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DQ Triathlon at Kings Grant - TriathlonSprint


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Marlton, New Jersey
United States
75F / 24C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 22m 43s
Overall Rank = 233/265
Age Group = 25-29
Age Group Rank = 13/14
Pre-race routine:

Up at 5:40, drove to Marlton with Jeff, ate a cliff bar. My legs felt pretty tired when I got up, and I assumed it would wear off. Put on my heating pad in the car.
Event warmup:

We got there a bit later than I'd wanted, so I didn't have a whole lot of time to warm up (or so it felt). I stretched and did a quick run (maybe 1/2 mile). While the first few swim waves were starting, I swam back and forth a bit in the lake. I don't think I stretched as much as I needed.
Swim
  • 06m 44s
  • 401 meters
  • 01m 41s / 100 meters
Comments:

I really wanted to go after this, since I actually did a nice amount of swim training this summer, but my body wasn't into it. I felt really good and strong, but didn't have a lot of oomph. Also, the water is really brown and impossible to see through, so I had to pay more attention to sighting than perhaps I would elsewhere.
What would you do differently?:

I think I swam a nice race. I felt a little lost towards the end - I couldn't really tell where the buoys were, but just followed people from the last wave (I was definitely in the first few of my wave - maybe even third?). I think the visibility difficulties accounted for a lot of that, though. The swimming itself was good. I think I was nice and consistent all the way through. Perhaps a bit more acceleration toward the end next time?
Transition 1
  • 02m 31s
Comments:

I think this transition was faster than usual, although at the time I still felt like I was plodding. I get in there and it's like I want to rest for a minute so I'm a bit poky about starting to get stuff on. One thing I did well today was give up trying to wipe off my feet and just put my socks on over the bits of sand and muck - I didn't feel it during the race, so it really makes no difference whether there's a bit of sand in my socks.
What would you do differently?:

Plan out and practice transitions, which I never do. Also, some different gear (esp. race belt) might speed up the process.
Bike
  • 42m 14s
  • 10 miles
  • 14.21 mile/hr
Comments:

My legs felt pretty dead from the beginning. I'm not sure why. I kept up a nice pace and really didn't let myself slack (except a tiny bit at the beginning of the third lap where I slipped to around 10 mph). I'm much happier with my bike than I was even last year and I'm really seeing improvement.
What would you do differently?:

I think I could do better if I came into this a bit fresher, although I'm not sure what tired me out. I also just need equipment upgrades. My flat pedals kill me on even the slightest bit of hill.
Transition 2
  • 01m 2s
Comments:

Ok. I couldn't get my watch off the bike, and then dropped it on the other side of the rack. That was wasted time. If I were really going to be intense, this transition shouldn't take me more than 30 seconds.
What would you do differently?:

Stop fiddling with things. Just drop the bike and helmet and start running. Perhaps put my gatorade in a water bottle so it's easier to take a swig (that screwing and unscrewing of the cap takes too long).
Run
  • 30m 14s
  • 3.11 miles
  • 09m 43s  min/mile
Comments:

Ick. I felt horrible. Maybe because I'm working harder on the bike, or just because I felt off today, my legs were like lead for almost half the race. I just forced myself to plod along, knowing that my pace sucked. It took me over 15 minutes to get to the turnaround. I also stopped to walk and drink at every water station - I didn't really need the water, but I only allow myself to walk while I was drinking, so I had some anyway. I must have picked it up a bit coming back, considering my time. I know that about half a mile from the finish, out of the blue, my legs felt fresh. The end of the run was stronger than at the Firecracker in July, but it was also slower.
What would you do differently?:

I need to kick up my run training. I just don't feel as solid as I did last year, or even early this year before I injured my IT band. I think maybe some speed work might help me get back into it.
Post race
Warm down:

Walked around with Jeff, ate a lot, took a bath when I got home and then made him massage my back. Still pretty exhausted, and feel dehydrated despite the enormous amount of fluid I've consumed.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

I don't know. While I had been conscious of this race coming up all week, it didn't seem real to me. I guess my head wasn't entirely in it. Even last night, I didn't quite feel like I had a race the next day - I actually slept the whole night and needed the alarm to wake me, which never usually happens on race mornings. It might also be because I took four or five days off in a row two weeks ago, when traveling back from Notre Dame. That was nothing I could help, but I definitely felt like that was it was bad timing for this race.

Event comments:

I really like this race. It isn't the fanciest or most intense of races, but it is well-put together and a lot of fun. The course is very nice, despite the brown lake. It's a race that I plan on keeping on my schedule every year. This year I guess it just fell at a bad time for me.




Last updated: 2008-07-05 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:06:44 | 401 meters | 01m 41s / 100meters
Age Group: 2/14
Overall: 15/265
Performance: Good
Suit:
Course: Out and back in the mucky lake.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 77F / 25C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting:
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 02:31
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
00:42:14 | 10 miles | 14.21 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/14
Overall: 249/265
Performance: Good
Wind: None
Course: Three loops on local roads around the lake. A small gradual incline at the beginning and a little downhill halfway through.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks:
T2
Time: 01:02
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
00:30:14 | 03.11 miles | 09m 43s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/14
Overall: 229/265
Performance: Average
Course:
Keeping cool Drinking Too much
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
Good race?
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

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2008-08-10 7:07 PM

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Member
17

Lawrence Township,
Subject: DQ Triathlon at Kings Grant


2008-08-11 10:08 AM
in reply to: #1593130

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Veteran
351
1001001002525
Bucks County
Subject: RE: DQ Triathlon at Kings Grant
Impressive swim time! Wish I had gotten mine that low.

Keep it up. Maybe neither of us could get it going because of thoughts of that lake water still in our heads. Scary.
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