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Terre Haute Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Terre Haute, Indiana
United States
Terre Haute Triathlon
65F / 18C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 52m 5s
Overall Rank = 18/266
Age Group = M30-34
Age Group Rank = 2/24
Pre-race routine:

Woke up early. Drove to the race site with everyone else from the Tri Club that was there. I navigated, so we didn't get lost on the way there. :)

Got the site, just as transition opened, snagged a primo spot in an optimum rack right by the entrance. Set up transition area, got tires pumped up. Tried to stay warm.

Thanks to Sally from the club for rescuing my coffee, so I had it to drink while we moped around in the cold. Got my caffeine fix and got going.
Event warmup:

Ran for about 10-15 minutes with Tom from the club. Mostly zone1, a few pickups.

Biked for about 15 min or so, dang that was cold! Tony watched our spots in the rack to make sure nobody stole them. Thanks Tony! The club enforcer. Heh.

Came back from the bike, final prep of the bike and transition area. Got my wetsuit on, and went down to the lake. Got in about 10 min of swimming before coming back in to line up just before the gun went off. Perfect timing on that, so I was nice and warmed up for the race.
Swim
  • 10m 36s
  • 800 meters
  • 01m 19s / 100 meters
Comments:

I was in the first wave. All men 30-39. Lots of fast swimmers. :)

I was at the front, got horizontal just before the start, and when the gun went I just hammered. I got out front, and there were just a few people in front. I managed to find someone's feet to follow, which was a nice bonus. This is such a short swim that drafting is hard.

Followed him around the buoys, and then on the way back we were into the sun. A group of the few people in front of me, missed navigation and went about 45 degrees off course. Whoops! I navigated correctly, with about 3-4 others, and we made a beeline for the finish. I had two guys in front that I drafted off of, and both stood up too early. I swam a few more strokes and came out of the water in front of them. Heh. Gotcha!
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. This was a faster swim than last year, on the identical course. My swim is kicking ass.
Transition 1
  • 02m 30s
Comments:

Includes a couple hundred yard run from swim exit to transition area.

I was a dunce. In my pre-race setup, I forgot to dump my water bottle into the aero bottle. I realized this as I was running up to my bike from the swim. I had to stop and dump it in while in T1. This cost me probably 30 seconds or so. This was important, as I'd find out later.
What would you do differently?:

Fill my stupid aero bottle *before* the race starts.
Bike
  • 1h 03m 35s
  • 24.85 miles
  • 23.45 mile/hr
Comments:

Power-Tap #1:
Duration: 1:03:35
Work: 883 kJ
TSS: 112.8 (intensity factor 1.032)
Norm Power: 238
VI: 1.03
Min,Max,Avg
Power: 0,848,232 watts
Heart rate: 144,169,158 bpm
Cadence: 30,141,88 rpm

I taped my powertap over so I rode with only cadence and mph showing. I think I self-regulate with power numbers. On oly distance I can afford to ride my legs off, so I didn't want anything telling me to go slower. I just did my best to ride hard, and keep the speed as high as possible.

I was in the first wave, and was one of the first people out of the water. There were only 6 people ahead of me on the bike. I caught and passed two of them fairly quickly. A few of the really fast collegiate guys in the 2nd wave caught me and passed me, but not until after the turnaround. So I took that as a good sign that I was smoking the bike. A check of the watch showed I was around 33 minutes and a bit at the turnaround. It's a bit of a net uphill to the turnaround, so it's a good negative split course.

One collegiate guy passed me just by the airport, and one of the few turns on the course, he put his head down and charged ahead, straight through the turn we were supposed to make. I yelled after him, but he was on a mission. I made the turn, and kept on hammering towards T2. Rolled into T2 and there were hardly any bikes in transition. Kind of an eerie feeling, but I liked it.
What would you do differently?:

Hammer even harder!!! :)
Transition 2
  • 01m
Comments:

Fast T2. I had a little trouble getting my bike racked as I had to rack it by the brake levers, and my aero bottle was getting stuck. I finally slammed it home. Got socks on, shoes on, grabbed visor and race number and hauled red bike for the run out. I was alone in T2 the whole time. Nobody was near me. I managed to ride away from everyone else in my wave.

Since I was near the front, the crowd was really awesome.
What would you do differently?:

Get bike racked faster. That can't have cost me much more than a few seconds though.
Run
  • 34m 37s
  • 4.97 miles
  • 06m 58s  min/mile
Comments:

Mile 1: 0:06:55.7,159,156
Mile 2: 0:06:58.4,163,160
Mile 3: 0:07:01.0,163,161
Mile 5: 0:14:11.2,173,164

(stopped HRM after I crossed and walked around a bit, so the last two laps were both sub-7)

I got passed in the last 1/4 mile. I'd checked spacing at the turnaround, so I figured I had enough of a lead, but still managed to crank up the effort the last 2 miles or so. Last little bit included an uphill section, my legs were on fire. Came into a trail section, saw the 1/2 mile sign. Pushed a bit harder, to get done, as I thought I might still go sub 1:52. I come out of the woods, and hear footsteps right behind me as I get passed. I've got nothing to answer with, so the guy goes past up the last little hill. I surge, but he's too much faster, and there's not enough room to catch him.
What would you do differently?:

Run faster? I dunno, my legs were burning pretty good. I focused on form, keeping up a good turnover, good stride, staying relaxed in upper body. I really was able to "step back" and observe myself objectively during the run. I felt like I ran smoother, even if I was on the verge of crashing.

I'd check over my shoulder and not get passed in the last 1/4 mile. Doh!
Post race
Warm down:

Stagger through the chute.

Walk around a bit, grab some water and heed. Walk back out on the course to cheer in the rest of the club.

Checked results, discovered I placed in my AG, so stuck around for the awards ceremony. I thought I had 3rd, but one of the guys placed overall, so I got bumped up to 2nd.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Hmmm, not much. I knocked about 3 minutes off my time from last year.

That guy who passed me? Ended up finishing 4 seconds ahead of me. And he took first in the M30-34 AG. Doh! He's a solid runner though, as he finished about 5 minutes faster on the run, the 12th faster run split of the day.

4 seconds was the difference between first place and second place.

If I'd filled my aero bottle, would I have been 4 seconds faster? Probably. Every little thing really matters. Seconds *do* count. Lesson learned.

Event comments:

It's a small race, but it's been running for 22 years, so they know how to do it. Lots of volunteers, everything goes on time, and always fun.

It's a long drive, but it's a fun race. I'll do it again next year, if someone else drives. :)




Last updated: 2007-05-19 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:10:36 | 800 meters | 01m 19s / 100meters
Age Group: 0/24
Overall: 26/266
Performance: Good
AHR 155
Suit: Full Suite
Course: A triangle, out and back, 2 right turns.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 67F / 19C Current:
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Good
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:30
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
01:03:35 | 24.85 miles | 23.45 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/24
Overall: 17/266
Performance: Good
Avg Hr: 158 Normalized Power: 238
Wind: Little
Course: Out and back. Not many turns. Some rollers on the middle half of the course. It's a very fun course.
Road: Smooth  Cadence: 88
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:00
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:34:37 | 04.97 miles | 06m 58s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/24
Overall: 50/266
Performance: Good
Course: Out and back along a running path, with some trail running sections. A few short by steepish hills.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 5

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2007-05-20 3:53 PM

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Pro
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St Charles, IL
Subject: Terre Haute Triathlon


2007-05-20 4:08 PM
in reply to: #808654

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Champion
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Whizzzzzlandia
Silver member
Subject: RE: Terre Haute Triathlon

First? I podium-ed in your race report! Smile

Fast. Fast. Fast.

Proud of you, as ever.

Zooks!  

 

 

2007-05-20 5:10 PM
in reply to: #808654

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Champion
19812
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MA
Subject: RE: Terre Haute Triathlon

Excellant race!

You are so fast at everything....must be so different to race from the front the whole time..who can chase down?

Is that NP close to your FTP number?

Congrats on placing....expect to see great racing from you all summer! 

2007-05-20 5:59 PM
in reply to: #808654

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Houston, TX
Subject: RE: Terre Haute Triathlon

outstanding job Chris!!  pretty exciting race report.  i think its pretty damned cool too that you maintain a mental edge in your races too.  like those couple extra strokes in the water and knowing the turns on the bike course.  bone head blunders like that cost podium spots and you don't make those errors.  good job man, and good luck through the rest of your season!

2007-05-20 6:10 PM
in reply to: #808742

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Pro
3906
20001000500100100100100
St Charles, IL
Subject: RE: Terre Haute Triathlon
KathyG - 2007-05-20 5:10 PM

Excellant race!

You are so fast at everything....must be so different to race from the front the whole time..who can chase down?

Is that NP close to your FTP number?

Congrats on placing....expect to see great racing from you all summer!

In theory, my FTP was 231.  I think this race shows that it's a little bit higher than that.  Stand by for the revised numbers.   

2007-05-20 6:33 PM
in reply to: #808654

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Mesa
Subject: RE: Terre Haute Triathlon
Nice race Dumpster! That is one smoking fast swim and you followed it right up with more speed! Great job!


2007-05-20 6:58 PM
in reply to: #808654

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Expert
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Wellington, North Island
Subject: RE: Terre Haute Triathlon
Awesome race Chris. Must be cool to be so far up front!
2007-05-20 8:46 PM
in reply to: #808654

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COURT JESTER
12230
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ROCKFORD, IL
Subject: RE: Terre Haute Triathlon
Nice race Chris.  Congrats on the placing. 
2007-05-20 11:59 PM
in reply to: #808654

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Extreme Veteran
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Bend, OR
Subject: RE: Terre Haute Triathlon
Great race report Chris and congrats on hitting the podium.  It's great to see you killed it in all three sports and put in some great times.  Cheers!
2007-05-21 6:31 AM
in reply to: #808654

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Resident Curmudgeon
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The Road Back
Gold member
Subject: RE: Terre Haute Triathlon

Great race, Chris! Nice to hear those reports from FOP, something most of us will never experience.

clap

2007-05-21 7:47 AM
in reply to: #808654

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Expert
1148
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NW Suburbs, Illinois
Subject: RE: Terre Haute Triathlon

Great stuff.  Sounds like you had a good time, too.  Smoking swim, followed by a smoking bike and run.  I know its killing you about the aerobottle, but its nice for the rest of us to hear the more experienced still make some mistakes here and there.  And now, we all learn from it!

Keep it up.  Knock off 3 more minutes next year and you will win the whole darn thing!



2007-05-21 8:08 AM
in reply to: #808654

Champion
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Subject: RE: Terre Haute Triathlon
Way to go Chris...awesome job as always.  Smoking fast on everything, not a weak spot in sight!!! 
2007-05-22 1:39 PM
in reply to: #808654

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Regular
94
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Westchester, IL
Subject: RE: Terre Haute Triathlon
That was fun, nice job. Tommy is going to be looking for you next year.
2007-05-22 2:42 PM
in reply to: #808654

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Expert
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Michiana
Subject: RE: Terre Haute Triathlon
Nice race.  Congrats on the podium finish!
2007-05-22 2:55 PM
in reply to: #808654

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Coach
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Boston, MA
Subject: RE: Terre Haute Triathlon
Nice race and congrats on the podium!
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