Chicago Triathlon - Triathlon


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Chicago, Illinois
United States
Total Time = 3h 20m 43s
Overall Rank = /
Age Group =
Age Group Rank = 0/
Pre-race routine:

Woke up at 3:45 in the morning and ate a bagel with peanut butter. Rode my bike the 7 miles to the venue. Arrived at transition at about 5 am and was out of transition by 5:30 am. Laid in the grass by the swim start for the almost 4 hours until my wave started at 9:24 a.m. This was the worst wait ever. My wave was the LAST age group wave to go (F 30-34). So I had to wait and wait and wait, but at least I got to catch up on some sleep.
Event warmup:

Slept for a few hours in the grass, then got up and stretched for a bit.
Swim
  • 46m 42s
  • 1500 meters
  • 03m 07s / 100 meters
Comments:

Sighting was easy in this swim. I had no major issues. Despite having no major issues I am still not a very fast swimmer. I took my time and it shows.
What would you do differently?:

Move it!
Transition 1
  • 03m 40s
Comments:

Surprised by this time. I ended up being a lot faster than I thought. Everything went smoothly.
What would you do differently?:

Always move faster...this is always what I could do differently.
Bike
  • 1h 27m 54s
  • 40 kms
  • 27.30 km/hr
Comments:

I feel I rode the first loop fairly well, averaging 19 mph, but on the 2nd loop the sun really started getting to me. It was like 90 degrees without a cloud in the sky (and no shade on the course). My pace dropped to 17ish mph by the time it was all over with. I hydrated ALOT and the sun still affected me badly.
Transition 2
  • 03m 28s
Comments:

I took my time here because the sun had really started affecting me on the bike and I didn't want to bonk on the run. I hydrated well, ate a gel and applied more sunblock. I found my bike without any problem, but knocked over the bike next to mine as I was putting mine back on the rack. So, I spent about 30 seconds picking up my rack neighbor's bike and re-racking it.
What would you do differently?:

Could have shaved 30 seconds off my T2 time if I hadn't knocked over my neighbor's bike.
Run
  • 58m 57s
  • 10 kms
  • 05m 54s  min/km
Comments:

The heat was really killing me here, but I trudged through and walked only the aid stations. I hate running in the heat and especially when there is no shade. Overall I felt I ran pretty well despite the heat.
Post race
Event comments:

Great race in terms of location and organization, but seriously, I am not a fan of the bike or the run course. Lake Shore Drive is boring to bike and the road quality is crap. Also, while the run is on our famous Lake Front Path, I feel it is not ideal for running in the heat since there is minimal shade. Despite these negatives, I am sure I will do this race again since it's in my back yard.




Last updated: 2013-07-09 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:46:42 | 1500 meters | 03m 07s / 100meters
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance:
Suit:
Course: Out and back along the sea wall at the Monroe Harbor.
Start type: Plus:
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current:
200M Perf. Remainder:
Breathing: Drafting:
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 03:40
Performance:
Cap removal: Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
01:27:54 | 40 kms | 27.30 km/hr
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance:
Wind:
Course: Very boring course on Lake Shore Drive. It's a two loop course with NO shade whatsoever. You ride in the left 2 lanes of LSD while cars zoom past you in the right 2 lanes. Very flat course.
Road:   Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks:
T2
Time: 03:28
Overall:
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
00:58:57 | 10 kms | 05m 54s  min/km
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance:
Course: Flat course with very little shade on the Chicago Lakefront path South of Grant Park. It's an out and back.
Keeping cool Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
Good race?
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