Catfish Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
United States
Tricat Sports
68F / 20C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 34m 25s
Overall Rank = 107/199
Age Group = 25-29
Age Group Rank = 11/17
Pre-race routine:

After the Pinchot Sprint, I really didn't focus on training all that much. I knew I could cover the distance and wasn't all that concerned about time. My main goal was to finish and treat the race as training for my September Olympic.

Thursday and Friday I had a horrible stomach flu but I was able to re-hydrate enough to the point at which I don't think that it effected my race.

The morning was fine, I had a powerbar and some coffee at 5:30 and felt good. Got to City Island by 6:20 for a 7:00 start, no problems. Also was able to connect with Joel & Jenn, as well as Steph & Weston since Joel and Steph were racing.
Event warmup:

Oh boy...here we go:

My first race at City Island. The start of the swim was at the north point of the island and it ended at the south point which is where transition took place. To prep for transition I set up my bike and run equipment with the exception of my race shoes (emphasis on the fact they were my racing sneakers). According to pre-race information we could wear "shoes" to the start of the swim at the north point of the island and they would be delivered back to the transition area for us. More on the shoes later...
Swim
  • 19m 20s
  • 1056 yards
  • 01m 50s / 100 yards
Comments:

The swim went well. I took several deep breaths before the start and was able to not freak out like at Pinchot. I certainly wasn't the fastest swimmer there, as I was lapped by several Wave 2 people, but I was able to breathe and stroke well, so I really can't complain. Sighting was okay due to extra practice in the pool but my navigation needs work.
What would you do differently?:

Swim faster and navigate better.
Transition 1
  • 01m 28s
Comments:

I get out of the water content with the swim; not happy, but content. At that point I starting thinking "gosh I really hope my shoes are gonna be where they're supposed to be." I get to my area and no shoes can be found. I don't panic thinking "maybe they are towards the exit of the transition area." Other than that T1 goes well.
What would you do differently?:

Know for sure where my shoes are.
Bike
  • 45m 56s
  • 14.5 miles
  • 18.94 mile/hr
Comments:

So I leave T1 shoeless hoping they will appear somewhere. They don't. Not knowing what to really do I hop on my bike and just take off. So, I biked the 14.5 miles without shoes, which, while uncomfortable, was not all that bad. I certainly wasn't at top speed, and thank goodness the road is completely flat, but biking without shoes isn't the worst thing in the world.
What would you do differently?:

Wear shoes, 'nough said.
Transition 2
  • 00m 39s
Comments:

Into T2 crossing my fingers that my shoes might be there. They aren't. So, I rack my bike and take off barefoot. I get out of transition and realize my helmet is still on (thinking too much about the shoes obviously). I take it off and throw it on the side of the road. Fortunately is was still there after the race.
What would you do differently?:

Take helmet off, wear shoes.
Run
  • 27m 2s
  • 2.8 miles
  • 09m 39s  min/mile
Comments:

So, still not seeing my shoes, I decide to run the 2.8 miles barefoot. Here is a quick summary: The first 1/3 really hurt but eventually my feet went numb. The middle 1/3 was okay, except for when I stopped concenrating and stubbed my toe 4 times (it was rather bloody and painful by the end). Final 1/3 my ITB started hurting so I basically hobbled to the finish.
What would you do differently?:

Shoes...again
Post race
Warm down:

Goal for my warm down: Find shoes.

Turns out my shoes were with a pile of other shoes 40 feet away from transition. Joel informed me that the "shoe return" is not designed for race shoes, but flipflops. That way people set up their transition area and race shoes and just wear flip flops to the north point of the island. Oops, now I know.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Obvious

Event comments:

Well, considering I was barefoot for the entire race I am actually happy with the results. I finished in 1:34 and my "wearing shoes goal" was 1:35. The shoe thing did prevent me from really pushing myself physically, but all in all I am okay with the way it turned out.

By far the best part of the race (in addition to seeing Abby and Eli cheer for me) were the direct comments, spectator whispers, and curious looks I received. The best by far was "Wow, going oldschool, nice!" I actually had to laugh as the guy who said it flew past me on his bike.

Oh well, on to Pinchot in September.


Profile Album


Last updated: 2009-03-12 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:19:20 | 1056 yards | 01m 50s / 100yards
Age Group: 7/17
Overall: 0/199
Performance: Average
Suit: Full
Course: North point of City Island to the south point.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 70F / 21C Current: Medium
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Below average
Waves: Average Navigation: Below average
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 01:28
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Bad
Biking
00:45:56 | 14.5 miles | 18.94 mile/hr
Age Group: 13/17
Overall: 0/199
Performance: Average
Wind: None
Course: Over the Market St. Bridge, down Front St. to Fort Hunter and back.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 00:39
Overall: Bad
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Below average
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Bad
Running
00:27:02 | 02.8 miles | 09m 39s  min/mile
Age Group: 14/17
Overall: 0/199
Performance: Average
Course: Over the Walnut St. bridge, down a path by the water and back. Not too bad.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Below average
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 2
Good race? Ok
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? No
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? No
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4