Monday, August 9, 2010

Greater Cleveland Triathlon - Aug 8, 2010

Yesterday I completed my third Olympic distance triathlon of the year, the Greater Cleveland Triathlon at Mentor Headlands. The weather was almost perfect - mid 70s and sunny, but there was some wind (which = waves in Lake Erie!)

I woke up at 5 am, arrived at the race site at 6 am, and was in my wetsuit ready to start around 7:15 am.

All 131 of us doing the Olympic distance triathlon walked 3/4 of a mile down the beach to the swim start. First off were the 20 to 29 year olds, and then my group, the 30 - 39 year olds. I was worried about it being all the women AND all the men, so I tried to stay far out to the side of everyone. I'm sure this caused me to swim farther than most people, but it saved me from being kicked, hit, and so on... There were also waves to slow me down, and they did! I arrived at the beach in 31:58 and then walked to transition.

Total swim time - 33:20

T1 - 2:48

Leaving T1:

One of my sons told me I look like a boy in this pic. Great. :(

Out on the bike course my computer stopped working at mile 1.78. I know this, because for all the rest of the 23 miles, all it said was: 1.78. UGH! Sometime later in the day it occurred to me that I must have bumped the on / off button on accident. At least the current MPH were still showing, and I had my time working on my watch. So, I was able to know when to take my GUs and about how long / far I had to go. I felt good on the bike, but I really wished I could have gone faster. Little did I know, something WAS slowing me down. I'll come back to that.

Bike time - 1:26:31 (Avg 16 mph)

T2 - 1:53

While leaving transition to start the run, I saw that I had already been on the course for 2 hrs and 5 minutes. That meant my chances of finishing in under 3 hours were slim to none. (unless I was going to run a 10K PR - uh, no.) So, I figured I would just try to enjoy myself. On the bike I did a good job of staying hydrated (which was my BIG mistake in my last Oly tri.) So, I felt pretty good. A few miles in, I decided to pick up the pace, and I still felt good. It's nice to have a good run to finish the day.



My run times based on the mile markers and my watch:
1- 10:16
2- 10:09
3- 10:37
4- 9:31
5- 9:45
6- 9:18
.2- 1:59

Run time - 61:38 (9:57 pace)

TOTAL RACE TIME - 3:06:09

About to finish:


After the race I returned to transition to claim my bike and other belongings. BUT, the bike didn't want to "roll" along side me. Actually, it barely wanted to MOVE. Hmm, turns out part of the back brake was rubbing against the wheel!!! I have no idea when that happened. ?? Pre race? During the race? Guess my bike needs to visit the bike shop!

Post race photo with Grunt Girls:



Race Day Stats:
Females 30 - 39: #6 out of 10
Overall: #94 out of 131

4 comments:

  1. Nothing like added resistance when you don't want it, eh?

    Great job, though! Especially on enjoying the race - that is really the most important thing, I think.

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  2. Nice job Kim, it was good to see you out there! That was a difficult swim, the current seemed to be against the swimmers - you could bet that took some time off too. You are so ready for the Rev3!

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  3. You are always so positive out there! When I passed you on the bike, I said "Hi Kim!" and you said "Go CTC!". Then, on the run, you cheered loudly for me when you saw me. You've got lots of enthusiasm my friend!

    Sorry to hear your brake rubbed, but it looks like you had a rock solid race nonetheless! Great job!

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  4. Solid performance with a smile! You look great in that kit too!

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