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Square Lake Triathlon : Official Thread (Page 2)
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 2009-09-05 9:22 PM in reply to: #2335147 |
Member 37  Minnesota |  Subject: RE: Square Lake Triathlon : Official ThreadWell, I did it! Swam at Square Lake for my inaugural wetsuit swim. Wow, I float like a buoy! Very strange feeling. I can see why folks prefer to wear a wetsuit. It will take me a few times to get used to that tightness around the ribcage, though; it makes it difficult to take a nice deep breath. Can someone tell me: what is the triathlon-appropriate thing to do with that long cord hanging from the zipper? I know what it's for, I just don't know if I'm supposed to do something specific with it to prevent it from strangling me while swimming. |
| 2009-09-05 10:05 PM in reply to: #2391842 |
Pro 4541  A farming town in MN | Subject: RE: Square Lake Triathlon : Official Thread deb777 - 2009-09-05 9:22 PM Well, I did it! Swam at Square Lake for my inaugural wetsuit swim. Wow, I float like a buoy! Very strange feeling. I can see why folks prefer to wear a wetsuit. It will take me a few times to get used to that tightness around the ribcage, though; it makes it difficult to take a nice deep breath. Can someone tell me: what is the triathlon-appropriate thing to do with that long cord hanging from the zipper? I know what it's for, I just don't know if I'm supposed to do something specific with it to prevent it from strangling me while swimming. At the top of your wetsuit collar, there should be a velcro strap to adjust the tightness of the collar around the neck. Your wetsuit cord should have a velcro strip to attach the end of the cord to any leftover velcro exposed at the collar. If you don't have velcro on the end of your cord, it'd be worth it to sew a piece on. Makes for a more comfortable swim. Having that cord get between your chest and arms during a swim is major annoying!  Way to get an open water swim in before Square Lake. I think I'll try to get one in in Lake Nokomis this Thursday... Have a great race! Edited by sparco 2009-09-05 10:07 PM |
| 2009-09-06 9:01 AM in reply to: #2335147 |
Pro 4541 A farming town in MN | Subject: RE: Square Lake Triathlon : Official Thread |
| 2009-09-06 9:28 AM in reply to: #2391842 |
Champion 10018 , Minnesota Bronze member | Subject: RE: Square Lake Triathlon : Official Thread I fold my cord up and secure it under the velcroed flap at my neck. It's still easy enough to grab when I need it. It does occasionally get loose and I've done lots of swims with the cord wrapped around my shoulder deb777 - 2009-09-05 9:22 PM Well, I did it! Swam at Square Lake for my inaugural wetsuit swim. Wow, I float like a buoy! Very strange feeling. I can see why folks prefer to wear a wetsuit. It will take me a few times to get used to that tightness around the ribcage, though; it makes it difficult to take a nice deep breath. Can someone tell me: what is the triathlon-appropriate thing to do with that long cord hanging from the zipper? I know what it's for, I just don't know if I'm supposed to do something specific with it to prevent it from strangling me while swimming. |
| 2009-09-06 7:56 PM in reply to: #2335147 |
| Member 37 Minnesota | Subject: RE: Square Lake Triathlon : Official Thread Thank you everyone for the cord advice. Very helpful. |
| 2009-09-08 8:44 AM in reply to: #2392152 |
Master 2808 , Minnesota | Subject: RE: Square Lake Triathlon : Official Thread x2. Bunching the cord works for me as well. QUOTE]BikerGrrrl - 2009-09-06 9:28 AM I fold my cord up and secure it under the velcroed flap at my neck. It's still easy enough to grab when I need it. It does occasionally get loose and I've done lots of swims with the cord wrapped around my shoulder deb777 - 2009-09-05 9:22 PM Well, I did it! Swam at Square Lake for my inaugural wetsuit swim. Wow, I float like a buoy! Very strange feeling. I can see why folks prefer to wear a wetsuit. It will take me a few times to get used to that tightness around the ribcage, though; it makes it difficult to take a nice deep breath. Can someone tell me: what is the triathlon-appropriate thing to do with that long cord hanging from the zipper? I know what it's for, I just don't know if I'm supposed to do something specific with it to prevent it from strangling me while swimming. |
| 2009-09-08 9:36 PM in reply to: #2335147 |
| Member 37 Minnesota | Subject: RE: Square Lake Triathlon : Official Thread I believe this may be my last question for you all, and I sure am thankful for your advice. Having never done this before, what time do you recommend arriving on Saturday? It will take me 1 - 1/4 hr to get there, so I don't want to leave any earlier than needed. I've read about getting everything ready the day/night before, what to eat the morning of.....but what does "arrive early to set up transitions" really mean? How early is early? |
| 2009-09-08 10:27 PM in reply to: #2395866 |
| Extreme Veteran 664 Minneapolis | Subject: RE: Square Lake Triathlon : Official Thread deb777 - 2009-09-08 9:36 PM I believe this may be my last question for you all, and I sure am thankful for your advice. Having never done this before, what time do you recommend arriving on Saturday? It will take me 1 - 1/4 hr to get there, so I don't want to leave any earlier than needed. I've read about getting everything ready the day/night before, what to eat the morning of.....but what does "arrive early to set up transitions" really mean? How early is early? I'm there ready & waiting at the advertised TA opening time. I like to get a good spot  I build my nest, and then use the extra time to walk the TA entrances & exits, and get a warm-up in on the bike and run. Yeah, I may be there early, but it helps get my head in the game and properly prepared & warmed-up. Just my $0.02 Cheers, Chris |
| 2009-09-09 8:13 AM in reply to: #2395939 |
Champion 10018 , Minnesota Bronze member | Subject: RE: Square Lake Triathlon : Official Thread Hey Deb. Nice thing about early morning races is that the roads are always really clear! Some folks like to arrive really early. I tend to arrive a little bit later, so I have less time to fuss. If you want an end spot on the transition rack, or if the race will be very big, I'd go earlier. I have found that the opposite end of the rack (by the fence, or however it's set up) is also a very good spot and people rarely fight over those. Some people are just early goers. Are you the type that goes to the airport more than 2 hours in advance? I think it's partly a personality thing. But it will take a good half hour to unpack your car, get you stuff to transition, get body marked, etc. So don't wait too long. Good luck! |
| 2009-09-10 11:24 AM in reply to: #2335147 |
Member 9 Rochester, MN | Subject: RE: Square Lake Triathlon : Official Thread Does anyone know if the Square Lake park/beach is open on Friday for a OWA practice swim? Also, anyone else attempting to do both races this weekend ? |
| 2009-09-10 1:11 PM in reply to: #2398893 |
Pro 4541 A farming town in MN | Subject: RE: Square Lake Triathlon : Official Thread mn_tri - 2009-09-10 11:24 AM Does anyone know if the Square Lake park/beach is open on Friday for a OWA practice swim? Also, anyone else attempting to do both races this weekend ? I thought I remembered seeing that the swim area buoys were still up during the race. Get your swim in early if you want to avoid the rain on Friday: 3 pm  77° F Precip Predicted weather for race start: 8 am  62° F Precip Good luck everyone! |
| 2009-09-10 1:24 PM in reply to: #2395866 |
Pro 4541 A farming town in MN | Subject: RE: Square Lake Triathlon : Official Thread deb777 - 2009-09-08 9:36 PM I believe this may be my last question for you all, and I sure am thankful for your advice. Having never done this before, what time do you recommend arriving on Saturday? It will take me 1 - 1/4 hr to get there, so I don't want to leave any earlier than needed. I've read about getting everything ready the day/night before, what to eat the morning of.....but what does "arrive early to set up transitions" really mean? How early is early? It takes us about 1:15 hr to get there as well (southern suburbs). Last year we left our house about 5:05am and got there about 6:20am. My wife is new at this, so I like to make sure she gets there fairly early. Arriving at 6:20am, the smaller (closer) parking lot was already full, and we drove over to the overflow parking lot (more than enough parking) and biked with transition bags (and helmets) to the transition area. We had our choice of half of the transition spots in the area AWAY from the beach stairs. We're gonna plan on leaving about the same time (5am) for Square Lake. I'm strange. I eat an Egg McMuffin w/o cheese 3 hours before the race. It's pretty balanced nutrition, but some people can't stomach that in the morning. Take a quick look at this sprint race strategy link. I would recommend having everything laid out the night before. Makes for better sleep. I'm usually restless if I don't know where everything is the night before. Good luck! Edited by sparco 2009-09-10 1:25 PM |
| 2009-09-10 9:48 PM in reply to: #2335147 |
| Member 37 Minnesota | Subject: RE: Square Lake Triathlon : Official Thread Again, thank you everyone. I will arrive by 6:15am. And I will try to eat something at 5:30am - around 3 hrs b/f my wave starts. That might prove challenging, but worth the effort. Today I came down with an upper respiratory deal (NOT H1N1 - no fever). I might be coughing my way along the course, but so be it! I would only pull out if I develop a fever. Hydrate, rest, hydrate, rest..........oh, and work a little........ |
| 2009-09-11 9:28 AM in reply to: #2335147 |
Pro 4541 A farming town in MN | Subject: RE: Square Lake Triathlon : Official Thread Good luck tomorrow everyone! If you see someone that looks like this: Edited by sparco 2009-09-11 9:39 AM |
| 2009-09-11 9:23 PM in reply to: #2335147 |
| Member 37 Minnesota | Subject: RE: Square Lake Triathlon : Official Thread Yes, have a great morning, everyone. I'll be the one biking/running in a medium solid blue tank with black shorts, #269. I will be at or near the back of the pack. I'm in the last wave of the swim, women 45+ y.o. Thanks for all your advice and patience with answering all of my questions. Hope to meet some of you tomorrow. |
| 2009-09-12 2:45 PM in reply to: #2335147 |
Expert 1027 | Subject: RE: Square Lake Triathlon : Official Thread Not quite what I was expecting from the race, did not do quite as well as I would have wished. It was much more difficult than I thought, just could not get in a rythm on the bike or the run. I also think I over Hydrated on the bike and a sloshy stomach on the run left me wanting to hurl from about mile 1. My GPS got all screwed up so I am fixing the logs now and will have a race report on my blog hopefully later today. |
| 2009-09-12 6:00 PM in reply to: #2335147 |
| Member 37 Minnesota | Subject: RE: Square Lake Triathlon : Official Thread Well, I did it! I met my goal - to FINISH! I purposely did not watch my time at all, so I'm not sure how long it took me.....I think around 2 hrs 40 minutes or thereabouts. I absolutely loved swimming out in the middle of the lake with a group of people. I'll do another tri just to experience that again. Since I was in the last wave, there was hardly anyone behind me to run me over! Question: is it normal to have so many miles between volunteer stations? The only reason I'm asking is that it seemed that those who unfortunately got a flat tire were rather stranded and walking long distances way out there. Wow, there sure were quite a few flat tires! |
| 2009-09-12 10:51 PM in reply to: #2335147 |
Regular 103 | Subject: RE: Square Lake Triathlon : Official Thread I think the slight course modification to the run this year added about a fifth of a mile. So if you're like me and wondering why your run time was not better than last year - it actually was! |
| 2009-09-13 10:31 AM in reply to: #2335147 |
Pro 4541 A farming town in MN | Subject: RE: Square Lake Triathlon : Official Thread Great to meet you Mark. Sorry I couldn't hang around longer...my daughter had a soccer game. Great race. Great to hear you have a coach. Have a great off-season. Hope to see you at a few races next season. Doing any running races during the off-season? |
| 2009-09-13 10:39 AM in reply to: #2402364 |
Pro 4541 A farming town in MN | Subject: RE: Square Lake Triathlon : Official Thread jvanis - 2009-09-12 2:45 PM Not quite what I was expecting from the race, did not do quite as well as I would have wished. It was much more difficult than I thought, just could not get in a rythm on the bike or the run. I also think I over Hydrated on the bike and a sloshy stomach on the run left me wanting to hurl from about mile 1. My GPS got all screwed up so I am fixing the logs now and will have a race report on my blog hopefully later today. This and Liberty are the 2 hilliest races during my race season. I try to race both using heart rate, so I am biking/running relatively slowly on the uphills, and trying to hammer on the downhills and flats. I think the swim leg was a little long...I'm thinking about 950 yds basis my times at other races, and the bike was probably about a 1/2 mile short. But this is one of my favorite courses...beautiful and scenic... I took it a little too easy on the bike, but had a terrific run. Weather was BEAUTIFUL...a pleasant surprise, since weather.com was predicting rain. Sorry I didn't get to meet more of you. Hope to meet more of you in 2010! |
| 2009-09-13 10:53 AM in reply to: #2402527 |
Pro 4541 A farming town in MN | Subject: RE: Square Lake Triathlon : Official Thread deb777 - 2009-09-12 6:00 PM Well, I did it! I met my goal - to FINISH! I purposely did not watch my time at all, so I'm not sure how long it took me.....I think around 2 hrs 40 minutes or thereabouts. I absolutely loved swimming out in the middle of the lake with a group of people. I'll do another tri just to experience that again. Since I was in the last wave, there was hardly anyone behind me to run me over! Question: is it normal to have so many miles between volunteer stations? The only reason I'm asking is that it seemed that those who unfortunately got a flat tire were rather stranded and walking long distances way out there. Wow, there sure were quite a few flat tires! Great job Deb! I love Square Lake...the water is so clear...no mud at the shore like Turtle Lake...only disadvantage to a clear lake...just looking at the lake bottom is a little distracting! I'm used to not being able to see more than a few feet in front of me... You're right...there were no aid stations during the bike...not even mile markers. Pretty typical of Vacation Sports races. Most cyclists will bring equipment to change flats. Probably one of the best skills you can learn. I carry an old water bottle behind my seat filled with the following: 2 tire levers spare tube and patch kit 2 CO2 cartridges (to fill tube with air) 3 allen wrenches (to fit brakes, headset, derailleurs) Doesn't weigh much. On training rides, I also throw my driver's license (I.D.) and my cell phone in my Bento box (attaches to the headset and top tube. I got home and my wife's back tire was flat. She said she hit a huge pothole out on the course. Good thing it wasn't an instant flat. As we rolled her bike back to the van after transition, it was still o.k. Sorry I didn't get to meet you yesterday. Have a great off-season! |
| 2009-09-13 12:05 PM in reply to: #2335147 |
Expert 1027 | Subject: RE: Square Lake Triathlon : Official Thread Here is what I got from my GPS: Swim - .56 Miles Partially to me swimming zig zags, If I would have just swam the course, I would have been pretty happy with my time. Bike - Take with a Grain of salt, my watch went funky and skipped to T2 for the bike, so I lost some distance, but my backup bike distance shoed about 16.67 or so - Garm GPS Says about 1309 total climb 1301 decend Run - 5.01 Miles - Shows about 960 FT climb, 998 ft decend I think I saw you afterwards, but was talking with my wife and you were a ways away at that point. |
| 2009-09-13 1:16 PM in reply to: #2335147 |
| Member 37 Minnesota | Subject: RE: Square Lake Triathlon : Official Thread Yes, bike was short - I measured 16.54 miles. |
| 2009-09-14 2:41 PM in reply to: #2335147 |
| 4 | Subject: RE: Square Lake Triathlon : Official Thread Well, I did it. This was my first triathlon. Went fairly well. I did not reach my goal I posted titled, "Striving for Mediocrity" .
Did I have fun?.....I think so. |
| 2009-09-14 3:04 PM in reply to: #2405574 |
Champion 10018 , Minnesota Bronze member | Subject: RE: Square Lake Triathlon : Official Thread Hey Strolltroll. Good job on doing your first race! I totally agree, it's a whole different deal doing a tri compared to a 5k, etc. I did it the other way around, so I was used to being "back of the pack". When I did my first run, and ended up around the middle for a running race, I was stunned! Fortunately with some training I'm occasionally middle of the pack in tris too. Funny thing about tris is that it really depends on the crowd that shows up. In this year alone, I've been last and first in my age group Sorry to hear you had so many issues with the bike. I read your other post, too, and wanted to recommend Craigslist if you decide to keep training and want to upgrade the bike a little. (I assume you're from the Twin Cities area and didn't travel to do the race). The bike community here is strong and there are generally many good choices for used bikes on Craigslist. My husband has bought too many bikes there, and swears you can outfit a decent steel 10-speed with nice tires and aerobars for a pretty good tri bike in the $250 range. Something to think about. I hope you will be sticking around! |
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