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MinneMan Sprint Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Oak Grove, MN
United States
65F / 18C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 18m 17s
Overall Rank = 156/347
Age Group = M 35-39
Age Group Rank = 20/30
Pre-race routine:

This was my second ever triathlon, so I actually had a bit of a routine this time!

4:30 a.m. rolls around pretty quickly. One snooze alarm later and I popped out of bed and threw on my racing gear and a warm layer, as it was still pretty cool outside. I really wanted a smoothie for breakfast, but my wife told me "no" because the super-turbo-hyperspeed smoothie maker would wake the kids. Cheerios, a banana, and yogurt would have to do. I actually had an appetite today - before my first race, I practically wanted to puke I was so nervous. Nerves are in control - that's a good sign.

At the park, I dropped off my bike and bag in the transition area and went to get my body marked and pick up my timing chip. Racks were set up by age group, and I picked one that had a giant pink duffel bag at the end - that'll help me find my rack when I come into the transitions. I set up really quickly and was ready to go by 6:30. One hour until race time, lots of time to kill. I walked around the park, ate a granola bar, checked out the transition exits, and visited the biffy a couple of times. At 7:05 I started the wetsuit process, and headed down to the beach...
Event warmup:

...lots of racers standing on the shore looking cold, but not too many in the water. Let me tell you: it was a lot warmer in the water. The air temp was maybe 60, but the water was 75. I swam about 2/3 of the way out to the turnaround buoy and back in. Everything felt good. The only thing I noted was the low morning sun when I breathed to my left on the way out - it was blinding! Note to self: breathe to the right.
Swim
  • 10m 42s
  • 525 yards
  • 02m 02s / 100 yards
Comments:

I was really psyched up for the swim. My first swim (at the Buffalo tri) was...well, craptacular. But I'd had some really good pool sessions since then, and some open water as well, so I felt better going into this race. Plus, I knew what to expect.

So the wave starts, and we start running. And running. And running. Did I mention this lake is shallow? We're about 50 yards out before you can even THINK about swimming. I dive in at that point and swim for 5 or 10 strokes, then look up and see about half the pack still running. I stand up and run for a few more yards then dive in again and settle into my stroke. Except my heart is absolutely racing from the aqua-marathon we just ran. I'm really not used to swimming with my heart rate that high (I'm usually between 120-130 in the pool), so I try to get it settled down by rolling over and doing the backstroke for a half minute or so. This helps, and I'm able to get back into my stroke until the turnaround buoy. Another short backstroke session, and I make the turn for home. I veer too far right and spent some extra energy getting back to the pack. Well, where the pack would have been - most of my wave is out ahead of me, though the nice fast ladies in the wave behind me have decided to grace me with their presence.

Finally, my hand hits the bottom so I stand up and start running. Remember how this little story started? Same thing here, only backwards. I run for a bit, then decide to try to swim a bit more since I'm still a ways out from shore. So I dive back in. Not a good idea, since I had pushed my goggles up onto my head when I stood up. Luckily I grabbed them before they completely left my company. I think the lifeguard that was sitting adjacent to the course was laughing at me. I'm glad that I'm able to amuse people. I decide to just run it in and am startled at how tired my legs get from slogging through 50 yards of knee-deep water. For you non-triathloners reading this, the primary goal for the swim stage is to come out with fresh legs and lots of energy still in the tank for the remaining two stages. I did not achieve the first part of this goal.

In retrospect, I'm happy with my swim. I took 40 seconds off the 100-yard pace I set at Buffalo, and felt a lot more comfortable in the water.
What would you do differently?:

Practice swimming with an elevated heart-rate. More open-water swims. More practice sighting.
Transition 1
  • 01m 37s
Comments:

I mentioned earlier that the racks were set up by age group. Well, my bike was pretty much the only one left. What a depressing feeling. No time to cry about it though. Wetsuit off; helmet, sunglasses, shoes on; nutrition in back pockets, and I'm off. I was still pretty light-headed from the swim, but got through OK. I fat-fingered tying the laces on my mountain bike shoes a bit.
What would you do differently?:

Get speed laces for my shoes.
Bike
  • 40m 47s
  • 13 miles
  • 19.12 mile/hr
Comments:

I always feel that I must preface my bike comments with the fact that I'm riding a mountain bike. A 14-year-old mountain bike. This bike is older than a couple of the competitors in this race, fercryinoutloud! Oh sure, I put slick tires on it, but they're still FAT tires compared to the uber-skinny rubber the real tri bikes have. OK. With that out of the way, let's get on with this:

My legs were still pumped from the swim, so the start of the bike felt a little shaky, though my initial speed was really good. I took a dose of Enervit and passed a few racers right away. After a mile, though, the lactic acid in my thighs told me I was really mashing the pedals and had better do something to change it. I really concentrated on spinning circles and getting my cadence up, and things settled down from there.

I wish I had an amusing anecdote or death-defying tale to tell concerning the bike leg, but I got nothin'. I was feeling good with my pace; I took an Enervit gel at the 8-mile mark; I passed some people; some people passed me. What can ya say? I'm happy with my average speed (again, I'm on A MOUNTAIN BIKE, in case you missed that earlier), which was over 2 mph faster than Buffalo (though Buffalo's course was quite a bit hillier).
What would you do differently?:

A real tri bike would likely benefit me. It's just a hunch I have...
Transition 2
  • 01m 20s
Comments:

Good running dismount. Lots of spectators there, so there was some potential for some epic amusement had I botched it, but I pulled it off smoothly. The USAT official watching the dismount line even commented, "good dismount!" Oh sure, maybe he says that to all the riders, but I'm pretty sure he put a little extra inflection on the "good". Who's to say he didn't?!?
What would you do differently?:

Get speed laces for my running shoes.
Run
  • 23m 53s
  • 3 miles
  • 07m 58s  min/mile
Comments:

A PR for me! I've never broken the 8-minute mile barrier, so I'm pretty freakin' geeked about the run. My pace at Buffalo was 8:43, and my training runs are usually at 8:20, so I really smoked it. Just like Buffalo, my strategy was to go easy until the turnaround, then pick up the pace if I felt good. I actually didn't feel that great until the 2-mile mark, then my rhythm kicked in and I felt strong to the end.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. Whatever I did was working for me.
Post race
Warm down:

Cookies. Strawberries. Water. These are all good. Green bananas. These are not good. Why would you have green bananas? This is the only negative aspect to the entire race organization.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

I believe I've made my limitations well-known in previous sections.

Event comments:

As I alluded to earlier, this was a top-notch event. Everything went smoothly and on-time. The volunteers were numerous and helpful. The park is beautiful and a great venue for a race. I will definitely be back next year.

I really couldn't be happier with my race. I took 9 minutes off my time from my first race, and finished in the top half of the field. My goal had been a 2-3 minute improvement, so naturally I'm ecstatic with my results. Hmmm...if I go 9 minutes faster every time I race, I'll be competing for a podium spot in just two more races, right? That's how it works, right? C'mon, humor me...





Last updated: 2005-06-29 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:10:42 | 525 yards | 02m 02s / 100yards
Age Group: 29/30
Overall: 263/347
Performance: Average
Suit: QR
Course: 3 sides of a rectangle Shallow!
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 75F / 24C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average Drafting:
Waves: Navigation: Below average
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 01:37
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed:
Biking
00:40:47 | 13 miles | 19.12 mile/hr
Age Group: 23/30
Overall: 153/347
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course: Flat; open road; narrow shoulders for some of the course.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:20
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
00:23:53 | 03 miles | 07m 58s  min/mile
Age Group: 19/30
Overall: 148/347
Performance: Good
Course: Flat; out-and-back.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
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] 5

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2005-07-04 12:10 AM

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Regular
98
252525
Eden Prairie, MN
Subject: MinneMan Sprint Triathlon


2005-07-04 6:31 AM
in reply to: #189572

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Master
2314
2000100100100
Gulf Shores, AL
Subject: RE: MinneMan Sprint Triathlon
Good race and an excellent race report, even if it lacked the dramatice, heroic, epic bike drama. The report fits in the action comedy genre.

I have had similiar swim experiences and its frustrating as heck to see people jogging beside you when your trying to focus on swimming.

congrats,

Ken
2005-07-04 2:14 PM
in reply to: #189572

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molto veloce mama
9311
500020002000100100100
Subject: RE: MinneMan Sprint Triathlon
great job, kevin. nice meeting you after the race. btw, pete (my older brother) said your name sounded very familiar...that you might have been in the association at east together?
2005-07-05 7:46 PM
in reply to: #189572

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Expert
743
50010010025
Minnesota
Subject: RE: MinneMan Sprint Triathlon
Your bike leg is looking better. Keep it up.
2005-07-06 1:13 PM
in reply to: #189572

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Master
2346
200010010010025
Dayton, Minnesota
Bronze member
Subject: RE: MinneMan Sprint Triathlon

On the podium in no time, definitely. Great race! Congratulations! Sounds like I'll have to put this one on my calendar for next year!

(I ride a hybrid and I also really really really want to get a tri bike, so I feel your pain...)

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