Littleton AppleMan Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Littleton, Massachusetts
United States
F.I.R.M.
Total Time = 1h 34m 1s
Overall Rank = 334/419
Age Group = 30-34
Age Group Rank = 25/30
Pre-race routine:

Poorly prepared for this one. I had two weeks of heavy travel and didn't fit in enough training, but I decided to try this tri anyway and just hope for a decent finish.
Swim
  • 20m 57s
  • 750 yards
  • 02m 47s / 100 yards
Comments:

As in my first 1/2 mi tri (see Webster Lake) I did breast stroke for much of the course, so I was dreadfully slow. On the other hand, I never panicked and kept my breathing even. I even passed a few other slow-bies and just steadily kept going so that I could reach the bike and run portions of the race.
What would you do differently?:

Train! I was much better prepared earlier in the summer. Not swimming for two weeks prior to the race was not my brightest idea ever, but sleep and health pulled rank over training.
Transition 1
  • 00m
Comments:

The transitions were not clocked, but this was not my fastest ever. I need to find a good set of tri clothes so that I need to do less changing between the swim and the bike. Otherwise, not bad.
Bike
  • 40m 14s
  • 10 miles
  • 14.91 mile/hr
Comments:

A brief false start. My bike computer wire had somehow got trapped between my brakes and the wheel, so I had to stop the bike and fix this. Otherwise, this was an extremely pleasant ride. The hills were hard but not too strenuous. There were some nice long downhills, and the turns were doable without slowing too much. There were a LOT of people on the course and I was constantly passing and being passed. I also met my match (Hi 353!!) who ended up pacing me for the rest of the race. We passed each other several times and she kept me going at a good pace.
What would you do differently?:

I should do more sprints and hill workouts on my bike instead of just long distance rides. I also may drop the Goo if I can make sure I have Gatorade instead of just water. Some calories are good, but if I can avoid noxious energy paste, all the better.
Transition 2
  • 00m
Comments:

The racks were overfull in this race in general, but I didn't appreciate the other bikers completely crowding me out of my own narrow space. I left my bike leaning against one of theirs and crawled around underneath for my sneakers. Not ideal.
Run
  • 32m 49s
  • 3 miles
  • 10m 56s  min/mile
Comments:

I had a stitch right at the beginning of the run, and the first 1/2 mile was uphill. This was not appreciated, though I knew we'd get to enjoy it for the last half mile back. I caught up with 353 again and felt well-paced enough to keep running despite the stitch until the mega-climb in the forest. When everyone else walked, I walked too, just until I reached the top of the hill.
What would you do differently?:

In general, I felt pretty good about the run. I'm not a runner by any means, but I ran through all of the course except for that one bouldery climb. I did get passed by a few in the very end because I didn't have enough energy to sprint the last stretch. If I got a few more training runs in, I would have been fine.
Post race
Warm down:

Stretching and ice cream!

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Training! The last two weeks of sleeplessness and jetlag and stress clearly did not help. On the other hand I feel better knowing my age group is just that fast. I'm slow in general, but knowing two of the three fastest women in the race were in that age group makes me feel a little better about my rankings.

Running this race was fulfilling a promise to myself, but next time I will be much more prepared for it.

Event comments:

This race had a lovely course chock full of cheering townies along the entire stretch. It also was hilly enough in both the bike and the run to be a challenge, without breaking me! I would do this race again any day (um, with the exception perhaps of tomorrow!)




Last updated: 2007-07-22 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:20:57 | 750 yards | 02m 47s / 100yards
Age Group: 27/30
Overall: 348/419
Performance: Below average
Suit:
Course:
Start type: Plus:
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current:
200M Perf. Remainder:
Breathing: Drafting:
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 00:00
Performance:
Cap removal: Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
00:40:14 | 10 miles | 14.91 mile/hr
Age Group: 21/30
Overall: 303/419
Performance: Good
Wind:
Course: Rolling hills through shady countryside. Great roads.
Road:   Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks:
T2
Time: 00:00
Overall:
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
00:32:49 | 03 miles | 10m 56s  min/mile
Age Group: 25/30
Overall: 333/419
Performance: Average
Course: Rolling hills through the suburbs, then a course through the woods including roots, boulders and a straight uphill climb!
Keeping cool Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized?
Events on-time?
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities:
Race evaluation [1-5] 5