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Patriot Half Triathlon - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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East Freetown, Massachusetts
United States
Sun Multisport Events
70F / 21C
Sunny
Total Time = 7h 00m 5s
Overall Rank = 541/611
Age Group = Athena
Age Group Rank = 15/20
Pre-race routine:

Wake up, drink lousy hotel coffee prepared by my doting husband, shower, put Glide all over my entire being (with a few exceptions which are now area of which I have no skin), eat a banana, 1/2 bagel with PB. Bunny bars (organic bars from a discount shopping venue) YUM!

I actually slept quite well (7 hours) which I kept telling myself when I felt weak during the race.
Event warmup:

2 to 3 minutes in the water practicing sighting, then being a showoff for the hubbs and doing a handstand in the water. Very professional. Obviously.
Swim
  • 42m 43s
  • 2112 yards
  • 02m 01s / 100 yards
Comments:

That was a long, tiring swim. I stayed so relaxed I almost wondered if I was in my stubborn workout mode of not trying very hard because I didn't want to. I felt like that was OK because I had no idea what I was in for in this distance race and it's best to play it safe on a first trial.
What would you do differently?:

Practice sighting on my Ironman practice swims. I missed 2 opportunities because of weather and scheduling conflicts to do this.
Transition 1
  • 02m 48s
Comments:

I kept the pace up pretty well even though I was terrified and dizzy!
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. I was glad I rolled up my powdered socks ahead of time and flipped up the bottom of my wetsuit legs. I have had a lot of practice at transitioning this year because I did many, many workouts in the program as bricks simply because of scheduling.
Bike
  • 3h 35m 2s
  • 56 miles
  • 15.63 mile/hr
Comments:

Wow - many stories here. I had to race a mail truck, avoid a large (garbage?) truck, there was a shortcut through Dunkin' Donuts to avoid construction, we had to wait (cop-directed) for a line of traffic at one point - wild! I am SO glad nothing went wrong with my bike. That was my biggest fear. My mental state faltered a bit after the first 28-mile loop. It's a hard thing to know you have to do that again!

I ate a lot from my bento box, did a water bottle exchange and was happy with all the technical aspects such as this. I drank about every 10 minutes unless my tummy felt 'off'.
What would you do differently?:

Get aerobars. I was in the minority without them and trying to stay in the drops (I did about 80% or more of the time) seems to have damaged my hands for the moment.
Transition 2
  • 03m 45s
Comments:

Again, I'm glad I took the time to change into a fresh pair of dry and powdered socks. Considering, my feet look great today and somehow my bike shoes were soaked!
What would you do differently?:

Well, the Muscle Milk arch fell down (inflatable) as I was about to run through it. I was totally in hysterics about this and probably wasted some time but I don't know if I'd change that. I really EXPERIENcED this race, knowing it may be the only time I ever do one of these.
Run
  • 2h 35m 1s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 11m 50s  min/mile
Comments:

Oh. Man. The stories here are just never-ending. The Asian man that I thought I'd imagined (I talked to him for about 5 miles off and on and eventually found out he was not technically in the race but was 'training') he said this was the hardest, most painful thing he'd ever done and he can usually do a sub 2' 1/2 Mary but that this was really hard. Then there was the bee that attacked my face for a mile. Let us not forget the 65 year old man in see-through shorts who had a music player in his pocket blaring old-timey music. Very entertaining.

I put ice in my hat as suggested by Kathy G. and I walked at each station and each mile marker. Mentally I thought they were one in the same so I just had to do both. I walked if my stomach hurt too much. At one point I thought to myself 'OK, now you're just being lazy' LOL and started to run again.

The first two miles were total crap. I had tried a water bottle belt that had been a success in the past and was just awful. I was so frustrated I walked a lot and finally threw it away and used the porta-potty at mile 3. What an adventure.
What would you do differently?:

Walk less, NOT wear that darn belt.
Post race
Warm down:

My wonderful friends greeted me at the finish line - 3 friends drove 2.5 hours to see me finish! I got a water bottle, wet towel and a massage. The massage helped BUNCHES.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Fear of 'running out of steam'.

Event comments:

AWESOME race put on by a great company. Tons of volunteers and very supportive racers as well! A wonderful day overall. I'm very proud of myself for completing a 70.3.


Profile Album


Last updated: 2012-03-02 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:42:43 | 2112 yards | 02m 01s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/20
Overall: 0/611
Performance: Below average
The wind was a bit high even at 7:04 AM. Very tough conditions that I am not used to. Sighting was hard and I got churned up a lot more than I thought I would b/c the poor sighting kept me with the main group the whole time.
Suit: Lois Garneu Supersuit :)
Course: Rectangular 1.2 miles with nice huge buoys
Start type: Wade Plus: Shot
Water temp: 69F / 21C Current: High
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Below average
Breathing: Good Drafting: Bad
Waves: Navigation: Bad
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 02:48
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
03:35:02 | 56 miles | 15.63 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/20
Overall: 0/611
Performance: Average
Not too bad. It is shocking how tiring this long of a bike ride can be. My lower back hurt a lot and my pinky fingers are still numb. I kept my feet from going numb by wiggling my toes often.
Wind: Some with gusts
Course: BEAUTIFUL!! Country roads, lakeside vistas, and rolling hills. Very nice!
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Below average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 03:45
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
02:35:01 | 13.1 miles | 11m 50s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/20
Overall: 0/611
Performance: Below average
I walked a lot more than I thought I would but I tried to be gentle with myself about it. Wanting mainly just to finish.
Course: Lovely - more shaded than I expected.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 2
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

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2012-06-17 1:01 PM

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Veteran
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Subject: Patriot Half Triathlon


2012-06-17 9:42 PM
in reply to: #4265677

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Elite
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Subject: RE: Patriot Half Triathlon

How great does it feel eh?!!!!  I love that I've done this.  Your swim time was great - in fact all was marvellous!  Sounds like you had lots of fun, and that my friend is what it's all about - if you are not having some fun out there - no point!

Well done, some well earned rest - now for the full!

2012-06-18 5:22 AM
in reply to: #4265677

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Master
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Midcoast Maine
Subject: RE: Patriot Half Triathlon

Great job out there! The guy with the white see-through shorts and music blaring ran past me...I couldn't imagine running with all that crap in my pockets...even my family noticed him...Got to love it!

I saw a fuel belt around mile 3 and thought, "exactly what I would have done" - the bouncing and movement would have driven me crazy...and the water stops were well laid out with plenty of stuff...good choice. I hope you got to go back and pick it up later.

Maybe next year I'll actually get down to Freetown early enough to meet all the BT peeps.

2012-06-18 6:01 AM
in reply to: #4265677

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Pro
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Norwalk, Connecticut
Subject: RE: Patriot Half Triathlon

Congrats on your first Half Iron Distance Grace!!!!  It was sooo nice to meet you and Casey!!!  I hope you had fun and hope to cross paths some time again in the future!!!



Edited by Rudedog55 2012-06-18 6:02 AM
2012-06-18 11:17 AM
in reply to: #4265677

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Expert
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metro west, MA
Subject: RE: Patriot Half Triathlon
Amazing job out there, Grace!  and congrats on completing your first HIM!  Relish in all that you have accomplished.
2012-06-18 11:44 AM
in reply to: #4265677

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Master
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Just South of Boston
Subject: RE: Patriot Half Triathlon
Grace -- congratulations on finishing this bad boy! Fantastic job, and that post finish picture is awesome! . Way to get through it all, and be tough!

Glad to have met you & Casey and it was a great time. If you're back at this race next year, I'll see you there -- I have some unfinished business with this thing

Stay in touch!


2012-06-18 7:00 PM
in reply to: #4265677

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Master
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Eugene, Oregon
Bronze member
Subject: RE: Patriot Half Triathlon

Congrats on sticking with the training, and surviving a tough, epic race!  Love the collapsing inflatable arch and the see-through old-time music dude--sounds like stuff that would happen to me. I would probably lose it, too! Hope your hysteria was the laughing kind and not otherwise. Once after a marathon I literally laughed so hard I fell over and couldn't get up--that would be a disaster in T2! (Someone at the finish was handing out free books to the runners-- "Marathon and Beyond: Into the Valley of Death" and after a hot, high-altitude 26 mile trot I found that unbearably funny.)  

 

2012-07-24 1:45 PM
in reply to: #4265677

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Expert
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Subject: RE: Patriot Half Triathlon
Finally getting back to reading all of these reports. Great job on the race and your interesting adventures.
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