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Alligator's Creek Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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O'Fallon, Missouri
United States
City of O'Fallon
77F / 25C
Overcast
Total Time = 1h 21m 28s
Overall Rank = 17/240
Age Group = M 20-29
Age Group Rank = 3/25
Pre-race routine:

Got up super early and enjoyed my normal pre-race meal consisting of "Low Sugar" Brown Sugar and Maple instant oatmeal and a glass of water. yes indeed, breakfast of champions.
Event warmup:

I'm not used to racing so early in the morning. For most races, i signed up later and got placed at the end of the morning, like 9AM. At this event, I started just 23 mins into the competition, so I didn't have my normal amount of time to mill around and watch the race. I didn't get in the jog that I had hoped for. But that was okay, I was fairly content to watch a few swimmers before it was my turn to suck down some water!
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b324/Super_Suby/e21df12d.jpg
Swim
  • 04m 43s
  • 300 yards
  • 01m 34s / 100 yards
Comments:

Ready... Set....
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b324/Super_Suby/83008335.jpg
Not in the top 1/3rd of swimmers in my age group. There's so much time there to be had if I would just practice and perhaps get some coaching.
http://s22.photobucket.com/albums/b324/Super_Suby/?action=view&curr...
You can see in the video that I'm fairly relaxed to begin with (except for sighting to see if I'm going to be able to pass on the next length). I'm glad there's no video of the last 50m. I doubt it would have been too pretty.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b324/Super_Suby/90f7d3dc.jpg
I just missed my goal time for this swim, but only by 3 seconds. So no biggie, I guess.
What would you do differently?:

Relax! I was a bit frantic, to say the least. The first hundred or two were fine, but then I felt a little spastic, and very UNsmooth.
Transition 1
  • 01m 20s
Comments:

Fairly long run from the pool to the racks. And it's a long flight of stairs and then more uphill.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b324/Super_Suby/696e22fb.jpg
I was really winded from the swim, so I didn't feel like I got a good sprint through the TA like I normall try to do. But I think that all in all, I took off pretty quickly. It was nice to have a spot in transition in the very front rack right next to Run Joe Run and a bunch of kick-ass carbon tri bikes.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Bike
  • 53m
  • 18 miles
  • 20.38 mile/hr
Comments:

I think I had a very solid ride, and it went like this:
I rode hard out of transition because I knew I'd be able to pick off a few people with the tough climb early on. Within a couple minutes, I had caught up to a carbon-laden tri-spoke-havin' fancy bike. We both pushed it hard in and out of turns, taking turns passing eachother up. I walked away from him up the tough hill I mentioned, but he caught me on the next stretch of flat a couple miles into the race. I passed him back on a good descent and flew up the next rolling hill, determined to escape this game. No such luck. We both pressed on and passed several people during this early battle. At this point we were on a nice stretch of lightly rolling smooth roads, and we continued to play cat and mouse, each time thinking that I could drop him for good... but he would claw back. I appreciated the race intensity and the opportunity to "head to head" race, so I encouraged him each time he passed me. I would say, "Keep pushing!" or "Go get 'em, nice job." He never did the same for me during that time.
Eventually, we get to the first major climb. One that brought serveral bikers to the point of getting off their bikes. I made a charge at it and at last dropped my unfriendly foe. I would not see him again on the bike course.
The last half of the race was fairly lonely, except for seeing Soozey at one point. We were both cruizing along very nicely. It was good to see a friend out there. By then, I could see that I was having a really nice bike leg, and I needed to keep that up, but it was tough going for a bit towards the end.
The fun downhill sections on the way out were now the long inclines on the homestretch. It pained my to see my current speed hovering in the low teens during what seemed like an MPH-killing eternity. But I kept telling myself that it would all be over in a matter of minutes, and it was okay to do some spinning before the end of the bike leg anyway. When it flattened out in the last couple miles, I finished strong and increased my effort to take advantage.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. I'm pretty happy about this!
Transition 2
  • 01m 30s
Comments:

Again, a long TA. The dismount line seemed like a football field away from my rack. I jogged carefully with my bike, not wanting to bite it while running in my bike shoes. When I finally got there, I felt like I fumbled a little bit getting my shoes off, but it was probably neglibible. I slipped into to my racing shoes, snagged my race number, and I was off like a herd of turtles.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b324/Super_Suby/f4da0bdd.jpg
What would you do differently?:

At some point, maybe learn to get my feet out of my shoes while riding in. I dunno...
Run
  • 21m 26s
  • 3.1 miles
  • 06m 55s  min/mile
Comments:

Mile 1 - 7:16
Pretty standard start to a race. Legs felt weird, heart rate was going crazy I'm sure. I wanted to hold sub 7's as a goal, so I wasn't too disappointed with my time here given the nature of the course. Hills.
Mile 2 - 7:33
Just after the first mile marker I heard footsteps behind me and I had flashbacks to the Wood River Tri finish. "Oh no," I thought. "Here we go again." This guy was closing on me pretty quickly, and as he got next to me, I could see it was my good buddy from the bike course, back to haunt me. But I was in a good mood, so I told him, "Nice race. Keep it up." Still nothing in response. He didn't look over. He didn't nod. Inappropriate. If he won't accept my encouragement, I'll take it back. So after thinking about it for just a moment, out loud I said, "Just kidding."
That was it. I had enough of this guy. I decided to put him back in the rearview mirror and picked up my pace nicely.
Mile 3.1 - 6:55
He probably didn't know what hit him, and I went on to have a great last mile, when my legs FINALLY starting to accept the fact that I was asking them to run.
Didn't exchange any pleasantries with the guy, as he came in a bit after me. He was the opposite of all the other racers out there: negative.
What would you do differently?:

Muster up some better speed in the beginning. A few seconds here and there was the difference between 1st and 3rd place.
Post race
Warm down:

I stretched and even jogged around for several minutes. Met up with KTriathlete and Soozey as she came in. Met Run Joe Run, and Carree too, after the race.


What limited your ability to perform faster:

Just overall fitness level. I feel like I had a peak race again. The rest is paying off. I'm beginning to reap what I've sown of the past many months.

Event comments:

Decent food at the end. Nice green commemorative t-shirts. Nifty little medals. Good race. Lots of volunteer support. They make it all happen.




Last updated: 2006-07-26 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:04:43 | 300 yards | 01m 34s / 100yards
Age Group: 9/25
Overall: 25/240
Performance: Average
No HRM data for the day.
Suit: tri shorts
Course: Serpentine in a short pool. 15 second staggered start between swimmers.
Start type: Inside Pool Plus:
Water temp: 74F / 23C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Below average
Breathing: Below average Drafting:
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 01:20
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed:
Biking
00:53:00 | 18 miles | 20.38 mile/hr
Age Group: 3/25
Overall: 19/240
Performance: Good
Wind: Some
Course: Hilly and full of turns. A couple of granny-gear challenging hills along with some fun descents.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 95
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:30
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Below average
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
00:21:26 | 03.1 miles | 06m 55s  min/mile
Age Group: 1/25
Overall: 12/240
Performance: Good
Course: Hilly route through neighborhoods near the aquatic center.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
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: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 4

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2006-08-21 9:27 AM

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Expert
913
500100100100100
St. Louis
Subject: Alligator's Creek Triathlon


2006-08-21 11:56 AM
in reply to: #517284

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St. Louis, MO
Subject: RE: Alligator's Creek Triathlon

Isn't it awesome to feel like your work has paid off?!?!?

Good race. Screw the nasty guy.

2006-08-22 7:36 AM
in reply to: #517284

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Member
55
2525
St. Louis, MO
Subject: RE: Alligator's Creek Triathlon
Great race! You really must have been posessed on that run leg--1st in AG. I really liked this race too. Love the race pix in your reports!
2006-08-24 4:55 PM
in reply to: #517284

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Expert
936
50010010010010025
Springfield, MO
Subject: RE: Alligator's Creek Triathlon
Awesom!!! 30 seconds from first. I'm not rubbing that in. I think it will be a great motivator in future races. It would for me. In fact, I know it will be for me. Nice race report too. We like the pics.

See you at RecPlex.

Joe
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