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Utah Valley Tri - TriathlonOlympic


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Provo, Utah
United States
100F / 38C
Sunny
Total Time = 3h 02m 45s
Overall Rank = /
Age Group = 25-29
Age Group Rank = 0/
Pre-race routine:

The goal is ALWAYS to get to bed early the night before, but I hadn't seen my sister in a while so that was out the window. We set our stuff up, but her tube exploded, so our pre-race warm up was changing her tube:)

We talked, drank red bull, and checked out the water.

Food: Yogurt and cheese. I couldn't stomach the banana and powerbar I also planned.
Event warmup:

2 min swim to decide on wetsuit status:)

I always think races are useless unless you learn something, so I would like to do a little reflection in each segment.

WHAT I LEARNED IN THE RACE OVERALL

1. Forgetting to shave your legs for many moons before the race does not endear you to cute body markers. They do not find it as charming as you do.

2. Mosquitos can be as big as my fingernail.

3. Winger's Cookie Dough Pie is not a good substitute for pasta for carbo loading.
Swim
  • 45m 36s
  • 1500 meters
  • 03m 02s / 100 meters
Comments:

Okkkk so I seriously sucked it up on the swim. I FREAKED out the first 400 m or so and just couldn't breathe. Apparently it's not such a good move to not be in open water since your last race in October. I kept stopping and just had a very, very hard time. I was going to pull out of the water and just quit, but then I kept telling myself that today was a TRAINING and BASELINE day, not really racing and to stop being a baby and suck it up. I am VERY glad I did. After I rounded that first buouy, I felt much better and swam how I wanted to. It was my first time being completely swam over like I wasn't even there, which felt...oddly violating:) But, I ended up being ok with my swim even though some people would rather kill themselves than have that time. Truth be told, I was proud of myself for sucking it up and staying in the water than quitting because I REALLY wanted to. The water was absolutely awesome and it was definitely the right move to go sans wetsuit; it would have been way too hot!
What would you do differently?:

Swim in open water before the race, do more of a warm up. I know I am not a fast swimmer, but I am faster than this!

WHAT I LEARNED DURING THE SWIM
1. If you run into gravel during the swim, you are probably swimming too close to the channel.

2. If you are freaking out and cannot breathe during the swim, don't think about the movie "open water." It is not a productive use of your time.

3. If you have to round a buouy by running on an algae-covered dock in the water, keep your center of gravity low. A technique of "on all fours" is generally not applicable during a race, but may prove helpful in this setting.
Transition 1
  • 01m 44s
Comments:

I am not someone who freaks out during transition; I like to get myself situated. The most important things are headband, gum, and Gu.
What would you do differently?:

I would space the racks out from each other more. I could barely sit down because the bikes from the other rack were in the aisle.

I'm pretty happy with the transition, so nothing differently for next time.
Bike
  • 1h 14m 48s
  • 24.9 miles
  • 19.97 mile/hr
Comments:

I am proud of myself for this time! Granted the course was fast, but I've never posted a time this fast in a race! I was rocking it! I just got a bike tune up a few days ago, but my chain skipped every 3 seconds like clockwork (with 1:14 on a bike you have plenty of time to count). I have no idea why as it's been completely fine since the tuneup, but I felt like I was going crazy by the end. It was distracting, but let's be honest, it did not hurt my overall performance as I am not quite elite status:) The bike was a lot of fun and I actually did a decent job of drinking, which I always suck at because I hate intake of any kind on the bike or run. Every 5 minutes, either Gatorade or water. There was one huge hill where this timing was inapplicable.

Drink schedule: H2O or Gatorade every 5 min
Gu schedule: one at beginning, one at turnaround.
What would you do differently?:

WHAT I LEARNED DURING THE BIKE
1. Not run into sage brush in the turnaround (I tend to need a wide turning radius). It can stop your bike on a dime.
2. Roosters don't just "cock-a-doodle-doo" at sunrise
3. I like seeing rattlesnakes run over by cars and bikes. A lot.
4. Green Apple Gu tastes pretty good going down AND coming up. Mosquitos do not.
5. I can be fast on a bike--my new bike fit was worth it.
6. Cattleguards and aero bars are not friends. I am much less scared if on my normal bars.
Transition 2
  • 01m 37s
Comments:

Pretty happy with this also.
Run
  • 58m 59s
  • 6.2 miles
  • 09m 31s  min/mile
Comments:

The run is always hard for me; doc decided all the valve damage in my veins is permanent so the run is ALWAYS going to suck for me. I just have a really hard time running after biking (sometimes it's fine if I am just running). The good news is only the first four miles were completely ridiculous, not the whole thing. I felt the leg swelling and the "iron weight" feel, but it felt better around mile 4. I liked the course since I've been doing a lot of trail running lately and it's fun to mix it up. The volunteers on the course were great and it was fun to be able to yell to Mary a few times since I saw her. She did great! Once again, some people would rather not race than have my time, but my goal was not to win the race. The goal was to test out the leg and get a good training day in. I made my goal and the run pace is one of the best I've posted.
What would you do differently?:

WHAT I LEARNED IN THE RUN
1. Gum can completely disintegrate in your mouth. If you want to keep gum, change it in T2.

2. I really like my new trail running shoes. A lot.

3. Running in the sun is certainly manageable if you use one glass of water to dump on yourself, one to drink.

4. It is seriously freaky to run over cattleguards. Even though you know your feet are big enough, you feel like you will fall in.

5. ALWAYS cheer someone on when you see them and thank your volunteers. You never know how much it means to them later.

6. Always sprint at the end, even if you are dog tired. It is so much more fun!
Post race
Warm down:

Cheered a few people in, chatted with Billy a bit. He did great but was frustrated about his helmet. It was great to meet a friendly face as I do a lot of these solo. It was nice to hear about his family and new baby on the way. Congrats! Made a mental note to train with him and his group periodically. Got some water, packed up the car, took Mary to work. Planned on camping but I am wiped and just wanted to go home. My body felt wrecked and my stomach has been sour; I think it was that Winger's pie:)

What limited your ability to perform faster:

The swim was not good. If I'd done as well as in times past, I'd have an even better time. That said, I was happy with how I did and set a personal record for today. Today was just a fun day before HIM training starts next week so it was definitely worth it to get a baseline of how I've done without really following a strict program of any sort. My goal today was to have fun, and I did.

Event comments:

Great course, great volunteers, great race.




Last updated: 2007-06-16 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:45:36 | 1500 meters | 03m 02s / 100meters
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance: Bad
Suit: None!! Yay!
Course: Very nice course: went out along a bar, off to the side a little, then back the long bar. Two loops. The end of loop one was getting out of the water, rounding the buouy, and getting back in. I thought it sounded like a fun little obstacle course until I totally slipped on all the algae and looked like a fool! :)
Start type: Wade Plus:
Water temp: 70F / 21C Current: Low
200M Perf. Bad Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Below average
Waves: Below average Navigation: Good
Rounding: Below average
T1
Time: 01:44
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
01:14:48 | 24.9 miles | 19.97 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance: Good
Wind: Some with gusts
Course: Over cattle guards; by West Mountain. One big out and back complete with turnaround in sagebrush. One killer hill; the rest pretty flat. Some rough spots; not very many turns.
Road: Rough Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:37
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:58:59 | 06.2 miles | 09m 31s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance: Average
Course: Started on a jeep trail, then moved to road. Out and back
Keeping cool Drinking Just right
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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2007-06-16 4:37 PM

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Subject: Utah Valley Tri


2007-06-16 5:02 PM
in reply to: #847068

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Pro
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A farming town in MN
Subject: RE: Utah Valley Tri

Congrats V!  Awesome bike!  I would think any swim in Utah Lake would be less than optimal.  Algae tends to have a slowing effect.   Way to maintain a positive attitude.  Learning from races is what it's all about...

Didn't know the Billy news...I'm gonna have to catch up on his blogs...



Edited by sparco 2007-06-16 5:05 PM
2007-06-22 10:06 AM
in reply to: #847068

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