Race Report

5430 Long Course Triathlon

Pre-race routine
My alarm went off at 3:50am. I may have snoozed once or twice, but I got up pretty quickly. My pre-race meal was 1/2 cup of oatmeal. It seems to tide me over quite well. I packed all my stuff in the car and my wife, Nicole, and I left to Boulder about 5:15. My parents and brother drove separately and met us there before I started.

Event warmup:
After setting up my transition area I went and stretched. My restroom breaks were very minimal today. What a relief!! Nicole and I missed the elite swimmers start, but I was able to get in the water for a quick warm-up. This is the first time I got to swim before the race. I was pretty happy and think I did better because I had a good warmup. I heard my co-worker's name, Brett, called on the intercom before he started. Brett was one wave before me. I shouted his name and we talked just a little before the race started. We have gone swimming together several times so he is clearly my "swimming buddy".

Swim
My swim was awesome! I settled in very well and kept an even pace the entire swim. I didn't collide with too many people and really enjoyed myself. I decided to wear my tinted goggles because I heard the sun was really bad. The goggles didn't seem to help too much, but I am glad I had them. I rounded one of the buoys and tapped it briefly. My sighting was pretty good throughout the swim. I mainly sighted off other swimmers and the far distance buoys. I was nearing the end and I saw the exit. I didn't swim my hardest at this point, but I picked up the pace a little. My official swim time was 39:25 (PR)

T1
Great transition. I was very quick and didn't waist any time. I had a little trouble getting my wetsuit off. I always sit and take it off. The baby pool just before transition saved tons of time. My total t1 time was 1:51.

Bike
This course is awesome. Some uphills, awesome downhills. I am glad that I got a chance to ride the course before the race. I tried to pace myself. My average cadence of 90-100 kept me from pushing too hard. The downhills gave me a chance to relax, make up some time and catch up my breathing. My max speed was 45.1mph. Whoa!! I was playing leap frog with a few people, which made the ride more interesting. I had troubles putting my water bottle back in the cage and went of the road for a few seconds. That was pretty scary. I have found out that I nearly cut off another fellow triathlete. I posted this race report on the http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/ website and someone responded that they were cut off. That was COGirl, Small world. I am glad that I didn't catch any thorns along the way!!

I lost one bottle of accelerade while I was finishing the first loop. I almost took someone out. I apologized to the rider in back of me and very thankful there were no crashes!! I passed Brett just before the turnaround. I asked him how his swim was. He said "it was awesome". I also saw another Team ShuttlePack member. That was way cool!

The next loop was pretty fun. I thought I was going to bonk or slow down. I really didn't. My butt didn't even get too sore this time!! Yeah. I was still playing leap frog with a few others, but nearing the end, it was over. Sean from Team ShuttlePack passed me just before the end. Towards the last mile I lowered my gear and tried to relax my legs. My official time was 2:38:23 (PR).

Here is the the time that my bike computer said:
Time: 2:39.08
Odo: 792.8 miles
Max: 45.1 mph
Avg: 21.4 mph
Distance: 56.84 miles

T2
Nice and quick. I lost a gel at the start of the run. I also forgot to tighten my shoelaces. I ran out with Sean from ShuttlePack. My total t1 time was 1:28.

Run
My run is usually my strong point. I started off at a great pace. My hamstrings were burning badly, but I kept on moving. The ice water was great, but it made me cramp. I carried a sponge with me almost the entire race. I also really enjoyed the ice! My pace kept getting slower and slower. I couldn't move too much faster. I walked at about each aid station and drank gatorade.

The gravel was pretty nice to run on. I didn't train much on gravel. After the finish of the first loop and saw my family. What a wonderful site!! I love it when I have friends and family to cheer me on.

What would I do differently? More brick workouts. I am a much faster runner, but I always slow down quite significantly and loose my rhythm. I would also work on better nutrition on the run. This will mean that I need to take my running pack with me.

Cool down
I tried stretching as much as possible. My family had to see me in pain. After they left I went to get a massage which made huge difference. My hamstrings were much more relaxed. I went to my parent’s house afterwards and slept for about 2 hours.

Bolder and Eric
Sean and Eric