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Square Lake Triathlon - Short Course - TriathlonSprint


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Stillwater, Minnesota
United States
Front Runner
48F / 9C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 47m 12s
Overall Rank = 46/255
Age Group = 35-39
Age Group Rank = 9/35
Pre-race routine:

Up at 5:30 got the bike on the car and the family ready to go. Went to pull away from the house and had to make a last minute bathroom break. On the road by 6:10 and hit Square Lake at 7:00. Parking can be an issue in the park, but I was able to park in the second to last row in the overflow parking. Had a couple of Honey Stingers on the drive and about 20 ounces of water.
Event warmup:

Got transition setup, but it was cold. Temp on the car said 48 degrees. Jumped on the bike and got a small warmup in, about 1.5 miles. Headed down to packet pickup and picked out swim cap color off the table. Did some light stretching and running drills (leaping, side steps, jumping, etc.). Loaded up with body glide and pulled the wetsuit on. Got in about 200 yards of swim warmup. Water was significantly warmer than the air temp.
Swim
  • 14m 38s
  • 880 yards
  • 01m 40s / 100 yards
Comments:

Started out strong and was holding with the lead group. About 300 yards in, chest felt really constricted, but pace seemed about normal. Had to back it down for 10-15 seconds and as a result got left in the dust by the lead pack. Pretty much remained in no mans land for the remainder of the swim. Sighting was difficult rounding the last buoy and just had to guess on the sight line all the way in. Couldn't make out anything to sigh off of. Just went with it and ended up off line by about 30 yards once I got inside the shadow of the hill. Corrected and out of the water.
What would you do differently?:

Don't know where the chest constriction came from, training speeds have been much faster than this. No change in wetsuit or in tri kit. Something just didn't feel comfortable. Once I backed it down I got the rythm back up to the same cadence as before.
Transition 1
  • 01m 49s
Comments:

I love the T1 at this race. You come out of the water and have to climb about 50 wooden stairs to get up to the transition area. It never feels good, but there is just somehting about it that I like.
What would you do differently?:

Need to work on getting feet into shoes faster, I lost a little time on the bike trying to pull the shoes on. It took until about 1 mile into the bike before I finally got my feet all the way in the shoes and strapped down.
Bike
  • 50m 43s
  • 18 miles
  • 21.29 mile/hr
Comments:

The hills killed me this year, I just couldn't hold pace. Got passed a lot on the uphills. Had some nice stretches at 34+ mph, always been able to pull fast on the false flats and the downhills. Still having difficulty getting into the shoes on the bike. When the I start with me feet on top of the shoes they collapse, I can't seem to get them open enough to get my foot in.
What would you do differently?:

I have never been strong on the hills, but during the offseson I need to focus on more strength training and dropping 15-20 lbs to be more efficent on the uphills. I still question whether or not there is a geometry/gearing/ crank length issue with the Cannondale Slice 5 in the 61cm. After a full season on it, I just don't feel like the power is there. I could have easily held a 23 mph average on my roadie with clip ons. Although it is likley just my riding style that needs to change to match it. I have been professionally fitted on it twice. I will have to do some more reading this off season to understand tall guys and suggested gear ratios and crank lengths and testing on the trainer to get it figured out.
Transition 2
  • 00m 52s
Comments:

Good transition. Except when I jumped off the bike, my feet were numb. It felt like I had two bricks hanging off the bottom of my legs. Ran to transition space and got out quick.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Run
  • 39m 12s
  • 5 miles
  • 07m 50s  min/mile
Comments:

Once again the hills killed me. It took about a mile before I got the feeling back in my feet. Started out at 7:30 pace. Planned to negative split each mile, but the hills threw a wrench in that plan. Pace bounced around a lot from 6:05 to 8:45 depending on whether or not I was going uphill or downhill.
What would you do differently?:

Again need to probably lose 10-15 lbs this off season to really make any substantial drops in pace per mile average. The run felt good as long as I was on flats or going downhill. The uphills, just simply hurt.
Post race
Warm down:

1 mile cooldown with light stretching. Then off to Perkins for the tremendous twelve and the last carbs of the season.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Again need to probably lose 10-15 lbs this off season working with masters at least two days a week and strength training two to three days a week with some two-a-days for run/bike. Already met with the nutrionist and have a plan. Meet with the trainer in two weeks for strength training.

Event comments:

I love this race. Probably one of the best venues for tris in the cities with a challenging bke and run and the water in the lake is very clear. Water temps are on the coolside, but comfortable. This year was a 20 minute improvement on the course in similar conditions from last year, but that was due to the amount of work I put in this summer compared to last summer. That and the amount of weight that I was able to drop this spring.




Last updated: 2012-08-21 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:14:38 | 880 yards | 01m 40s / 100yards
Age Group: 10/35
Overall: 86/255
Performance: Good
Suit: Blue Seventy Revolution
Course: Clockwise rectangle, difficult sighting on the way in couldn't see anything.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Average
Breathing: Good Drafting: Below average
Waves: Good Navigation: Average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 01:49
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Below average
Biking
00:50:43 | 18 miles | 21.29 mile/hr
Age Group: 10/35
Overall: 67/255
Performance: Average
Wind: Some
Course: Giant rectangle with a fair amount of hills throughout some had speeds down to 11-14 mph. A couple of downhills into tight turns (single lane bridge, turn down onto 95). The return from 95 to square lake was on the new pavement.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Below average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 00:52
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:39:12 | 05 miles | 07m 50s  min/mile
Age Group: 10/35
Overall: 73/255
Performance: Average
Course: Counter Clockwise loop around the lake, although you couldn't see the lake. Several large hills on a mixture of paved, gravel, and dirt roads.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Ok
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? No
Events on-time? No
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 5

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2012-09-10 9:45 PM

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Subject: Square Lake Triathlon - Short Course


2012-09-11 1:07 PM
in reply to: #4404834

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Veteran
576
500252525
Maple Grove
Subject: RE: Square Lake Triathlon - Short Course

Great race, man!! 20 minute improvement over one year on a short course like that is really, really impressive!! The hills are tough, to be sure. I thought I saw you go by on the bike course. I was volunteering at that nasty downhill, left hand corner coming down to 95.

Great job, and great year! It seems like you've made some pretty good improvements in pace and endurance as the year has gone on.

Ryan

2012-09-16 5:00 PM
in reply to: #4404834

Expert
638
50010025
Subject: RE: Square Lake Triathlon - Short Course
Nice job. I agree on the venue. This is one of my favorite races in the area. Challenging course by MInnesota standards, and September racing is always great.
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