Firmman Half Iron Triathlon - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Narragansett, Rhode Island
United States
Firm Racing
70F / 21C
Overcast
Total Time = 5h 39m 52s
Overall Rank = 178/320
Age Group = 45-49
Age Group Rank = 18/
Pre-race routine:

Stayed at local hotel. Up at 4. Breakfast - Oatmeal, Yogurt, Protein Shake, couple bites of a bagel. Then off to the race! Surprised to see it still raining.
Event warmup:

Jogged a little. Then put on the wetsuit for the mile walk down to the swim start.
Swim
  • 37m 39s
  • 2112 yards
  • 01m 47s / 100 yards
Comments:

Toughest part was getting out to the turn buoy. The waves were pretty big. I tried to dolphin dive when I was warming up, but ended up getting my goggles knocked off. So I just walked as far as I possibly could before I started swimming. Since this was my first crack at a half, I wasn't too concerned with having a slow swim start. Seemed to work out ok. Once I made the turn I got into a rythym and started to swim better.
What would you do differently?:

Not much. I'm a slow swimmer, so I just sighted off the swimmers in front and beside me and that seemed to work out ok. Got knocked around pretty good by the waves on the way back in, but it was better then having them in your face.
Transition 1
  • 02m 4s
Comments:

My first event with wetsuit strippers! I took advantage as I am usually a klutz getting out of mine. Then walked the bike out to transition and was off and on my way.
What would you do differently?:

Not much. Didn't feel a need to rush like in a sprint or oly. My goal was to finish in under 6 hours, so didn't feel the need to rush through everything. Not real fast, but not too slow either.
Bike
  • 3h 06m 35s
  • 56 miles
  • 18.01 mile/hr
Comments:

Tried to stay within myself. Could have pushed the pace, but wanted to save energy for the run. I felt I was consistent throughout the bike portion.

I saw alot of flat tires (about 20, and I'm sure there were more behind me). Seemed like alot to me anyway. But again this was my first half, so it might have been normal. The course seemed to be in ok shape to me, but some said the shoulders had some debris. One of these days the law of averages will catch up with me and I'm sure I'll have to deal with a bike issue in a race.
What would you do differently?:

Not much - I thinking fueling on power bars early in the ride helped.
Transition 2
  • 01m 8s
Comments:

Tried these new laces that day that you don't need to tie, you just slip into your sneakers and go. I know I am not supposed to try anything new on race day, but it worked out for me.
Run
  • 1h 52m 24s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 08m 35s  min/mile
Comments:

I was a little concerned with the run as I emphasized swimming and biking when training for this. The run is usually my strongest event, so I focused on the 2 others. Was pleasantly surprised, felt good the entire race - took water at every water stop which seemed to help.
What would you do differently?:

Not much really - just tried to stay within myself.
Post race
Warm down:

Walked around then sat on the beach with my friends and family. Nice to have the support there. I've done races by myself, so this was a good change.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

I could have trained more I suppose, but I was happy considering it was my first half iron event.

Event comments:

I liked this race, but really have nothing to compare it to since it was my first half. But I have done other distances and I was happy with this race from an organizational standpoint.




Last updated: 2009-09-16 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:37:39 | 2112 yards | 01m 47s / 100yards
Age Group: 27/
Overall: 277/320
Performance: Good
Suit: BlueSeventy
Course: About 100 yards out to first buoy then across the shoreline, then a cut back to transition - J shape
Start type: Run Plus: Waves
Water temp: 70F / 21C Current: Medium
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Below average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Average
Waves: Average Navigation: Average
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 02:04
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: No
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
03:06:35 | 56 miles | 18.01 mile/hr
Age Group: 20/
Overall: 198/320
Performance: Average
Wind:
Course: Kind of rolling with some climbing.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Average Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:08
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
01:52:24 | 13.1 miles | 08m 35s  min/mile
Age Group: 10/
Overall: 108/320
Performance: Good
Course: Mostly flat until the end. out and back with a nice hill between 10 and 11 miles.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Ok
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? No
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 4