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Steamboat Express Triathlon (Olympic, Sprint & 10k - TriathlonOlympic


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San Dimas, California
United States
Make-u-fit
80F / 27C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 37m 37s
Overall Rank = 51/175
Age Group = 20-24
Age Group Rank = 3/8
Pre-race routine:

I woke up at a cheery 4am to get ready to drive with Liz the 2 hours to San Dimas (which is east of LA). When I woke up, I forgot why my friggin alarm was blaring so early on a Saturday, than the race jitters finally set in. I ate my yummy cinnamon and sugar bagel with cream cheese, full glass of OJ and a cup of coffee. Liz and I packed up the car and drove. I talked almost the entire time, luckily Liz is a great listener! :)
Event warmup:

Set up my transition area, chatted with anyone within hearing distance, checked in and realized I forgot my racing belt. Darn it. About 10min before it started, I got in the lake to test the water- it was practically bath water!

I noticed when setting up my transition area that there were some pretty hardcore looking bikes for such a small race. One girl that I talked to even mentioned something about her 'sponsors.' Sounds fast!
Swim
  • 25m
  • 1640 yards
  • 01m 31s / 100 yards
Comments:

There was no way this swim was the length they said- I am NOT that fast. I didn't freak out like last time, but there was a lot more jostling, even though there were only like 50 girls. All the women started at the same time, and I started on the side, but ended up being a bit faster than some of the girls, so I had to do my share of punching and kicking. Eventually it cleared up, but I was almost swam over a few times. I had some really bad burps that weren't coming up at the start of the race that forced me to do the breast stroke once to get it out. That's never happened to me before, I don't know why- maybe I was hpyerventilating? Weird. Once I got over it, I got into my groove. I still didn't feel like I was swimming at my best, but no one really passed me, and I finished strong. I love swimming in the lake!! (rank is with the guys too)
What would you do differently?:

Get faster, somehow, and find a better place to start! I had tried to start on the outside, but apparently so did a bunch of other aggressive girls that weren't even that fast. A wetsuit may help me get faster, but I think I only want a sleeveless. I'm almost positive that all the girls that beat me (10, I believe) did so on the swim. If I could get faster on the swim, I might have had a chance to catch up to a few of them.
Transition 1
  • 01m 30s
Comments:

Pretty good run over to the transition area, and I ended up passing up a few girls- why do they always walk? I caught my breath while changing, and thought I went quickly enough, but I still put my shoes on before getting on my bike. Those 10sec I would save would be at the sacrifice of me falling off my bike trying to coordinate the shoes. (time is an estimate)
What would you do differently?:

Nothing really.
Bike
  • 1h 22m 4s
  • 24.9 miles
  • 18.20 mile/hr
Comments:

I was huffing and puffing pretty hard coming off the swim, so I was a bit worried to start the bike. There was no elevation profile provided for the race, and only a vague description, so I really didn't know what to expect. Well, it was pretty darn hilly, with what seemed like an unfair amount of time spent climbing vs. descending. The roads were of questionable quality- a lot of potholes, rocks, debri and glass, and a few very scary grates that were put in specifically to catch bike tires (at least that's the way they were facing).

Besides my initial concerns, I thought I did really well on the bike. I passed a few girls right off the bat, and even got to say hi to my friend Liz. I caught up to and passed a good number of guys too, who had started about 15min ahead of the girls, so that got me psyched. I can't imagine any of the guys I passed being particularly fond of my smiling face whizzing by :)

I had a friggin great time out there. I got talkin' to some of the boys I was right around and we would have a game where I passed them on the uphill, and then they'd speed by on the downhill. My max speed was 37.7 which is incredible for me, but I just don't weigh enough to go that fast on the downhill. I couldn't believe when I checked my garmin afterwards that my average miles per hour were over 18!! WOW! That is great for me, especially when I found the course to be so challenging! I was dissapointed that I didn't find too many girls to pass out there, so I was basically just racing the guys at the back of their pack.

I could've spent more time in aero position, but I'm not comfortable climbing while tucked in, and there were so many gear changes, that I didn't stay down that often. I would say 60/40 non-aero to aero. I'll have to work on that.

What would you do differently?:

Bulk up so I can be faster on the downhill, but otherwise, I thought I pushed myself pretty hard. I'm not a fast cyclist, but it sure did boost my ego to be consistently passing guys.
Transition 2
  • 02m 30s
Comments:

Since I forgot to bring my race belt, I had to clip my number on my shirt which took some time. Also, I forgot how I had racked my bike so I tried to put it on backwards at first. Oh well! (time is an estimate)
What would you do differently?:

Remember my race belt and practice my actual transitions more.
Run
  • 46m 20s
  • 6.2 miles
  • 07m 28s  min/mile
Comments:

While I was on the bike, I was a bit worried about the run because my legs were burning pretty good from the bike. I didn't feel any weirdness in my legs at all, so I just kept up a pace that felt good for me. I slowly started picking off the guys ahead of me and ended up passing about 15 guys total on the run. I still couldn't find any girls ahead of me, so I really didn't have anyone to race. Then at about mile 2, this ridiculously tall, skinny, cute young girl with toothpicks for legs comes flying by me- I couldn't believe it! She was running like a 6:15min/mile at least- I mean, she practically sprinted by me! Grrr...I tried to pick up my pace, but there was just no way I could catch her. She was the only girl the whole time that passed me, besides on the swim.

The sun went behind some clouds at the end, so that was nice, but it was still humid and the quality of the air just felt more dense than usual. Wasn't too bad though, and overall, I thought I had a nice run. I picked up my pace a bit at the end cause I was feeling good, and I finished strong with a smile on my face :) Woo-hoo- I finished my first Olympic and had a BLAST!
What would you do differently?:

If this were my most important race, I could've definitely gone all out on the run. I really didn't want to be too sore though, so I held back a bit, and I also didn't have any pacing goals since I didn't know what to expect out there. Next olympic I'll have a much better idea of what I'm capable of.
Post race
Warm down:

I found Liz and asked her how she did- she said she had a great time on the sprint course- WOO-HOO- she's a triathlete now!! I'm so proud :) She got 4th in her age group, so I hope she's hooked now too.

I walked around and ate a banana, then sort of attempted to stretch. I talked to a bunch of people and just had fun! I was picking up my transition area stuff when they did the 'awards' so I didn't hear my name the first time around- sad! I went back over to see how I did, and the guy announced my name again for me, but said it wrong, oh well. I got a pretty new medal to add to my collection- 2 medals in 2 races- not too bad! I gotta race a ton more before I turn 25 and have to compete with the super fast women!

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Not knowing the course was def. a limiting factor. I don't think I could've gone much faster on the bike, but it would've been nice to know that there was a lot more hills than I thought.

Now onto SOMA in a month- I'm ready!! :)

Event comments:

For being such a small race, it was tons of fun. I was suprised at how many pretty serious racers there were, but it didn't feel too competitive or anything. They could have marked the course a lot better, there were just some arrows on the ground and a few signs. An elevation profile before the race would be wonderful. If you know what you're getting into though, it was a ton of fun!




Last updated: 2006-09-08 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:25:00 | 1640 yards | 01m 31s / 100yards
Age Group: 2/8
Overall: 85/175
Performance: Good
Suit:
Course: A triangle, where all the buoys were on my left. Too bad I breath on my right!
Start type: Run Plus: Shot
Water temp: 74F / 23C Current: Low
200M Perf. Below average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Average Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 01:30
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed:
Biking
01:22:04 | 24.9 miles | 18.20 mile/hr
Age Group: 2/8
Overall: 84/175
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course: HILLY! Lots of potholes and grates going the wrong way, tons of debri and the course was open to traffic. A couple of sharp turns and some roads where a mountain bike would've been much better suited. Kind of an adventure course! It was a 3 lap course around the lake with a lot of pretty views.
Road: Potholes Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 02:30
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Below average
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Below average
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:46:20 | 06.2 miles | 07m 28s  min/mile
Age Group: 3/8
Overall: 30/175
Performance: Good
Course: A few pretty steep hills and some rugged terrain- sand, horse poop and rocks all over the course. We had to go over a small bridge over a creek and ran through a lovely trailer park. Very adventerous course! The whole thing was quite interesting.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Too hard
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? No
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 3

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2006-10-01 12:18 PM

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Master
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Ann Arbor, MI
Subject: Steamboat Express Triathlon (Olympic, Sprint & 10k


2006-10-01 12:56 PM
in reply to: #556874

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Master
2287
2000100100252525
Calgary, Alberta
Subject: RE: Steamboat Express Triathlon (Olympic, Sprint & 10k

Congratulations Alaina!  What a great race for your first Olympic (3rd in AG).  Having to pin on my race # would probably loose me minutes (I hate those small safety pins).

Keep up the great work and good luck with your future races!

Steve

2006-10-01 1:28 PM
in reply to: #556874

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Pro
3906
20001000500100100100100
Libertyville, IL
Subject: RE: Steamboat Express Triathlon (Olympic, Sprint & 10k
Way to go!  Sounds more like an adventure race than a tri.  Awesom times too and hope you had fun celebrating!
2006-10-01 2:53 PM
in reply to: #556874

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Expert
1168
10001002525
Subject: RE: Steamboat Express Triathlon (Olympic, Sprint & 10k

Awesome job on the oly!!  Good splits and it sounds like you had a blast on it.  Congrats on taking home some AG hardware!

 -Rob

2006-10-01 7:39 PM
in reply to: #556874

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Expert
709
500100100
Subject: RE: Steamboat Express Triathlon (Olympic, Sprint & 10k

Great job! Sounds like a fun race and I like how you turned it into a celebratory party in the evening. You've got to love that!

Mission Bay was fun this morning. I'm glad I did it!

2006-10-01 9:53 PM
in reply to: #556874

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Mesa
Subject: RE: Steamboat Express Triathlon (Olympic, Sprint & 10k
Good job Alaina!

Whether the swim is actually 1500 or not, I would do many things to be able to swim it in 25 minutes. Your fast swim made your time faster than my first OLY (I swam 40 minutes in it and finished in 2 hours 38 minutes).

I'll look forward to meeting you at SOMA... You start before I do and with that fast swim time, I'll be chasing after you on the bike.

Oh, nice job getting hardware in your first OLY too!

Edited by chile7473 2006-10-01 9:53 PM


2006-10-01 10:37 PM
in reply to: #556874

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Veteran
298
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San mateo
Subject: RE: Steamboat Express Triathlon (Olympic, Sprint & 10k

Awesome job on all three sports!  That burp that woudn't come up  made me laught..I never heard of that..hhehe....

 Great race  

Is this your first year tri'ng?

2006-10-01 10:37 PM
in reply to: #556874

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Veteran
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San mateo
Subject: RE: Steamboat Express Triathlon (Olympic, Sprint & 10k
Also, congrats on 3 place!!!
2006-10-02 9:41 AM
in reply to: #556874

Albuquerque, NM
Subject: RE: Steamboat Express Triathlon (Olympic, Sprint & 10k

Hardware on your first Oly?  You put up a very fast time too...Great job!  You are going kick as* in Soma.  Keep up the good work and 27 days left until Soma. 

Mike

2006-10-02 4:44 PM
in reply to: #557516

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Elite
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San Diego
Subject: RE: Steamboat Express Triathlon (Olympic, Sprint & 10k
Great job in this race! You will have to slow down when we ride together...like 3 or 4 mph
2006-10-04 7:40 AM
in reply to: #556874

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Master
1201
1000100100
Indian Harbour Beach, Florida
Subject: RE: Steamboat Express Triathlon (Olympic, Sprint & 10k
WOW! Great job! So impressive!

CONGRATULATIONS!


2006-10-06 9:14 AM
in reply to: #556874

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Regular
56
2525
Corona, California
Subject: RE: Steamboat Express Triathlon (Olympic, Sprint & 10k

Great race!! You're a hell of a competitor. You're getting fast on the bike. I am looking forward to doing a training ride with you sometime.

Again great race!

2006-10-06 9:24 AM
in reply to: #556874

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Master
2139
200010025
piece o heaven
Subject: RE: Steamboat Express Triathlon (Olympic, Sprint & 10k
Great race and great RR!

Way to go, sounds like you and Liz will have a blast competing together.

It is always that much better with a good friend
2006-10-06 10:22 AM
in reply to: #556874

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Cycling Guru
15134
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Fulton, MD
Subject: RE: Steamboat Express Triathlon (Olympic, Sprint & 10k
Congrats on the hardware and solid race!!

Yeah, those tall, skinny, fast people always me off .... (says the 6'-1" - 175 pound runner) ....
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