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Pigman Olympic Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic


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Palo, Iowa
United States
JMS Racing Services
75F / 24C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 10m 20s
Overall Rank = 2/181
Age Group = M20-24
Age Group Rank = 1/7
Pre-race routine:

This was my race. I had planned it out to be the big race for the year. I really wanted to come into the Pigman race and make a statement of what I’ve done. The last hard week I did was extremely tough. I put in a lot more miles of biking than I typically do and felt that this would help push me past the pack in the race. It wasn’t until two days before the race when I was trying to motivate one of my teammates that I realized I was kidding myself; I kept telling myself that I was going to try to do my best when really what I wanted was to win. I told myself to stop acting like I didn’t want the win because if I pretended it didn’t matter than I wouldn’t work for it like I should.
Heading to the race I felt real good. I was recovered, my body felt ready to fire, and my mind was ready to push myself on the run more than I typically have. I knew something good was going to come out of today but yet one thing still lingered in my mind. I needed to have a good swim or the race was going to be out of reach.
Event warmup:

Getting to the park it was a little chilly but nothing too bad. I got an easy warm-up in on all three sports and really felt solid on the run. I got towards the swim start and seeded myself about 10th back of the time trial start.
Swim
  • 25m 17s
  • 1640 yards
  • 01m 32s / 100 yards
Comments:

When I hit the water I stepped on a rock and felt it for the first 200 meters of the swim. I tried to grab onto some fast feet from my teammate, Duncan, but wasn’t sticking with them. Finally I found some other feet and sat on them for the first 600 meters of the swim. At that point another swimmer came by and I thought maybe I could get on their feet and coast with them. Turns out this was most likely Tanelle Berard by how fast I got dropped off of these feet. By the time I looked back the other guy I was pacing off of was actually behind me! I was not swimming faster without him so I took to my own and swam the rest by myself.
What would you do differently?:

I need to get more speed. That will help me chase down other swimmers. Also, knowing other swimmer's speed can help me judge who I should draft off of. Still improving though!
Transition 1
  • 01m 57s
Comments:

Heading into transition I was right behind Spencer Holten, the guy I was worried about for the race since he was in my age group. I saw Duncan heading out of the transition and figured I must have had a decent swim if he was just now leaving. I had a little trouble with my wetsuit and my feet but got out and going to the bike. Top 10 again!
What would you do differently?:

Wetsuit is having problems coming off. Hopefully it will get easier once I break it in more.
Bike
  • 1h 03m 54s
  • 24.85 miles
  • 23.33 mile/hr
Comments:

Alright this is it! I’ve saved up for the bike and I’m ready to rip. For the first two miles I stalked Spencer; keeping him within striking distance, trying to read how he is riding. When we got out of the park I dropped it and took off from him. I didn’t want this race to come down to the run so I figured it would win it on the bike. I started pushing some speed and instantly saw 26 mph on my bike on the way out. After a few miles it started sitting back down at 23 mph. This concerned me because that is what I averaged last time! I wanted more speed but the road was rough which made it difficult to get into a good pedaling rhythm. About mile 7 of the bike I saw a girl riding up ahead of me? How could this be? They started way back from us! Turns out it was Tanelle who had the fastest swim of the day so I pushed past her and soon spotted Duncan up ahead at mile 8.
For the next two miles I road in a small group with Duncan and two other riders. I tried to eat one of my gels but it didn’t open for the second race in a row! I had to get out the second gel and hope for no cramping on the run. Near mile ten I started getting frustrated. I had put in a lot of biking and I wasn’t going anywhere. I caught Duncan at mile 12 of the last race that I raced him and now I can’t gain on him?! It is time to go! I hit it hard and started making my move. I blew past the other guys and saw the lead rider. I figured he had about 5 minutes on me which was going to need a tough ride and run to catch. I got to the turnaround in sixth place and quickly passed two more riders to get into fourth. For the next six miles I was gearing down, trying to find the two riders up ahead of me.
We came to about mile 18 on the bike and we had a nice casual hill coming up. I told myself, “There is probably somebody on your wheel. Well if they want to sit on my wheel they better be ready to work!” At that point I started to push it up the hill. I looked down and saw that I was going 24 mph uphill, WAAAAAAAY too fast! I focused more on the cadence and got up the hill with some good strong legs.
For the next six miles I could see the riders in front of me; I was gaining on them which was good to know. As we got back into the park I past the guy for third without much problem and began my next focus: first place runner. I spotted him and he didn’t seem like he had much legs beneath him.
What would you do differently?:

I need to believe in myself that I can push it hard right away. I shouldn't wait 10 miles to start kicking it.
Transition 2
  • 01m 6s
Comments:

Got into transition and heard them announce me as the first Iowan coming in. As I switched out my shoes I got a sock on upside down for the second time this year! A little frustrating but I got out and going.
What would you do differently?:

Get that gosh darn sock right side up to put on for the first try!.
Run
  • 38m 7s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 06m 08s  min/mile
Comments:

The run is where I fly. This is where I’m strong. This is where I can fight through the pain. I focused off the bat; let’s not hit this too hard and blow up. As I came around the corner I could feel that heel that I stepped on that rock; absolute pain! I wanted to keep second place in sight and close on him over the next six miles. When I got to about the half mile mark my mom was there and yelled, “Don’t let last week go in vain!” It was just what I needed. I had worked hard last week and wanted to show it. As I went down the hill my cadence picked up along with my pace.
When we made our way up the next hill the 2nd place runner started looking back for me which is a good sign if you’re the one chasing. All that meant was he was tired and scared. At about mile 2 I closed the gap and got along side of him. We talked for a quick bit about getting the first place guy since we both felt he didn’t look too fast. Just then a biker came by and told us we were about a minute back. My game face turned completely on and in about five steps I had put a good five feet on him and was going to build on that for the next few miles.
From then on it was racing with strategy. Every time I had a turn where he couldn’t see me for a second I put on a little more. My hope was that he would turn and see me going and think that he had fallen back and give up. We got to the bottom of the hill at mile 4, the worst hill of the day and the place where your race is either made or broken. It was at this point I decided that if he wanted to stay with me, he was going to have to work for it. I dialed down and hit that hill strong. I was hurting but when I made it to the top he had fallen a good 15 seconds back on me.
The last two miles I tried as much as a could to find the lead runner but could never see him. With about a mile left I thought about all the hours I put in and how much I worked for this. It was time for me to show everyone what I got! I picked it up and pushed. My breathing got heavier and with about a half mile left I had a small panic. What if the runner behind me had started back on me? Even if I crossed first he might have finished with a better time! I needed to surge to get away. The last quarter mile I was hitting it hard. People cheered me to the finish and I was happy with how strong I came across the line.

What would you do differently?:

Push myself even more. Really ran well but was too concerned about blowing up. The whole time I kept telling myself that I was going to catch 1st place so it hurt not to catch him.
Post race
Warm down:

Looking back I actually was a little disappointed in myself. I really blew it on the swim. If I had any decent swim I would have been right with the leader on that run! I wanted that win so much but didn’t do it on the swim. For the first 10 miles of the bike I didn’t really do much either. I should have pushed more up front since I knew I can hang on that pace for longer!
Even though it didn’t go exactly as planned I did do things right. I had the second fastest bike of the day. So far this summer I’ve had the third fastest bike twice and now the second fastest bike. Quite a good accomplishment I might say. My run was amazing. Along with my bruised heel I also had a blister that ended up bleeding by the end in my other shoe. I almost threw up twice on the run and raced it with more strategy than I’ve ever done before. This allowed me to have the fastest run of the day and have pulled off the third fastest run twice and the fastest run once now.
For now it’s time to hit the books and get back on the road for a race in two weeks!


What limited your ability to perform faster:

Nutrition and swimming. This happens a lot.....

Event comments:

Pigman always does a good job. Even on the first time doing the race!




Last updated: 2012-01-16 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:25:17 | 1640 yards | 01m 32s / 100yards
Age Group: 4/7
Overall: 16/181
Performance: Average
Suit: Xterra Vortex
Course: Rectangle Swim. First part was directly into the sun.
Start type: Run Plus: Time Trial
Water temp: 72F / 22C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Average
Waves: Good Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 01:57
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
01:03:54 | 24.85 miles | 23.33 mile/hr
Age Group: 1/7
Overall: 2/181
Performance: Good
Wind:
Course: Out and back with some rollers out near the turn around. Road was rough at times which made it tough to get into a good rhythm.
Road: Rough Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:06
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
00:38:07 | 06.21 miles | 06m 08s  min/mile
Age Group: 1/7
Overall: 1/181
Performance: Good
Course: Out and back course. It had one tough hill coming back into the park at mile 4 but otherwise most hills were very doable.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
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: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5

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2012-08-22 10:57 AM

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