White Mountains Triathlon - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Franconia Notch, New Hampshire
United States
Tri Ventures
70F / 21C
Overcast
Total Time = 7h 28m 33s
Overall Rank = 120/136
Age Group = 45-49
Age Group Rank = 16/17
Swim
  • 37m 43s
  • 2112 yards
  • 01m 47s / 100 yards
Comments:

I was happy with the swim, kept to my pace and stayed on the outside edge as I usually do. Comfortable effort and had no problems sighting.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Transition 1
  • 08m 10s
Comments:

Long transition. There was a mini-trans near the lake where we could get our suits off and put on shoes to run the 1/4 mile to T1. This being my first HIM I wasn't about to rush anything.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Bike
  • 3h 36m 51s
  • 56 miles
  • 15.51 mile/hr
Comments:

I knew this was going to be tough, I had ridden the course a month before and was working to get better at this distance and the constant long slow climb of the second half. I failed on nutrition and pacing, was worried about that going in but didn't have the experience to get it right.

The Good, I did a lot better than I expected on a KOM timed climb just after the mid point of the course! 27 out of 97 Male competitors. That probably hurt me a bit on the following long climbs but if I ride the climbs much slower I feel as though I'm going to fall over.
What would you do differently?:

More long rides in training. More practice on nutrition.

Need to find a better saddle! 40 miles seems to be my limit & then it's painful. I've been hoping more time in the saddle would help improve it, but I haven't gotten there yet. Swapping saddles this week and will start working my long rides to see if the new one helps.
Transition 2
  • 04m 19s
Comments:

I knew I was in trouble at this point, the last 7 to 10 miles of the bike had taken it's toll on me. Took my time in transition to be sure I didn't miss anything. Drank a little extra and had some gel.
Run
  • 3h 01m 31s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 13m 49s  min/mile
Comments:

OK, this is where the bike caught up with me. Based on how I felt in T2 I planned on walking the aid stations and do the best I could between them. That worked for the first 1.5 miles, then I got to a hill and the legs just said no. Started walking up the hills and jogging the rest. Shortly after I started getting pain in one knee going down the hills. Considering it was a hilly course that didn't leave me too much in between to actually jog. Did the best I could but it was a long 13 miles.
What would you do differently?:

Fix the bike....
Post race
Warm down:

Try to warm up after the rain during the last 3 miles of the 'run'.

Enjoyed a great dinner with my wife and friends who came to cheer me on.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Bike fitness, nutrition and experience. Was a concern of mine going in and I had tried to work with it as best I could. I had also been fighting a cold for the prior week and had been having difficulty sleeping due to coughing at night. I don't know how much the cold effected my overall performance though.

Event comments:

Even though my race went to hell, this was a great event! Beautiful location and well run. It pushed my abilities and I'd love to do it again.(just not too soon!) The organizers were great, volunteers fantastic and the other competitors were very encouraging as my race was falling apart, there are a couple I would really like to thank personally but missed seeing them after the race.




Last updated: 2013-05-20 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:37:43 | 2112 yards | 01m 47s / 100yards
Age Group: 10/17
Overall: 65/136
Performance: Good
Suit: yes
Course: A two loop swim in Echo Lake with a run along the beach between loops. Water was cool but not uncomfortable with the wetsuit.
Start type: Run Plus: Waves
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Below average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 08:10
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
03:36:51 | 56 miles | 15.51 mile/hr
Age Group: 15/17
Overall: 104/136
Performance: Average
Wind: Little
Course: A tough course. I don't have any other HIM or IM courses to compare it to but the general consensus of those who did was it was a hard one. First half is mostly fast and downhill. Then there are a few climbs and the rest is a gradual climb back to T2. It is in the White Mountains after all.
Road: Rough Dry Cadence: 74
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 04:19
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Below average
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
03:01:31 | 13.1 miles | 13m 49s  min/mile
Age Group: 16/17
Overall: 127/136
Performance: Bad
Course: A hilly, but beautiful, multi-use train through Franconia, NH.
Keeping cool Good Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %?
Overall: Below average
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
Good race?
Evaluation
Course challenge Too hard
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities:
Race evaluation [1-5] 5