| Wake Forest, North Carolina United States FS Series 56F / 13C Sunny | Total Time = 2h 40m 34s Overall Rank = 43/182 Age Group = M40-44 Age Group Rank = 9/41 |
Pre-race routine:
Up for good around 6. Slept miserably, couldn't stop my mind from racing about the swim. I was very uncomfortable with my swim recently, and my mind would not stop fretting over it. Temperature, wind, pollen, etc. all weighing on my mind. Typical prerace meal of peanut-butter-banana-honey sandwich and OJ. Took an ibuprofen prerace (hip was dodgy), and drank my first cup of caffeinated coffee in several days. I was chipper at the race site for sure.
Left home approx 7:15, and was at Beaverdam by 7:50, going the slow way. Big snafu with entry(those that picked up packets Friday night got a parking pass, those of us that didn't had to pay $6). It was a mess.
Took my bike and gear straight to T1 and racked it, then walked to packet pickup and stood in line for ~15 minutes. Guy behind me drove down from Ohio, ended up winning our AG. He was on his way to practice swim in Florida, then next race is Augusta, then IM Cozumel. Strong chance he'll KQ this year. Anyway, got racked and set up, and started seeing everyone (Louis, Alan, Greg, Todd, etc.) Good camaraderie on the rack, helped a girl with taping her Gu to top tube, neighbor let me borrow ankle spray lube. Trip to the potty about 9:00, short run about 9:10, then put the wetsuit on. Went and dipped myself in the water for a few minutes, then got out for announcements/moment of silence, then we went down to swim start area. M sub-39 went first, we went next, all women went after us. Ate half a clif bar about 9am. Honey stinger 15ish minutes before expected start.
Event warmup:
Short jog to first side road and back. Hip still not feeling right, so was hoping the swim and bike would warm things up. Not a promising test run though.
SWIM
- 37m 59s
- 1500 meters
- 02m 32s / 100 meters
Comments:
Stupid swimming.
What would you do differently?:
All of it. Trees were pretty though.
TRANSITION 1
- 02m 53s
Comments:
Wetsuit would not cooperate at all. I was just a mess. Actually SAT DOWN during T1, which is a big no-no. Then I decided on arm warmers and gloves. They just would NOT go on. I should've ditched them and sucked it up, as they easily cost me a minute.
What would you do differently?:
No arm warmers, gloves, or wetsuit at IMRAL means I'm going to need to step up the swim pace a lot. I need to practice transitions a lot in the coming weeks, like 2x/week at minimum, and get it optimized. Will seek out youtube videos and other aids.
BIKE
- 1h 17m 14s
- 26.5 miles
- 20.59 mile/hr
Comments:
Overall pleased with the pace. I'm not sure if I'm undertrained or overtrained, as I felt pretty flat on the bike, but I also had been pretty tired this week, and did not sleep well at all Friday night.
Opened up a gel from my pocket on 50, and it had crystallized. Folded it up and brought out my backup, and it was okay. Took another gel about 45 minutes in. Hydration was one bottle with a Gu Brew electrolyte tablet mixed in, was just the right amount. Drank every 5 minutes or so.
What would you do differently?:
Rest more. More tempo rides, push more. More hillwork.
TRANSITION 2
- 00m 50s
Comments:
Pretty slow here unfortunately. Long run with the bike. I had long runs with the bike on the way out and in, which sucked.
What would you do differently?:
Figure out the flying dismount someday.
RUN
- 41m 56s
- 6.2 miles
- 06m 46s min/mile
Comments:
I knew coming off the bike that I had zapped my quads. I stood up about a mile from bike finish and my quads tinged with the start of cramps. I slammed down the rest of the Gu Brew electrolyte I carried on the bike. Carried fuel belt handbottle with water and Gu Brew electrolyte tablet. Held off on taking gel till after the first turnaround, to get my stomach settled from the bike.
What would you do differently?:
Run faster.
POST RACE
Warm down:
Louis and Greg were still in finish area, but had 2+ minutes on me. We chatted, got chips turned in, and got a water bottle at the finish. Then Louis and I moseyed down to the food area and I got some cookies. Then we all headed out. The rest of my warm-down was at InsideOut Sports on the way home. I went by IOS Cary for the open house, got a hot dog, and won some Tifosi glasses (Edde asked for anyone with a Boston Marathon logo on, and I was wearing my hat). Gave them to Lainey, she likes them.
What limited your ability to perform faster:
Swim
Event comments:
Couple of things:
Work out the park entry fees ahead of time like at FS Half.
More efficient packet pickup morning of race. Going to North Raleigh on a Friday afternoon is not convenient.
Bring back the pizza or something with carbs and protein. Loved the food truck idea at FS Half.
USAT official needs to have her act together and not waste time searching for stuff to talk about.
Aside from that I enjoyed racing with everyone and trying to chase them down. Didn't work.
Last updated: 2013-02-18 1:00 AM
| Swimming | |||
| 00:37:59 | 1500 meters | 02m 32s / 100meters | |||
| Age Group: | 36/41 | ||
| Overall: | 134/182 | ||
| Performance: | Bad | ||
| Well, it is what it is. Got kicked one good time in the left goggle lens, and that hurt. My sighting and track were good, it seemed that everyone else was playing bumper pool. | |||
| Suit: | Full, with rips and tears, time for new | ||
| Course: | Big right triangle. Hypotenuse on the outbound leg, then the base on the return, then a small "height". Seemed like a headwind on the way out, then kind of crossing on the way back (started getting some mild swells on the return leg). I felt like I was in Monty Python's "The Holy Grail" never making progress toward the buoy. | ||
| Start type: | Wade | Plus: | Waves |
| Water temp: | 70F / 21C | Current: | Low |
| 200M Perf. | Below average | Remainder: | Below average |
| Breathing: | Below average | Drafting: | Below average |
| Waves: | Below average | Navigation: | Good |
| Rounding: | Good | ||
| T1 | |||
| Time: | 02:53 | ||
| Performance: | Bad | ||
| Cap removal: | Bad | Helmet on/ Suit off: | |
| Wetsuit stuck? | Yes | Run with bike: | Yes |
| Jump on bike: | No | ||
| Getting up to speed: | Bad | ||
| Biking | |||
| 01:17:14 | 26.5 miles | 20.59 mile/hr | |||
| Age Group: | 5/41 | ||
| Overall: | 29/182 | ||
| Performance: | Good | ||
| Wind: | Some with gusts | ||
| Course: | Hilly and somewhat windy from the outset. I wasn't passed much (maybe 2-3 folks), and likely relays (not sure). I went steady, but my legs had no zip in them from the very start. Even the easy rollers on 50 at the start were making me hurt, so I backed off quite a bit (shocking amount actually). Finally got to the first right turn, and was able to rest a bit. I was reeling folks in from the get-go, and that always feels good, but it also reinforces how bad my swim is. Then the left turn and the first few hills, and more reeling in. Was approaching average of 20, which was my goal pace, and just kept at it. Middle of the course I was able to keep the pressure on, and the legs were burning (mostly quads) so I worked on full smooth rotations, engaging hamstrings more, hopefully not at the expense of calves (for the run). Kept plugging, then got to Purnell, and was picking more folks off on the hills, and Ghoston the same. Got to 98 and made up even more ground, then on 50 I was just reeling in folks all the way to the park, and even back in the park. Saw Greg already on the run, then saw Louis, followed by Alan, all with lots of time already on me. | ||
| Road: | Smooth | Cadence: | |
| Turns: | Average | Cornering: | Average |
| Gear changes: | Good | Hills: | Good |
| Race pace: | Too hard | Drinks: | Just right |
| T2 | |||
| Time: | 00:50 | ||
| Overall: | Below average | ||
| Riding w/ feet on shoes | Bad | ||
| Jumping off bike | Below average | ||
| Running with bike | Good | ||
| Racking bike | Good | ||
| Shoe and helmet removal | Below average | ||
| Running | |||
| 00:41:56 | 06.2 miles | 06m 46s min/mile | |||
| Age Group: | 4/41 | ||
| Overall: | 20/182 | ||
| Performance: | Below average | ||
| I tried to get mile splits, but the signs were haphazardly placed, so I gave up. I just ran. I was closing on Greg, Louis, and Alan, but not nearly fast enough to make up the loss of swim time. | |||
| Course: | I think this was short. But I'll say it was a 10k and take it as a in-race PR. There were hills. 2 pretty big ones per lap, 2 not so big. Lots of movement in the course, and even an uphill-downhill combo for the finish. I liked the run, and would have liked it better if my legs weren't toast. | ||
| Keeping cool | Average | Drinking | Just right |
| Post race | |||
| Weight change: | % | ||
| Overall: | Below average | ||
| Mental exertion [1-5] | 3 | ||
| Physical exertion [1-5] | 3 | ||
| Good race? | Yes | ||
| Evaluation | |||
| Course challenge | Just right | ||
| Organized? | No | ||
| Events on-time? | No | ||
| Lots of volunteers? | Yes | ||
| Plenty of drinks? | |||
| Post race activities: | Average | ||
| Race evaluation [1-5] | 3 | ||
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