Philadelphia Triathlon in Fairmount Park - Sprint Distance - TriathlonSprint


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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
United States
Philadelphia Triathlon, LLC
80F / 27C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 31m 25s
Overall Rank = 119/1436
Age Group = 30-34
Age Group Rank = 19/144
Pre-race routine:

Drove from home to the race site, ate my Stinger bar and a banana on the way. Checked in, got my number and set up transition. Visited a particularly gross porta-pottie for the most important of pre-race rituals.
Event warmup:

Had just enough time to get in the water for the swim warm-up. This was the first time I've ever done a swim warm-up. Not sure how far I swam...probably not more than a 100 yards, then came back to shore. I was suprisingly light-headed and dizzy when I came out of the water - which had me very worried. Stood off to the side with the rest of the racers until it was time for my wave.
Swim
  • 16m 6s
  • 984 yards
  • 01m 38s / 100 yards
Comments:

Wow, this felt like my best open water swim by far!! Maybe my best swim of any type, ever. I never felt the usual panic feeling I get at the start, never felt short of breath, sustained my bilateral breathing with ease, and maintained a very straight course. Best sighting and navigation I've done by far. I wouldn't really say that I felt fast, but relaxed and comfortable. I didn't feel the need to push the pace too much as I felt efficient and was passing lots of swim caps from the 2 waves that started before mine. Came out of the water and felt only slight disorientation, and could start running immediately.
What would you do differently?:

I could try to increase my speed. I was afraid to at the beginning because I didn't want to tire out and become short of breath and light-headed later, but during the second half I could probably have turned it on. Coming out of the water, I probably stopped 2-3 strokes too soon and started wading out from deeper water that probably cost me a few seconds.
Transition 1
  • 02m 34s
Comments:

I tore my wet suit on the run to transition :-( Don't think its a big deal where the tear is - for some reason (probably due to the slightly dizzy feeling I had), my velcro tab seemed to be stuck while I was trying to unstrap it and unzipper. I got frustrated, grabbed it, pulled hard and it came off in my hand. I only mourned for half a second and continued undressing. Wet suit came off a little slow, and I forgot to pull all the fingers out on my bike gloves for easier entry. My run in to transition was probably my fastest yet, all due to my good swim (potentially the swim warm-up) and not begin too disoriented coming out of the water.
What would you do differently?:

I would love to solve my ulnar neuropathy issue and forgo the gloves, but even on a short ride like this my hands will sometimes go very numb and I'll have trouble shifting. I'm currently working with the fit guy at my bike shop to fix this. I should have checked my gloves to make sure the half-finger openings were fully extended - they were pulled back inside the gloves from last time I wore them. I do need a new pair, and this time maybe I'll look for some that come on and off easier. I still don't quite understand how to jump on my bike, either. With my shoes already attached, it seems a little hard to me to be able to jump on and keep up enough momentum to get my feet in the shoes without pedaling...and if my feet aren't in the shoes, the shoes are dragging on the ground. I tend to run to the mount line, hop on, strap one shoe in, start pedaling and place/strap the second foot as I'm going. I'm giving myself a higher rating than my previous races because I was actually able to come out of the water and start running at a normal pace (without stumbling) for the first time.
Bike
  • 47m 56s
  • 14.91 miles
  • 18.66 mile/hr
Comments:

I'll credit my good swim again - my bike started off well, pedaling comfortably hard and pace according to my bike computer was where I hoped I would be. I hit the first hill and my strategy was to keep the hill pedaling as easy as possible so as not to tired myself out, but still like I was very slow up the hill. Most of the times I was passed on the first loop was usually on the hills, on the flats I did lots of passing, even some of those with tri bikes and fancy wheels. Still felt ok and was keeping the same riders who passed me on the hills coming down the hills and towards transition. I decided to take in a gel nearing transition and had some water. I definitely tired on the second loop and started getting passed by more fast riders and not keeping up with those I had targetted to keep in sight. Hills felt harder, even in my "granny gear" of my triple chain ring. Pace was definitely slower according to my computer for most of the second loop. Had another gel and more water towards the end of the second loop, also. Got my feet out of my shoes fast, dismounted and ran my bike to my rack.
What would you do differently?:

Training. The engine needs a lot of work. I feel like cycling is my weakest part now. I think I may invest in some coaching - it helped big time with my swim. I also need to increase my mileage. Most of my training rides for this race were 14-17 miles, and I felt like one race I did well in last year I was doing more 25 mile training rides. I might also hold back on the first loop of the race a bit. Usually when I start the bike I'm still dizzy from the swim and I can't push hard at the beginning - this was a new experience being in full command of my faculties and I may have been a little exuberant at the start. In addition to cycling, I need to get back in the gym and work on more strength training to beat those hills.
Transition 2
  • 02m 51s
Comments:

My brick workouts definitely helped my body get used to the bike/run change. I felt like I had a normal stride as I jumped off the bike and ran into transition. Got my bike set up, fumbled with my socks a bit, shoes were on ok, but the right side of my number kept popping out of my race belt clip, and I lost some time trying to get it right. Took a last swig of water and hit the run course.
What would you do differently?:

Grab safety pins and pin in addition to clipping my number on. I could probably have moved with a bit more alacrity, but I was feeling that second bike loop. Going sockless and getting quick laces would help, too.
Run
  • 21m 56s
  • 3.11 miles
  • 07m 03s  min/mile
Comments:

I appeared to be moving fast as I was passing lots of people, but definitely felt the exertion in my legs, especially for the first mile. Kept finding a target in front of me to catch and pass. Also tried to keep another race in sight who had to have been going the exact same pace as myself, as she never really got farther ahead of closer. Slowed to drink a small amount of Gatorade and dumped a few cups of water on my head. Got passed by 2 fast guys around mile 2, but nobody else. Able to put in a pretty good finishing kick.
What would you do differently?:

Hmm...at the time I felt like I wanted to stop running during much of the course, but thinking back on it I think I should have sucked it up and tried to push out harder. Trying to remember, but I think I may have had a mild side cramp at the beginning of the run. I shouldn't have stopped for the Gatorade - I think I hydrated adequately pre-race and on the bike, I could have saved a little time with that.
Post race
Warm down:

Walked around to try to find the food tent, while Liz fed me an orange. Found the tent and tried to eat, my stomach wasn't ready for more than the banana I grabbed. Had a couple bottles of water. Got my free massage :-) Stretched a bit, then broke down transition and packed the car. Came back to see the expo and the awards ceremony.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

My poor cycling abilities. I have increased the amount of hills on my rides and that definitely has helped - especially on the first loop they didn't seem nearly as hard as they used to. I think some sort of coaching is necessary for me to improve. I also seemed to be forcing myself mentally and physically to keep moving and pushing more than I usually have to. Not sure if this is a product of training, less-than-ideal sleep schedule in the week leading up to the race or just one of "those days".

Event comments:

Race overall was very good - I loved the course and would definitely do it again. I have only 2 complaints: 1) Organization was good but not great, transition was supposed to be cleared at 7:45, and I know when my wave entered the water at 8:24 there were still a lot of people in transition and racers from the previous waves were already coming through. Part of this was lack of room next to the swim start to fit everybody easily, but it could have been done if staff had swept through like they meant it. 2) The food tent wasn't very well marked. It didn't open until about the time I finished, and nobody else seemed to have found it by the time I got there. It had no markings and there was a sponsors sign outside, part of which said "$19.99" in very large letters - which confused me and made me think it was a vendor the first 2-3 times I walked past. Just 2 minor complaints, otherwise a very fun race.




Last updated: 2009-04-12 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:16:06 | 984 yards | 01m 38s / 100yards
Age Group: 16/144
Overall: 187/1436
Performance: Good
Suit: Xterra vector pro
Course: Swim on the east side of the river north against the current just past a bridge, right turn and continue maybe 50-75 yards to next buoy, right turn and pass under the bridge again, now going south in the middle of the river with the current. Long stretch, right turn at last buoy and maybe 100 yards to go, swimming at an angle against the current. Despite some thunderstorms the night before, and lots of rain the week before, I didn't think I felt much of a current either with or against me.
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 73F / 23C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:34
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
00:47:56 | 14.91 miles | 18.66 mile/hr
Age Group: 34/144
Overall: 237/1436
Performance: Average
Wind: Little
Course: Double loop - flat, fast stretch from transition north, turn around after a few miles, back down the same stretch of road, then up an on-ramp, over a bridge, up a hilly stretch for a couple of miles before flattening out and coming back down hill, to the bridge, down the ramp on the other side and back to the original stretch of road back to transition.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Average Hills: Average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 02:51
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
00:21:56 | 03.11 miles | 07m 03s  min/mile
Age Group: 15/144
Overall: 70/1436
Performance: Average
Course: Flat out and back - starts in grass, then up onto the road after a couple hundred yards. Beginning and end are shaded, but very bright sun for most of the run.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 2
Physical exertion [1-5] 2
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4