Rage in the Sage - TriathlonOlympic


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Las Vegas, Nevada
United States
BBSC Endurance Sports
78F / 26C
Sunny
Total Time = 3h 02m 7s
Overall Rank = 118/236
Age Group = Clydes 40+
Age Group Rank = 6/9
Pre-race routine:

I started my pre-race three weeks ago with crashing my motorcycle, taking a mini vacation and the night before the race, drank WAY too much beer and eating WAY to much crap food at a friends B-day party.

I ended up getting about 4 hours sleep and when the alarm went off, I thought there was a mistake. It COULDN'T be 4:30 already! I just went to bed! But nope, it was time to get up.

I tried to eat something, but only got down a granola bar and a couple sips of coffee. I also tried to force down as much Infinit as I could to rehydrate, but it was a little hard. Then entire drive down to the race I was thinking about how nice it will be to get back to bed and sleep. I also had this small feeling I was going to puke...
Event warmup:

Nothing. Set up transition and hung out with a friend who was also going to do the Olympic.
Swim
  • 29m 2s
  • 1500 meters
  • 01m 56s / 100 meters
Comments:

The swim was about the only thing I felt ok at today... I could have drafted a bit better, but all and all, I turned in a good swim. I felt really relaxed the entire time. It was my goal to go out smooth and easy to save energy for the bike and run.
What would you do differently?:

Draft a bit better.
Transition 1
  • 02m 45s
Comments:

Once again, a few wetsuit problems. It keeps getting caught on one heel or the other.
What would you do differently?:

Wetsuit removal! I need to spend an afternoon practicing getting out of it one day. It CONTINUES to be a problem
Bike
  • 1h 33m 58s
  • 40 kms
  • 25.54 km/hr
Comments:

I think I did pretty well on the bike all things considered. I attacked it like my sprint and was feeling pretty good about it. However, I still had that feeling I wanted to puke for most of the ride. I'm not sure if it was my stomach or just a dry throat, but I was kind of dry heaving once in a while on the bike.

It was really hard to take in any liquids and ended up only taking a couple sips from my aero bottle the entire time. I also carried an extra bottle of fluids the entire time that remained untouched.

The only thing I can say, is that I did not FEEL thirsty, so maybe it was ok.

THEN it happened. A FLAT TIRE!!!!! With only about 2 miles to go... It was SO frustrating. I got off the bike and changed tubes (I found that I had run over a staple or something and pulled it out of the tire). That took about 6 minutes. I got going, but realized I had not set the wheel back in right, so I had to stop again to reset it. Meanwhile, I bet about 30 riders passed me during that time (and a lot of them looked like GOOD bikers!). FRUSTRATING!!! I was checking my watch, and I think I lost about 8 minutes off my time.

I think I 'should' have been about 1:26 on the bike. That would have put me in 6th for my division instead of 7th and 98th +/- overall for the bike split instead of 147th.
What would you do differently?:

Maybe practice tire changes and drink more.
Transition 2
  • 01m 20s
Comments:

Typical transition.
What would you do differently?:

I could probably work to cut a few seconds off, but I can live with it.
Run
  • 55m 3s
  • 10 kms
  • 05m 30s  min/km
Comments:

I had a lot of going on during the run. I have to be honest, I had sort of mentally 'checked out' of this race after the flat tire. But I really tried to not let it affect me.

I still ran pretty hard (as my Ave. HR and pace will attest). But I will be truthful, I wonder if I couldn't go just a bit harder if everything was going well.

My quads were cramping just a bit as well from the hard pace on the bike (OR the fact I still hadn't taken in any fluids).

I STILL had a hard time taking any fluids in. I was dry heaving and stopped to puke a bit once but STILL didn't feel like any thing to drink during the entire run. I think I splashed one sip of water in my mouth once.

But again, I never really felt that thirsty, so maybe it was ok.
Post race
Warm down:

I tried to get in fluids but didn't feel like eating anything. I also got a post race massage at the event. That was a first. It left me a little "wanting" so I ended up going to my actual massage therapist to get a real one a couple hours later.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Poor pre race activity (see below). Mindset?

Event comments:

Here is how I REALLY feel about the race:

This was the early season race I was trying to 'peak' for (other than Alcatraz). I was really looking good based on my recent sprint results. This is the FIRST race I ever did, and I wanted to see my improvements. Then it happened - the motorcycle crash.

I ended up injuring my leg a bit in the wreck which kept me from working out to my full potential the last several weeks. I also took a mini vacation, which side lined me for a bit as well.

I have to admit, the leg was causing NO problems during the race. The pain is just about gone and the bruising has vanished (I'm about 90%). So I can't use that as an excuse. But the missed training probably hurt a bit.

The whole accident sort of took it out of me mentally. Before that, I had the confidence that I was going to do great. But after? I was just going to see how well I could do - just 'see'... I almost considered making it an enjoyable training day. But I came to race, and pushed hard as I could.

BUT, based on that attitude, I probably participated in activities not normal to a good triathlete. I went out drinking and partying the night before my race! 4 20oz bears and some pretty heavy/fatty food, and very little sleep. That had a big impact on me.

When the flat tire came with only 2 miles to go, I sort of phoned it in the rest of the way - at least mentally. I was running and pushing hard, but my mind just kept wondering about 'what could have been". I ended up losing a spot in my division because of that (I could have been 5th instead of 6th). I lost of BUNCH of overall spots too (I would have been 88th +/- instead of 118).

Mind you, had this been a longer race, I would not have let it affect me so much. But 8 minutes on a short course is like an eternity.

That being said, My average bike speed jumped from 15.6mph to 17.3 mph (not including the flat tire time) and I went from a 10/mi to a 8:52/mi.

I'm actually happy with that improvement considering this was a 'bad' race.

But you know what? It was a BEAUTIFUL day, great race, lots of fun and a GREAT way to get a 3 hour workout in! I really shouldn't be disappointed.

As a side note. How come people get FASTER when they get older!!! I looked at the Clydesdale under 40 division, and I would have taken 4th out of 15 even WITH the flat tire!!! This is one sport it SUCKS to be old in!!!




Last updated: 2008-12-16 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:29:02 | 1500 meters | 01m 56s / 100meters
Age Group: 3/9
Overall: 70/236
Performance: Good
AHR 144
Suit: Full
Course:
Start type: Wade Plus: Shot
Water temp: 58F / 14C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:45
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
01:33:58 | 40 kms | 25.54 km/hr
Age Group: 7/9
Overall: 147/236
Performance: Average
AHR 166
Wind: Little
Course: Lake Meas Course. Rolling.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Average Hills: Good
Race pace: Too hard Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 01:20
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Average
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:55:03 | 10 kms | 05m 30s  min/km
Age Group: 4/9
Overall: 111/236
Performance: Average
AHR 174
Course: Nice climb out and descent back. Half and half of gravel and pavement.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %3
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Ok
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] 4