Before I begin...big shout-out to my beyonce', who bought me the registration for this race for my birthday. Thanks honey!
Swim route **** A simple out-and back swim in pretty warm water. I liked how the swimmers stayed to the left of the buoys; a simple thing, really, but this way I see the buoys every time I turn my head (to the right) to breathe, and it really helped for swimming in a straight line. This was also the race where I learned that sliding yourself directly behind the swimmer in front of you (without getting kicked in the face) really helps. Having his/her current to help pull you along is a nice little perk.
Bike route ** The route itself was alright hill-wise. There were no mile markers along the route--not one--so I had no gauge of how well I was doing except that it seemed everyone in the race was zipping on past me. It turned out that my bike time was okay, but I didn't know that until the very end. Likewise, there were about half a dozen spots on the route where the road made 90 degree turns--no big deal, except that half the road was blocked off so I needed to brake on several turns (not necessary if I'm able to make a wider turn) and once or twice got cut off from other bikers (unintentionally, I'm sure). It disrupted my "race chi". Or something like that.
Run route *** A normal, flat loop on roads; two water stations provided.
Staff/Spectators/Volunteers * This race was strange (and Erika and her parents will concur) in that the workers as well as spectators were eerily quiet. There were times when I passed whole packs of people just hanging out and watching athletes go by without saying anything. And the volunteers/workers were diligent at the water stations, but there simply weren't enough of them.
Goody Bag ** I know this sounds superficial, but I was disappointed that I didn't receive a finisher's medal! I LIKE MY BLING!! And I was surprised to see that this was the first goody bag with no water bottle and no swim cap. I have enough of both, but I like them as keepsakes, you know?
Accomodations/Parking *** Parking is on the street, anywhere you can find it. We got lucky and found spots relatively close. I collected my packet, got body marked, and picked up my chip within five minutes on race morning, so that was nice.
Overall I clocked a good time (for me), but it's probably not a race I'll do again.
Onto the Lake Geneva triathlon!
4 comments:
Just found your blog off of Beginners Triathlete.com I raced this race at the Olympic Division. Nice blog and nice to meet you.
Thanks. If you have any other races to recommend I'd love to hear about them.
I was there too!
And at the Danskin. It was my first and I'm sadly hooked. I already registered for Pewaukee next year.
I've heard good things about that race, and living only half an hour away I'm thinking I'll be there too.
:)
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