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Danskin Women's Triathlon - Chicagoland (Pleasant Prairie, WI) - TriathlonSprint


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Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin
United States
Danskin Women's Triathlon
90+F / 32C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 07m 17s
Overall Rank = 2886/3919
Age Group = 25-29
Age Group Rank = 315/363
Pre-race routine:

I was amazingly calm considering the amount of pre-race anxiety I typically have. Arrived to race site early, finished setting up transition (how miffed am I that someone moved my area about 3 feet..wtf?! NOT.COOL.) The transition area was ridiculously huge with nearly 4,000 participants so I had really focused on finding a prime position for my gear. Fueled with 2 granola bars, 3/4's of a blueberry muffin, water and gatorade. Walked over to the swim start to watch the elite and survivor waves before hitting the porta-potty.
Event warmup:

1.5 mile walk/run from drop off site to the transition area. Light stretching. Swam 50-70 yards to warm up. Relaxed and found my "tri zen."
Swim
  • 19m 38s
  • 880 yards
  • 02m 14s / 100 yards
Comments:

Healthy mix of freestyle, back stroke and a little bit of breast stroke. Had issues zig zagging a bit because of my problems with sighting the bouys.

My jaw nearly dropped when I saw my time as I was pleasantly surprised I pulled in under 20 minutes. I was anticipating 25-30 minutes in the water.
What would you do differently?:

Invest in tinted goggles...sighting was damn near impossible with the sun glaring off of the water.

Be a little more aggresive in the beginning of the swim to get a better position.

Make freestyle the predominate stroke and less mixing it up.
Transition 1
  • 05m 35s
Comments:

Had some technical difficulties with my helmet and ponytail...and then part of the plastic interior on my helmet popped out, so I lost time fixing that.

In an effort to save my legs I didn't do any running in/out of transition.
What would you do differently?:

Stake out a little bit more real estate in transition. My rack was right next to a grassy medium and the thought of setting up my gear there next to my bike never crossed my mind. It would've opened up a lot more space for me with racking/unracking.

Get bike gloves on more quickly and focus on speed rather than "taking it easy."

Also, no matter how good I'm feeling here...SUCK DOWN A GU IN T1. I thought I'd be okay foregoing this, but during the bike I wish I had taken one.

Don't hesitate to run in the transition area. I was focused on conserving energy for the bike/run...but in the end I had plenty of fuel left in my tank.
Bike
  • 58m 59s
  • 12.4 miles
  • 12.61 mile/hr
Comments:

I was pleased with my performance here as I wanted to get as close to an hour as possible (I'm not strong at cycling, so I banked on taking more than an hour). BT calculates 12.6mph, but the official race results calculate 13.2mph.

My right quad was tinging up a little bit during the last 4 miles.

I don't have any complaints here since it's my weakest discipline, I'm just impressed I beat my goal time on this front.

Max. Speed: 23.6
What would you do differently?:

Practice getting more comfortable reaching for water bottle during bike portion...I know I need to be hydrating myself for the run, but with the crosswinds I was nervous about losing control.

Put sunscreen on my lower back...I didn't realize that tri top would creep up a pinch in the back and I got a little sunburnt back there.
Transition 2
  • 04m 20s
Comments:

Once off the bike and in T2 I felt like Bambi trying to walk for the first time. But I actually ran with my bike here a bit, which definitely felt weird.

Water bottle fell out of holder as well.
What would you do differently?:

Multitask. Remove helmet/gloves/unvelcro shoes while running back to transition area.

Hustle!!
Run
  • 38m 43s
  • 3.1 miles
  • 12m 29s  min/mile
Comments:

I was hoping to pace around 11:30 but ended up averaging 12:29 which I'm a little frustrated with. I didn't get my running legs in place until the second mile marker.

Because of the extreme heat I opted to run with my fuel belt, which turned out to be brilliant because I needed to douse my head with water every half mile or so. I also sucked down a Gu right out of T2.

During the first quarter while my calf started cramping up, so I forced myself to do a walk/run combo.

Mile 1: 12:34
Mile 2: 12:54 (water station and hoses)
Mile 3: 12:08
.1: 8:24 pace (not sure if I believe this one on my Garmin)
What would you do differently?:

Push through the jello legs and just go for it.

Fuel more on the bike so I have a stronger start on the run.
Post race
Warm down:

Quick stretching out on my legs. 1.5-2 mile walk back to the car with all my gear. Rehydration with 2 bottles of water.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

- My complete and total suckage in T1 and T2.
- Lack of fueling while on the bike.
- The heat and brutal sunshine.
- And of course, convincing myself to take it easy to save energy in transition, on the bike and the early part of the run.

Event comments:

I'm pleased with my overall performance and I'm excited that I can finally call myself a triathlete!! Danskin puts on a great event and I'll definitely be adding this one to my race calendar next year.




Last updated: 2007-07-08 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:19:38 | 880 yards | 02m 14s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/363
Overall: 2323/3919
Performance: Average
Suit: No Wet Suit
Course: Point to point swim in Lake Andrea. Waves set off in four minute increments.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 74F / 23C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Below average
Rounding:
T1
Time: 05:35
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: No
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
00:58:59 | 12.4 miles | 12.61 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/363
Overall: 3248/3919
Performance: Good
Wind: Headwind
Course: First half of the course was great, I handled the hills well...but once the headwind and crosswind kicked in during the way back...holy hell...it was brutal. The strong headwind + hills was quite challenging. Course officials were great and handled the traffic perfectly. Only one portion of the bike had rough roads, but it was no more than 2 miles worth. And, in case you're wondering...I was brilliant clipping in and out. :)
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Below average Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 04:20
Overall: Below average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Below average
Running
00:38:43 | 03.1 miles | 12m 29s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/363
Overall: 2494/3919
Performance: Below average
Course: Flat run on a paved path around Lake Andrea. ABSOLUTELY NO SHADE WHATSOEVER. The had three different hoses/fire hydrants to run through but they were all placed within 500 yards of each other rather than spread out around the course.
Keeping cool Below average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
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: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4

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2007-07-08 4:42 PM

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Expert
1226
100010010025
Chicago
Subject: Danskin Women's Triathlon - Chicagoland (Pleasant Prairie, WI)


2007-07-08 4:48 PM
in reply to: #876461

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Master
1457
10001001001001002525
MidWest
Subject: RE: Danskin Women's Triathlon - Chicagoland (Pleasant Prairie, WI)
My first tri was a women's only in Naperville, IL.  I am so happy that was my first.  The whole atmosphere is SUPER SUPPORTIVE!  You did an awesome job!  Welcome to the club of TRIATHLETES!!!
2007-07-08 8:14 PM
in reply to: #876461

Regular
213
100100
Fort Worth, Texas
Subject: RE: Danskin Women's Triathlon - Chicagoland (Pleasant Prairie, WI)

Excellent Barb!  Great job on your swim and clipping in/out on bike.   Danskin does put on a great race.  Congratulations! You Did It!  Welcome to the club!

 

2007-07-08 9:01 PM
in reply to: #876461

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Master
1477
1000100100100100252525
Southwest Chicago 'burbs
Bronze member
Subject: RE: Danskin Women's Triathlon - Chicagoland (Pleasant Prairie, WI)
I was there today, too!  windy, windy, WINDY!!  And hot.  You did awesome dealing with the weather and all the details of racing with 4000 other women.    Great job, triathlete!
2007-07-09 4:28 PM
in reply to: #876461

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Member
46
25
Twin Cities, MN
Subject: RE: Danskin Women's Triathlon - Chicagoland (Pleasant Prairie, WI)
Nice race. That heat was awful, but way to sprint in the last .1 Way to go TRIATHLETE!
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