TriHawks Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


View Member's Race Log View other race reports
Coralville, Iowa
United States
The University of Iowa TriHawks
61F / 16C
Precipitation
Total Time = 1h 17m 51s
Overall Rank = 9/271
Age Group = M 30-34
Age Group Rank = 2/18
Pre-race routine:

Didn't have to get up too early since the race started at 9:00, but did want to get there early enought to pick up my packet and get set up. Half PB sandwich before leaving the house. Banana on the road and then a cliff bar about an hour and a half before the race started.
Event warmup:

A short jog just to get the feeling back as my training hasn't been very consistent since the Pigman long course. A short swim too.
Swim
  • 06m 48s
  • 500 yards
  • 01m 22s / 100 yards
Comments:

Started a little wide right, trying to get a straight shot to the turn buoy. That worked nicely, there were some swimmers farther to my right, but I got out ahead of them quickly and didn't have to battle anyone until I caught the waves in front of me.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Transition 1
  • 01m 46s
Comments:

I don't practice my transitions and it shows. Had trouble getting my wetsuit off of my heels and racked my bike at the far end from the bike out (mostly due to laziness because I found out after I had all my stuff set that the bike out was at the other end, and I didn't want to move it.)
What would you do differently?:

Practice transitions.
Bike
  • 47m 12s
  • 15 miles
  • 19.07 mile/hr
Comments:

The bike course was sketchy due to the rain and number of hills and curves. I am not the most confident going downhill at high speed as it is, so add wet conditions and I'm that much more nervous. I took the downhills pretty conservatively. I came up on one bad crash at about mile 10. I saw two to three riders down with several more tending to them. I slowed way down and made sure that help had been called for. I didn't know whether to stop or not, but ultimately made the decision to ride on because it looked like all of the injured were being cared for, there were folks directing traffic, and help had been called. I slowed down for the police car and ambulance as they passed on their way to the accident. The sight of the crash made me that much more cautious for the remainder of the ride. Heading into the park toward the finish line, there is one section where you curve downhill before heading over the dam. I pumped my breaks before heading downhill to slow me down a bit, as I knew braking into a curve going downhill was a bad idea. As I picked up speed, though, I felt uncomfortable and pumped the brakes once more and was immediately reminded why it was a bad idea when I started to fishtail. I eye-balled the ditch for as soft a landing as I could find because I thought I was going down for sure, but I let off the brakes and got it under control, thankfully. I would later hear that one of the riders who crashed jabbed the back end of his aerobar into his thigh bad enought that it pierced his thigh and had to get stiched up. OUCH!!!
What would you do differently?:

Not much. I played it conservative because I didn't want to crash on a wet day, and that's alright with me.
Transition 2
  • 01m 6s
Comments:

One of my better T2s considering I had another long run to my rack. I opted for no socks on the run because they were wet from the rain anyway and I figured it would be a big time struggle to get them on. I figured for only a 5K, I would survive.
Run
  • 20m 57s
  • 3.11 miles
  • 06m 44s  min/mile
Comments:

Felt a little sluggish at the start, that may be due to the hills. My pace seemed a bit off, but again I wasn't expecting as many hills. I should have kicked earlier. The finish line came up a lot quicker than I expected and I had some gas left in the tank.
What would you do differently?:

Read the course description more closely or maybe scout the run course ahead of time.
Post race
Warm down:

Walked around and ate the free food as usual.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Weather and lack of knowledge of the course.

Event comments:

I signed up for this race at the last minute just because I wanted to do one more race this season. Even though the conditions weren't the best, I'm glad I did it. It's good to experience all different types of courses and conditions. I bet the course is a lot more fun in better weather. It was cool to ride over the dam with all the hawks flying over head looking for fish.




Last updated: 2011-09-22 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:06:48 | 500 yards | 01m 22s / 100yards
Age Group: 1/18
Overall: 1/271
Performance: Good
Suit: Xterra Vortex Sleeveless
Course: Out and back
Start type: Run Plus: Waves
Water temp: 68F / 20C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Average
Breathing: Good Drafting:
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 01:46
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Below average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed:
Biking
00:47:12 | 15 miles | 19.07 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/18
Overall: 0/271
Performance: Average
Wind: Some with gusts
Course: Winding and somewhat hilly.
Road: Smooth Wet Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Average Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:06
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Average
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
00:20:57 | 03.11 miles | 06m 44s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/18
Overall: 0/271
Performance: Average
Course: An out and back through the park. A bit hillier than I expected, especially on the trails. The trail section was downhill and then trail stairs back up hill. Was not expecting to have to run stairs. I guess I need to read the course description better :) It was fun though, a nice change of pace from the regular road running.
Keeping cool Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race? Ok
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4