benefit penalty. It was for not getting back to the right after passing fast enough. Safety issue. My bad.