Litchfield Hills Olympic Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic


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New Hartford, Connecticut
United States
Hartford Marathon Foundation
Overcast
Total Time = 2h 39m 4s
Overall Rank = 41/214
Age Group = 25-29
Age Group Rank = 2/11
Pre-race routine:

Alarm went off at 5:00, got out of bed and stumbled to the bathroom. did the usual routine, brush teeth, put on tri suit, put in contacts, etc...Prepared my bagel, toasted it and slapped on some pb&j. I'd packed my stuff the night before, so once Jon got up we just grabbed everything and were out the door by 5:45. I ate my bagel in the car and it was crazy hard and dry. Ick. Got to the race site, parked, got body marked and went to set up my transition area. It was really crowded in transition and there were no good spots left in my rack, so I kinda just crammed my bike in and set up my other stuff. Put me wetsuit on and headed down to the swim.
Event warmup:

I chatted with a few other HEAT members, said "hi" to my parents, and swam probably all of 50 yards. Good enough.
Swim
  • 24m 5s
  • 1760 yards
  • 01m 22s / 100 yards
Comments:

I was in the 3rd wave, so I stood around and watched everyone else go off. When it was our turn, we all waded in, the gun went off, and so did we. I made a point to start to the right of the front row, because even though I am a very strong swimmer, i get freaked out in the scrum. This tactic worked, as I avoided the flailing, and just did my thing. I saw a bunch of people jump out ahead of me, but I didn't worry. I knew they wouldn't be able to hold that pace (and if they could, good for them!), and I just wanted to swim my own race. By the 2nd buoy I was passing blue caps from the previous wave, and shortly after the yellow caps of the first. I have no idea if i took a wide turn, but I was in no-man's-land between buoys 2 and 3. i didn't see anyone, but I was sighting and new I was fine. I quite enjoyed the solitude. Kept swimming, caught more people and just enjoyed the rest of the swim. I felt awesome the whole time, and didn't push too hard.
What would you do differently?:

Nada. First start this year where I didn't freak. I'll have to start wide from now on.
Transition 1
  • 04m 31s
Comments:

Long ass run uphill on a gravel/dirt road to T1. About .2 mile. I had flip flops to wear, and that worked ok, but running with the wetsuit still 1/2 on was uncomfortable, to say the least! Once in transition, I got the wetsuit off quickly, grabbed my bike (there were a LOT still left in transition) and ran out with the eventual women's winner right behind me.
What would you do differently?:

Not have to run uphill?
Bike
  • 1h 13m 32s
  • 23.8 miles
  • 19.42 mile/hr
Comments:

I just had way too much fun on the bike. I couldn't stop grinning form the moment I hopped on. I just love it!I kept it under control the first few miles, letting my legs warm up. Once I got onto rt. 44, I just started to hammer. Passed a bunch of men, and played leapfrog with a few until the turn into Canton. I dropped most of my leapfrog buddies on this gradual climb. I kept it in the big ring and just tried to pedal smoothly until the big hills. Then, i dropped it into the little ring and cranked up, and up, and up...Those last few miles are killer. The last big hill, I stood up and cranked over into a screaming downhill. I got a little nervous here and braked, and immediately felt my back tire lift odd the ground!!! Well, I let go of the brakes and continued on, luckily didn't endo! Arrived back at Brodie Park the 4th overall woman.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing, really, It was a great ride and I had a blast! I;m really glad I rode the route with HEAT the weekend before so I knew what to expect.
Transition 2
  • 01m 13s
Comments:

When I dismounted, my legs felt like rocks. I shuffled my bike into T2, praying they would loosen up. Silly me, i forgot to count how many racks in I was, and it took me a few extra seconds to figure out where my area was. Got the bike racked, put on socks, shoes, visor, race belt, and ran off.
What would you do differently?:

Remember where I was "parked"!
Run
  • 55m 45s
  • 6.2 miles
  • 08m 59s  min/mile
Comments:

Ok, we all know I am a lousy runner. I've only been doing it for a little over a year, and I'm improving, but I just have zero natural running ability. Lots of room to improve, though! I started the run feeling pretty decent. My legs loosened up quickly, and I got into a good pace. I was immediately passed my one woman, and by another 2 before mile 2. Eh, I;m used to it, people pass me like it's a parade. At about the 1 mile mark I started running with a guy who was at about my pace. We chatted for the next couple of miles, which helped pass the time. I felt good. I was working hard, but comfortably hard. He peaced out a little after mile 3, and picked up the pace, so I just carried on by myself. At each aid atation I got 2 cups of water, drank 1 and dumped another over my head. That felt good, as it was quite humid! Around mile 5 I was passed by a few men who promptly started walking up the hills. I gave them a little pep talk, telling them that we're almost there, let's finish strong! I was soooo glad to see the 6 mile marker and tried to kick it in the best i could.
What would you do differently?:

Not suck? Eh, I'm improving. It helped to have a run buddy, and I think that maybe I could have gone a little faster if I'd had one for the whole time (not just the first few miles). And maybe I should have taken another Gu, since I only had 1 on the bike.
Post race
Warm down:

Crossed the finish line, grabbed a water, stood around and chatted with my parents and Jon. Parents left, and Jon and I meandered over to the food, where I got some peach pie and Sam Adams. It was awesome! Got my stuff together in transition, and waited for the results to be posted. Chatted with some fellow HEATsters, and waited for the awards. The girl who beat me in my ag was #2 overall, so I slid into 1st place for the ag! This was my 1st ag win (the 2 other races this season I got 2nd and 3rd) and I was pretty darn excited!

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Being a crappy runner. That's about it. It was a good day!

Event comments:

HMF does a good job. Lots of volunteers, and a fun course. I'll be back next year!


Profile Album


Last updated: 2009-08-25 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:24:05 | 1760 yards | 01m 22s / 100yards
Age Group: 1/11
Overall: 6/214
Performance: Good
Suit: Nineteen Frequency Full
Course: I think it was a triangle
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 78F / 26C Current:
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting:
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 04:31
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed:
Biking
01:13:32 | 23.8 miles | 19.42 mile/hr
Age Group: 2/11
Overall: 56/214
Performance: Good
Wind: None
Course: Downhill or flat pretty much for the first 15 miles, then s gradual climb, and finally, the you'd-better-stand-up-or-you'll fall-over climb. Very fun, but tough!
Road: Rough Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:13
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Below average
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:55:45 | 06.2 miles | 08m 59s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/11
Overall: 105/214
Performance: Good
Course: Hilly. Definitely more uphill than downhill, but through nice neighborhoods and with generally enough shade.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
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] 4