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Buffalo Triathlon - Olympic Distance
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Buffalo Triathlon - Olympic Distance - TriathlonOlympic
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Comments: At first I am happy because I am starting out ok. No panic, no action, I hung to the back and got going fine. However, within about 2 minutes, I am not sure I can do it! I am tired and uncoordinated and every second feels like a million. It takes a lightyear to reach the first buoy (which we were told to expect) but I feel like I am going so slow. After clearing the buoy I feel a bit better and get into a rhythm and am actually sighing pretty well (cool!). I muscle through until we turn towards shore and then the sun is making sighting difficult. I can spot the buoys okay, but suddenly everyone is disoriented. It also seems the chop as picked up although it could have just been from the other swimmers. I took in a HUGE lungful of water and choked for a minute or so until I could take off again. This last stretch was hard mentally and physically and I was SO GLAD to reach the shore. What would you do differently?: I was clearly off my game and the only excuse is lack of swim training.  Transition 1
Comments: I am surprised by this relatively short time because it seemed like forever. The run from the beach is LONG and uphill. I went to the wrong rack and it took too long to figure out. It's funny I struggled because I was about the last bike left and my bike is pretty easy to spot. I finally got my act together and headed off. 10/16 What would you do differently?: Figured out the route from swim in. I knew where the rack was only from a direction that didn't matter.  Bike
Comments: This is where I knew I was screwed. It took me at least 10 minutes to catch my breath and I was traveling at about 11 mph for way too long. I never really got into a comfortable place until the Oly course split from the Sprint. The hills seemed relentless and it was supposed to be a fast course! I was clearly way off my game and I assumed it was due to the swim training problem. Ugh, what an idiot! I was not myself on that bike ride. The second half was a bit better, probably also helped by my bottle of Gu Brew, and I assume some good downhills and the occasional tailwind. This was my slowest Oly bike, including a longer than 40k course last summer. There was a point when a car pulled in front of me and I was hoping they would hit me, so I could be done. That's sick. What would you do differently?: Train more... Transition 2
Comments: This was mediocre... I had a moment of pause deciding where to put my bike because my rackmate used my spot. Lovely. Otherwise I thought I hustled pretty good and sprinted out. 10/16 What would you do differently?: Just give up and go home!  Run
Comments: Well, what do you do when your goal time is so far out the window it has a new zip code? I was very upset the first minute or so and struggled not to cry. What a stupid thing to be upset about. But then I decided that I was going to "just finish" this thing. Everyone says how noble that is, so I figured I would try it and not kill myself. I trotted along and when it felt uncomfortable I walked. I guess I was trotting a bit slower than I thought, but whatever. I sort of enjoyed this part of the race. Thankfully the clouds thickened so at least the temp was pleasantish. What would you do differently?: Not sign up for another Olympic distance race. Post race
What limited your ability to perform faster: It's been said. I had a long time to think this morning and I am just not interested in pursuing the Oly thing for now. Bike racing ruins bike riding for me and I have begun to hate the pool. I actually like run training a lot, and enjoy riding my bike for fun, which is basically what I have been doing. I can't expect to pull out a PR race with that sort of plan. I wished it hadn't been a PW across the board, but I guess it happens. Lesson learned and expectations thoroughly reassessed. Event comments: Actually I thought the race was pretty well done. I think it's not the race for ME, but it's a good race. My only disappointment was the feeling at the end. I hate being towards the end and, for the first time ever, no one offered to help with my chip. No one gave me a medal (just realized this). No water was offered. That's a bummer. They put on a good food spread, but I skipped it this year because the line was super long. Last updated: 2011-12-06 12:00 AM
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 2012-06-03 3:32 PM |
Champion  10018  , Minnesota Bronze member |  Subject: Buffalo Triathlon - Olympic Distance |
| 2012-06-03 3:49 PM in reply to: #4241876 |
Elite 3687     | Subject: RE: Buffalo Triathlon - Olympic Distance Sorry about the Tough race. I grew real tired of Buffalo a few years ago. Come do New Bri next year. I really like it and it's not set up too bad, even for a FrontRunner event. |
| 2012-06-03 4:01 PM in reply to: #4241902 |
Champion 10018 , Minnesota Bronze member | Subject: RE: Buffalo Triathlon - Olympic Distance mndiver - 2012-06-03 3:49 PM Sorry about the Tough race. I grew real tired of Buffalo a few years ago. Come do New Bri next year. I really like it and it's not set up too bad, even for a FrontRunner event. I like that race quite a lot and am (right now) not going to do any longer distances than sprints, so see you there! |
| 2012-06-03 4:48 PM in reply to: #4241876 |
| Minneapolis, MN | Subject: RE: Buffalo Triathlon - Olympic Distance Sorry u had a bad race. Keep your head and focus on what is fun for you |
| 2012-06-03 7:00 PM in reply to: #4241876 |
Regular 196 Bloomington | Subject: RE: Buffalo Triathlon - Olympic Distance Sorry you didn't have a good race. The race director said that they ran out of metals. They planned on a 10% no show rate and it was only 5%. I thought it was pretty crappy. If you take the person's money, you should have SWAG for them. |
| 2012-06-04 12:37 PM in reply to: #4241876 |
Master 2346 Dayton, Minnesota Bronze member | Subject: RE: Buffalo Triathlon - Olympic Distance Chin up, my friend! Sorry the race was not what you hoped for. You are very right that our age group is TOUGH. I, thankfully, only have one year left in it, but I suspect my next one won't be any better. I had a similar no-greeting finisher experience when I did the St Paul oly one year... In fact, they were already taking down the finish area fencing when I crossed the line. I think you were at that race, actually--the one when they ran out of water?? Anyway, yes, that is very demoralizing and I'm sorry that happened to you. I decided a couple of years ago to do only sprints for the forseeable future. I just don't train enough (at all? lol) to do anything longer. I kind of felt bad/guilty about it at first, but not anymore. This is supposed to be fun! I hope you enjoy the rest of your races! |
| 2012-06-04 12:56 PM in reply to: #4243483 |
Champion 10018 , Minnesota Bronze member | Subject: RE: Buffalo Triathlon - Olympic Distance kelpeng - 2012-06-04 12:37 PM Chin up, my friend! Sorry the race was not what you hoped for. You are very right that our age group is TOUGH. I, thankfully, only have one year left in it, but I suspect my next one won't be any better. I had a similar no-greeting finisher experience when I did the St Paul oly one year... In fact, they were already taking down the finish area fencing when I crossed the line. I think you were at that race, actually--the one when they ran out of water?? Anyway, yes, that is very demoralizing and I'm sorry that happened to you. I decided a couple of years ago to do only sprints for the forseeable future. I just don't train enough (at all? lol) to do anything longer. I kind of felt bad/guilty about it at first, but not anymore. This is supposed to be fun! I hope you enjoy the rest of your races! Kelly - I remember that race because you got the last bottle of water for me and held onto it until I finished! You were my savior! |
| 2012-06-04 8:47 PM in reply to: #4241876 |
Veteran 576 Maple Grove | Subject: RE: Buffalo Triathlon - Olympic Distance Sorry for the tough race, Emily. I definitely noticed more chop on the back part of the swim, as well. After seeing TooTall's note and now yours about the medals, I think they were far short of what they expected, and that totally sucks. They have a notice on the website that you can email the RD and they will mail you one. You definitely have to enjoy what you train for, and train for what you enjoy. It looks like the rest of your summer is spread out well, and the Napa Ragnar sounds like fun! Hope things go well for you! |
| 2012-06-04 9:15 PM in reply to: #4241876 |
| Subject: RE: Buffalo Triathlon - Olympic Distance Way to tough it out. |
| 2012-06-06 10:06 AM in reply to: #4241876 |
Member 160 | Subject: RE: Buffalo Triathlon - Olympic Distance Good for you to tough it out. It's about fun for me too, so I understand if you're not enjoying a distance it's good to do some reflection on why and what you can do that's fun. Your next race will be better! |
| 2012-06-07 12:32 PM in reply to: #4241876 |
Master 2802 Minnetonka, Minnesota Bronze member | Subject: RE: Buffalo Triathlon - Olympic Distance I will add my " sorry for the tough race", but way to stick it out. Your post about lack of swim training on Tri Talk took some guts, but a lot of people really appreciated it I think. I still have not done an Oly, so my hat is still off to you! Let's have more fun at Lake Minnetonka!  |
| 2012-06-11 10:39 AM in reply to: #4241876 |
Extreme Veteran 607 Rochester, MN | Subject: RE: Buffalo Triathlon - Olympic Distance Emily, sorry to hear about your tough race. I heard you say hi to me on the run and I appreciated it. I'm sorry I didn't reply, I was really pushing hard at that point, thinking I could still get close to my run goal. I didn't expect to hear from anyone cause I knew so few people at this race. You really caught me by surprise but still it's no excuse. I just did sprints last year because of my knee and I enjoyed the year. I'm more of a long distance guy but it was fun going short and fast (and less training). Oly is not my best distance because of the more heavily weighted swim. You need to enjoy the races so I'd just bag the Olys for now. I got the pic, thanks! |
| 2012-06-11 9:50 PM in reply to: #4241876 |
Expert 924 Western WI | Subject: RE: Buffalo Triathlon - Olympic Distance Emily - I wish I could give some words that would make that race turn into your "best race ever." I'm proud of your effort, and your honesty. And personally, I think that our "worst race ever" helps us to appreciate our good races even more. Keep your chin up, train with friends and jump back on the Oly wagon when you're ready. I'm glad you're involved in the sport and so active here on BT - you're an asset to our community! I hope to see you out there someday! Keep on truckin, girl!! |
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Buffalo Triathlon
70F / 21C
Overcast
Overall Rank = 86/95
Age Group = F35-39
Age Group Rank = 16/16
(Overall rank is female only)
This whole thing started out under good circumstances. I was packed early on Saturday, put my feet up most of the day, ate and hydrated well. My husband was out of town so I got a pretty restful (e.g. no snoring) sleep and headed out on time.
When I got to Buffalo I pulled my bike out of the car and worked on pumping the tires. I immediately snapped the end of the presta valve off my back tire. I asked the Maple Grove Cyclery guys if that would hold and they recommended changing it. I was glad, because I was probably only holding 80 psi since it had been several days since the last pump. Thankfully, they did the change for me! I've never had to use bike support at a race, so I must have built up some good karma.
I got in the water early and didn't leave until I felt good. My googles need a quick tightening, which I did, and everything else felt fine. I waited for my wave.