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Fountain Mountain Triathlon - International Distance - TriathlonOlympic


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Mesa, Arizona
United States
DCB Adventures
78F / 26C
Sunny
Total Time = 4h 02m 5s
Overall Rank = 83/91
Age Group = 30-39
Age Group Rank = 50/54
Pre-race routine:

Took Bus over to Keyhole picnic area. Ate a hammer gel on the bus. Sipped water before the race started.
Swim
  • 42m
  • 1500 meters
  • 02m 48s / 100 meters
Comments:

Well, I started out he swim with a rather botched attempt at bilateral breathing which ended up with me getting a few mouthfuls of water. So after all was said and done I reverted to the way I swam through most of my training. I also had trouble getting into the groove at first as I was trying to get my sighting down. By the time I got everything down I had lost my golden opportunity to draft. So, I just settled into a good rythm and every once in awhile I would see an orange cap or someone stopping to figure out where the next buoy was. I new this water pretty well so I just picked out my landmarks above the bouys and swam towards them. I picked landmarks because the waves got big enough that the Buoys would disappear so I found hills easier to sight off of until the buoy was close. The waves got pretty big at times in the second half and I looked forward to when we could round the buoy and swim with the waves back into Butcher Jones. Anyway, the swim wasn't too far off of my pr so that isn't too bad (still a lot of room for improvement though). All in all I had enough energy left to run up the beach. So in essence, started out kind of goofy, didn't have a major first OWS in an event freakout (which was good), and I actually managed to have some energy left after the swim.
What would you do differently?:

Try not to lose a month of training to sickness 2 weeks before the event. Do some more speed training in the pool.
Transition 1
  • 05m
Comments:

This was kind of a funny transition as we had to leave the bikes overnight and I had to leave everything in a bag. This meant time lost to sorting things out and various other things. Putting the top on wasn't any big deal so I think the swimming without the top wasn't a bad idea. Everything else went smoothly. Just need to hustle a little more I think.
What would you do differently?:

Hustle, perhaps figure out a way to lay everything out a little better the night before (ie bring a headlight to avoid having to lay everything out in the dark)
Bike
  • 1h 57m
  • 30 miles
  • 15.38 mile/hr
Comments:

I knew this was a hilly course before going into it so that wasn't a surprise. The big surprise came from having to keep my heartrate down. I couldn't keep it down in the correct zone for some reason. I stayed between 85% AND 90% almost all the way. My bike times were the best of the three. I passed quite a few people (who were better swimmers than me) who would later pass me in the run. I ended up with an average speed of 15.1 which isn't bad for me on this course. Towards the end though I was starting to fade. I probably should have tried to save a little for the run.
What would you do differently?:

Maybe try to save a little more for the run. Definitely drink more, I think I didn't overhydrate enough in the second half and it hurt me in the run.
Transition 2
  • 01m
Comments:

This transition wasn't bad. They took your bike and stuff and gave you your run bag. I took some Hammer Gels and water here.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Run
  • 1h 17m
  • 5.53 miles
  • 13m 55s  min/mile
Comments:

Well, here is where I really lost ground really. After climbing to the top of the climbs I was shot. I could run downhill but not very fast and if it wasn't downhill I had to run walk. I had a brief energy burst after the drink stop by the highway but by the time I got down to the tunnels I was about shot again. I walked up the road and started running again when it went downhill. From water users on I was a hopeless case and was starting to breakdown. I just hoped I made it to the finish line before I completely lost it. Around the corral area I started to get chills which wasn't good but I knew the finish line was just around the corner so I used my last little bit of energy to run around the corner and through the finish line. Then it was time to chug gatorade and eat cold pizza.
What would you do differently?:

hydrate better on the bike. Include more steep run training earlier in the game.
Post race
Warm down:

Mmmmmm, gatorade and Pizza.

Event comments:

I'll be back. I think a race like this was a bit of a big bite to chew at this point seeing as I had only one pretty easy sprint before this. I enjoyed most of the day even if I was the last Clydesdale in. I should have just gone with my age group as I would not have been last, I would be four up from last. I think due to the extreme nature of this course that the field was pretty competitive (OK, that might be an excuse, but it is the only thing keeping motivated to do another one at this point so it works for me!). Overall I gave it everything I had and it was good to see what I could do. It was a push yourself to the limit kind of day.




Last updated: 2007-07-31 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:42:00 | 1500 meters | 02m 48s / 100meters
Age Group: 0/54
Overall: 0/91
Performance: Good
Lake started getting choppy halfway into the swim.
Suit:
Course: Point to Point across Saguaro lake to Butcher Jones
Start type: Deep Water Plus:
Water temp: 77F / 25C Current: High
200M Perf. Below average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Below average
Waves: Average Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 05:00
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: No
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed:
Biking
01:57:00 | 30 miles | 15.38 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/54
Overall: 0/91
Performance: Good
Wind: Some
Course: Pretty hilly. Lots of long hills.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Average Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 01:00
Overall:
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
01:17:00 | 05.53 miles | 13m 55s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/54
Overall: 0/91
Performance: Bad
Don't ask.
Course: Mountainous trail run with 500 ft of climbing right out of the gate.
Keeping cool Below average Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %0
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Too hard
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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2007-10-07 12:30 AM

Veteran
135
10025
Mesa, az
Subject: Fountain Mountain Triathlon - International Distance


2007-10-07 8:52 AM
in reply to: #995098

User image

Veteran
247
10010025
Mesa, AZ
Subject: RE: Fountain Mountain Triathlon - International Distance
Great race Paul. Usery Pass is tough but not as tough as that run, I think I'd still be out there roaming the hills.
2007-10-07 3:13 PM
in reply to: #995098

Extreme Veteran
306
100100100
AZ
Subject: RE: Fountain Mountain Triathlon - International Distance
This is a tough course.   You did it!  Great job. 
2007-10-07 8:41 PM
in reply to: #995098

Expert
911
500100100100100
Somewhere over there in Az
Subject: RE: Fountain Mountain Triathlon - International Distance
You Rock!!!! Good Job, I over slept or I would have been out there cheering you on...Brave of you taking on this course so early in your training....

You are now a Fountain Mountain Man!!!
2007-10-08 9:57 AM
in reply to: #995784

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Expert
1330
100010010010025
Arizona
Subject: RE: Fountain Mountain Triathlon - International Distance
Great job! I never had any doubts you'd be finishing. That's soooo easy to say when typing at a keyboard.

-Jot
2007-10-09 3:23 PM
in reply to: #995098

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Mesa
Subject: RE: Fountain Mountain Triathlon - International Distance
Great job Paul. It was great to see you out there. I give you tons of props for doing this race. A lot of people wouldn't even think of doing it because of the difficulty and you gritted it out.


2007-10-09 3:35 PM
in reply to: #995098

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Elite
2553
20005002525
Tucson, AZ
Subject: RE: Fountain Mountain Triathlon - International Distance
Wow...a sprint under your belt and you took on one of the tougher AZ tris? That's awesome! You did great out there!
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