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Firecracker Tri - TriathlonSprint


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Tucson, AZ
United States
www.tritucson.com
100F / 38C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 28m 10s
Overall Rank = 65/106
Age Group = W25-29
Age Group Rank = 7/14
Pre-race routine:

Woke up at 3:15am and couldn't sleep, so I got up at about 3:30am. Race start was 5:45am, so everything had to be in the transition area by 5:30am. Arrived at the UA parking lot a little before 5am and found Gwozdzilla right away. We found a rack for our bikes not far from Nikki (fellow Tucson Tri Girl). And for some reason everyone was making fun of the organization of my transition area. ;) I got body marked and stood in line for about 15 minutes for the bathroom. I went back and hung out by the transition area, watching our space as I put on sunscreen to make sure no one encroached on it. Some chicks that showed up late were eyeing our area, so I went over to my bag and tiedied up a bit and let them know that yes, I was watching them and no, they couldn't touch our stuff. They racked a few bikes over, knocking someone's helmet over in the process. Some people need to learn you need to show up early to get a spot.
Event warmup:

No warm up. The kids wave went off at 5:45am, and adults started getting in at 6am. I stood around visiting with Gwozdzilla and Dorkboy until it was time to get in line.
Swim
  • 17m 20s
  • 750 yards
  • 02m 19s / 100 yards
Comments:

This was a really poor swim for me. I went really slow. Swimming in a 50 yd pool vs. 25 yds probably added to it. But I wasn't expecting to go that slow. Oh well. I caught up to the guy in front of me, and passed him on the turnaround at a wall. He then proceeds to draft me, but kept hitting my feet. So I thought that meant he was going to pass, but he never did. Saw some guy walking on the bottom of the pool. On the last 50 yds some girl in red and a guy behind her passed me, but then stalled at the pool exit. I did one huge power stroke between them and grabbed the rung of the ladder and got out ahead of them. I wasn't going to goof around in the pool like they were.

Last year's Tinfoilman tri (my first) was in the same pool, but was 825 yds total and in the 25 yd setup. I went 8 secs/100 yds slower than that race. That really bugs me. My last aquathlon 800 yd swim was 15:13, so I was expecting to do better in this race. Oh well. Can't judge the past few months of training just on this swim.
What would you do differently?:

Push more on the swim and find some way to warm up.
Transition 1
  • 01m 20s
Comments:

Ran out of the pool area and down the chute to the transition area. People were crossing over the flags of the chute, which really annoyed me. I wasn't slowing down, so they had to get out of the way. This transition seemed pretty fast because I didn't have nearly as much junk to worry about like the XTERRA races (wetsuit, hydration pack, etc). Just socks & shoes, glasses, and helmet. I did my flying cyclocross mount and was on my way.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. T1 went pretty well. Went 1:17 faster in T1 this time compared to Tinfoilman.
Bike
  • 38m 29s
  • 12 miles
  • 18.71 mile/hr
Comments:

This was my first race riding the tri bike. I also picked up an aerobottle the day before the race at the bike shop. It doesn't have a lid, but a strange little sponge in the hole at the top. This was supposed to be an "anti-splash" sponge. Yeah right. They obviously don't test these things on Euclid in Tucson. That road sucks. Really rough with cracks and potholes everywhere. My drink splashed out everywhere on each bump, so I got a constant bath of Gatorwater. Lovely. Other than that, drinking out of the aerobottle was much easier than reaching down and re-racking a regular bottle. I pushed pretty hard on the bike to try to make up for my sorry swim. I never got passed by anyone in my age group, so I was happy with that. I went a litle over 4 min faster compared to Tinfoilman, and averaged 3 mph faster.
What would you do differently?:

For a rough course, not fill the upper square portion of the aerobottle with fluid.
Transition 2
  • 00m 52s
Comments:

Rolled into T2 at the same time as other riders, but I did my running cyclocross dismount and passed them at the dismount line. I then got lost and couldn't find my transition area. My husband was yelling that it was a few more racks down. So I lost probably 5 seconds because of that. I went 15 seconds faster in T2 compared to Tinfoilman.
What would you do differently?:

Tie something to my rack so that I can find it easier. Stupid mistake.
Run
  • 30m 7s
  • 3 miles
  • 10m 02s  min/mile
Comments:

By the run it was really hot out. My goal was to run the entire course and not stop (I walked during Tinfoilman). I carried my bottle with me, which was a good idea. Had a bit of trouble putting my hat and race belt on while holding my bottle. The stretch down 2nd Street was the worst because it was about a mile long and we had to run facing the sun. I was really glad that I had a hat on at this point. And because I carried my own bottle I didn't have to rely on the water station. There was only one water station on the run course. Throughout the course I adjusted my line to try to run in the shade as much as possible. On the last section I picked up the pace and actually ran towards the finish line. I went 6 minutes faster compared to Tinfoilman, so my run was my biggest gain.
What would you do differently?:

Maybe get a run belt that holds a water bottle.
Post race
Warm down:

Threw my T-shirt to my husband and quickly found a stretch of shade and walked. Tried to stay in the shade as I cooled down. Ate some oranges and cheered fellow Tucson Tri Girls and Gwozdzilla on as they finished. I hung around with the Tri Girls for a bit, then cleaned up, picked up my transition stuff, and walked over to the raffle. I won a CO2 kit early in the raffle, so we left after that. Went home and took a nice long nap, and lounged on the couch all day.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

The heat was definitely a factor.

Event comments:

This race fell at the end of Week 16 of my 1/2 IM training plan, so I really didn't taper for it. It wasn't an A race, and I was just doing it for fun and to see if I could do better on my time. I clipped 12 min 6 seconds off of my previous time on this course (accounting for difference in swim distance). So I was happy about that. Still bummed about my swim time though. The weekly aquathlon swim/run races definitely helped get my body used to higher intensity racing. I still don't know how I'm going to do a 1/2 IM, but I need to remember that that race will be more about overall endurance, rather than short bursts of intensity.




Last updated: 2005-06-06 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:17:20 | 750 yards | 02m 19s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/14
Overall: 0/106
Performance: Bad
1.59.72, 2.18.75, 2.22.29, 2.22.39, 2.21.98, 2.23.94, 2.21.75, 1.09.56
Suit: Tucson Tri Girls sleeveless top and Zoot tri short
Course: 50 yd serpentine format in the UA Hillenbrand pool.
Start type: Inside Pool Plus:
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current: Low
200M Perf. Bad Remainder: Below average
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding:
T1
Time: 01:20
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed:
Biking
00:38:29 | 12 miles | 18.71 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/14
Overall: 0/106
Performance: Good
Wind: None
Course: Campbell to Broadway to Euclid to Speedway back to Campbell. 3 loops of 4 miles each.
Road: Rough  Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 00:52
Overall: Below average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:30:07 | 03 miles | 10m 02s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/14
Overall: 0/106
Performance: Good
Course: Running course through the UofA campus.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
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: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 4

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2005-07-04 11:41 AM

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Elite
2553
20005002525
Tucson, AZ
Subject: Firecracker Tri


2005-07-04 2:10 PM
in reply to: #189752

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Master
2314
2000100100100
Gulf Shores, AL
Subject: RE: Firecracker Tri
Great job and I love you passing the doddlers (sp) on the swim ladder.

Ken
2005-07-04 3:14 PM
in reply to: #189752

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Elite
3223
20001000100100
Hendersonville
Subject: RE: Firecracker Tri
What an improvement!! Great job being agressive when it was necessary. I wish I could do the running onto and off the bike like you do.
Jessica
2005-07-04 3:23 PM
in reply to: #189884

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Elite
2796
2000500100100252525
Texas
Subject: RE: Firecracker Tri

Great race and report! I'm dying to know what a flying cyclocross mount looks like!!

I ran with an Amphipod hydration belt at TriAmerica yesterday. It was essential. I use it in all of my training runs. For the race I stowed two bottles in the back and took everything else (two bottle holders and a pouch) off at home. I imagine the Fuel Belt is good too. Either type would be a great investment, especially in Tucson!!

2005-07-04 4:09 PM
in reply to: #189752

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Elite
2553
20005002525
Tucson, AZ
Subject: RE: Firecracker Tri

Thanks everyone! 

And I finally uploaded pics of the race that my husband took:  http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/photos/photo-thumbnails.asp?albumid=734

2005-07-04 4:26 PM
in reply to: #189752

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Extreme Veteran
386
100100100252525
Fort Worth, TX
Subject: RE: Firecracker Tri
Awesome race Elaine!!

You did incredible improving on last year!  Although it totally looks like you need to get your knee closer to the pavement on that turn!


2005-07-04 4:38 PM
in reply to: #189752

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Pro
4578
20002000500252525
Vancouver, BC
Subject: RE: Firecracker Tri
Hey Elaine,

Great job. You definitely look like you finished strong. Were you even breathing hard at the end?

Great improvement over last year. After 15 more weeks of the half IM plan, I know that you will have no problem finishing that too. I look forward to continuing to read your logs.

Jen
2005-07-04 9:11 PM
in reply to: #189752

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Elite
2553
20005002525
Tucson, AZ
Subject: RE: Firecracker Tri

They just posted the results online and I finished 65 out of 106 women and 7th out of 14 in my age group.  Woohoo!  That's officially MOP!  I'm pretty happy with that since 25-29 is one of the more competitive women's age groups.  Though 6th place finished 2 seconds in front of me! 

So if I really improve on my run that will be my biggest gain.  If I could just average a minute per mile faster, that would be a huge chunk of time right there.  I had a pretty good bike time since 3rd place in my AG finished 2 min faster.  It's just that run that I'm really getting killed.  But I'll keep working at it and hopefully next year I'll take off more time.  That's the great thing about this race series is that they have it 3x per year on the same course.  So it's a great way to see improvement.

2005-07-05 12:19 PM
in reply to: #189752

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Veteran
188
100252525
Tucson, Arizona
Subject: RE: Firecracker Tri

Nice.  You're going to kill the Half IM in October.  Look at how you did here and you just squeezed it in the middle of your training.

2005-07-05 8:46 PM
in reply to: #189752

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Giver
18426
5000500050002000100010010010010025
Subject: RE: Firecracker Tri
Great race! How'd the nutrition thing work out for you with the early start?
2005-07-05 9:55 PM
in reply to: #191001

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Elite
2553
20005002525
Tucson, AZ
Subject: RE: Firecracker Tri

run4yrlif - 2005-07-05 5:46 PM Great race! How'd the nutrition thing work out for you with the early start?

I decided to go with a breakfast bar that I normally eat before my morning workouts (Nutrigrain Muffin Bar) and 1/2 a banana.  I ate at about 4:15am, which was about 2 hrs before the start.  Then all I had was Gatorwater on the bike and regular water on the run.  Everything worked out well.  I was able to go hard on the bike (should've gone harder on the swim) and run the entire run without bonking.  Eating light before the race worked well because it was really hot out.



2005-07-06 7:18 AM
in reply to: #191036

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Giver
18426
5000500050002000100010010010010025
Subject: RE: Firecracker Tri
PirateGirl - 2005-07-05 9:55 PM

  Everything worked out well. 


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