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St. Louis Triathlon - Triathlon


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Maryland Heights, Missouri
United States
MSE Racing
Sunny
Total Time = 3h 56m 18s
Overall Rank = 417/435
Age Group = F50-54
Age Group Rank = 13/15
Pre-race routine:

Went to packet pickup on Saturday and then to the park to drop off my bike. Packed everything else in the car so it would be ready for Sunday morning.

Got up early, applied my race tats, grabbed my breakfast on the way out the door and headed to the park. I figured there would be some traffic getting in (and there was) so I wanted to get there early. They ended up delaying the race by about 20 minutes to get everyone in the park and set up in transition.
Event warmup:

Not much - hung out at the tri club tent for a while then spent about 15 minutes getting into my wetsuit. I was in the second swim wave for the Oly distance so headed over to the boat ramp to get in the corral area.
Swim
  • 45m 33s
  • 1500 meters
  • 03m 02s / 100 meters
Comments:

Other than the fact that I apparently can't swim in a straight line, this was a good swim for me. I never felt uncomfortable or panicky, even when the guys from the wave behind me started to pass me. I just tried to move out of their way and let them go by then go back to doing my thing. Since this was the longest OWS I've done, I just took my time. Ran into a little congestion on the way back where the sprint swimmers made their last turn and merged with us, but again, I just let them go by and went back to swimming.
What would you do differently?:

I need to work on sighting. They had big yellow buoys up every 100 meters which was nice, but my sighting skills and sense of direction in the water are so bad that they didn't really help me.
Transition 1
  • 08m 35s
Comments:

This was a long transition to start with. From the swim exit at the boat dock, through the parking lot where transition was and to the bike out is quite a distance. I took a little extra time here. My wetsuit got stuck on my heels (like usual), I took a couple bites of an energy bar, and generally just calmed myself down a little before heading out on the bike.
What would you do differently?:

Just move a little faster, and more practice getting the wetsuit off. I knew I was going slow, but didn't think it was 8 minutes slow.
Bike
  • 1h 32m 32s
  • 24.8 miles
  • 16.08 mile/hr
Comments:

This was a good bike for me. Nice, flat course. The only "hill" is the overpass on River Valley that I've ridden a lot on my normal Saturday morning training rides, so no problems with that. And we got lucky with the wind being pretty calm. Some days there can be a nasty headwind on that road, but not today:). Three RR tracks (so actually six crossings since it was a double loop course) but they had them covered with plywood which was nice.
First loop went really well. At one point I looked down at my computer and it showed 19mph - a speed I normally only hit on a downhill. I figured I wouldn't be able to hold that and I didn't, but it was nice to see. Second loop was a little rougher. I was starting to warm up and I am not good at drinking while riding. I knew I wasn't taking in enough water. I stopped at one point just to make sure I got some water and Gatorade in me, but it wasn't enough. The last 5 miles or so I could feel it starting to affect me. Of course, if I was a faster rider it wouldn't have been as much of an issue.
What would you do differently?:

I need to learn to drink while riding. I still can't do that comfortably and on a warm day it's a skill I really need to have mastered.
Transition 2
  • 03m 51s
Comments:

Moved a little faster this time through transition. Got the bike put up, helmet off, shoes changed, grabbed my number belt and handheld and off to the run.
What would you do differently?:

I think this went pretty well. Not much I could change here.
Run
  • 1h 25m 48s
  • 6.2 miles
  • 13m 50s  min/mile
Comments:

This was mostly walking. I had a handheld with Gatorade with me and figured I'd pick up water at the aid stations which were every mile or so along the course. That worked for the first one. Unfortunately, by the time I got to the other two aid stations, they were out of water. They only had Heed, which I normally can't drink. I did end up taking some at one of the stations since it was more diluted than the Gatorade I had with me. Did some running but walked most of the course. Part of the course was shaded which helped, but I think the lack of water on the bike and run and the increasing temps got to me.
What would you do differently?:

Make sure I drink more on the bike portion and also maybe take my fuelbelt so I can have both water and Gatorade with me instead of just the Gatorade I had in my handheld. Or just learn to run faster so I don't have to worry so much about it.
Post race
Warm down:

Got some water and a Sprite at the club tent, watched a bunch of my clubmates get their awards and just chilled out for a while until I headed home.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

For my first Oly, I was happy just to finish. All 3 sports need work, but overall it was a good experience and now I know what I need to work on.

Event comments:

For a first time race, I think it went off pretty well. There are a few logistical issues that they need to work out but I'm sure those will be taken care of by next year. Overall, it's a great course, great support from the community (lots of police out on the bike course and volunteers everywhere) and I'm looking forward to doing it again next year.




Last updated: 2016-05-24 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:45:33 | 1500 meters | 03m 02s / 100meters
Age Group: 13/15
Overall: 394/435
Performance: Good
Suit: Blue Seventy full sleeved
Course: Narrow triangle shaped out and back. Basically swim to the other side of the lake and then back to the boat dock.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 66F / 19C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting:
Waves: Navigation: Bad
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 08:35
Performance:
Cap removal: Below average Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: No
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
01:32:32 | 24.8 miles | 16.08 mile/hr
Age Group: 10/15
Overall: 386/435
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course: Two loops. From the park, down to the Casino, out onto 141 and River Valley Drive, then back to the park.
Road: Smooth  Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 03:51
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
01:25:48 | 06.2 miles | 13m 50s  min/mile
Age Group: 11/15
Overall: 15/435
Performance: Bad
Course: Almost a complete loop around the lake, turn around and come back.
Keeping cool Below average Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time?
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities:
Race evaluation [1-5] 4

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2016-05-24 10:18 AM

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Expert
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Subject: St. Louis Triathlon


2016-05-24 11:35 PM
in reply to: #5183500

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Extreme Veteran
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Penticton, BC
Subject: RE: St. Louis Triathlon

Congratulations on your first Oly.  Sounds like you had a great learning experience.

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