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Harvest Moon Long Course Triathlon - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Aurora, Colorado
United States
Without Limits Productions
80F / 27C
Sunny
Total Time = 00m
Overall Rank = 179/520
Age Group = 45-49
Age Group Rank = 22/33
Pre-race routine:

This was the first time I drove to the event the day of. So I got to bed early and got up at 4:00am. Eat on the drive and got there no problem. Getting everything pre race was not a problem either. Got a rack right by the bike exit.
Event warmup:

Same as usual, not much. Listened to tunes. Got in and swam a bit to get wet.
Swim
  • 36m 47s
  • 2112 yards
  • 01m 44s / 100 yards
Comments:

Normally I do do much better on the swim. Take one look at my logs and you will see why this was off. I have not done any swimming. I tried to do a good swim, nothing crazy. I knew I was not going to save big time here, so I just tried to keep it steady and efficient. I was really dizzy coming out of the water though. The sand was pretty deep too and I was really out of breath. I just tried to catch my breath and calm down. A little different compared to all my other swims.
What would you do differently?:

Actually swim train.
Transition 1
  • 03m 15s
Comments:

This I do not understand. At Boulder I have not been able to get below 4:00. It has longer approaches too. But this T1 was really long. I even had to sit down and get all the dirt off my feet before putting my socks on. I even started to laugh it was so ridiculous. I was really dizzy from the swim too and it really through me off. Yet here it is a PR!
What would you do differently?:

Care more about low T times.
Bike
  • 3h 02m 26s
  • 56 miles
  • 18.42 mile/hr
Comments:

So I expected the hills and wind. It is a square, so you go all 4 directions and wind evens out. My goal was to start slower and stay more steady over the course. I did OK. Hard to stay steady with all the hills though. Maybe my pace was a bit too fast, but still very much in the ball park. I was really trying to save myself for a good run. I only got one bottle at the first station. By the second one I really needed two. Right after the station there was a really bad bump and lots of people lost their drinks... sure enough, so did I. But I really needed it so I had to go back and get it. I really had to pee too, and there was supposed to be a john, but no dice. I had my power bar, and my liquid. Had two Double espresso gels towards the end and was feeling good getting off the bike. Boulder is a much faster course, and I was willing to give up time... but I only lost about 5 minutes... so maybe a tad too fast.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing really. Get two bottles at the fist station. I felt I was prepared well for the run and did somethings better than last one. Overall I was pretty happy and did what I wanted.
Transition 2
  • 01m 10s
Comments:

Again, I have never broke 2 minutes in T2 and here is another PR. Really small transitions space helps I suppose. This one went good... oh, and the porta potie was outside transition, so that time went on the run.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Run
  • 2h 23m 34s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 10m 58s  min/mile
Comments:

So this was for all the marbles. I really did well on my last run finally getting my bike pace right. I did a 2:11 on the run and ran the whole thing, but felt I could have done better. I thought I might have gotten dehydrated. Well I made some corrections on the bike and drank more. Forced myself to drink at the start of the run which I normally do not like to do.

My whole goal of this race was to break 2 hours on the run. I knew I had to start slower and to digest what I was taking in. I was going to wait to the turn around and then hit it. I felt really good starting out. Slowed my pace, took in fluid. It was slower than I wanted, but I figured I would make it up on the end. Ate a couple of pretzels. Water, gatorade at every station. Just doing my pace and fueling up.

At the turn around it was night and day compared to my last HIM run. I felt great. No pain and hurt like before. Legs felt good, head was clear. Ate my last double shot and took off. Dropped a minute and a half off my pace. Felt strong... even though it was disappointing to only see a 9:30 pace. Well that lasted for about 3 miles... then the stomach started getting queezy. It was REALLY hot. Without even thinking I walked... I was like what the heck... got going again, but I was done. Out ran my abilities. Walked/ran for the last 3 miles. Could not get cool. Felt like puking. I tried to HTFU, but no dice. 2 hour time was gone, then the 2:11 of last race... then 6 hour overall... and all I could think was just to beat my first HIM of 6:11. Ended my season with a whimper.
What would you do differently?:

I don't know. I might have lost a little fitness because I sort of slacked off after Boulder. I think I managed my race really well and corrected the things I did wrong last one... I just didn't have a sub 2. If I would have stuck to the same pace I probably would have finished it out... perhaps even beat the 2:11... maybe. It just got really hot really fast on the run. It hurt.
Post race
Warm down:

Sat around for 15-20 minutes trying not to puke like normal. When I finally got my appetite, the Mexican food was awesome.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

About 20 degrees. It was 20 degrees cooler just 2 days before. I'm so over racing a HIM in the heat.

Event comments:

The race is a smaller local race. I was surprised how "lonely" it was. Not as many stations, not as many volunteers. But overall, it was fine. The Bounce House slippy side at the end was to die for. SOOO awesome. Like a cool pool in the middle of the Sahara.




Last updated: 2012-09-10 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:36:47 | 2112 yards | 01m 44s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/33
Overall: 135/520
Performance:
Suit:
Course: It was a bit windier than normal for the morning. A little bit of chop but nothing major.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 70F / 21C Current: Medium
200M Perf. Remainder:
Breathing: Drafting:
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 03:15
Performance:
Cap removal: Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
03:02:26 | 56 miles | 18.42 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/33
Overall: 0/520
Performance:
Avg HR 147
Wind:
Course:
Road:   Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks:
T2
Time: 01:10
Overall:
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
02:23:34 | 13.1 miles | 10m 58s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/33
Overall: 204/520
Performance:
Course: Out and back windy twisty up and down around the reservoir.
Keeping cool Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
Good race?
Evaluation
Course challenge
Organized?
Events on-time?
Lots of volunteers?
Plenty of drinks?
Post race activities:
Race evaluation [1-5]

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2012-09-10 3:39 PM

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Elite
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Subject: Harvest Moon Long Course Triathlon


2012-09-11 8:02 AM
in reply to: #4404216

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Pro
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Parker, CO
Subject: RE: Harvest Moon Long Course Triathlon
Nice job Powerman!  It was a hot day which I am sure made that run much more difficult because of the lack of shade.  Next time you'll get under 2-hours on that run!
2012-09-11 9:08 AM
in reply to: #4404216

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Master
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San Antone, Texas
Subject: RE: Harvest Moon Long Course Triathlon
Dude you did a great job on a really hard course with tough conditions.  Congrats on a great race and great season!
2012-09-11 11:36 AM
in reply to: #4404216

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Elite
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Subject: RE: Harvest Moon Long Course Triathlon
Thanks a bunch guys!
2012-09-11 1:27 PM
in reply to: #4404216

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Master
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University Park, MD
Subject: RE: Harvest Moon Long Course Triathlon

Good work on following through with your plan. Too bad that the heat was the downfall of an otherwise solid run plan. The heat can simply destroy at the end of a run. 

Looking forward to seeing what you'll do when you finally get a chance to do one of these in cooler air ... heck, with any air at all, unlike that stuff that passes for air up in Colorado.

2012-09-11 8:10 PM
in reply to: #4404216

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Elite
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Subject: RE: Harvest Moon Long Course Triathlon
Watching 9/11 coverage sort of puts things in a little different perspective.


2012-09-11 9:09 PM
in reply to: #4404216

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Master
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Straight outta Compton
Subject: RE: Harvest Moon Long Course Triathlon
Don't beat yourself up over a 2:11 run on a brutally hot course.  I told Todd the same thing- invest in some Salt Stick caps... they'll do you a world of good.  Nice race in spite of the conditions.
2012-09-15 12:54 PM
in reply to: #4404216

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Extreme Veteran
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Highlands Ranch, Colorado
Subject: RE: Harvest Moon Long Course Triathlon
Yep, the heat affected everyone and it certainly affects running the most.  It was close to 90 degrees at the finish.  While my recent HIM run time doesn't reflect it, I am a pretty decent runner.  I would say jumping 1:30/mile faster all at once is a bit much.  Maybe try increasing the pace a little more gradually, especially in light of the heat.  A big jump will dramatically increase your HR and you may have gone past LT zone, which is difficult to recover from in a long race like this.  But still that was a great race in some tough conditions!
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