Giant Eagle 5150
This past Sunday I raced Giant Eagle 5150 in Colombus, OH. I ended up 9th in the Pro race. I knew I would be rusty but I didn’t know to what extent. My Homestays Kelly and Dave made my trip very enjoyable and it was very exciting as we all raced. My coach and I are very confident that in the next few races we will iron out all of the little things and be closer to the front soon.
After analyzing the race and reviewing results i realize i made a few key mistakes that cost me a lot of time. No matter how pro you think you are there are many details that can’t be forgotten.
Don’t settle in the Swim. I had a great start and was right with the leaders the first loop of 2. It was a typical beach start and I hate beach starts. Mostly because I suffer from "Short Man, Tripping Over Water" syndrome. Nothing too crazy but i did feel like a pregnant elephant mid-way through the swim. I am not sure if it was the lack of racing or the shivering in 50degree weather we had prior to the start. Being a non-wetsuit swim i was sort of excited but standing waiting for the start I could have used that rubber layer keeping me warm. WIthout turning this into a novel I settled behind a slower swimmer and we lost 20seconds from the lead pack. The second place finisher came blowing by us on the final stretches of the swim and I couldn't get around to exit with him and we came out just behind. Glad that was over.
Don’t settle in the Swim. I had a great start and was right with the leaders the first loop of 2. It was a typical beach start and I hate beach starts. Mostly because I suffer from "Short Man, Tripping Over Water" syndrome. Nothing too crazy but i did feel like a pregnant elephant mid-way through the swim. I am not sure if it was the lack of racing or the shivering in 50degree weather we had prior to the start. Being a non-wetsuit swim i was sort of excited but standing waiting for the start I could have used that rubber layer keeping me warm. WIthout turning this into a novel I settled behind a slower swimmer and we lost 20seconds from the lead pack. The second place finisher came blowing by us on the final stretches of the swim and I couldn't get around to exit with him and we came out just behind. Glad that was over.
Eat more calories when racing in the cold. I ate no gels and had 6ounces of Power Bar Perform. I had my Power Bar gels with me I just didn’t take one on the bike and i missed my Gel in my T2 bag. I definitely used up that 90mins of glycogen fairly fast shivering. There was no excuses on this one. I just kept telling myself that it was all good and you can have that other gel you have in T2. Then i started entering bonk city population 1 and lost some power the last 5 miles.
Transition time matters. I lost close to 10seconds on the first transition and 30-40seconds on T2. Yes i couldn’t get out of my speed suit or find my T2bag. This obviously can’t happen in an Olympic distance race.
I need to practice my cornering and have confidence riding around traffic circles. I lost time riding slow through intersections and around circles. I know this and I will work on my technical skills a bit more. I also nearly stopped at two intersections because there were police on both corners and cones on both corners and I couldn't figure out where to turn. In the end the course kept going straight. I did drive the course but i started second guessing my course knowledge when looking at pylons and motor cycles. My watts per KG where closer to a half Ironman ride but with an elevation drop on the last miles and some fading energy it wasn't that far off. Maybe 10-15watts.
The funny thing about racing is it is in fact “racing”. There is no second chances and it doesn’t matter what you should of or could have done. It is just on to the next one.
It’s great to be back. I am still smiling even with the mediocre result and I cant’ wait for the next one. I have had a great year and a half with my new coach Tim Crowley and everything is in place. The great thing about the high paced Olympic distance racing is I am sure it will give me some great form for some 70.3 races later in the season. I figure if you can adapt and race with the fastest short course athletes then stepping back to the 70.3 distance should be much easier after 2 years off from racing. That is why I am headed to Wisconsin Dells this week for the REV 3 Olympic Triathlon. Lots of amazing talent will be racing and I am excited to throw myself in and get some quality race miles. Temperatures should be similar so I will plan on some cold racing and proper fueling as well as quick transitions.
Thanks for reading,
Brent
@brentapoulsen
@brentapoulsen
No comments:
Post a Comment