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Tri-ing for Children's - TriathlonOlympic


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Eagle, Wisconsin
United States
81F / 27C
Sunny
Total Time = 3h 04m 44s
Overall Rank = 121/140
Age Group = F35-39
Age Group Rank = 13/15
Pre-race routine:

As most of my BT friends know, I debated the entire week before this race as to whether I would actually race or not. Work stress, moving stress and family stress all contributed to a downward spiral for me and I really had no motivation to train OR race. Ultimately, it came down to the fact that we were traveling to the race anyway so that my hubby (jowisc) could race AND it was supposed to be a beautiful day, so how could I pass that up? The day before the race we headed out at about 10:45am with the intention of getting to Kettle Morraine by 1pm for a quick swim. Well, we completely forgot about the traffic on the Edens...coupled with Six Flags traffic...a two hour drive took us MORE THAN FOUR HOURS!!! Add more stress to the picture. We did packet pickup, finally got to the site for a quick swim (which was lovely!), a quick pre-race dinner at Chili's (guiltless chicken platter...perfect) and early to bed. Didn't sleep all that well the night before because I was anxious. It had been almost two full years since my last Olympic tri!

The morning of the race we got up around 4:30am. Had a Hammer Bar and got ready to go by 5:15am. Out the door and on the road by 5:25am, which got us to the race site just as transition was opening. Got a primo spot on the racks (people showed up to this race LATE...what were they thinking?) and had just enough time to get set up and head down to the water for a warm-up swim.
Event warmup:

Got in the water for about 10' before race start. Stayed in as long as I could, as the water was much warmer than the air temp. Felt pretty calm on the warm-up. Just treaded water for a while and took in the beautiful morning. At this point I realized that I was SO GLAD I decided to race. :)
Swim
  • 37h 04m
  • 1640 yards
  • 2h 15m 34s / 100 yards
Comments:

For some reason I have been really nervous about OWS this season. I mean, I did a HIM in Lake Michigan last year, so what is my problem? I still have nightmares from that swim at Grand Haven last year and after not open water swimming for almost a year, I let those thoughts creep back to the front of my mind. So...this swim for me was all about battling the demons and getting comfortable being out in the deep water. It was a good swim to do that. All of the women went off in one wave, so it was quite crowded at the start, but I stayed to the outside and made my own space. I kept getting caught up behind breastrokers, but would just make my way around them and move on. I sighted really well on the way out to the first buoy, but then got a little off course on the way across the back. I kept making an effort to draft but couldn't find any feet that were the right speed for me. That's the problem with swimming BOP...lots of inconsistent swimming. The first loop went by really fast, and then as I went to make the turn for the second loop I started running into all the elites and men who were finishing their first loops (and thus going straight instead of turning right). It got a little messy there for a minute and I out-and-out ran over some guy, but I just kept with it. The second loop was long and I was just getting tired. I haven't done a lot of endurance swimming this year and it showed. Still, it was good to just be out there enjoying the water. No worries and no panic. To me, that was a success.
What would you do differently?:

More OWS practice. More endurance sets. Get a swim coach in the off season.
Transition 1
  • 02m 30s
Comments:

I didn't rush this too much. Was trying to let my HR come down a little before I jumped on my bike. Wetsuit came off okay, but definitely took a little bit of time. I also took the time to put socks on this race, which I'm not really sure if I needed to do or not.
What would you do differently?:

Just be more focused in transition.
Bike
  • 1h 19m 41s
  • 24.85 miles
  • 18.71 mile/hr
Comments:

I thoroughly enjoyed this bike course (other than the two u-turns). When I first started out there were A LOT of people on the course, because so many of the sprint folks had gotten out of the water before me. It was somewhat reminiscent of the Subaru Women's Tri because there were a lot of people riding three-across the road and I was having some trouble passing. Despite that, the first loop went lickity-split and I was cruising. I remember actually saying out loud to myself, "this is why I love this sport." It was awesome. The second loop was very lonely and long. Most of the sprinters were done and the men were already ahead of us...so it was just the BOP women. There was one girl that I yo-yo'd with for a while and I eventually dropped her (that felt good...of course she got me back good on the run). We actually had to stop once for some big-ass birds crossing the road. Not sure what they were? They were HUGE! We said to each other, "nobody will believe us when we say we would have been faster, but had to stop for birds!" The wind had also picked up on that second loop and it just seemed to be really long. There was a really rough section of road in the last couple of miles and by that time I was just done. It's funny how your perception changes. Last year when I was training for the HIM, this Olympic distance seemed so short. Now it seems fairly lengthy to me!
What would you do differently?:

Not much. I felt like I pushed it just about right. Should have had more to drink. Oh! I forgot to mention...before the race, jowisc and I were having a heck of a time getting my aero bottle strapped in (I haven't used it yet this season). I could not figure out what was different. Well, I figured it out about two seconds into the ride when I went to take a drink. The bottle was in backwards! Making it nearly impossible to drink out of the straw. DUH. So, that's one of the reasons I didn't drink enough...couldn't reach my water. :) So, next time PUT THE AERO BOTTLE IN THE RIGHT WAY!!
Transition 2
  • 01m 22s
Comments:

I don't know why I was so slow here. Just taking my time I guess. I think I kind of just walked out of transition too, instead of running. This is kind of ridiculously long, isn't it?
What would you do differently?:

Run.
Run
  • 1h 04m 10s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 10m 20s  min/mile
Comments:

Almost right from the get-go I knew something was wrong. I started running and immediately felt overheated. My HR skyrocketed and I knew I needed to catch my breath. Saw jowisc almost right away and that helped boost my spirits, but I still knew it was going to be a long six miles. I talked myself into getting into a slow rhythm so that at least I could run and for the first three miles or so this worked. Saw jowisc again (he was done) at my turnaround for the second loop and by this time I was really hurting. I stopped to walk and this guy came up behind me and said, "don't stop, you're keeping me moving!" So I started running with him and we chatted for a bit. At first the distraction was welcome, but then he started trying to give me tips. Keep your arms low. Dump water over your head. Take a gel. And suddenly I just got irritated. I purposely walked so he would run ahead. I just felt like my body was in such distress. My legs were fine...ready to go. But my HR was sky high and I couldn't breathe. I was dizzy and nauseous. I felt horrible and was frustrated that there was nothing I could do. And everyone else looked strong and fast. It was hard. And lonely. I felt like I was at the end of a HIM, but it was only Olympic. I eventually knew that I had no chance of a PR so that really broke my spirit. Even so, I don't know that there's much I could have done to go much faster. It was just really frustrating (and sadly, not much fun).
What would you do differently?:

I think this could have been a nutrition/hydration issue. Need to drink more earlier in the race and make sure I'm fueled. Next race I may try using my fuel belt with my own Heed. Also just need more run training.
Post race
Warm down:

Crossed the finish line and jowisc was standing there. I immediately started hyperventilating and crying. It was crazy. I'm surprised they didn't haul me away to medical the way I was acting. Jowisc convinced me to pour some freezing cold water over my head and that helped. Also had the best tasting Gatorade Endurance ever. And two Oreo cookies. :)

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Consistent training the last month. Confidence. Focus. Nutrition. Lots of things. But all of that considered, I'm still glad I got out there and did it. It definitely ignited my fire for the three remaining weeks of the season. I also learned some lessons that I will take with me to PP and see if I can get a little closer to a PR there!

Event comments:

This was only the second year for this race and the first at this venue. I fully expected some hiccups given that it's new, but it was very well run and lots of great volunteers. Except for the wonky turn on the bike course, I thought the course was fabulous and lots of fun. I would definitely recommend this race to others and will probably return myself in the future!




Last updated: 2008-07-26 12:00 AM
Swimming
37:04:00 | 1640 yards | 2h 15m 34s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/15
Overall: 0/140
Performance: Average
AHR 145
Suit: Sleeveless
Course: Two loops of a rectangle course in the inland lake. Cornering to the right.
Start type: Wade Plus:
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Average
Breathing: Good Drafting: Below average
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:30
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Bad
Biking
01:19:41 | 24.85 miles | 18.71 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/15
Overall: 0/140
Performance: Good
Wind: Some
Course: Two loops on back country roads. One little turn-off on each loop which required a 180-degree u-turn...that was pretty wonky. Pretty darn flat and fast other than that.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Below average Cornering: Below average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 01:22
Overall: Below average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Bad
Jumping off bike Bad
Running with bike Below average
Racking bike Below average
Shoe and helmet removal Below average
Running
01:04:10 | 06.21 miles | 10m 20s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/15
Overall: 0/140
Performance: Bad
AHR 172
Course: Double out and back. Flat as flat can be. Very little shade and just one aid station on the out-and-back (so you could catch it both ways).
Keeping cool Bad Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Below average
Mental exertion [1-5] 2
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
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] 4

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2008-07-28 7:32 PM

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Veteran
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1002525
Oak Park, IL
Bronze member
Subject: Tri-ing for Children's


2008-07-28 7:49 PM
in reply to: #1565860

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Expert
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Wellington, North Island
Subject: RE: Tri-ing for Children's
You did a great job of sticking it out even though things were tough. And with the swim not inducing any panic and the bike going well, two out of three isn't bad.

Awesome job Jennifer!
2008-07-28 8:53 PM
in reply to: #1565860

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Master
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Southwest Chicago 'burbs
Bronze member
Subject: RE: Tri-ing for Children's

Oreos make everything seem a little better, don't they?  Just a little slice of heaven here on earth....

And the race - well done, Jen!  You've have a rough go of it this summer, and really pulled through with a stellar race with everything else you've had to deal with. 

PP is going to be SO MUCH fun!  I really can't wait to hang out with you guys again.  And even do a little race in there somewhere. 

2008-07-29 11:16 AM
in reply to: #1565860

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Regular
80
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Oak Park, Il
Subject: RE: Tri-ing for Children's
You did awesome. Don't kid yourself. Remember, no pressure. Just have fun. Remember what it felt like at PP the first time. You had no expectations and were so excited at the finish. Love doing races with you!
2008-07-29 9:18 PM
in reply to: #1565860

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Veteran
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Subject: RE: Tri-ing for Children's

Great race!  It's amazing how racing begats more racing. 

2008-07-31 1:17 PM
in reply to: #1565860

Iron Donkey
38643
50005000500050005000500050002000100050010025
, Wisconsin
Subject: RE: Tri-ing for Children's

You may want to fix that swim time - 37:04:00 | 1640.4 yards | 2h 15m 34s / 100yards
Something doesn't look right.

Great job!



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