Philadelphia Triathlon in Fairmount Park - Sprint Distance - TriathlonSprint


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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
United States
Philadelphia Triathlon, LLC
75F / 24C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 06m 51s
Overall Rank = 842/1083
Age Group = Clydesdale
Age Group Rank = 37/56
Pre-race routine:

5:30 AM wake-up and shower to get ready for ride over to site. Grabbed quick breakfast of Mix-1 protein drink, coffee, scrambled eggs and sausage. Got dressed in tri outfit and grabbed bag to head out to event. Psyched to begin the day.
Event warmup:

Some stretching and leg kicks to get blood flowing. Long walk from parking to transition area for body marking. Loosened shoulders with some shrugs and proceeded to do some arm stretches. Feeling good, but a little nervous about the swim. :)
Swim
  • 37m 37s
  • 984 yards
  • 03m 49s / 100 yards
Comments:

I am not a swimmer, yet. I felt great in teh water for about the first 400m, but felt like the bumping and running into people at the beginning took its toll. Not accustomed to 'catching' people or being in the mix, as I do everything I can to get to the back and stay there. :) Had times when I was cruising and all felt great, only to run into someone or get disoriented and then felt like I was flapping around. Water temp was awesome and spent too much time on my back resting/elementary backstroking. Really messed up with sighting and direction, but this will improve with time and efforts. I feel much more comfortable in the water now and am looking forward to improving my wind and speed over the next two months. Very psyched to test my progress at my next sprint in late-July/early-August.
What would you do differently?:

I would start a little further out to the side and try to control the adrenaline rush at the start. I think my starts are too quick and I wind up wasting way too much time on my back uncertain of the direction I'm headed. Will continue to work on endurance and speed in addition to better sighting. I am new to this, so I wouldn't change much. Learning something new everyday in the water. Very happy not to be the last one out of the water. Close, but not the last out of the water. :)
Transition 1
  • 03m 26s
Comments:

Loved the bike portion! Great route and very happy with result. Good trip out of the water to transition. Stopped to kiss wife and 22 month old, so no concerns with T1 time. Felt great getting out of water and knew I could catch a lot of people on bike, despite slower swim time. Great feeling to get out and get on bike.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. Didn't waste any time. Enjoyed experience.
Bike
  • 51m 25s
  • 14.91 miles
  • 17.40 mile/hr
Comments:

Great ride. Wish my Blackburn actually showed my speed and distance, but I felt good and could keep an eye on my cadence throughout. Had great runs on flats and the hills. Enjoyed passing riders, even after my slow swim and managed to finish 13/56 in my Clydes group and 355/1083 overall. Very happy with result and efforts. Great crowd support.
What would you do differently?:

I would have checked out the course before the event. Great course. Since it was a two-looper, the second loop was much better than the first, but I was a little flummoxed by some of the hills and turns. I wouldn't change much. I might have punched the speed a little more on the first loop.
Transition 2
  • 03m 12s
Comments:

Easy transition. Took my time. Had a gel pack and some water.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Run
  • 31m 10s
  • 3.11 miles
  • 10m 01s  min/mile
Comments:

Enjoyed the run. Comfortable run. Slower than I thought, but didn't push it. Ran with a runner I met on the course and enjoyed the final leg of the event. Great guy and great conversation. Excellent crowd support and great volunteers. Really a well-run event.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Post race
Warm down:

Drank water, Mix-1 protein drink and a smoothie (not at once :)). Walked around to cool down and hung out with wife, kid and other finishers near line.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

No sense of 'urgency' and slow swim time.

Event comments:

Excellent event from Expo to actual races. Will definitely do this again in the future. Loved the courses and always enjoy being in Philly! First time doing this event and KUDOS to the organizers. Great job! See you next year!




Last updated: 2008-06-22 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:37:37 | 984 yards | 03m 49s / 100yards
Age Group: 52/56
Overall: 1020/1083
Performance: Good
Suit: 2XU Comp:1
Course:
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 75F / 24C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Average
Breathing: Good Drafting: Bad
Waves: Average Navigation: Below average
Rounding: Below average
T1
Time: 03:26
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Yes
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: No
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
00:51:25 | 14.91 miles | 17.40 mile/hr
Age Group: 13/56
Overall: 355/1083
Performance: Good
Confused about the distances being used in various fora. Web site says my average was 18.4 mph. Oh well. Loved it.
Wind: None
Course: Great course and layout. Some decent hills, but also plenty of downhills to make up speed.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 85
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 03:12
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:31:10 | 03.11 miles | 10m 01s  min/mile
Age Group: 26/56
Overall: 743/1083
Performance: Good
Course: Flat out and back. Hot, but not too bad.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
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: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5