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Greeley Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Greeley, Colorado
United States
Greeley Triathlon Club
65F / 18C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 10m 22s
Overall Rank = 71/192
Age Group = F 25-29
Age Group Rank = 2/17
Pre-race routine:

Got up around 4:45 (yuck!) and got ready and out the door quickly since everything (even the coffeemaker) was prepped the night before. Ate a breakfast cookie and banana and drank coffee on the hour drive to Greeley. Got there right as transition was opening at 6am so I was able to get a good spot on the end right near the swim in and bike in.
Event warmup:

Swam about 100 yds or so to re-acquaint myself with the wetsuit and test the water temp. Not sure what the water temp was but it felt rather warm.
Swim
  • 09m 9s
  • 500 yards
  • 01m 48s / 100 yards
Comments:

I liked that this was a time trial start - even though it was a small race, it was also a small lake, so it would've been WAY crowded if even 20 people went at the same time. At my turn, I dove in and quickly fell into a smooth rhythm. Water was flat and VERY clean - I could see the bottom for most of it. Felt like I passed a lot of people (later, Travis said I did), which felt good. Thought I could've pushed a bit harder but didn't want to overdo it. Nonetheless, felt I put out a comfortably hard effort and sighted well. As I got out of the water I glanced at my watch to see my in-water time was 9:00 - happy with that.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Transition 1
  • 01m 35s
Comments:

It was a good thing they had people helping you out of the water, because the mat that sat on the ledge of the lake was a bit slippery! Almost ate it coming out. There were also wetsuit strippers but I didn't want to take the time to lay down and get back up - I knew I could get it off pretty quickly on my own. A little dizzy while putting on my socks and bike shoes. Sunglasses, helmet, grabbed the bike and ran.
What would you do differently?:

This went pretty well. Not sure if the wetsuit strippers might've saved me a few seconds or not, but it didn't really matter in the end anyhow.
Bike
  • 32m 31s
  • 10.26 miles
  • 18.93 mile/hr
Comments:

I drove part of the bike course the day before, so I had a decent idea of what to expect. The downhill first half wasn't quite as fast as I had envisioned because there was a bit of a headwind, but fast enough. The climbs in the second half were also not as tough as I thought they might be, which was a pleasant surprise (or perhaps I was just in better biking shape than I thought). Spent most of the ride in the aerobars and passed a lot of women. Only had a few fast guys pass me. Drank at least half my water and ate a package of Luna Moons about halfway. Definitely pushed this harder than I do in training. I knew I needed to have a strong bike split to have a shot at placing high.
What would you do differently?:

I was really quite pleased with this. With a better bike (or, at least, race wheels and upgraded components) I'm pretty sure I'd be a bit faster. But with my equipment and minimal training on the bike, this is probably about as fast as possible.
Transition 2
  • 00m 50s
Comments:

My rack was right near the bike in, so there wasn't far to go, which was nice. The shoe transition was quick; grabbed my visor and race belt and put them on while I ran to the run-out.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Run
  • 26m 19s
  • 3.1 miles
  • 08m 29s  min/mile
Comments:

Grabbed water at the aid station right near the run out and let the downhill carry me for the first .5 mile while I kept the leg turnover high and tried to bring down my HR a bit. The run is where I knew I needed to keep it in high gear if I wanted to place. I really had no idea where I was in terms of place in my AG, but I thought I might be ahead of most. The sun was blazing but luckily the air temperature wasn't too high yet. Cruised down the hill and turned up a long gradual hill. This didn't feel great but again I reminded myself I needed to grit it out - even if I didn't wind up placing I wanted to know I pushed as hard as possible. At the 1 mile marker I was pleasantly surprised to see my time was 8:33 - felt a lot slower than that. Not long after that I hit a level to slightly downhill portion I used to lower the HR again. Around this time a girl from my age group whizzed by me at a high rate of speed. I knew I couldn't possibly catch her but knew I needed to remain strong. Grabbed some water at the aid station. At around 1.5 miles I got to run down the hill I had run up earlier. Cranked it with high leg turnover, knowing that another uphill climb waited at the bottom of the hill. Hit mile 2 in around 8:30 - still holding strong. Going uphill after mile 2 was a bit painful, but I pumped my arms and got through it. Eventually we came back near the lake and I could see the finish line on the far side. I began to pick up the pace a little more, but I didn't have much left and was beginning to feel a little pukey. As I passed a woman (not in my AG) about .5 mile from the end, she said "I was determined not to let you pass me!" I remarked that the hills in the second half of the course were rough. Kept pushing hard to the finish.
What would you do differently?:

I think I executed this run quite well. Perhaps if I had gone a little less hard on the bike I would've had a bit more on the run, but this was really a very solid time for me. Frankly, I'm quite surprised I averaged 8:30s. Passed a lot of women (from older AGs) and was only passed by a few really fast women.
Post race
Warm down:

Walked around a bit to lower my HR, drank some water, then got in line for the ART massage guys. Had the guy work on my hamstrings and ITBs since they're usually the parts that get tightest (though I really felt good all over). Hung out a bit til they posted the preliminary results. I didn't really think the 2nd place would hold, but it did. The 1st place girl beat me by over 5 minutes - just extremely solid times all around (though only 7 seconds faster in the swim) with the biggest difference on the bike (she went 29:09). I beat the 3rd place girl by 2 minutes.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

After looking back at all the tris I've ever done, my average paces in each of the events in this race were my fastest ever. This wasn't the hardest course, but also not the easiest, either. I didn't let myself off easy in this race but also made sure I enjoyed it. It's interesting to note that I had my best age group rank on the bike - I'm not sure that's ever happened before. Certainly made all the training rides in 15-20mph+ wind worthwhile. With more speedwork in all the events (and perhaps a better bike/components) I could probably go a bit faster. But working with what I had that day in terms of training and equipment, this was great. It just clicked.

Event comments:

For a small, relatively inexpensive race, this was AWESOME! Loads of volunteers. Great swag - nice tech shirts (not white!), finishers medals and towels, pint glass. Really nice course and ideal weather. I wish we weren't moving - I'd definitely do this race again. Another life-is-funny-sometimes thing - if I hadn't spent so much time in Greeley this past year at school, I don't think I ever would've considered doing this race.




Last updated: 2010-05-10 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:09:09 | 500 yards | 01m 48s / 100yards
Age Group: 3/17
Overall: 0/192
Performance: Good
Suit: Xterra Vortex3 sleeveless
Course: Rectangular out-and-back in a very small "lake"
Start type: Dive Plus: Time Trial
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting:
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 01:35
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
00:32:31 | 10.26 miles | 18.93 mile/hr
Age Group: 2/17
Overall: 0/192
Performance: Good
Wind: Some
Course: Loop with an out-and-back in the middle; mostly downhill for the first half, more climbing in the second half (about 380' total)
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 00:50
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:26:19 | 03.1 miles | 08m 29s  min/mile
Age Group: 5/17
Overall: 0/192
Performance: Good
Course: Rolling hills, all paved or concrete
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
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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2010-06-11 11:21 AM

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Extreme Veteran
393
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Columbia, South Carolina
Subject: Greeley Triathlon


2010-06-11 12:35 PM
in reply to: #2915790

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Master
1678
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Olney, MD
Subject: RE: Greeley Triathlon

Fantastic race and congrats on 2nd in your AG.  For possibly your first/last CO tri of the season, you sure did make the most of it!!

2010-06-11 6:27 PM
in reply to: #2915790

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Veteran
291
100100252525
Chicago
Subject: RE: Greeley Triathlon
Great report. You nailed this race. Great way to end your tri career in CO (for now.)
2010-06-13 5:37 PM
in reply to: #2915790

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Champion
7542
5000200050025
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Bronze member
Subject: RE: Greeley Triathlon
Sounds like a great day!  One that you'll wish for again once you're racing in NO later this year. 
2010-06-14 1:42 AM
in reply to: #2915790

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Extreme Veteran
356
1001001002525
Firestone, CO
Subject: RE: Greeley Triathlon
Was going to do this race, but did the Longmont Tri instead. Congrats on a great race!
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