Chinook Olympic - TriathlonOlympic


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Calgary, Alberta
Canada
21C / 70F
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 32m 49s
Overall Rank = 38/225
Age Group = 40-49
Age Group Rank = 9/30
Pre-race routine:

Ate the lasagna at the pre-race meal the night before. Either that or the wrap that I ate at lunch were causing me some stomach issues. I have a solid stomach, this was odd. Stuffed down a pastry and a ton of cereal before going to bed. I'd say pretty close to being fully carbo loaded.

Terrible sleep the night before. Woke up every hour. Felt terrible. Still had the stomach issues. Trip #1 to the bathroom.

Had 3 pieces of toast; 2 with PB, one with jam. Chased that with gatorade. That pretty much topped of the carbs lost over night. Trip #2 to the bathroom.

Arrived at the race near 7:15 (45 minutes before T1 close and 2 hours before the Olympic started). Set up my gear and went to watch the 1/2 Ironman swim.

Had to stop watching the 1/2 IM swim for trip #3 to the bathroom! Man, what is up with my stomach.

Downed a gel at about 8:45 and chased it with some water.
Event warmup:

Got in the water about 15 minutes before race start and warmed up.
Swim
  • 24m 48s
  • 1500 meters
  • 01m 39s / 100 meters
Comments:

Lined up at the front. Was a bit crowded for the first 200m but seemed to thin out after that. Rounded the first buoy and it really thinned out. Drafted a guy that seemed to have a good pace and was swimming straight. I decided to settle right in and follow.

I stumbled coming out of the water to round the buoy after the first lap. Was a bit dizzy and hadn't been kicking. You'd think that would have reminded me to kick as I was finishing the last lap...

I thought my swim was okay but could have been a minute or more faster. No big deal though.
What would you do differently?:

Forgot to kick in the last 200m to warm my legs up. They were *really* sluggish running through transition.
Transition 1
  • 00m
Comments:

We had wetsuit strippers so that was fast. My legs were sluggish after the swim. I slipped on my shoes, put on the race belt, sunglasses, and helmet and off I went.
What would you do differently?:

Kick during the last 100 or 200m of the swim to warm up the legs.
Bike
  • 1h 14m 43s
  • 40 kms
  • 32.12 km/hr
Comments:

Struggled on the way out. I've ridden the route before and it felt harder that usual. I had trouble drinking the gatorade. It might have been a bit too strong, but I still had trouble. I don't think it impacted me in the end though.

Screamed on the way back as it was more downhill that direction.

Biggest issue came after I rounded the corner from 22X onto Sun Valley Blvd. I rounded the corner, and looked down at my computer, hit a gap/lip between the asphalt and concrete curb and over I went! A few expletives later, I was recovering my aero-water bottle, straightening my handle bars, seat, and putting my chain back on. Tires didn't blow but the front wheel was somewhat bent. I was pretty scraped but nothing broken.

My first thought was, "Well, my race is over." As I pushed the pedals, the bike actually moved even though the wheel kept hitting the brakes. I was riding the final 3km back to T2 and I figured I might as well keep on racing.


What would you do differently?:

Not crash!!! (i.e., pay attention)
Transition 2
  • 00m
Comments:

My right shoe was already undone from the crash. I reached down to undo the left shoe and nearly crashed because it was jammed closed and my wobbly tire was shifting my balance. Rather than risk crashing a second time, I left it done up and yanked the shoe off at T2.

I stopped and posed for a couple pictures from my wife and friends. Lots of "oohs" from the spectators.

It was a slower T2 than planned, but I'm not caring too much at this point.
Run
  • 53m 18s
  • 10 kms
  • 05m 20s  min/km
Comments:

The med tent was immediately after T2. I stopped for a couple minutes to wash the road rash and get some polysporin applied. Running was okay if only a little harder than normal. I was amused by the people on the left side of the trail saying "looking good" and the people on the right side of the trail going "ooohhh." There were lots of volunteers on the run portion of the course pointing out the turns (and it was pretty well signed) so that was good.

Overall, after subtracting out the additional minutes for the med tent visit, my run time was as expected.

It was fairly hot. I don't run with a hat as I'm a sweater and the hat doesn't stop the sweat from hitting my eyes and burning. I should look into something else other than a sweatband.

I drank some water and gatorade along the course at two of the aid stations. I didn't have any GI issues on the run like I was having on the bike.
What would you do differently?:

Not crash!
Post race
Warm down:

Not much. Walked back to the car. Ice bath when I got home.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Crashing! Not sleeping and the stomach issues.

Event comments:

There were a few logistical issues with the addition of the Olympic.

The website wasn't updated at all; not even with a note to indicate it wasn't being updated and that email was the main way information was being sent out.

The lake was open to participants several days in advance. That was nice. I got my first OWS in before the race.

The bike course was well volunteered for merge lane crossings and the turn around. Intersections with lights had police controlling traffic.

The run was well marked and volunteered. It is so well marked, that in the one long, continuous path through the trees that didn't have any markings, I was wondering if I was off the course because I didn't see any markings. :-)


Profile Album


Last updated: 2009-02-13 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:24:48 | 1500 meters | 01m 39s / 100meters
Age Group: 2/30
Overall: 11/225
Performance: Below average
Suit: Nineteen Pipeline
Course: 2 laps around a triangle, with a run onto the beach around a buoy after the 1st lap.
Start type: Run Plus:
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Below average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Good
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding: Below average
T1
Time: 00:00
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Below average
Biking
01:14:43 | 40 kms | 32.12 km/hr
Age Group: 10/30
Overall: 45/225
Performance: Bad
Wind: Some
Course: Out and back from Lake Midnapore via Sun Valley Blvd and onto Highway 22X.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Average Hills: Below average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 00:00
Overall: Below average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
00:53:18 | 10 kms | 05m 20s  min/km
Age Group: 18/30
Overall: 91/225
Performance: Average
Course: A loop through Fish Creek Park. Some shade in trees, but mostly exposed in the flats. One hill to climb coming back into Midnapore just before the 9km mark that slows you down quite a bit.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 1
Physical exertion [1-5] 2
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:
Race evaluation [1-5] 4