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Tower Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Niles, Illinois
United States
Leaning Tower YMCA
50F / 10C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 11m 1s
Overall Rank = 87/246
Age Group = 35-39
Age Group Rank = 17/39
Pre-race routine:

Joke around with John and Mark. Not take things too seriously.
Swim
  • 08m 9s
  • 450 yards
  • 01m 47s / 100 yards
Comments:

Got stuck against the wall. Went out hard, but felt sluggish pretty quickly. Just tried to hold on and put in a decent overall time.
What would you do differently?:

Check in early enough to get a good lane (i.e., not against the wall).
Transition 1
  • 02m 19s
Comments:

Felt *really* cold outside coming out of the pool and probably overcompensated with an extra layer. Could have saved some time here. Didn't realize how much space there was from the mat to my rack, so I probably had a false sense of speediness on my transition. Went with the shoes clipped in ahead of time, and it worked out fine, so that was good.
What would you do differently?:

Next time: shirt, glasses, helmet go. No messing around.
Bike
  • 31m 46s
  • 11.18 miles
  • 21.12 mile/hr
Comments:

This was the first time that I biked after swimming, and I found myself able to hit a good speed much faster than I thought. Swimming must have been good to get the blood flowing. I thought the many turns would throw off maintaining a consistent speed, but they really didn't. Raced at a much faster pace than training, where I haven't been able to hit 20 mph for any long distance, but I think the course was a little shorter than the officially listed length. Managed my gears well to keep a good cadence around 90+. Glad that I "went for it" in gears that were thougher then I usually ride in when I found my cadence creeping up, which let me squeeze a little extra speed here and there.
What would you do differently?:

Not much. Was happy with the ride.
Transition 2
  • 01m 47s
Comments:

Comedy of errors coming into T2. I started to get out of my shoes and ride in with feet on the top, but the dismount area came of *real* fast, and I had only gotten one foot out. Slammed on the breaks, unclipped my remaining shoe and ran in with one shoe on a one shoe off. I heard my friend coming in behind me saying something about losing a shoe, and I thought he was joking about my one bare foot. Turns out my shoe that I thought was clipped in had actually popped out. He was good enough to grab it for me. The turf was really bumpy and my bike was bouncing all over the place on the run back to the racks.
What would you do differently?:

Start getting out of the shoes a lot further out from T2. Also try to rememebr to reset the watch right after I get out of the shoes and coasting in to avoid messing around with it in the transition area (stupid waste of time)
Run
  • 27m 3s
  • 3.11 miles
  • 08m 42s  min/mile
Comments:

BRUTAL!! I had done 3-4 bricks in the few months leading up to the race, but my last one was about a month before the race. By the last one, I was starting to feel pretty good getting off the bike and was able to hold a 7:50 pace over 2-2.5 miles. I think a combination of this being the first time with a full routine (swim & bike) before the run as well as not keeping up with the bricks in the weeks before the race hurt me. First mile was about an 8:05 and then the elephant jumped on my back at the turn-around. Side cramp, fatigue, etc. and pace dropped by a minute almost instantly. I fought the urge to walk and kept my legs going and by the last half-mile was able to start running OK again and finished strong. Good experience to grit it out and also to realize that what felt like a total physical collapse only resulted in an extra 2-3 minutes on the run (no small amount of time for a 5K, but not as catastrophic a slow down as it felt during the run).
What would you do differently?:

Keep up the training with bricks leading up to the race.
Post race
Warm down:

Hug and pick up the kids and my wife.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

I think mostly the transition to the run. Keep up with the bricks. Also going to try and incorporate some more running mileage into the routine.

Event comments:

Great first experience. Well-run. Feels good to get the first one udner my belt.


Profile Album


Last updated: 2009-04-27 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:08:09 | 450 yards | 01m 47s / 100yards
Age Group: 10/39
Overall: 49/246
Performance: Average
Swam about as I expected, but a little sluggish. Was out of the pool at about 7:25 (1:39 pace) but then had a lengthy run through the pool, out the door, by the playground and around the building before getting the to timing mat. Same routine as everyone else, so everyone's pace looks a little slower than actual.
Suit:
Course: Pool. Only 2 to a lane (l/r side), so no need to pass or get passed, which was nice.
Start type: Inside Pool Plus:
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current:
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Average
Breathing: Good Drafting:
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 02:19
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
00:31:46 | 11.18 miles | 21.12 mile/hr
Age Group: 12/39
Overall: 64/246
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course: 2 mile loop x 5 laps + in and out to transition.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 90
Turns: Good Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills:
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:47
Overall: Below average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Below average
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Below average
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:27:03 | 03.11 miles | 08m 42s  min/mile
Age Group: 28/39
Overall: 133/246
Performance: Below average
Course: Out and back along the first few legs of the bike.
Keeping cool Below average Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
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: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4

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2009-05-17 9:29 PM

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Expert
1121
1000100
Chicago
Subject: Tower Triathlon


2009-05-18 11:07 AM
in reply to: #2156752

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Member
13

Northern Illinois
Subject: RE: Tower Triathlon
Excellent first race!!
2009-05-18 12:46 PM
in reply to: #2157948

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Elite
3595
20001000500252525
Quebec, Canada
Subject: RE: Tower Triathlon
Good job on your first race  
2009-05-18 2:00 PM
in reply to: #2158320

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Expert
1121
1000100
Chicago
Subject: RE: Tower Triathlon
I didn't realize the race reports got posted and could be commented on . . . thanks for the good words!
2009-05-19 7:51 AM
in reply to: #2156752

New user
7

Subject: RE: Tower Triathlon
Good job!
2009-05-20 1:53 PM
in reply to: #2156752

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Extreme Veteran
660
5001002525
Subject: RE: Tower Triathlon

Now you are hooked . Nice first race



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