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BEST OF THE U.S. Citizens Sprint Race - TriathlonSprint


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Excelsior, Minnesota
United States
Best of the US Triathlon Competition
60F / 16C
Overcast
Total Time = 1h 45m 24s
Overall Rank = 172/248
Age Group = 30-34 F
Age Group Rank = 9/21
Pre-race routine:

***For those unfamiliar with the Best of the US thing: The Best of the US race has 100 invited athletes--two athletes (one male, one female) from each state--racing an olympic course for the title of "Best of the US." However, there is also a citizens sprint race the same day, which is open to the general public and is the race I took part in.***

The day before the race I drove to the race site after work to pick up my race packet and get bodymarked. There was a exposition of sorts going on too, and I had a few free samples and listened to a few sales pitches. I ran into Kevin (kkokal) and we talked for a bit about the race and the discouraging weather forecast.

On race morning, I woke up shorly after 5:00 and just lay there listening for a few minutes. It was clearly very windy out, and sounded like it was raining a bit yet. Greeeat. I loaded up, ate a bagel with peanut butter, and headed out to the race. It was about a 50 mile drive from my house to the race site, so plenty of time to hear the not-very-promising forecasts on the radio. So I put in a rockin' Everclear CD instead. :)

I arrived at the race fairly early and got just about the same transition spot as I had in June. I was already bodymarked and had my race packet, so I didn't have a whole lot to do other than walk around and watch the invited athletes set up. That was pretty interesting. I went on a short spin on the bike too, but not far--10 minutes maybe. I went back to my spot and discovered I was just a few spots down from Dan (AcesFull). I was glad to see him there! We chatted a bit and then I put on the wetsuit and proceeded to the pre-race meeting.
Event warmup:

After the pre-race meeting, we headed over to the beach for the race start. At this point, it had stopped raining and the sun was trying to peak out, but the wind was still blowing something fierce. I hoped that the fact that the swim was in a small bay might help keep things a little calmer, but it was still looking pretty rough. I got in the water (which was a fairly chilly 70) and swam around a while to warm up.
Swim
  • 17m 1s
  • 880 yards
  • 01m 56s / 100 yards
Comments:

What. A. Nightmare.

I was in wave 4 of 5, so I watched the first 3 waves go off and saw that some people were having some trouble with the waves. So, I got to the outside of my wave and just hoped for the best when my wave was off. The first 150 yds or so were fairly smooth and the first buoy came up pretty quickly. I got a mouthful of water with boat fuel (gross) but otherwise was doing fine. I swam toward the second buoy and started to make the turn around it...

OMG. OMG. What a change. Clearly we were now going squarely into the chop and it was bad. Really bad. I've done 16 races now, and this was clearly the worst swimming conditions I'd ever been in. I was trying desperately to find someone to draft behind, but it was impossible at times to even see anyone over the waves, not to mention draft. I finally spotted the third buoy and swam toward it. It was exhausting. The waves were huge and all kind of people were treading water or floating on their backs, so it was basically an obsticle course. Progress seemed incredibly slow.

As I approached the third buoy, I saw that most of the swimmers were shorting it by swimming to the right of the buoy (on the shore side) rather than the left. I don't know why they were doing this, but I figured I better go around the left side as directed. I could hear a bunch of swimmers around me yelling "Which way are we supposed to go?" and similar; apparently I wasn't the only one confused. So, a handful of us went around the buoy to the left, but the vast majority of the swimmers I could see went to the right and probably swam about 50 yards less than we did. Oh well.

Then it pretty much became a free for all. After the third buoy, there were no more that I could see. There were supposed to be five buoys marking the course, but after the third one, I could see no more. I saw that everyone was just doing a straight shot to the blue finishing arch on shore. I made one more look for the last two buoys, but they were nowhere to be found, so I just went for the arch too. What a mess. People everywhere, horrendous waves, and general mass confusion.

After what seemed like ages, I finally approached the shore. The bottom is very rocky at the swim exit, so we were told to swim all the way in to the volunteers, who were probably about 15 feet off shore. I did that and gladly got out of the water. Usually I wish the swim was longer since it's my strongest event, but I could not wait to get out of the water in this one! It was pretty awful.
What would you do differently?:

Strap a motor of some kind to my back?
Transition 1
  • 01m 48s
Comments:

I ran to the T area while peeling off the wetsuit. Got to my bike and decided to go without socks for the first time ever. Pulled on the shoes, put on glasses (clear lenses), grabbed my helmet and started off.
What would you do differently?:

Practice getting those shoes on and off faster.
Bike
  • 55m 13s
  • 15 miles
  • 16.30 mile/hr
Comments:

I knew this course was hilly from riding it in June, so I was already nervous about the bike. Add the wind and it was just general fun. Heh. The first 3.5 miles were directly into the wind. At one point, I was pedaling furiously on a downhill just to maintain 14 mph. Ugh. After turning out of the direct wind, the hills started in earnest. At this point, I decided that I'd be happy with a 15 mph average for this race, but was just going to do my best.

The traffic control was really good during this race; kudos to the Excelsior police dept.
What would you do differently?:

Train more on hills. (What else is new??)
Transition 2
  • 01m 1s
Comments:

The entrance into T2 is a little crazy at this site. Not really sure exactly where the dismount line is, and the entrance to the T area is only about 10 feet wide. So anyway, I'm running with my bike and I notice that some of the invited athletes are just coming out of the water. I hear the announcer calling out names and commenting on the various swimmers and I'm so busy listening to that, I sort of forget I'm in T2. Oops! Focus, Kelly! Helmet off, running shoes on.

Again, I decided to go without socks. Also, I had my speed laces this time--woo hoo! Better late than never! :)
What would you do differently?:

Um, pay attention better.
Run
  • 30m 23s
  • 3 miles
  • 10m 08s  min/mile
Comments:

I can't believe I'm writing this, but I was actually looking forward to the run in this race. (!!) It's the only segment that I was relatively sure there wasn't a high probabilty of bodily harm. Seriously, the swim was bad, and the bike was tough, so I though the run would surely have to be the most enjoyable part today. And it was. Of course I'm still slow, but it was pleasant enough relative to the swim and bike.

In the last half mile or so, I high-fived Dan as he headed out on his run and then tried to pick it up to the end. A lady who was already done and doing her cool down run (LOL) ran along side me and said "It's down hill from here with wind at your back! Go!" so I did. They had a cool finish chute set up for the big race and we got to use it too, so that was nice.
What would you do differently?:

Not too much really. 10:08 pace is my second best this year and faster then when I ran the same course in June (10:12 then), even though it was much windier this time.
Post race
Warm down:

Trekked the sixteen miles (ok, not really, but it seemed like it) over to get some water and an orange. Actually stretched some, believe it or not. Talked with Kevin again as he waited for his wife to finish and then went and stretched some more. Heard Dan come in to the finish--go Dan!

What limited your ability to perform faster:

The weather. That wind was awful.

Event comments:

I have mixed feelings about this race. It was very cool to watch the invited athletes compete. There are some amazing amateurs out there! And the home team, Team MN, did very well--woo hoo!

On this particular day, the weather was a problem, of course. And both times I've raced at this venue, it's been fairly disorganized. Both races started late, and there was mass confusion on the swim course today. (Side note: 34 of the invited BoUS athletes ended up with penalties due to missing a buoy on the swim; apparently the leading kayak did not round the buoy properly, and a bunch of swimmers followed the kayak... no good.) The same person was the RD both times, so I think he might need to get some help with the race to help it run more smoothly. Also, it's really quite a pain to have to drive 50 miles each way to pick up the race packet the day before. For huge races like Lifetime with 2000+ people, I can see where pre-race pickup is necessary, but there were only 350 people in this race.

So, I don't know if I'll do this course next year, but it was still a good end of season challenge. I was four minutes slower overall than in June, but given the weather factor, I'm surprised I was even that close. My ranking this time was better (9/21 as opposed to 20/35), so I am pretty happy with this race. Happy offseason everyone!




Last updated: 2006-01-30 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:17:01 | 880 yards | 01m 56s / 100yards
Age Group: 5/21
Overall: 100/248
Performance: Bad
Suit: Sleveless ProMotion
Course: Half mile arc along the shore of Excelsior Bay. Apparently the course was supposed to be marked by five buoys. I only saw three. I think the other two were washed out into Lake Minnetonka...
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 70F / 21C Current: High
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Below average
Breathing: Below average Drafting: Bad
Waves: Bad Navigation: Bad
Rounding: Below average
T1
Time: 01:48
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
00:55:13 | 15 miles | 16.30 mile/hr
Age Group: 14/21
Overall: 196/248
Performance: Average
Wind: Strong with gusts
Course: 15 fairly hilly miles through the city of Excelsior; out and back.
Road: Smooth Wet Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Average Hills: Below average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:01
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Below average
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Below average
Running
00:30:23 | 03 miles | 10m 08s  min/mile
Age Group: 17/21
Overall: 212/248
Performance: Good
Course: Out and back, first on a paved trail, then on gravel trail. Almost totally flat.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Ok
Evaluation
Course challenge
Organized? No
Events on-time? No
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 3

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2006-09-18 8:52 AM

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Master
2346
200010010010025
Dayton, Minnesota
Bronze member
Subject: BEST OF THE U.S. Citizens Sprint Race


2006-09-18 10:00 AM
in reply to: #544199

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Expert
1135
100010025
Delano, MN
Subject: RE: BEST OF THE U.S. Citizens Sprint Race
I thought of you often Sat. morning! I am VERY impressed with your sub 2:00 / 100 yd pace and in that wind to boot! Great job and a very nice way to finish off the season!
2006-09-18 12:38 PM
in reply to: #544199

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Expert
1059
10002525
Lakeville, MN
Subject: RE: BEST OF THE U.S. Citizens Sprint Race

NIce race...I agree...the Swim and Bike were horrible w/ that wind

 

Ben

2006-09-18 3:29 PM
in reply to: #544199

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Regular
98
252525
Eden Prairie, MN
Subject: RE: BEST OF THE U.S. Citizens Sprint Race
Top 10 - nice race!!!
Good seeing you again this weekend - have a good offseason and we'll see you next year!

-Kevin
2006-09-18 3:51 PM
in reply to: #544199

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Expert
833
50010010010025
Adrian, MI
Subject: RE: BEST OF THE U.S. Citizens Sprint Race

The swim must've been rough, as that swim time doesn't mesh one bit with your previous tri swim splits. 

Water AND boat fuel?!  EGAD.  Cough.  Gives me the shivers just reading it!!

The race sounds crazy...I'm in agreeance about maybe "skipping" this race next year.  Maybe find a small mom and pop tri and do that instead?

STILL you DID finish 9/21.  

 

2006-09-18 7:58 PM
in reply to: #544199

Regular
149
10025
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Subject: RE: BEST OF THE U.S. Citizens Sprint Race
Good race! I am relieved to hear your more-seasoned assessment of the conditions, esp. on the swim. I was worried it was just me!

I was wondering where the buoys were -- there were just people all over the place! And where were the kayaks?? I thought the boat fuel was the worst -- there was a time there when I couldn't keep my face in the water at all.

Anyway - congrats on the improved run time and happy off-season!


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