Illinois Triathlon Championship - Olympic Course - Triathlon


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Crystal Lake, Illinois
United States
3 Disciplines Racing
72F / 22C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 51m 55s
Overall Rank = 71/160
Age Group = M45-49
Age Group Rank = 5/13
Pre-race routine:

Picked up bib, swim cap and tee shirt Saturday. Rode my errand bike on parts of the run course. Saw there were a couple of hills and the track was going to be "cross country" style.
Woke up, had a small bowl of granola and drove up to the park. Decided to pay the $5 parking fee so I was close. It was very foggy and I thought the race might get cancelled.
Event warmup:

Set up transition. They did a good job of keeping us appraised of the fog situation. The had definite cut off times for shortening or cancelling the swim. It was soupy! Once transition closed, we walked over to the beach. You could barley make out the sprint swim buoys.
We were officially delayed. The next deadline would switch all swimmers to the sprint course. Slowly the fog lifted. Then came back. Then lifted and we were set. A person rode a jet ski around the course as it went around 3 islands and was hard to see where all the buoys were located.
After a twenty minute delay, we were off. I was ready to have fun with a goal to break 3 hours.
Swim
  • 29m 51s
  • 1500 meters
  • 01m 59s / 100 meters
Comments:

Time trial start and they lined us up by expected finish time. I seeded myself at 30-ish minutes. The single file line moved fast. They verified your number and away we went. I got into a good rhythm right away. Not too crowded. Sighting was pretty good for the most part, but being unfamiliar with the lake and course, I felt I was off for a while. Then I sighted the next buoy. At one point I stopped and popped up and noticed I was at the straightaway to the finish. Kept my nice steady stroke and swam until I could touch. Got up and started walking, but the water still seemed a little deep. Swam some more and ran to the beach. Timing mat a bit away from beach but not far.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. Good swim for me since my swim training has been lacking lately. I said I would be happy with 30 minutes and I just made it!
Transition 1
  • 03m 4s
Comments:

There was a kiddie pool right after the timing mat to wash our feet. A short run to transition followed. My wet suit got caught on the timing chip and I had to sit down to get the legs off.
I am not fast at these as I make sure I have everything in order, so I am happy with the time.
What would you do differently?:

Giddy up!
Bike
  • 1h 16m 2s
  • 24.5 miles
  • 19.33 mile/hr
Comments:

Got going up the hill out of transition. On the initial loop, it was pretty wide open. I got up to a good pace and felt great. No wind and overcast. Perfect. As I came around to start my second loop, the course got crowded in the no passing zone. I never checked my speed, but I bet we were down to 10 mph. Sun came out on the second loop. Heading to the turnaround in the no passing zone again slowed down. Same for the start of lap 3. Saw my wife driving on 14 at this time. Saw her again near Pingree and Rakow on my third loop. Fourth loop was better traffic wise. Turned into the park, down the hill to T2.
What would you do differently?:

I felt my pace was better than 19.3 mph. They officially have me at 19.1 average, so the bike course was somewhere around 24.5 miles. I bet I was above 20 mph for most of this ride but the no passing zone really cut into that. Overall, happy. I can do better.
Transition 2
  • 01m 43s
Comments:

Fairly quick for me. It was sunny and humid so I took a minute to wipe my sweaty head and face. Got socks and shoes on and was off.
What would you do differently?:

Move faster!
Run
  • 1h 01m 18s
  • 10 kms
  • 06m 08s  min/km
Comments:

This is where the wheels fell off. I felt fine starting out, but it was getting a bit steamy. The run started off up a hill on a paved path, then flat. We turned back on a grass/rock trail that was flooded in spots from the overnight rain. First lap time was 9:02, about right. Ran past the beach pavilion and out onto a second gravel path. I knew from my scouting that this path ended with a grass uphill section to the next part of the course. Second mile in 8:50. I walked/scrambled up this hill, which was slippery. The toboggan hill was next. Another uphill grassy run, through the mud at the top and a slick downhill section. More cross country/paths to the second lap. Ran through a chute next to the finish line.
Then I started walking the second go around up the hill. Just started feeling hot and sweaty. Switched to a run/walk mode as my legs just didn't want to go. My pace was slow. The second loop was survival, and I was happy to see the finish line.
What would you do differently?:

Not sure. I expected my run pace to be right at 9:00 for a 10k after swimming and biking. Normal race pace is 8:30. More bricks and maybe run out in the heat more.
Post race
Warm down:

I was a sweaty mess. Got my finishers glass mason jar and immediately gulped done a glass of water and 2 glasses of HEED. Went and sat down under the park shelter. I was not hungry at all. They then let us into transition so I packed up and loaded the car. Left and was home before noon.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Overall, my training has been inconsistent, so I knew I should not set any unrealistic goals. If the bike course would have been the extra 2 miles, I would have been right at 3 hours. Happy with my effort.
Not a fan of the 4 loop bike course or the run, but I would potentially do the race next year. They are promising a new bike course and I'll be more prepared for a cross country run next year.

Event comments:

I was worried that this first year race would be unorganized. They did a really nice job. Plenty of volunteers too. The bike course is what it is and nothing they could do about the fog delay (Bigfoot was the same day and their oly swim was shortened to 750 m)




Last updated: 2014-03-01 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:29:51 | 1500 meters | 01m 59s / 100meters
Age Group: 4/13
Overall: 56/160
Performance: Good
Suit: Vortex 3 full
Course: Large circle out around 3 small islands. Orange buoys on your left the whole way, spaced (per the RD) every 125 m. 700 m straightaway back to beach. Last 100 or so was with the sprint athletes.
Start type: Run Plus: Time Trial
Water temp: 72F / 22C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting:
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 03:04
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
01:16:02 | 24.5 miles | 19.33 mile/hr
Age Group: 7/13
Overall: 69/160
Performance: Good
Wind: None
Course: 4 loops on decent roads. Listed as 26.5; Garmin was 24.3. Hill out of transition, then a ride down 14 to Pingree. This was a no passing area coming and going. Big flat and fast loop. The turnaround for each lap was on an strip mall entry and was a little chewed up. Otherwise, roads were in pretty good shape.
Road: Smooth Wet Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks:
T2
Time: 01:43
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
01:01:18 | 10 kms | 06m 08s  min/km
Age Group: 9/13
Overall: 90/160
Performance: Below average
Course: 3.1 mile loop. Hill out of T2 on paved path for first 1/2 mile, then cross country started. Single track wet trails, a section on crushed limestone/gravel, up a grassy hill, more gravel, up the toboggan hill, down and more cross country and gravel to the finish.
Keeping cool Below average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
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: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4