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Tucson Tinfoilman - TriathlonSprint


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Tucson, AZ
United States
TriTucson.com
70F / 21C
Overcast
Total Time = 1h 42m 10s
Overall Rank = 130/163
Age Group = 25-29
Age Group Rank = 24/27
Pre-race routine:

I went to pick up my race packet on Saturday morning. I read through all of the info, pinned my number to my belt and attached it to my bike, and started to pack everything. I was assigned to Wave #1, as the waves were based on estimated swim time for 800 yds. I turned in an estimated time of 22 minutes. I think it was good to be in the first wave, since the course would be less crowded and, as a newbie, I wouldn't need to worry about getting run over as much.

I also went to the pre-race meeting Saturday evening. The event director went over each section of the race, and we were allowed to ask questions. I'm really glad that I went to the meeting. I saw Sandy there, a fellow Tucson Tri Girl, and we found out we were in the same wave.

After the meeting I checked out the balcony above the pool, to see what the view of my lane looked like. I was going to be in Lane #6, which was a pretty good location for my parents and Zac (my husband) to watch.

After the meeting I headed home and finished packing everything. I had a small dinner of plain pasta, and went to bed at around 9 PM. My alarm was set for 4 AM the next morning. Yikes! I actually woke up at 2 AM to use the bathroom, and couldn't sleep well after that. I was too nervous to oversleep.
Event warmup:

I got to the transition area at about 5:30 AM, and found a rack. I laid everything out, then went and got my body marking. I wandered around a bit with Zac, and made sure I had everything in order. At about 6:15 AM (15 mins before my wave) I got in the pool to warm up. I swam about 150 yds to try to work the jitters out. That's all I had time to do, since my wave started at 6:30 AM.
Swim
  • 19m 41s
  • 825 yards
  • 02m 23s / 100 yards
Comments:

This was the fastest I've ever swam 825 yds. I never really got into a groove during the swim, probably because of nerves. At the start, quite a few people went out hard. I just tried to keep my pace and not blow it all on the swim. I wanted to save most of my energy for the bike, which is my strongest sport. I ended up in the middle of the Wave 1 pack. Plus, I was able to get out of the pool. I did a quick pull-up and got my upper body out, then did the fish flop and spin to get my legs out. I sat there for a second to pull my cap off and ear plugs out, and I saw my mom & dad above me in the balcony, cheering me on.

2 months of swim practice really paid off!
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. Swim went better than I expected for my first tri.
Transition 1
  • 02m 37s
Comments:

I walked out of the pool area to the transition area in the parking lot. I didn't want to slip and fall on the wet pool deck. When I got to my transition area, I realized I forgot to undo the velcro straps to my bike shoes. Oh well, there are only 2 per shoe. Zac said that I was pretty fast out of my group in T1. I got to the "mount bike" line and did my running cyclocross mount onto the bike. Savy!
What would you do differently?:

Undo the velcro to my bike shoes before the race.
Bike
  • 42m 31s
  • 12 miles
  • 16.93 mile/hr
Comments:

I used the first lap (~4 miles) to warm up and get used to the bike. Then I went a bit harder the next 2 laps. Most of the people that passed me were the cyclists on relay teams. But I passed a lot of people on the bike. Each person I passed I said "Good job!" I also said "thank you" to all of the policemen who were directing traffic around the race route.

I drank mostly water, and ate about 1/2 a Gu. Took a few sips of my 50/50 water/Gatorade mixture. On my last lap I dropped my water bottle on Broadway by accident. Good thing I had 2 bottles on the bike! I figured it would have been a bigger safety issue to turn around and try to get it, rather than leave it. After my race my parents went back and found it. It had my name on it, so I didn't want to get in trouble for littering the course.
What would you do differently?:

Try to be a bit more coordinated with the water bottles. I'm so used to a Camelbak.
Transition 2
  • 01m 7s
Comments:

There were lots of spectators blocking the merge lane into the transition area, and I almost missed the turn. I even had my hand out signaling that I was coming in, but some of them still didn't move. Thankfully, the cop working the corner made them move.

I was able to carry good speed into the transition area, but the volunteers kept telling me to "slow down." I don't know, I was in perfect control of my bike. After I made the turn I sped back up in the transition area, and made the final turn and headed to the dismount line. The guys there got all wild-eyed and started to yell "slow down!" I simply unclipped my feet, flicked my right leg over the bike and through, and did a running cyclocross dismount well before the line. It was quite graceful. Plus, it was great to surprise the volunteer guys like that. Being a cyclocrosser pays off sometimes!

When I got to my T2 area, I realized I had forgotten to take my gloves off while on the bike. Oops! But I thought my transition time was still pretty good. I went ahead and wore my hat, even though it was overcast, just in case the sun came out while I was on the run course.
What would you do differently?:

Take gloves off early while on the bike.
Run
  • 36m 14s
  • 3 miles
  • 12m 05s  min/mile
Comments:

Ugh! The run really got to me. I'm coming from a biking background so during training there was no worries there. I was so worried about the swim that I made myself do swim workouts 3-4 times per week to get ready. So the swim actually became the second strongest sport for me. I found out that I need to work on the run. Normally I would do about 10 minute miles. But swimming and biking before the run got to me. I went pretty slow, and by mile 2 I was feeling a bit nauseous. Hey, it's probably not a real triathlon unless you feel nauseous at some point on the course. ;) I took a moment and walked a bit (only a few feet) and decided to keep jogging. I was doing a slow trot, and several runners were passing me. At that point, I just wanted to get to the finish line, and not loose my cookies. In the end I made it, all in one piece, cookies and all.
What would you do differently?:

Work on the run more, in addition to training for the swim and bike.
Post race
Warm down:

My parents and Zac were waiting for me at the finish line. As I came up to the line, I noticed the clock said 1:41...I had made it before 1:45! My goals for my first tri were to finish the race, have fun, and not be last. But in the back of my mind I had hoped to finish before 1:45. I finished in 1:42.10, which was better than I expected for my first race. I picked up my finisher's shirt, and walked over to the water tent. I met Mom, Dad, & Zac there. They were all happy, and said that I did well. I found out from them that I wasn't the last person out of the pool. I guess there was a sandbagger in our group, because one woman finished the swim in 15 minutes. The first wave was supposed to be for people well over 20 minutes, so I don't get that. Maybe she wanted a clear course to try to set a lap record or something. I don't know.

After the race Mom & Dad headed home, and Zac and I picked up the stuff in my transition area. I changed out of my clothes, and watched the bike course for a bit. I saw Tammy (Tri_Lizard) on the bike and cheered for her. She seemed to be doing well. Then we went up and watched the rest of the waves in the swim. The last waves were full of really fast people. I noticed one lady had a tattoo of the Ironman logo on her lower back. From where we were at in the balcony, we could also see parts of the bike and run courses. We could also see the transition area, so it was interesting to watch the fast folks go through there.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Need to run better, especially after swimming and biking.

Event comments:

The Tinfoilman was a great race for a newbie like me to use as my first triathlon. Everything was very well organized. They had a great PA system, so announcements could be heard easily. Lots of areas for spectators to watch the racers on the course. The TPD officers on duty running traffic control were great, and kept us safe. Also, there were several students from Salpointe HS there to direct everyone on the run course. Though I heard they got extra credit in one of their classes for being there. They kept us from getting lost on the run course through campus (thanks guys!).

Thanks to all of the organizers, sponsors, and volunteers that made this event possible and fun!

Thanks to the Tucson Tri Girls for providing coached swim practices, and being a great & fun club to be a member of!

BIG THANKS to BeginnerTriathlete.com. I don't think I would have been able to accomplish this goal without this site. The online training logs kept me motivated to keep training for this event. Thanks to all of the forum members for answering my questions, as well as providing helpful info. That really made getting ready for this event much easier. And I finally got to fill out one of these cool race reports! Now I'll have a log of my times and everything, so that I know what to change and what to shoot for for next time. And, yes, there will be a next time! :)

And, last but not least, thanks to my husband Zac for all of the support and encouragement. Thanks for helping with more of the house duties while I spent the evenings after work training, and thanks for getting up at 4:30 AM this morning to help me with my first tri!




Last updated: 2004-10-17 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:19:41 | 825 yards | 02m 23s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/27
Overall: 0/163
Performance: Good
(1 lap = 100 yds) Lap #1 = 1.59.23 Lap #2 = 2.19.35 Lap #3 = 2.24.03 Lap #4 = 2.25.59 Lap #5 = 2.23.86 Lap #6 = 2.27.88 Lap #7 = 2.32.00 Lap #8 (125 yds) = 3.09.53
Suit: Tri top & tri shorts
Course: Pool swim in the UA pool. It was the "short" course, which was the 25 yd length course. 2 racers to a lane, so there were 36 racers per wave.
Start type: Inside Pool Plus: Waves
Water temp: 70F / 21C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting:
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 02:37
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
00:42:31 | 12 miles | 16.93 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/27
Overall: 0/163
Performance: Good
Wind:
Course: 3 laps of 4 miles each around the University of AZ campus. Euclid St. was the worst. Lots of pot holes. There was also a large puddle on that street, which we had to ride through each time. So I ended up with a bit of a black streak up the back of my tri suit.
Road: Rough Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:07
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:36:14 | 03 miles | 12m 05s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/27
Overall: 0/163
Performance: Below average
Course: Run course went through the UA campus.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
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: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5

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2004-10-17 6:48 PM

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Elite
2553
20005002525
Tucson, AZ
Subject: Tucson Tinfoilman


2004-10-17 6:54 PM
in reply to: #73428

User image

Elite
2553
20005002525
Tucson, AZ
Subject: RE: Tucson Tinfoilman
Link to photo album with pics of this race:
PirateGirl's Tinfoilman Triathlon pics
2004-10-17 7:03 PM
in reply to: #73428

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Expert
1279
1000100100252525
Northern VA
Subject: RE: Tucson Tinfoilman

Congrats on finishing your first Tri - and well under your goal time too!!!!

Great job!

Gary

2004-10-17 8:36 PM
in reply to: #73428

Subject: ...
This user's post has been ignored.
2004-10-17 8:50 PM
in reply to: #73446

Elite
2553
20005002525
Tucson, AZ
Subject: RE: Tucson Tinfoilman
Tri Lizard - 2004-10-17 5:36 PM

Woo Hoo! You did so great! Big, big congrats.


Hey, now, you don't get to escape. I expect to see a full race report from you! Congrats on your race, too!

Now we get a bit of rest before hitting that pool again!
2004-10-17 9:33 PM
in reply to: #73428

Extreme Veteran
534
50025
Brisbane
Subject: RE: Tucson Tinfoilman
Congratulations on finishing your tri and beating your estimated time!

Good pacing on the swim, too.



2004-10-17 11:55 PM
in reply to: #73428

Member
16

Phoenix, AZ / Portland, OR
Subject: RE: Tucson Tinfoilman
I have done the Tucson Tri series a few yrs ago. It is a good course for first timers. Congrats on the finish. I like those events because they use the same course for all 3 races (http://www.tritucson.com/). It is a good place to see your improvement. Are you planning on doing some of the others there?
2004-10-18 10:17 AM
in reply to: #73428

Expert
717
500100100
Utah
Subject: RE: Tucson Tinfoilman
Great Job!  Fun report to read.
2004-10-18 12:24 PM
in reply to: #73495

Elite
2553
20005002525
Tucson, AZ
Subject: RE: Tucson Tinfoilman
IronDan - 2004-10-17 8:55 PM
Are you planning on doing some of the others there?


Yes, if the motorcycle racing schedule allows it. Basically, whenever I'm not racing the motorcycle, I'll be able to enter tris. That's the main reason I picked up tris, to stay in shape for the motorcycle racing. I may do a few tris in Phoenix, too. There's so many to choose from in southern AZ, and they basically go year-round. I'd like to do an off-road tri next year, since mountain biking is my strong point.

Also, I just found out my placing. I finished 130 out of 163 women, and 24 out of 27 in my age group.
2004-10-18 5:55 PM
in reply to: #73428

molto veloce mama
9311
500020002000100100100
Subject: RE: Tucson Tinfoilman
good job, pirate! you're fast on the wheels!
2004-10-18 6:53 PM
in reply to: #73428

Subject: RE: Tucson Tinfoilman
Great job, and you beat your goal time! Congratulations!


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