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St. Paul Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic


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St. Paul, Minnesota
United States
Vacation Sports
70F / 21C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 25m 57s
Overall Rank = 37/182
Age Group = 30-34
Age Group Rank = 3/22
Pre-race routine:

Got up ass-early in the morning. Drank coffee. Ate toast with peanutbutter and honey, and oatmeal with raisins. Drove to the race site and set up the transition area then found BikerGrrrl and visited a bit before the pre-race meeting.
Event warmup:

Got in water to acclimate myself to the water temperature and swam ~20 seconds or so.
Swim
  • 28m 48s
  • 1750 yards
  • 01m 39s / 100 yards
Comments:

Published results put my average 100 at 1:39

Swim felt pretty good. I could have pushed myself harder, but didn't want to use any energy that I would need on the run. I didn't do quite as well as I could have with navigating. I kept drifting off to one side or the other due to one-sided breathing. There were many more people to contend with - arms, legs, and bodies all over the place it seemed sometimes - so getting a little off line helped with that.
What would you do differently?:

Not much, swimming more would have made me faster, but I'm not complaining.
Transition 1
  • 00m 56s
Comments:

Very good transition with the exception that I was a little tired and didn't run through the transition area as quickly as I could have otherwise done. Oh, I also sat down to deal with socks too. There were only 12 times faster in T1 than mine.
What would you do differently?:

Train the swim more so I would have a little more energy going into T1
Bike
  • 1h 02m 44s
  • 24.85 miles
  • 23.77 mile/hr
Comments:

Results put my average speed at 23.2 and my computer (calibrated for my old tires, HA) put my average at 21.9.

Not an easy bike course, this. I didn't push as hard as I could have 'cause, again, I wanted to have a little energy for the run. I kept up a faster speed than I thought, though. A few people who were obviously in the oly passed me the first lap, after that I was passing people very regularly. That may be due in part to the fact that on the second lap there were MANY more people out on the road from the short course.

I climbed pretty well, and descended quite well, I think. I'm quite happy with how I rode.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Transition 2
  • 00m 44s
Comments:

Another very fast transition. Only one person faster in my AG, and five faster overall. Yes, I am very proud of my transitions.

There were several people right at the entrance to T2 that kept me from getting off the bike as fast as I would have liked. They stopped in the narrow lane in front of the entrance. Oh well.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Run
  • 52m 47s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 08m 30s  min/mile
Comments:

The run sucked, and I knew it would. My initial goal was to run the whole way. Then my goal became to run all of the first lap and not walk too much of the second lap. I probably walked 1/5 of the second lap, running for a while then walking for a few moments before trudging along again. It was demoralizing seeing lots of people blowing by. I just didn't have any gas left for the second lap. It was also pretty hot and sunny on the east side of the lake.

The last 1/4 mile or so, I caught up to a woman who was running quite slowly. I was about to walk again when I caught her. She was hurting too. I then told her that if she would run the rest of the way that I would run the rest of the way. She was slower than I was, but we kept each other running. She was definitely struggling quite a bit towards the end as I encouraged her to keep going. If it wasn't for her though, I don't think I would have finished quite as fast as I did. Got a big hug from her at the finish line. That felt good.
What would you do differently?:

Ummm... train?
Post race
Warm down:

stagger about for a while. Attempted to stretch a little bit. Didn't feel very good, so slowly gathered my things and we took off.

After we got home, my wife looked up the results and told me that I came in third in my age group. I didn't believe her at all until I saw it since my run was so horrible. I still can't believe it. I'll take it though.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

My lack of training lately absolutely killed me on the run. Excuses/reasons exist for my not training, but it's a simple fact.

Event comments:

I don't particularly care for out and back bike courses, but overall this was a very nice race that I would be happy to do again. Volunteers and police were great.




Last updated: 2008-08-17 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:28:48 | 1750 yards | 01m 39s / 100yards
Age Group: 4/22
Overall: 40/182
Performance: Good
Suit: 2-piece tri suit
Course: 2-lap rectangle
Start type: Run Plus: Waves
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Below average
Waves: Navigation: Below average
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 00:56
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
01:02:44 | 24.85 miles | 23.77 mile/hr
Age Group: 4/22
Overall: 26/182
Performance: Good
Wind: None
Course: Out and back, two laps. Rolling hills
Road: Rough Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 00:44
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
00:52:47 | 06.21 miles | 08m 30s  min/mile
Age Group: 14/22
Overall: 92/182
Performance: Bad
Course: 2 laps around Lake Phalen, a couple short/semi-steep hills
Keeping cool Below average Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5]
Good race? Ok
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? No
Post race activities:
Race evaluation [1-5] 4

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2008-08-17 4:14 PM

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Expert
1277
1000100100252525
St. Paul, MN
Subject: St. Paul Triathlon


2008-08-18 8:39 AM
in reply to: #1608909

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Champion
10018
50005000
, Minnesota
Bronze member
Subject: RE: St. Paul Triathlon

Great job - especially if you hadn't been training a lot. 

I think the bike course was short, too, so what I thought my average was was off from the final race average about the same about as yours.  But I'll take it! 

2008-08-18 9:41 AM
in reply to: #1608909

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Master
2346
200010010010025
Dayton, Minnesota
Bronze member
Subject: RE: St. Paul Triathlon

Nice job! The theme for this race seems to be "the run sucked." You, me, and Emily all agree on that one! I did run the whole thing and you still beat me by a long shot, so take solace in that!

Congrats on the AG award!!

2008-08-18 9:44 AM
in reply to: #1610255

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Expert
1277
1000100100252525
St. Paul, MN
Subject: RE: St. Paul Triathlon
kelpeng - 2008-08-18 9:41 AM

Nice job! The theme for this race seems to be "the run sucked." You, me, and Emily all agree on that one!



Oh jeez, no kidding. Not enough water on the course, and then the sun on the east side of the lake. Yuck.
2008-08-18 10:26 AM
in reply to: #1608909

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Expert
2189
2000100252525
Dodge County, MN (out in the corn)
Subject: RE: St. Paul Triathlon
Good job out there!  Sorry I didn't get to meet you.  I know what you mean about seeing all those people blow by you on the run.  Story of my racing career.  Why is the run so hard?  Anyway, congrats on the AG placing.  Speaking of loving running, come down to Rochester for the Treadman Du.  The run is flat and has some shade; the bike is hilly, but on nicely paved roads.  Smile
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