General Discussion Race Reports! » Grand Haven Y Festival of Races - Olympic Triathlon Rss Feed  
Moderators: k9car363, alicefoeller Reply

Grand Haven Y Festival of Races - Olympic Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic


View Member's Race Log View other race reports
Grand Haven, Michigan
United States
3 Disciplines Racing
81F / 27C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 24m 1s
Overall Rank = 13/121
Age Group = M30-34
Age Group Rank = 2/13
Pre-race routine:

The volume of training since the middle of April has been very low and I have not able to get in the longer sessions on the weekends consistently. I have been ok with the lack of training as becoming a dad has been amazing and she is growing up so quickly. As a competitive athlete though it is always frustrating to know that you are capable of so much more. The rest of the year is just going to be a fun no pressure year - training when I can and not putting pressure on myself in races.

I signed up for Grand Haven on friday night. Since the race is so close to home I thought I would give it a shot.
Event warmup:

I was up at 5:00 am. Took a shower and got into my race gear. Made my nutrition bottles and got out the door around 5:40 for the short drive. I got to the site about 6:00 am and got a good parking spot close to transition. It only took me about 15 minutes to get my transition spot ready. We had a 7:45 am start and had a long walk to the beach and down the beach to the swim start. I left TA about 6:55 for the walk and chatted with some athletes on the way down.

Lake Michigan had 1.5 to 2 foot waves but the current seemed to be helping us out which was good.
Swim
  • 24m 35s
  • 1640 yards
  • 01m 30s / 100 yards
Comments:

This was an all male start and also relays so a pretty big group. This was a point to point swim in Lake Michigan from south to north and ending near the pier. The current appeared to be helping from south to north too. The first turn buoy was probably 100 yards from shore so when the horn went we ran in probably 50 yards before we were able to swim. We were headed straight into the waves and I took a diagonal route which worked out good and avoided the congestion at the turn buoy. The first 300 yards were a little tough until I was able to get into a groove with the wave action. The rest of the swim was pretty good and I was moving with the waves well. It was a bit tough to site as they only had 5 buoys total for the course and with the waves you could not see them very well. I had to stop a couple times to sight briefly over the waves and then got back into it. I felt like I swam a very straight line breathing towards the beach and away from the waves and had very little trouble for the most part. The last 300 yards it was much rougher due to the waves coming back off the pier wall. The waves were in no real pattern and they were much bigger so this section was much tougher. I made the turn towards shore and followed the waves into the beach. When I was about halfway through the beach sand I glanced at my watch and saw 24:30 which is where I thought I should be at Grand Rapids so good with that.

After exiting the water there is a super long run to the transition area through the beach sand and up along the boardwalk and finally up a hill. It takes a really long time but the fans along the way were good.

My wetsuit really causes my shoulders to tire much more quickly then without I have been noticing.
What would you do differently?:

Ok with this swim..wish my shoulders did not tire so quickly but maybe a new wetsuit is in order.
Transition 1
  • 07m 25s
Comments:

This is a ridiculously long run from the beach to the Transition Area approximately 0.75 miles away. The run up the beach sand for 100 yards was the hardest part and then it is a run along the channel on the boardwalk that seemed to take forever. Then a run up the hill to the Y parking Lot and into the transition area. I took the run somewhat easy and did not spike my heart rate.

Once into transition area I got my wetsuit off not as quickly as I would like. I was very close to the Bike Out which was good.
What would you do differently?:

Some people bring shoes to the swim out and put them on for the run. I elected to go barefoot and worked out fine.
Bike
  • 1h 07m 43s
  • 24.85 miles
  • 22.02 mile/hr
Comments:

The first portion of the course is along the beach to some short steep hills before you get out on to Lakeshore Drive which is fairly flat with some rolling hills and good pavement. The out section was straight in to a 10mph headwind. My legs felt great and I settled into a good cadence and rythem. I had my HR monitor with me on the bike which I normally do not race with but wanted to track HR with effort level. My bike LTHR is 165 and I was around 170-173 the whole ride but my RPE felt right. There was another rider (that was in my AG) that I traded places with a couple times on the ride but really just stuck to my plan. The ride really went by fast but maybe that is just becuase I ride the route regularly. When I got to the turnaround I was at about 35 minutes but knew I would be much faster on the return leg with a tailwind. I finally left that other guy in the rear view window on the return leg and felt really strong. The hills coming back seemed to be much steeper than the way out but got through them fine. My Garmin had me at 22.34 mph and 24.73 miles in length but I started it late.

AHR:172
LTHR: 165 ??
Avg Speed: 22.34 mph
What would you do differently?:

Felt like a good ride and right effort level.
Transition 2
  • 00m 43s
Comments:

This was a quick transition. My garmin popped off as i was leaving transition but went back and got it.
What would you do differently?:

Not lose my watch.
Run
  • 43m 32s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 07m 01s  min/mile
Comments:

There is a little incline out of transition and then a big downhill to the boardwalk where it is flat. I was able to get into a groove about a 0.5 miles into the run but it was very crowded with the sprint distance mixed in. The sun was out and it was getting hot. The run course has no shade so I knew I needed to drink more and stay cool. The first couple miles went by ok but halfway in I knew my pace was dropping and the heat was starting to take a little bit of a toll. I was taking 2 cups at each aid station but running threw them so spilling them everywhere. I got passed by the guy that I left on the bike but that was it for the entire run. I passed a few people as well.
I thought I saw on the course map that there was a second turnaround section on harbor island so when I came to that point the course arrows were pointing me a different direction. I looked to a volunteer and he said follow the arrows but it did not feel right. I stopped and started running back the other way becuase I was positive this was not right but then started thinking that the arrows were pointing me this way so I turned back again and proceeded on. I proabably lost 30 seconds but I did not want to get DQ'd for going off course. I went back and looked at the course map and sure enough they had hand drawn new run course over the old one (doh) so I went the right way whew. The finish leg along the boardwalk was nice and there was a little breeze. The last hill into the finish line is just painful. It is very steep and I was already gassed. Just 5 minutes before I crossed the finish line Keelyn had went to sleep, my 10 week old daughter. I think that means I should have finished 5 minutes earlier haha.

AHR: 175
LTHR: 173
What would you do differently?:

I gave it what I had I just wish it was faster. The heat probably played a factor in the slower time.
Post race
Warm down:

Happy that Rachael & Keelyn were there to watch me finish. Keelyn's first triathlon and surely not her last. I just chatted with folks and sat in the shade for awhile.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Lack of training time.

Event comments:

This was a very good race and close to home. I thought the race organization was good and the venue is very nice minus the long run to T1.




Last updated: 2011-06-20 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:24:35 | 1640 yards | 01m 30s / 100yards
Age Group: 4/13
Overall: 24/121
Performance: Average
Suit: Blue Seventy Helix Sleeveless
Course: Point to Point in Lake Michigan (South to North)
Start type: Run Plus:
Water temp: 67F / 19C Current: Medium
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Drafting:
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding:
T1
Time: 07:25
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
01:07:43 | 24.85 miles | 22.02 mile/hr
Age Group: 1/13
Overall: 14/121
Performance: Average
Wind: Some
Course: Grand Avenue to out and back on Lakeshore Drive - short steep hills along beach and then rolling hills on Lakeshore...fast.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 00:43
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
00:43:32 | 06.21 miles | 07m 01s  min/mile
Age Group: 4/13
Overall: 15/121
Performance: Below average
Course: Along the boardwalk to Harbor Island and back - no shade.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
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: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4

{postbutton}
2011-07-13 1:59 PM

User image

Expert
1260
10001001002525
Norton Shores, MI
Subject: Grand Haven Y Festival of Races - Olympic Triathlon
General Discussion-> Race Reports!
{postbutton}
General Discussion Race Reports! » Grand Haven Y Festival of Races - Olympic Triathlon Rss Feed