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Loveland Lake to Lake Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic


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Loveland, CO
United States
80F / 27C
Sunny
Total Time = 3h 08m 33s
Overall Rank = 287/518
Age Group = Women 30-34
Age Group Rank = 21/49
Pre-race routine:

This was my first olympic tri (and only my second tri - my first being a sprint last weekend), so needless to say, I was nervous. Because Loveland is so far north, my husband and I drove up there on Friday night and stayed in a motel. With the pre-race meeting/packet pick-up at 6:30, then dinner, then a run to the grocery store for breakfast food for the morning, we got back to the motel at about 8:30, I fiddled with my bike, put my race number on my bike and my race belt, filled water bottles and got everything ready to grab and go in the morning. In bed by 9pm. Not bad. It was one of those rooms where the air conditioner runs constantly, so luckily I brought ear plugs which allowed me to sleep. I slept decently until about 3am, then I never went back to sleep. This is two tris in a row when I've woken up at 3. What is wrong with me? Got out of bed about 4am, ate a bagel w/cream cheese, drank a bottled smoothie, drank some milk, about a half cup of nasty motel room coffee, and we were out the door by 4:45. Transition opened at 5, and I wanted to get a decent spot.
Event warmup:

Got to the high school and immediately saw my friend, Shelby (who is doing IM Wisconsin this year), and I racked next to her. We were on the first row right by the bike start/finish. It was a really good spot. I saw Joe (joeinco), but didn't see Kim (kimj81) or Cathy (COgirl) yet. I actually took some time to jog around a little bit before the swim. I think that helped at least wake me up. I had to get body marked twice because my numbers just rub off so easily. It must be the sunscreen or something combined with the wetsuit rubbing (because even after two markings, you could barely see my numbers at the end of the race). Ate half a banana, visited the portapotties too often (there were too few, and we all know what that means - NASTY). I walked down to the water with my husband and watched the first couple of waves go off. I was in the last wave, which I've decided I don't like very much. I swam around a little bit to warm up. As I was waiting for the wave in front of us to go off, Cathy recognized me (which is a miracle in a wetsuit, swimcap and goggles) so we talked for a while. They called our wave, and we were off.
Swim
  • 30m 55s
  • 1500 meters
  • 02m 04s / 100 meters
Comments:

The swim time includes a .25 mile run - up a large hill - to the transition area. It felt longer than a quarter mile! The swim itself wasn't too bad. I definitely got kicked and swam into, but eventually, everything calmed down. This was the most "lakey" tasting lake I've swam in so far - it had a strong flavor. Gross, but true. And there was a lot of grass floating in the water and it kept getting caught in my fingers and getting on my face and goggles. Since this is my first oly, I didn't want to fry myself in the swim, so I just swam at a moderate pace, knowing I'd be out there for a while. The run up the hill was pretty brutal and my heartrate was too high when I got to the top.
What would you do differently?:

I really need to start drafting, but I have such a hard time finding people who go my pace, or who don't swim all over the place.
Transition 1
  • 02m 7s
Comments:

This transition was pathetic. I HAVE to figure out something to do with my socks. They keep getting turned around in my shoes, then I end up putting them on backwards then having to take them off and put them on correctly. It happened last week, but only with one sock. In this race, it happened with both of them. I felt like such an ass struggling with my stupid socks. Luckily the bike start was about 10 feet from my transition area, or my T-1 would have been that much worse. Other than the socks, I guess it went ok. I had a little trouble getting my wetsuit off of my right ankle, but nothing terrible.
What would you do differently?:

Since I roll my socks down to make them easier to put on, maybe I'll sew some red stitches onto the top of the toe area so I know where the tops are when they're all rolled down. Someday I'll learn how to do a running bike mount. But hey, it's my second tri. I've been a little more concerned with the swimming, biking and running stuff to worry about bike mounting. :)
Bike
  • 1h 35m 19s
  • 29.5 miles
  • 18.57 mile/hr
Comments:

When I saw Joe before the race, he told me the course was "flat." Um, the whole time I was on the course, I was silently cursing Joe and his LIES. I kept wondering if he told me that so I wouldn't get psyched out. Or if he was crazy and really thought that 1700 feet of elevation gain was "flat." I was especially cursing Joe as I was going up the side of some mesa at 7 mph in the smallest gear on my triple chainring (thank God I have no pride and have a triple - some people were really struggling up those big climbs). FLAT???? It felt like all I did was climb. I was actually surprised by my average speed because it felt like I was crawling out on the course. Despite the non-flatness, it was an absolutely beautiful course. I am so fortunate to be able to race in such a scenic state. Mountain views, lakes, valleys, and rolling farmland - the course had it all. I ate a gel right at the start of the bike, then I ate about half a Clif bar about a third of the way in. I had a hard time getting that down with all the climbing. I had another gel close to the end. I drank a whole bottle of Cytomax and almost a whole bottle of water. I was determined to stay fueled and hydrated on the bike. I think I did pretty well. My friend, Shelby, passed me on the bike and she started yelling at me to push it harder. She said, "if you're not strong on the run, you need to give it your all on the bike." Don't worry, she wasn't insulting me or anything - I really am NOT strong on the run, and she knows my cycling background. It was a good kick in the butt that I really needed. I owe her one. I saw Kim's boyfriend and her dogs on the course. I couldn't remember his name due to lack of oxygen to my brain, but I yelled hello anyway. He probably thought I was crazy.
What would you do differently?:

Be more familiar with the course so I wouldn't be so surprised. I just didn't have time to drive it the night before and I am not familiar with the area.
Transition 2
  • 01m 1s
Comments:

This transition was fine. I was thankful for how close my rack was to the bike finish.
What would you do differently?:

Not much. I can do the moving bike dismount, but I'm scared to death to do it with my feet out of my shoes and shoes still attached to the bike. My feet are wimpy, and running on asphault in bare feet is torture for me.
Run
  • 59m 8s
  • 6.2 miles
  • 09m 32s  min/mile
Comments:

Once again, I was so happy I've been doing bricks, because I didn't feel terrible coming out of T-2. Either that or I run so slow, that my legs always feel like bricks. Who knows. There was a lot of shade on the course, which was wonderful. And there were several people out in their yards hosing us down with water. That really helped keep me cool. I ate one gel about 2 miles into the run, and drank water or gatorade at each aid station. When I started the run, I knew I'd be out there for almost an hour, which is hard to make yourself think about. I tried to break it into 15 minute chunks and not look at my watch too often. Needless to say, I was pretty depressed when I saw the 3 mile marker (that was the only distance marker on the course). The course was a little misleading because as you come back to the park, you can see and hear the finish line, but you have to run an entire loop around the high school and the park before you finish. It was torture being so close to the finish and still having at least a mile yet to run. Mile 5 and 6 were pretty hard for me - probably because I kept thinking I was almost done, but I wasn't. But, for me, a 9:30/mile pace is pretty decent - especially considering the bike course. Running is my weakness, so I knew I wasn't going to set any records!
What would you do differently?:

Just get faster on the run. Lots of work ahead of me.
Post race
Warm down:

Grabbed water, walked around, saw Joe and called him a lying sack of sh*t :) Went and fed my face at the post race buffet (breakfast burritos - yum!). I was bummed because I never saw Cathy again, and I never saw Kim at all. Sorry guys!

What limited your ability to perform faster:

My run. My stupid socks.

Event comments:

There were about 600 people registered for this race, so it was almost 1/2 the size of the one I did last weekend. It was well-organized and fun. I was amazed at how many volunteers they had - where do they find so many people to get up at the crack of dawn to hand out water and to stand and direct runners on a run course? Great post-race food.


Profile Album


Last updated: 2005-06-26 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:30:55 | 1500 meters | 02m 04s / 100meters
Age Group: 0/49
Overall: 218/518
Performance: Average
Suit: Orca Predator 2 Full
Course: Square, counter-clockwise course. Swim start and finish were about 30 yards apart from each other. .25 mile run from the water to transition. Ouch.
Start type: Wade Plus:
Water temp: 69F / 21C Current: Low
200M Perf. Below average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Good Drafting: Bad
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:07
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Below average Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
01:35:19 | 29.5 miles | 18.57 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/49
Overall: 254/518
Performance: Average
Wind: Some
Course: Challenging course with lots of rolling hills, and a couple of brutal climbs. Total elevation gain of 1700 feet. Ahhh. That's racing in Colorado.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:01
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:59:08 | 06.2 miles | 09m 32s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/49
Overall: 368/518
Performance: Average
Course: Run through residential areas surrounding Lake Loveland, then back for another lap through the park.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
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: Below average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4

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2005-06-26 11:21 AM

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Extreme Veteran
458
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Denver, CO
Subject: Loveland Lake to Lake Triathlon


2005-06-26 11:46 AM
in reply to: #183772

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Pro
4228
2000200010010025
Broomfield, Colorado
Subject: RE: Loveland Lake to Lake Triathlon

So, you beat Joe by 5 seconds.....wonder what he'll have to say about THAT!  LOL, you rock woman! 

Those hills sucked.  I got down to 6.5 mph in my damn double.....I was SO wishing for another lower gear! 

You had an awesome race!  Great job!

2005-06-26 1:38 PM
in reply to: #183772

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Extreme Veteran
386
100100100252525
Fort Worth, TX
Subject: RE: Loveland Lake to Lake Triathlon
I'm guessing Cathy found you based on the mascara!  *grin*

You are such a hoss.  Congratulations on your 2nd race, you're first Oly, and beating that lying sack of sh*t. (Love you Joe). 

Great job girl-chick!
2005-06-26 1:43 PM
in reply to: #183772

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Official BT Coach
2210
2000100100
Englewood, CO
Subject: RE: Loveland Lake to Lake Triathlon
Great race, It sounds like you had a great time!  CONGRATS ON  YOUR FIRST OLY!
2005-06-26 3:27 PM
in reply to: #183772

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Pro
5153
50001002525
Helena, MT
Subject: RE: Loveland Lake to Lake Triathlon
Stacie, you are such a badass. You beat me by almost an HOUR!!!! LOL! I think I saw you when you passed me about 15 minutes into the bike course, but I wasn't sure, so I didn't say anything. From that pic, I bet it was you, right outfit (which I saw on other people and was waaaay see through, I guess you're not stretching it to it's limits too much, but don't gain any weight).... Eric said "Some chick yelled "Hi Kim's boyfriend!" at me." He thought it was Cathy (but she was still behind me because I'm so super-fast on the bike, you know, has nothing to do with her wave starting last).

WTF's with Joe telling you it was flat?! At least now we know who not to trust.... Oh and according to a couple different mapping programs of mine, it was 2500 ft total climbing, not 1700. Day-um.
2005-06-26 9:24 PM
in reply to: #183772

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Expert
1836
100050010010010025
Lafayette, CO
Subject: RE: Loveland Lake to Lake Triathlon

Hell, I can't help it if you feel that a small hill is a friggin' mountain.  That's YOUR problem, not mine!

Great job Stacie!  You did awesome, even if you don't like riding hills.



2005-06-26 10:37 PM
in reply to: #183772

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Expert
852
5001001001002525
Evergreen, Colorado
Bronze member
Subject: RE: Loveland Lake to Lake Triathlon

Well, despite all the trash talking from Joe about the hills, you DID beat him by a few seconds

Nice job on your first oly - you're fast!!!  Looks like the 6 mile run after biking didn't give you any problems.  Way to go!



Edited by Stacers 2005-06-26 10:38 PM
2005-06-28 10:06 AM
in reply to: #183772

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Got Wahoo?
5423
5000100100100100
San Antonio
Subject: RE: Loveland Lake to Lake Triathlon

Seems like your ready for the half IM to me....

Nice race. For your first OLY, I'd say you kicked ass!!!!!!

2005-07-01 8:04 AM
in reply to: #183772

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Master
2233
200010010025
Mechanicsburg, PA
Subject: RE: Loveland Lake to Lake Triathlon
Hoss Chick! Hoss Chick! Hoss Chick! Hoss Chick! Hoss Chick! Great job Stacie!!

-Frank
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