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Marquee Triathlon - Olympic Course - Triathlon


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Tempe, Arizona
United States
Life Time Triathlon Series
85F / 29C
Sunny
Total Time = 3h 12m 18s
Overall Rank = 259/418
Age Group = Master Clydes
Age Group Rank = 3/4
Pre-race routine:

Training had been consistent but lighter than most years heading into my second Tempe race since 2009. It would be the first where I was healthy (for Leadman the last year, I had pneumonia and a torn meniscus) and there would be a lot of familiar faces there – between old friends and the current club. I got to transition and found Tom. We hung out together, walked around and said hello to everyone while we waited for the start.
Event warmup:

The practice swim was cancelled, so I had no opportunity to get in the water beforehand. I struggled to put on the wetsuit, which had magically shrunk over the winter (I couldn’t have put on weight, right? :) ) Uncomfortable as I was, and this being my first open water swim of the year, I thought I might have to fake my way through. Wouldn’t be the first time, especially at Tempe Town Lake.
Swim
  • 36m 44s
  • 1500 meters
  • 02m 27s / 100 meters
Comments:

I started off slowly and let water get inside the wetsuit. Soaking it properly would allow it to become more flexible, get into better position on my body, and help me acclimate to the temperature. As I reached the Mill Ave. bridge, it felt like it was starting to loosen up a bit, the water was cool but not cold, and the start of the swim had been nice and calm. I felt relaxed and just focused on not straining my arms too far ahead on the catch (when the wetsuit is tight, stretching too far is similar to working out with resistance bands) and finishing my stroke at my thigh on the follow through. I was taking long, slow strokes, which kept my breathing calm and heart rate low. I felt smooth and, despite getting a few bumps from other swimmers, was making good progress around the course. I have found over time that I can use the south shore of the lake for a good land based frame of reference at TTL – this helps keep me oriented and calm. I made the turn and even though a lot of swimmers from waves behind me had caught up, I could still see some people from my wave behind me. I resisted looking at my time – I felt good doing what I was doing and didn’t want to deviate.

I was a little bored with the swim on the return trip, so I kept doing chunks of 60 strokes at a time before checking to see progress. It made the time go a little faster and progress was more obvious. I eventually made the final turn and was on my way in. After exiting the water, I looked at my watch and saw thirty five minutes and change. Not quite a PR, but a surprisingly good start considering my low expectations.

What would you do differently?:

I suppose more practice over the winter could have helped. However, considering how little swim training I have done the past few months and the fact that I performed almost as well as ever on this swim, it doesn’t really light a fire under me to get to the pool more often.
Transition 1
  • 04m 5s
Comments:

Fairly smooth – volunteers helped with the wetsuit
Bike
  • 1h 21m 16s
  • 28 miles
  • 20.67 mile/hr
Comments:

Even though I have gained weight since last season, my power numbers have increased on the bike, which represents about a wash (power to weight ratio is a critical measurement when it comes to bike speed). I wanted to push the bike a bit, since I have some hilly courses coming up later in the year and wanted to tax my legs a bit before running. Since it is flat, this was also an opportunity to have a faster split and average speed than I will be able to on the tougher courses. Third, a ride on a familiar course would allow me to get a baseline of where I am on the bike right now, even compared to previous years.

I sometimes forget that when I have a good swim that it puts me on the bike course with generally faster athletes (apparently, this doesn’t happen enough). If I am not blowing through the field on the bike course, I feel like something is wrong when it really is only indicative of the stronger competition. As I made my way through the first loop, I got to pass a bunch, but there were some faster folks getting by me on the left as well. Keeping an eye on my heart rate and speed, however, I could tell that I was doing pretty well. One thing that riding the trainer has improved for me is that I have gotten out of the habit of allowing ’breaks’ in my pedal stroke and coasting for a few seconds. On the trainer, the resistance is constant so you have no breaks to coast – it builds the habit of keeping the legs moving and the pedals turning. I think this helps on the road because your legs are always pedaling, which helps maintain momentum and speed.

I was hoping that sometime on the bike course, I might find Tom. We have a pattern when we do the same race. He gets a lead on the swim, I catch him on the bike, and he catches me on the run. This scenario has played out numerous times, even as recently as Vistancia last month. It took until midway through the second loop, but I finally caught up (and he promptly caught back up in mile one of the run course).

I pressed the last few miles of the course and pulled into transition feeling pretty good about the effort. My overall time was just over two hours. Even though I wouldn’t get a sub- three hour finish (which, with a 28 mile bike course, would be a lot to ask – most ‘Olympic distance’ races are around 25), my splits and paces would be respectable if I had a decent run.

What would you do differently?:

Extra weight – but the effort was consistent and the discipline was solid, so I am happy with the performance. I can’t just decide to be skinny on race day
Transition 2
  • 02m 37s
Comments:

Pretty quick transition. Nothing wasted.
Run
  • 1h 08m 35s
  • 6.2 miles
  • 11m 04s  min/mile
Comments:

I purposely raced the bike hard to see how my legs would respond on the run. I know with the remainder of the schedule (after the Ohio race), the bike courses will be challenging and I will be running on legs that are already pretty trashed. No time like the present to get a gauge for how far behind the curve I might be. I kept a steady, quick cadence as I made my way around the course. The heat was rising and I was getting tired, but I kept reminding myself that I wanted to race this event and not just coast through. Being as familiar as I am with the course, I know that I can afford to push a little without the risk of unexpected terrain surprising me at the end. As the heat was rising, I walked through the aid stations to dump some cold water over my head and take in Gatorade. This would be the extent of my walking today, however. I managed to maintain my short, quick steps through to the finish. I saw Tom waiting on the final turn to cheer me in, which was nice.
What would you do differently?:

Once again, extra weight. The effort and the fitness are both there – as the pounds come off, the speed will naturally increase. I just need to clean up the diet in the coming months.
Post race
Warm down:

Waited for the transition area to open, packed my stuff, found Tom to say goodbye and headed to the car. It was a successful return to Tempe, which included third place in my division (of course, it is the ‘Masters Clydesdale’ division, which I refer to as the ‘Fat Old Guy’ division, so I won’t get carried away into thinking that I am some kind of juggernaut here :) ). As nice as it was to see some old friends and familiar faces these last couple of races, it will also be nice to get some anonymity back for the upcoming travel races (with the possible exception of Mountain Man, where I expect to see friends again). There’s a lot less pressure if a) you haven’t raced the course before and can’t compare your present time to previous, faster years and b) no one you know sees you struggle.

Event comments:

Like all Lifetime events I have seen, it was well organized and well run. The amenities are nice, albeit cookie cutter (Lifetime finds a design that they like for shirts, medals, etc. and sticks with it). I recommend their races, especially if you haven’t done a bunch of them.




Last updated: 2014-02-01 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:36:44 | 1500 meters | 02m 27s / 100meters
Age Group: 4/4
Overall: 0/418
Performance: Good
Suit:
Course: Rectangle in Tempe Town Lake
Start type: Plus:
Water temp: 70F / 21C Current:
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Drafting:
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 04:05
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
01:21:16 | 28 miles | 20.67 mile/hr
Age Group: 1/4
Overall: 0/418
Performance: Good
Average 154 Max 162
Wind:
Course: Two fourteen mile loops – typical Tempe course
Road:   Cadence: 77
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks:
T2
Time: 02:37
Overall:
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
01:08:35 | 06.2 miles | 11m 04s  min/mile
Age Group: 3/4
Overall: 0/418
Performance: Average
Average 151 Max 162
Course: One loop course around the lake and back to Tempe Beach Park
Keeping cool Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge
Organized?
Events on-time?
Lots of volunteers?
Plenty of drinks?
Post race activities:
Race evaluation [1-5]

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2014-04-20 6:36 AM

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Master
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Surprise, Arizona
Subject: Marquee Triathlon - Olympic Course


2014-04-20 6:42 AM
in reply to: #4984057

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Elite
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the desert
Subject: RE: Marquee Triathlon - Olympic Course
Totally agree with you about the trainer . I think that is what helped me improve my bike this fall, I just can't bare to get on it now with the weather so nice. Great seeing you out there and several times on the course. IMO, there were some really fast riders out there on the course this race.Great job with your return to Tempe racing.
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