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Accenture Chicago Triathlon - Olympic Distance
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Accenture Chicago Triathlon - Olympic Distance - TriathlonOlympic
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 Swim
Comments: I completely panicked at the start. The bumping was not as bad as I had heard, but I was sure to protect my head so not to lose my goggles. I hugged the inside laneline. I could not swim freestyle, goggles were foggy and I just could not find a groove, so I basically did breast stroke for the first 200m, then grabbed the line, fixed my goggles and was now at the back of the wave so there was less traffic. What would you do differently?: Practice in a crowd so I'd be used to the bumping and timing. Then, be sure to spit in goggles so they were not foggy. Will upgrade wetsuit if I commit to doing more Olys in the future.  Transition 1
Comments: Shoe insole came out of shoe as it was clipped in - noticed as I was running to the exit. Had to stop and slide it back in, glad I did not lose it, but burned a minute getting it set. I was not as fluid getting into the shoes, might look at getting tri specific shoes for next season. What would you do differently?: Practice removing wetsuit while being timed and invest in tri specific shoes.  Bike
Comments: I hammered the bike and felt great, maintained steady cadence and focused on being relaxed. Attacked the small hills and otherwise stayed aero the entire race. As someone else mentioned, because we use the left lanes on Lake Shore Drive passing is supposed to be done on the right, but there were spots were people were 5 wide, going the same speed, and drifting right. They had no idea fast riders were supposed to pass on the right. The ride was where I noticed that 8,000 some people were competing in this triathlon. Ate one powergel on the bike at the 15 mile mark. What would you do differently?: Other than getting the shoes on quicker, the ride felt great. I will add a cycle computer w. cadence, I did not put it on because I just got it last week. Transition 2
Comments: Considering how big the transition area was, I probably spent a minute running too and from the bike rack, so 46 sec. to remove helmet and grab hat, waterbottle, and shoes was good. What would you do differently?: Nothing.  Run
Comments: I probably rode too hard on the bike because I felt my quads tighten right away, but tried to find a smooth pace and just focus on going forward. Debated about stopping to use the bathroom, but did not want to waste time. What would you do differently?: I would probably focus more training on the run, but considering back/knee pain over the summer hampered that, I was overall pleased with the performance. Post race
Warm down: Grabbed a Gatorade, banana, and bagel and stood in front of the mist fan to cool down. I was absolutely gassed and just needed a few minutes to recover. Met up with my wife and sat down for 5 minutes to catch my breath. Stood in line for a massage at the Athletico station....it felt great. What limited your ability to perform faster: Injuries barred from extra training, especially on the run. Event comments: I was very impressed with Accenture and the quality of this race. There seemed to be volunteers for the volunteers, everyone was helpful and accommodating. The fact that the waves started right on-time was impressive since I have done many races that had just a few hundred people and still could not start on-time. I was definitely pleased that I had gone downtown a few weeks prior and mapped out parking, anticipated bathroom stations - there were a few spread out off the main course, and gauged the distances/nutrition correctly. Pleased with results, my goal was 2:40 and although I did not perform the swim as planned I managed to hang-on, pick up time on the bike, and survive the run. Look forward to another Olympic distance next year, possibly this one, just not sure I like navigating the crowds. Last updated: 2007-04-10 12:00 AM
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 2007-08-28 8:54 AM |
Veteran  202  Wheaton, IL |  Subject: Accenture Chicago Triathlon - Olympic Distance |
| General Discussion-> Race Reports! |
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United States
Capri Events
80F / 27C
Sunny
Overall Rank = 636/3928
Age Group = M35-39
Age Group Rank = 141/521
Took the train downtown on Friday night to get my registration materials. I arrived downtown about 5:30 and registration was crowded, but that was to be expected. It took about an hour to get signed in and obtain materials and walk the expo. Ran into Jen Harrison at the 2XU exhibit and discussed race prep. Got a solid night sleep on Friday. Light ride on Saturday to check the bike. Pizza for dinner on Saturday night. Packed gear the night before, double checked everything and laid it out by the back door. Went to bed by 9, up at 3, took a quick shower and loaded gear and bike. On the road by 3:45, downtown by 4:20, parked, unloaded gear and set-up transition area. Went back to the truck at 5:30 and was able to sleep until about 6:15, listened to music until 6:45, then went to check-up run in/out, swim start, and warm-up/stretch. Back to the truck by 7:30 - geared up and headed to the start. Wave #34 began at 8:33
The course transition and layout is big, so walked around probably at least a mile, then race warm-up for additional 1+ mile. Stretched, ate cliff bar at 6:30, then a powergel at 7:45. Overall, felt very good, knee was not too tight and the back felt strong.