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Iowa Games Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Ogden, Iowa
United States
79F / 26C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 18m 30s
Overall Rank = 20?/80F?
Age Group = 30-34
Age Group Rank = 0/
Pre-race routine:

Got a couple of English muffins, coffee and juice at the hotel around 6 am. Drove to the race, checked in, set up, rode my bike and swam a little to warm up. Chatted to lots of newbie triathletes standing in the water giggling. Avoided pond scum.
Event warmup:

See above.
Swim
  • 11m
  • 400 meters
  • 02m 45s / 100 meters
Comments:

No clue on rank, but I passed a lot of people including some men in the wave 5 minutes ahead. Top 10-20?
What would you do differently?:

I could start to be more aggressive about positioning at the beginning of the swim. I still start to the side and back, expecting to be the slowest. I could move up and take a more direct line. Overall though, loved it!
Transition 1
  • 00m
Comments:

Dealt with getting into shoes better this time, still not great.
What would you do differently?:

Practice more on getting into shoes, or get different shoes.
Bike
  • 00m
  • 13 miles
  • 0.00 mile/hr
Comments:

Definitely the most contested bike leg I've had lately. I was closer to the front of the pack this time and there was a lot of back and forth, passing and getting passed. They wrote everyone's age on their leg whether they were in a team or not, so it was hard to tell who the real competition was! Everyone was fighting for it, though. Lots of fun.
What would you do differently?:

Get a super expensive tri bike?

It's tempting. On the other hand, I held off and then pulled way ahead of this woman whose fancy Cervelo outfit was worth easily three times my Terry road bike. That was extremely gratifying. I'd lose that if I shelled out for the fancy tri bike. ;)
Transition 2
  • 00m
Comments:

This transition got a little screwed up because we were racking bikes on floppy wires and the next door guy's bike flopped on my shoes. Also, because the transition areas were completely unsecured, Bu showed up to cheer me on, check out my stuff and ask questions while I was trying to get through T2. Nothing like a 3 year old to liven up a transition!
What would you do differently?:

Give Bu a better hug and kiss before running off.
Run
  • 00m
  • 5 kms
  •  min/km
Comments:

This run felt way better than recent attempts. Although I won't get splits, the pace felt much faster. I drank less on the bike and avoided a side stitch. Also, I ran with a 16 year old and took a lot of inspiration from encouraging her toward the finish of her first tri. It's amazing how much that helps!
What would you do differently?:

Not a thing.
Post race
Warm down:

Walked, drank, ate, went swinging with Bu, cheered for other competitors.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Equipment. Lack of real brick training. I'm wondering about body weight. I could probably run faster if I lost a little weight, but I don't really need to lose weight (I'm 5'8" and 135 lbs) and I'm not sure how good an idea it is to be losing weight just to compete. Sounds like the beginning of an eating disorder. But maybe just 5 lbs for the racing season??

Event comments:

This morning I raced in the Iowa Games triathlon outside Ogden, Iowa. I won't be getting splits on the legs or the transitions because they didn't use timing chips, and I don't think my official race time is right (it was over a minute more than what my watch showed at the finish). But it was still a personal best. The time I registered was 1:18:30 (theirs was 1:19:39), ten minutes faster than my previous best for a sprint tri. The bike leg on this one was a mile shorter, but it was still a much faster race. The swim went great, I was very competitive on the bike leg, and on the run I felt a lot better than I have lately while running. Maybe eventually I'll find out my rank, maybe I won't, I'm not too worried. We took off right afterward to get showers. It was a great race.

And what a funny race it was. Not a USA Triathlon event, so everything was just a little ... different. No security around the transition areas, no numbers on the bikes, no PA system, no race bag goodies, no particular anxiety about following the rules, just your basic no-frills swim, bike, run. The crowd with the tricked out tri bikes, swish wetsuits, etc., was conspicuously absent. A lot of first-timers, milk jugs for buoys on the swim. It was all very Iowa and in fact very nice.




Last updated: 2004-06-07 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:11:00 | 400 meters | 02m 45s / 100meters
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/80F?
Performance: Good
Suit: sleeveless longjohn
Course: Counterclockwise along buoy line, out and back. Started fairly late, impossible to hear instructions, nobody seemed to care. Very cheerful pre-race atmosphere. Someone shouted a split at me as I came out of the water, I think they said 11 minutes. Who knows. The swim felt great. Getting to be my favorite event.
Start type: Wade Plus:
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Good
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 00:00
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
00:00:00 | 13 miles | 0.00 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/80F?
Performance: Good
Wind: Some
Course: Out and back, north then south. Some wind heading out, small tailwind coming back, narrow turn around in road. Nobody controlling drafting.
Road: Rough Dry Cadence: ?
Turns: Average Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Average Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 00:00
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:00:00 | 05 kms |  min/km
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/80F?
Performance: Good
Course: Out and back on a fairly well shaded road, partly dirt, across a dam. Water station at the turn around, big hill toward the end.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %?
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized?
Events on-time? No
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Below average
Race evaluation [1-5] 5

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2004-07-17 11:03 PM

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Expert
948
50010010010010025
Mount Vernon, Iowa
Subject: Iowa Games Triathlon


2004-07-18 9:12 PM
in reply to: #38326

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Expert
1279
1000100100252525
Northern VA
Subject: RE: Iowa Games Triathlon
Congratulations on your PR!
2004-07-19 9:22 AM
in reply to: #38326

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Expert
1180
1000100252525
Iowa
Subject: RE: Iowa Games Triathlon
Great race Carrie. What superb improvement. I'd say you're getting pretty serious about this stuff, so go ahead and get the bike.
2004-07-19 9:50 AM
in reply to: #38326

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Veteran
205
100100
Adel
Subject: RE: Iowa Games Triathlon
Great race! Congrats on the PR. I did the same race last year for my first tri. Those bike wires drove me nuts as well. I couldn't get my bike off the wire in T1. It was a fun course though, nice flat bike ride.

2004-07-19 10:02 AM
in reply to: #38532

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Expert
948
50010010010010025
Mount Vernon, Iowa
Subject: RE: Iowa Games Triathlon
Thanks! Yeah, the bike wires weren't the best idea. My husband was more stressed about it than I was. He was trying to reengineer everything to hold up the bikes better, but it wasn't happening. It was okay though. This race encourages a very laid back attitude about it all, and that probably contributed to the PR. I was just having fun!
2004-07-19 5:52 PM
in reply to: #38326

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Extreme Veteran
465
1001001001002525
Epworth. Iowa
Subject: RE: Iowa Games Triathlon
Great race Carrie - espcially your swim - I'm envious...still struggling. It all does sound a bit laid back - certainly not a USAT event ay? Your weight is fine - I think you will get faster in the run by just by putting in the miles at a good HR and staying in the zone. You are awesome on the bike - I've seen that first hand.


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