2012 Lake Waconia Triathlon Race Report

I woke up the morning of the race  and I felt really tired and somewhat disoriented.  I wasn't super tired the night before so I laid in bed for awhile and read, I don't think I fell asleep until after 11, which is not great when you are getting up at 4AM, especially since I was pretty tired all week.  I also had a little tummy ache in the morning.
I went through my usual routine, of shower and shave, yogurt with frozen fruit and granola and a banana.  On the drive to race, donut and coffee.
I just felt tired this morning.
As always, got there early and setup. The lake was glass and it was warm outside.  I was sweating pretty good the whole time before the start.
The guy next to me in transition, probably in his 50s, had a 5 gallon pale to sit on, which is no big deal, and a rubbermaid storage container with his stuff in it, that he left in transition the whole race.  I think rubbermaid tub is a little much for your transition spot.
Shortly after setting up my transition area I realized I forgot something.  A water bottle.  That was a new one.  First time I have ever forgot a water bottle.  So, I went without a water bottle on the bike.  Probably not a great way to go on a hot day like today.  I did my usual water and Gatorade drinking pre-race with the hope it would be enough until I got to the run course and had some water.
Before the race I spent a little time chatting on and off with people. I did a very short bike warm-up to make sure the bike was ok.
I did a swim warmup, mainly to cool off in the water, and waited for the start. Since it is a TT swim start there was some standing in line, and sweating, before your turn came up.
The swim was pretty uneventful.  Water was calm and the traffic was not too bad.  I did not feel too tired on the swim.  It went pretty well, average.
I got out of transition pretty quick and off to the bike.  I started in an easy gear, since there is pretty decent climb out of transition.  When I was swimming and in the transition area, it did not seem windy, out on the bike course it seemed windier.  My legs felt pretty heavy on the bike, so I concentrated on my form and hoped for the best.  I was hot and I did get parched on the bike, so not having a water bottle on the bike probably did have ill effects on me.  After the race, for most of the day I had a headache, which I have learned to associate with being dehydrated.  The length and severity of the headache tends to go with the amount of dehydration.  The headache today was pretty painful and last most of the afternoon and evening.  Interestingly enough, I had to pee most of the time I was on the bike and my tummy ache went away.
The bike course has some hills on it.  I would say that the first one out of transition and there is one in the last five miles that got me out of the saddle, are the toughest.
While I was on the bike, I could tell that the run was going to be difficult.  The run is not flat, it has a couple of decent climbs and false flats, so it would be more challenging than normal.
I got out of T2 pretty quick, almost forgot to take my helmet off.
There were times on the run I felt ok, and at times I felt terrible.  I just had nothing in my legs to work up the hills.  It was hot and each time I was able to take some water in, and pour some on myself, I felt a little recovery and I was able to run a little bit faster.  The run was not that painful, my legs would just not turnover.  Such a huge difference from the Lake Minnetonka triathlon the week before.  My pace was almost a minute difference between this week's race and last week.  The two course are vastly different, and the conditions are vastly different, but it is amazing how much different my run pace was between the two.
At the end of the race, they did have plenty of cold water, which was awesome.  The last two races seemed to lack cold water at the end.  Also, there was cold water out on the course at Waconia.  They also had a good supply of fruit, especially watermelon which I love after a race.  There were cookies, mini-muffins, chips, and granola bars.  Of course, Gear West and Kevin were out grilling hot dogs. 
My race results are not the greatest, but I am happy I was able to go out and finish on a beautiful morning.  I recommend Waconia for anyone looking to do a challenging race that is well run.
This coming weekend I will be doing MinneMan.  This year is the first time they will have an Olympic distance event.  In the past there has only been a sprint course.  I will be doing the Oly.
 
2012 Lake Waconia Results
Swim (880 yards) - 15:07 (1:43/100 yards)
T1 = 1:49
Bike (20 miles) - 57:40 (20.8MPH)
T2 = 1:25
Run (4 miles) - 34:07 (8:32/mile)
Total = 1:50:06
Overall = 111/317
AG = 11/29, 6 minutes slower than 2011, same place in AG
Pace = 4:30/mile

2011 Lake Waconia Results
Swim (880 yards) - 15:11 (1:44/100 yards)
T1 = 2:15
Bike (20 miles) - 54:02 (22.2MPH, fastest bike split at Waconia)
T2 = 1:07
Run (4 miles) - 31:35 (7:54/mile, fastest run split at Waconia)
Total = 1:44:09
Overall = 90/315
AG = 11/26
Pace = 4:15/mile

2010 Lake Waconia Results
Swim (880 yards) - 15:04 (1:43/100 yards)
T1 = 1:43
Bike (20 miles) - 54:20 (22.1MPH)
T2 = 1:46
Run (4 miles) - 34:21 (8:36/mi)
Total = 1:47:10
Overall = 129/361
AG = 12/30
Pace = 4:22/mile

In 2009, Jackie and I volunteered on the bike course with my leg in a cast due to my stress fracture.

2008 Lake Waconia Results
Swim (880 yards, windy and choppy, miserable swim, ick) - 24:33 (2:48/100 yards)
T1 = 2:34
Bike (24 miles, bike lengthened due to construction) - 1:07:57 (21.2MPH)
T2 = 1:35
Run (4 miles) - 32:09 (8:03/mile)
Total = 2:08:45
Overall = 188/431
AG = 22/38
Pace = 4:31/mile