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Pleasant Prairie Triathlon - International Race - TriathlonOlympic


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Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin
United States
JMC Partners
80F / 27C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 11m 33s
Overall Rank = 24/640
Age Group = M30-34
Age Group Rank = 5/58
Pre-race routine:

Stayed the night before at a Holiday Inn Express. Not sure if that helped or not, but who knows? :)

Woke up at 4am. Set two alarms, which is good, because the 1st alarm (radio clock) didn't end up playing loud enough. Phew!

Got dressed, had a red bull. Ate a powerbar in the car. Had 1/2 a clif bar too.

Whizzzzz dropped me off at the site, as she wasn't staying for the race due to her broken toe.

Got to transition, swapped out my training wheels for my zipp 606 setup. Borrowed a lock from Schmize who happened to have one, so I could lock my gear for the post-race festivities ( Schmize and I were planning to ride home from the race, so I needed to keep my training wheels around to swap out afterwards ).

Saw Robbie Ventura, said "Hi" to him. He stopped and then took the time to ask me about the Garmin 310 and how I liked it. Offered some encouragement for the race. Very cool guy, and awesome that he took the time to stop and talk to just a random age grouper.
Event warmup:

Went out for a short run (~10 min) with Schmize. Legs felt okay. Did 3 striders, and stretched out the legs.

At that point it was almost 6AM, and I wanted to get in the water for a swim warmup. So I got the wetsuit on, and headed down to the water for a 10 minute swim. Last year I didn't get a swim warmup, and it showed on the swim. This time, I got the blood flowing and worked past that initial "burn" in the arms during the warmup.

At that point, they called us out of the water and had us line up for the start.
Swim
  • 23m 41s
  • 1500 meters
  • 01m 35s / 100 meters
Comments:

Run down, dive in, and start swimming. I was right next to Mark Beckwith ( a fast guy that I know ). I drafted off his shoulder for about 50M, then dropped back onto his feet. Was able to hang with him almost until the first turn buoy, then he gapped me a bit and I lost his feet. Looked around, and there was nobody else from our wave around.

So I was on my own at that point. Swam through a bunch of green caps. Noticed someone was on my feet, but nothing much to do, as a few zigs didn't shake him. Rather than spend energy trying to shake him, I just plugged away at the swim and finished it hard.
What would you do differently?:

Not much. There were only a couple people from my wave who swam faster, so not too many draft targets. :)
Transition 1
  • 02m
Comments:

A longer run up from the swim exit to T1 than last year. My HR is always sky high when I get out of the water, so I kinda jogged, rather than ran this.

Got to my rack, stepped out of wetsuit, helmet on, grabbed the bike and that was it. Hit start on the Garmin as I was running to the Bike Out exit.

Started out of transition pretty fast. Ran past someone stopped at the line clipping in, then jumped on the bike and went ZOOOOM! Great flying mount, and was up to speed with feet on top of the shoes until the exit of the RecPlex street onto 165.
What would you do differently?:

Run a bit faster up from the water. I was a little confused as to where to go to bike out, so lost a few seconds there before I got it figured out.
Bike
  • 1h 00m 47s
  • 23 miles
  • 22.70 mile/hr
Comments:

Bike was okay. I started out okay, but on the first climb ( well, not really a climb, but it was up an overpass ) I knew my legs weren't there. I hit 300 watts and the burn started. Uh oh!

Just kept plugging away, hoping the legs would come around. Was able to pick off a few people from the wave ahead of me ( they had a 3 minute head start ) in the first 5 miles or so. After that, I didn't see too many people on the first lap. I pushed it hard when I could, and kept it rolling as best I could when I couldn't.

Drank a big sip of Infinit at about 15' into the bike. Burped some of it right back up. That was fun. Waited until about 30' in and got down about 1/4 of the bottle. That stayed down much better.

Was back onto the start of the loop and was riding through the sprinters and later oly waves. Not as many people as there were last year, so didn't get as much draft effect off of people as I rode past.

Only a few people that didn't understand the concept of "ride to the right" that I had to remind of the rules. These were without exception, all guys, who thought they were "fast". They all had very intense expressions on their faces. That's all great, and I applaud everyone who gets out and does a triathlon, but leave the testosterone at home.

I offered up as much encouragement as I could as I went past "nice job", "good ride", "keep it up". And I thanked all of the police and volunteers that I could. What you pay out, gets returned, and that gave *me* a boost, and kept me pushing hard even if my legs didn't want to ride hard.
What would you do differently?:

Hmmm... taper? Not run 19 miles 2 days before the race? :)

I rode the best I could on the day, and that's all I can ask for.
Transition 2
  • 01m 37s
Comments:

Good T2. Came in pretty much alone, so no congestion coming into transition.

Pulled my feet out as I turned into the RecPlex. Flying dismount, coasting with both feet out and standing on the left pedal. Hit the ground running. Made a slight wrong turn as I entered and started to go down the wrong aisle. Immediately corrected, but that bobbled a few seconds away.

Got to my spot, racked the bike. Helmet off and on the towel.

Pulled on the socks, and the shoes. Grabbed my visor and race belt and jammed them in my mouth. Unclipped the 310 from the bike stem and took off for the run.

Put the visor on first, then the 310, then the race belt.
What would you do differently?:

Know what rack/aisle I'm in. :)

Get the quick release for the 310, so I can pull it off and put it in my pocket as I'm coming into T2.

Go sockless for Oly distance.
Run
  • 43m 30s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 07m  min/mile
Comments:

Started pretty well. Had a guy right on my heels out of T2, not sure if he was a sprint racer or not. He fell back after about 400 meters, as he couldn't keep the pace going. I fell into a good rhythm, and let my legs come around.

As I turned onto 165, I saw Holly, and asked her "How far back is he?" ( referring to Schmize. She told me he wasn't off the bike yet! I was a bit shocked at this, but figured that maybe I'd had a better bike than I thought, or he got a mechanical, or something. I'd expected him to be pretty close.

Well, it turns out that Holly is a BIG FIBBER!!! ;) I hit the first turn around, and about 100 meters behind me was Schmize! Hah! I wasn't exactly slacking off on the run at that point, but now it was game on. My legs were feeling okay, so I cranked it back up a bit for miles 2 and 3.

Last year, he passed me on the swim, I passed him back on the bike, and then he beat me out of T2 onto the run and tore it up. This year, I was determined to make it tough. I had held him off on the swim, and on the bike, and through the first couple miles of the run!

It was getting hot, but there were a decent number of aid stations, and I would grab one water to drink and another to dump over my head. That worked, but it was still getting pretty toasty.

About mile 4, I heard footsteps marking pace behind me. I didn't look back, but I had a feeling I knew who it was. I asked "Scott, is that you?" Sure enough, it was Schmize. :)

He passed me as we came through some slower runners, and I pushed it a bit to try and sit on his shoulder. Did that for a bit, then put on a burst of speed to re-pass him. I knew I couldn't go slowly, I had to go to the hurt locker to do it. I wasn't quite sure how far we had left to go, and I miscalculated. I thought we had about a mile left, but it turns out it was closer to 2. Ooops! :) Ah well, it was fun while it lasted.

Lauren Jensen was just behind both of us. I slowed a bit as I stopped at the final turnaround/water stop to get water, as I was seriously getting pretty hot. Scott repassed me again when I did that. He made his move and I couldn't cover it. Shortly after that, Lauren Jensen passed me. I was able to mark her though, hanging about 5 meters behind.

Somewhere, I found the energy to push it back up, as I realized that Scott was no longer pulling away. I made it hurt and picked the pace back up in the closing mile. With about 1/4 mile to go, I closed to within 10" of Schmize. I had no more gears though, as my legs were feeling the effects of the hard week of running. He ended up crossing just ahead of me, but I was hot on his heels. Another .5 miles and I might have been able to reel him back. We're definitely a lot closer on our run fitness this year, though he's still got a bit of an edge there.

In the process of chasing Schmize, I repassed a few people who had passed me early on in the run. So it was definitely worth the effort to chase.

 
Lap Data
Lap Time Distance Pace/Speed AHR MHR
1 06m 48s 0.94 miles 07m 14s /mile 155 159
2 07m 09s 1.00 miles 07m 09s /mile 156 158
3 06m 52s 0.98 miles 07m 01s /mile 158 161
4 07m 09s 1.00 miles 07m 09s /mile 158 160
5 07m 26s 1.00 miles 07m 26s /mile 158 166
6 06m 58s 1.00 miles 06m 58s /mile 162 169
7 00m 47s 0.12 miles 06m 47s /mile 166 168

What would you do differently?:

Same as the bike. Taper and not run 19 miles 2 days out from the race. :)

Still, despite not having my top-end to push at redline, I showed that I've got a solid crusing speed going in my middle gears.

After a hard bike effort, on tired legs, and in the heat and sun, I'll take a 43:30 10k. I think my standalone 10k PR is only a minute faster than this!
Post race
Warm down:

Grabbed a water and a gatorade. Walked around a bit to flush out the legs.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

C race, so no taper. Did a 19 mile run 2 days before the race. That didn't really help. But the A race is IMWI, not this one.

Having Scott chasing/to chase really pushed both of us, so that's not a limiter, but something that pushed us both faster.

Event comments:

This is a great race. The venue is nice, streets are closed and there are always lots of volunteers. My only, only gripe is the post-race food. This is the only thing I think that could be improved on. Bagel pieces and bananas were it.

Okay, I lied, there are two. The bike course has changed a few times, and the current one is at bit over a mile short. I realize that they can't make roads up that don't exist, but there's got to be something to get this a little bit closer to the full Oly distance.

I look forward to this race, as it's pretty close by, and it's a very well run/organized event. I will definitely come back to do this race again, despite my 2 suggestions to improve it. They really are minor quibbles in comparison to everything else that is done right at this race. They really put a some great race that is a lot of fun.




Last updated: 2009-08-13 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:23:41 | 1500 meters | 01m 35s / 100meters
Age Group: 5/58
Overall: 36/640
Performance: Good
HR = high.
Suit: Zoot Zenith Full
Course: Clockwise, triangular course.
Start type: Run Plus: Waves
Water temp: 76F / 24C Current:
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:00
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
01:00:47 | 23 miles | 22.70 mile/hr
Age Group: 6/58
Overall: 29/640
Performance: Average
Average Power: 215 Normalized Power: 225 Average HR: 150
Wind: Some
Course: Two loops out and and around the industrial area East of Lake Andrea/RecPlex.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 89
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:37
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:43:30 | 06.21 miles | 07m  min/mile
Age Group: 11/58
Overall: 57/640
Performance: Good
Course: Run course was different this year, due to construction at the RecPlex. Started off going almost 2 miles down 165, then doubled back. Then headed out around the lake almost all the way, before turning to come back to the finish line.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
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] 5

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2009-08-17 2:56 PM

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Pro
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St Charles, IL
Subject: Pleasant Prairie Triathlon - International Race


2009-08-17 3:02 PM
in reply to: #2353907

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Member
13

Northern Illinois
Subject: RE: Pleasant Prairie Triathlon - International Race
Nice job this weekend, even for a C race! Good luck in your training and in IMWI!
2009-08-17 4:18 PM
in reply to: #2353907

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Champion
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Chicago
Subject: RE: Pleasant Prairie Triathlon - International Race
Great race Chris. You almost had him!!! Don't worry about it -- he's aging. You'll catch him soon.

2009-08-17 4:26 PM
in reply to: #2353907

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Whizzzzzlandia
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Subject: RE: Pleasant Prairie Triathlon - International Race
2009-08-17 8:00 PM
in reply to: #2354166

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Expert
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Wellington, North Island
Subject: RE: Pleasant Prairie Triathlon - International Race
Nice race Chris!!
2009-08-17 8:18 PM
in reply to: #2353907

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Extreme Veteran
722
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Madison-ish, Wisconsin
Subject: RE: Pleasant Prairie Triathlon - International Race
Nice race out there.


2009-08-18 7:47 AM
in reply to: #2353907

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Pro
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Wisconsin near the Twin Cities metro
Subject: RE: Pleasant Prairie Triathlon - International Race

Nice job, Chris!

2009-08-18 9:20 AM
in reply to: #2353907

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Expert
1148
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NW Suburbs, Illinois
Subject: RE: Pleasant Prairie Triathlon - International Race
Awesome, awesome job.  The race within the race is almost more fun for me.  Hopefully, for you, too!  The friendly competition really pushes both of us.  So glad we are in different Age groups, or it could get ugly   That run was epic, in that once passed, you usually don't see the re-pass.  Wonder what would have happened, if you waited until mile 5 to make that move???

Good times, looking forward to MOO!
2009-08-18 12:07 PM
in reply to: #2353907

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Champion
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Southern Chicago Suburbs, IL
Subject: RE: Pleasant Prairie Triathlon - International Race

Dude.  Smokin fast.  Nicely done, as always. 

Seems as if there were quite a few races, within the race this weekend.  They do make it fun, don't they.  I'd love to have just a smidge of  your speed.

2009-08-18 3:53 PM
in reply to: #2353907

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Extreme Veteran
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Algonquin, IL
Subject: RE: Pleasant Prairie Triathlon - International Race
That was a fun report to read.  Did I read correctly that you got chicked?  I hate when that happens. 
2009-08-18 4:07 PM
in reply to: #2353907

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Expert
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Oak Creek, WI
Subject: RE: Pleasant Prairie Triathlon - International Race
great race chris... and nice to meet you out there...  those are some awesome times in all 3 events...!!!  good luck at IMWI...


2009-08-18 8:17 PM
in reply to: #2353907

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Elite
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Denver
Subject: RE: Pleasant Prairie Triathlon - International Race

You and Scott are nuts.

2009-08-19 9:36 AM
in reply to: #2353907

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Regular
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Oak Park, Il
Subject: RE: Pleasant Prairie Triathlon - International Race

Great race as always. Schmize needs to get tested

You use "training wheels?" Amazing that you can go that fast. You're such a big boy aren't you

I like what you said about the volunteers. Too many people do these races without recognizing the cops and the other volunteers. And I'm not talking about the obligatory clapping when prompted by the race announcer either. I'm talking about right then and there when they hand you the water or stop the traffic. I'm not perfect but try to give shout outs when I can. Without them we don't race.

2009-08-19 12:56 PM
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Veteran
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10025
Subject: RE: Pleasant Prairie Triathlon - International Race

Awesome race as usual! Man, its become fun watching you and schmize out there racing eachother, ive been able to see you guys on the end while im just starting haha. Good to see you and looks like the next time will be IM! Good luck with the rest of training, you probably will kill it

2009-08-19 1:05 PM
in reply to: #2353907

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Elite
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Madison, Wisconsin
Subject: RE: Pleasant Prairie Triathlon - International Race

Nice job Chris...awesome race!

2009-08-20 4:01 PM
in reply to: #2353907

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Champion
8766
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Evergreen, Colorado
Subject: RE: Pleasant Prairie Triathlon - International Race
As usual, awesome job!


2009-08-20 5:01 PM
in reply to: #2353907

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Elite
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Subject: RE: Pleasant Prairie Triathlon - International Race

Great report.  Sounds like you guys had a good time out there.

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