Square Lake Triathlon - Long Course - Triathlon


View Member's Race Log View other race reports
Stillwater, Minnesota
United States
Front Runner
70F / 21C
Sunny
Total Time = 6h 15m 40s
Overall Rank = 83/133
Age Group = Clydesdale
Age Group Rank = 3/8
Pre-race routine:

Two Peanut Butter and Nutella Sandwiches, two bananas, and a Gel.
Event warmup:

Setup Transition.
Bike a little, Run a little, Swim a little.
Swim
  • 38m 43s
  • 2112 yards
  • 01m 50s / 100 yards
Comments:

Tried to stay calm. Stroke pacing was faster than usual and I had trouble bi-lateral breathing.

Sighting was good, rounding bouys was the best I've ever done, but
kept pulling to the right.. started drifting inside the bouys a few times.

Had forgotten my swim cap and asthma inhaler up at transition. Needed both before starting the race. Ran up and made it back just in time for the start. Slightly riled.
What would you do differently?:

More open water swimming.
Transition 1
  • 02m 39s
Comments:

Made the climb up the wooden stairs to T1..
Wasn't as bad as I suspected in bare feet.

Was great to see my buddy Trent by my bike to cheer me on. Wetsuit coming off was a little tricky, and took a few steps away with my bike before returning for my sunglasses. Oops.
What would you do differently?:

Practice my routine. New water bottle changed the position where I normally keep my helmet and glasses..
Bike
  • 3h 03m 15s
  • 54 miles
  • 17.68 mile/hr
Comments:

Made a new water bottle and it was great to stay in aero position without reaching down every time to get bottle. Drank easily when I needed but had some stomach muscle/intestine distress.

Had two gels. These things are great.. should have had more.

New gearing was great for climbs and for straight-aways, but I have not fully adapted to the new gearing. A few times found myself in the wrong (expected) gear.

Second lap was significantly slower than the first. 15-20min?
Had a HARD time mentally keeping my focus.
Transition area was playing "All about that Bass, no Treble" and I could NOT get the catchy tune out of my head. Actually resorted to counting... Counted to 1000 once or twice.. Sigh...
What would you do differently?:

Longer training rides.
More padded Tri-shorts.
Stretch the back more.
Listen to my own playlist before the race
Transition 2
  • 04m 17s
Comments:

Sat down.. took a break to put on socks and shoes.
Went to visit the porta potty.
Talked with my wife at the transition edge.
Ate a gel and walked out of T2 waited for my heart rate to come down a bit.
Got some sunscreen from my wife after crossing the mat. In retrospect - THAT was a smart move.
I'm surprised my T2 time was 4:17.. felt like 8:30..

On run out, my belt came undone, so I left my water and gels with my wife.
Turns out the belt didn't break, as I suspected.. the clip just came apart.
What would you do differently?:

Spend time addressing the waterbelt problem before just disregarding it as broken - could have used the nutrition on the run.
Run
  • 2h 26m 48s
  • 13.2 miles
  • 11m 07s  min/mile
Comments:

Tough run mentally.
Was doing okay until about mile 5. At the turn-around, I expected all that climbing to pay-off as I would just coast down hill all the way to the finish.
It wasn't to be.
I dumped water on my head and drank a little at each stop. I walked far more than I liked, and felt pretty exhausted. Depleted. Worn.

SO Great to see some of my friends out cheering along the course.
Jon, Victoria, Stace, and Jess biked along to four stops along the way.
Had my own little fan club and I think it benefited both me, and some of the other racers as well. :)

My Wife threw me one of the gels (that I should have been carrying) at around 9, and it helped me keep going the rest of the way back. First time I've actively noticed a Boost after having a gel.

The size of the hill going up and into the park and another down to the finish was not expected.
What would you do differently?:

Nutrition. Use it. Use more of it.

Scope out the transition area AND where the finish line is. - I keep forgetting to do this!

Post race
Warm down:

Ate some food, talked with friends and jumped back into the lake.


What limited your ability to perform faster:

Nutrition on the run. Mental focus was worn down. Felt deflated

Event comments:

Fabulous clear water. Corner workers at every turn. Water stations at EVERY mile along the run. Great transition area.
I was not prepared for the hills on the run.


Profile Album


Last updated: 2014-03-13 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:38:43 | 2112 yards | 01m 50s / 100yards
Age Group: 7/8
Overall: 54/133
Performance: Good
Suit: Zoot Fusion
Course: 2 loops on a long rectangle.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Below average Drafting: Average
Waves: Good Navigation: Average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:39
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
03:03:15 | 54 miles | 17.68 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/8
Overall: 0/133
Performance: Good
Wind: Some
Course: Two laps in the rural country side of Stillwater. Very scenic. Many little ponds and trees just off the road. Wide shoulder and pretty smooth most of the way. One section had creases in the pavement which caused me some saddle sore. Rolling hills were difficult for me (227lbs). Hit 37.7mph on one downhill, but got down to 9mph on one long climb.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Average Hills: Below average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 04:17
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Below average
Running
02:26:48 | 13.2 miles | 11m 07s  min/mile
Age Group: 3/8
Overall: 93/133
Performance: Below average
Course: Country course along shoulder of road and continuing along paved bike trail. Rolling hills. Mostly climbing on the way out.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %11lbs
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 2
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
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] 4