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Boulder Peak Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic


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Boulder, Colorado
United States
5430 Sports Corp.
90F / 32C
Sunny
Total Time = 3h 07m 30s
Overall Rank = 869/1415
Age Group = F 30-34
Age Group Rank = 48/111
Pre-race routine:

Got up at the ungodly hour of 3:30am, made my coffee and bagel to go, got dressed, loaded the car, and pulled out at 4am sharp. Drove up to Boulder and was in line with the rest of the anal-retentive triathlon freaks at 5am when transition opened. Set up my transition area, walked around with Julia while she freaked out because her back wheel valve extender was leaking (luckily Matt had his bike in the car and she was able to switch out wheels and cassettes. It wasn't a Zipp 606, but it was round and the tire was pumped up!)
Event warmup:

Went for my customary 15 minute warmup run (a whole 10 minutes less than the longest run I've done in almost 5 weeks). I could tell by the warm-up that my "aquajogging" that I've been doing because of my shin splints wasn't going to help me today. I felt completely out of run-shape even in the warmup. Let's just call that foreshadowing.

Transition was closing, so I grabbed my wetsuit, goggles and swimcap and headed down to the beach. Then I realized that I forgot to put anti-fog drops in my goggles, so I ran back to transition and sneaked in for the drops only to realize that I really HAD remembered them. Oops. Oh well. A little bit more energy expended for nothing. :)
Swim
  • 28m 31s
  • 1640 yards
  • 01m 44s / 100 yards
Comments:

I tried to get in the front row over to the right (buoys were on the left), but my age group started with the Athenas, and man did they ever block up the front row! I started right behind a group ofthem, but I knew I'd pass them right away and I did. This was the least violent swim start I'd ever had. Probably because I passed the athenas immediately, then started working my way over to the left to be more in-line with the buoys. I pretty much had clean water the whole swim. I tried to draft off some people that I could tell were going my same speed, but they were zig zagging EVERYWHERE. I felt like I was spending more energy trying to figure out which way they'd go next than I was saving by drafting. One of these days, I'll have a successful drafting experience in a race.

Overall this was an uneventful swim for me. I thought for sure I'd finish in the 26:XX's, but I stood up, looked at my watch and I was pretty much at the same finish time as last year. Other people said the swim may have been long based on their finish times, and I'd agree. For a swim where I had basically no body contact, this was slow. I swam until my hand touched sand, then I stood up and ran up the boat ramp, through the kiddie pools to get the sand off, then into transition.
What would you do differently?:

Elbow the athenas out of the way. But they're all bigger than me, so maybe I'll just leave them alone.
Transition 1
  • 01m 35s
Comments:

My bike was about as far away from the swim entrance and bike exit as possible. This was a pretty uneventful transition. I elected to put my shoes on in transition rather than having them on the bike this time. The thought of running barefoot on asphault hurt my shins just thinking about it. Not sure how much better running in cleats was, but my shins were fine.
What would you do differently?:

Not much. I didn't feel like I wasted any time, other than a second's hesitation regarding where to throw my wetsuit. Everyone's bikes were all still there, so it was pretty crowded.
Bike
  • 1h 23m 33s
  • 26.1 miles
  • 18.74 mile/hr
Comments:

As usual, I had to hold myself back from going out too fast from the lake and out Jay Road and Hwy 36 considering that I had to have enough juice left over for Old Stage road. Because I was in wave 5 for my start and we started in age group order from the youngest, the course was blessedly empty compared to the Sprint last month when the older age groups were in front of us. The congestion wasn't nearly as bad. But I almost found that a disadvantage because I didn't have a lot of rabbits to pass! Especially going up Old Stage road, there just weren't a lot of people around me at the time. This year, for some reason, Old Stage kicked my butt. Probably because for the first time, I hadn't ridden it in training this year. I didn't have any problems getting up it. It hurt. It always does. But I just couldn't remember how long it was, so it FELT longer to me than it should have, I guess. At the top of Old Stage, I guess I just started to hammer as best as I could. I thought I'd be able to beat last year's time, but for some reason I didn't. The only thing I can think of is that I didn't push it enough up Old Stage. Everything else felt pretty much the same, if not faster.
What would you do differently?:

Include the course in my training rides before the race, I guess. Considering I haven't been able to run, I've been riding a lot. I thought this would help me today, but I guess not. Who knows. I'm pretty disappointed though, and I thought this would be the highlight of my day and it wasn't.
Transition 2
  • 01m 8s
Comments:

My rack partner's bike was diagonal across our transition spots (she's famous for this), so I had to push her bike out of the way. Since I haven't been running, I had to put socks on or my feet would have been shredded, so that cost me some time. I grabbed my visor, race belt and a gel and started the run. Turns out my coach was right at the run exit. I heard him yell at me, but didn't see him while I was concentrating on getting my race belt buckled. I'd see him later though.


What would you do differently?:

Not sure.
Run
  • 1h 12m 42s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 11m 43s  min/mile
Comments:

OK, so here's where the race predictably went down the toilet. It was baking hot out there, I realized that while I was on the bike I only drank 1/2 of my Cytomax bottle and only had 2 gels and about a 1/2 bottle of water. Hello? Way not enough fuel. What was I thinking? And this is where I realized that the aquajogging I did in place of real running didn't do CRAP for me. Seriously, I was BARELY running and I was at lactate threshold. I knew this was going to be a looooong run. This is the slowest I've EVER run a 10K and the most I've ever had to walk in a race. But in retrospect, what could I expect? I haven't run for over a month! Add that to the hottest race I've ever taken part in on a really hard course, and that's a recipe for a run disaster if I've ever seen one.

Miles 1 and 2 crept by. As I reached mile 3 aid station, I started having an asthma attack. Nice. My legs were like lead weights and my feet felt like they were on fire. The sun was roasting me yet I had goosebumps. Hmmmm. Something's wrong here.

I basically did a run/walk combo. I ran when I could, and walked when I couldn't breathe from the asthma. All I wanted was to be done and at the finish line so I could sit down. I wanted to throw myself in the "Certain Death" canal because the sign said "cold, fast-moving water" and that sounded really good. So did the certain death part. :)

I was walking out of the Mile 4 aid station, and guess who's there. My coach. And I was walking. How humiliating. I kind of wanted to die of embarassment, but no one's ever died from that, and the certain death canal was already behind me - no way was I turning back. He ran with me for a little while and encouraged me. I don't think I ever even looked at him. And he was half naked!!! What was I thinking? He was running next to me half naked and I was too out of it for it to even register??? Dammit! Now I KNOW I was pretty bad off. But I digress...

The last 2 miles were excruciatingly painful. Every step was a struggle physically and mentally. I kind of wanted to curl up in the fetal position and cry, but every time I felt like that, I repeated to myself, "at least you're out here doing the race and not home too injured to be here." Really, I definitely was grateful to be here, even if I couldn't race up to my own standards.

The finish line couldn't have come soon enough. I immediately looked for some shade, sat down and gulped water.
What would you do differently?:

Uhhh, be able to actually RUN in training?? Fuel/hydrate better on the bike. I know better and I'm not sure what I was thinking on the bike, but obviously not about getting in calories and fluids. Last but not least: LOOK at my coach when he's half naked, regardless of my mental state. :)
Post race
Warm down:

I sat in the shade for quite a while just trying to get my heartrate down and get some fluids down. Then I found Julia, got some post-race grub, ate with Matt, Jen, Dime, Mark, Ben, Drew and talked about everyone's race.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Being injured and not running for 5 weeks. I know that for me, running is hard, and nothing but running is going to prepare me for the run segment of a tri. Aquajogging didn't work for me. Oh well - it was worth a shot. My fueling/hydrating strategy somehow got forgotten, which didn't help matters.

Event comments:

I rated this race a 3, mostly in comparison to 5430 Sports' other races, and Boulder Peaks I've done in the past. I thought things were a little shabby this year. The race shirts were hideous and will immediately go into my dust rag drawer, they gave away BLACK WATER BOTTLES on the bike. Black? Thanks for the boiling water! Then the water was HOTTTT at every run aid station. I've seen better races from this organization in the past.




Last updated: 2007-07-23 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:28:31 | 1640 yards | 01m 44s / 100yards
Age Group: 23/111
Overall: 415/1415
Performance: Average
Suit: sleeveless
Course: Counter-clockwise inverted "U"
Start type: Wade Plus:
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current:
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Good Drafting: Below average
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 01:35
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
01:23:33 | 26.1 miles | 18.74 mile/hr
Age Group: 26/111
Overall: 619/1415
Performance: Below average
Wind: Little
Course:
Road:   Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 01:08
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
01:12:42 | 06.21 miles | 11m 43s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/111
Overall: 1204/1415
Performance: Bad
Course: Out and back on totally exposed roads at Boulder Reservoir. No shade ever.
Keeping cool Bad Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Below average
Mental exertion [1-5] 1
Physical exertion [1-5] 1
Good race? No
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] 3

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2007-07-23 2:13 PM

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Extreme Veteran
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Denver, CO
Subject: Boulder Peak Triathlon


2007-07-23 2:50 PM
in reply to: #897443

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Expert
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Highlands Ranch, CO
Subject: RE: Boulder Peak Triathlon
I was wondering if anyone else noticed that sign.  Heck, I was going so slow, I had a lot of time to read it.  The "certain death" canal didn't look to imposing to me.  Well anyway, great job out in the heat.  No one had a good run on Sunday.
2007-07-23 2:55 PM
in reply to: #897443

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Expert
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Littleton, Colorado
Subject: RE: Boulder Peak Triathlon

Great job pushing through under less-than-ideal circumstances.  That heat yesterday was unbelievable.  Combine that with the lack of run training, and I say you did amazing!

You crack me up!  Maybe next time, I'll be racing with you and can help you elbow your way past the Athenas--gotta use these shoulders for something!

 

2007-07-23 3:09 PM
in reply to: #897443

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Expert
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Conifer, Colorado
Subject: RE: Boulder Peak Triathlon
I think you showed that you do indeed have a super big set of balls! Way to go out and get through the run - under trained and in the heat too! I think your race was pretty darn good for the day!
2007-07-23 4:45 PM
in reply to: #897443

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Expert
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Adrian, MI
Subject: RE: Boulder Peak Triathlon

I kind of wanted to curl up in the fetal position and cry, but every time I felt like that, I repeated to myself, "at least you're out here doing the race and not home too injured to be here." Really, I definitely was grateful to be here, even if I couldn't race up to my own standards.

This is good stuff.   I know you haven't had the best of seasons so far...but you've got the right attitude.  You rock!  

Having been in similar situations, I've much respect for you holding out and finishing the race - you showed a lot of mental toughness.  

And JEEPERS, drink some fluids on the BIKE!!

2007-07-23 4:59 PM
in reply to: #897443

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Media, PA
Subject: RE: Boulder Peak Triathlon

Stacie,

Like you said, at least you had the courage to be out there. At least you had a good swim! You know what limited you on the bike and we all knew that the run was going to be difficult. You really are an inspiration for just going out and running the race even though you were limited from injury. Yeah next time maybe focus on the naked coach instead of drowning yourself in the river  

Oh yeah, still waiting for pink suit pics!



2007-07-23 5:12 PM
in reply to: #897443

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Master
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Denver
Subject: RE: Boulder Peak Triathlon
I think we all should have just enetered the same RR: "The swim seemed long, I might have gone too hard on the bike and the run clobbered me". I think the most impressive thing of all is that it wasn't like your struggling was out of the blue. You knew with the injury problems that the run was going to be hard and you still did it anyway. Next time you'll have to bring some apres-race martinis.
2007-07-23 7:00 PM
in reply to: #897443

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Security, CO
Bronze member
Subject: RE: Boulder Peak Triathlon
Good job hanging tough on the run. The Sun was brutal, the water hot, and miles seemed longer then they needed to be.
2007-07-23 9:42 PM
in reply to: #897443

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Master
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Colorado
Subject: RE: Boulder Peak Triathlon
Funny, I don't think ANYONE had a "good" race here this year...  At least everyone I know was upset at how poorly they did!  Anyway, with the circumstances - let's call it good experience   Not bad considering!!  And by the way - your rack mate was the same as mine last year that actually put her bike IN my rack??  Kathleen??  Sorry - I'll not rack with her again
2007-07-23 10:03 PM
in reply to: #897443

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Expert
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Denver
Subject: RE: Boulder Peak Triathlon
Nice job on digging and going for it. I can only imagine that it's pretty tough to get mentally prepped when you know from the outset that you're not competing to your full potential. Good luck getting race ready for the Long Course. Just make sure you switch your rack partner!
2007-07-23 11:22 PM
in reply to: #897443

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Champion
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Whizzzzzlandia
Silver member
Subject: RE: Boulder Peak Triathlon

OMG you made me laugh like 12 times in your race report!

Yes! Throw me into the certain death canal too! I would have gladly joined you for a Sunday morning death canal ride. 

Sounds like your race was just as miserable as mine was. Why does that not surprise me? We are sisters in suffering. Wink

Well, it's over now. And you can move forward. At least that's what people keep telling me...so I'm telling you.

Hope you were able to get some rest today or maybe even after the race on Sunday...



2007-07-24 1:45 PM
in reply to: #897443

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Veteran
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Denver CO
Subject: RE: Boulder Peak Triathlon
Your race report is very very entertaining, you crack me up. It was a tough day out there.
My first shirt, a standard L, barely covered my belly button, the XL almost makes it though!
Good thing your running coach goes faster than you, you might catch him otherwise
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