Tri the Wildwoods - TriathlonSprint


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North Wildwood, New Jersey
United States
DelMo Sports
80F / 27C
Overcast
Total Time = 1h 17m 44s
Overall Rank = 172/436
Age Group = M30-34
Age Group Rank = 26/55
Pre-race routine:

Spent the night in Avalon at Jess's (Laura's co-worker and fellow team member) parents' shore house. Woke up around 5AM. Showered. Bagel w/ PB, banana and bottle of gatorade. Left shortly after 6 for the short drive to North Wildwood. Walked a cpl blocks and then we were setting up transition by 640. Talked to a guy racked next to me who was doing his 2nd ever tri, and let some other random guy borrow my extra set of goggles.
Event warmup:

Nothing noteworthy. Some light stretching and one light jog on the beach to go wet my goggles and cap.
Swim
  • 10m 45s
  • 402 meters
  • 02m 40s / 100 meters
Comments:

They didn't announce the direction you were swimming (north or south) until 5 minutes before the race. That didn't bother me, but it would have been nice if they had explained the bouys...umm...i mean flags. They had three flags. Swim out to the first one and turn right. Pass the
second one and then a right at the third one back to the beach. They prob could have used another flag or two.

Waves were not as bad as the 2005 Cape Henlopen tri, but the course had you going further out in the ocean, thus IMO making it a tougher course... you had to contend with waves in your face for the first 100+ meters. Overall the conditions didn't bother me...I just plugged along at a comfortable pace...no drafting and due to the waves, i had my head up...a lot.

Removed cap, goggles and wetsuit at waters edge. Swim time includes a cpl hundred yard beach run up to transition.
What would you do differently?:

Do more some ocean swims.
Transition 1
  • 01m 36s
Comments:

I was going to try and leave my shoes on the bike, but I forgot the rubber bands.

Rank: 39/436 (the highlight of my race:))
HR: 168
What would you do differently?:

Remember rubber bands.
Bike
  • 34m 13s
  • 11 miles
  • 19.29 mile/hr
Comments:

Ugh. Where to start? After the tough swim conditions and long beach run to T1, I was eager to get on the bike and crush it. Was hoping to avg 22-23mph. I felt pretty good early on...I passed 8 or 10ppl and was only passed by one or two. Not too bad for starting in wave 2. I get to the long straight away heading south preparing for the turn-around at approx mile 4. Unfortunately for me I was so focused on my line through the turn-around that I overlooked the wet pavement. Although the rest of the course was dry, the sprinklers for the island in the middle of the street were on earlier than morning and wetted down the intersection.

I'm half way through the turn-around and bam...both wheels give out and I hit the ground hard. I lose over half of my gu2o. I shake it off, gather myself and get back on my bike w/ some pain and a decent amount of blood. As I am getting on my bike, another guy drops his. As I get going again, I couldn't seem to generate any power...I still had my HR up in the 170s but my speed how now dropped from low-mid 20s to high teens. What I failed to check was my front brake. At approx mile 9 I open the front brake and my speed picks up a bit. I make a note to self to check the brake after the race. I do, and after closing the brake, my tire would only spin a cpl inches. That would explain why I couldn't get started after the wreck.

Such a disappointing ride.
What would you do differently?:

This is easy....(1) not wreck and (2) if you do wreck and somethings seems wrong afterwards, don't be a meathead and push harder, relax and think! (HR is still up but speed is down...something must be wrong) (3) always pre-ride the course...even if just in a car.
Transition 2
  • 01m 18s
Comments:

Nothing exciting. Kinda slow b/c I didn't run that hard. I was in some pain and my goal was to finish...all time goals were way out the window w/ the slow ride.

HR: 169
What would you do differently?:

hustle
Run
  • 29m 52s
  • 3.11 miles
  • 09m 36s  min/mile
Comments:

I understand the RD can not control the tide, but please get the mile markers correct. Ever hear of GPS?

Enough venting. The high tide caused what was suppose to be a packed-sand run into a ocean/soft sand run. I decided to carry my shoes after mile 1 after my sneakers were soaked and feet hurting from the sand inside. I felt much better after removing my sneakers and my pace picked up slightly, but it still was slow.
What would you do differently?:

Evaluate conditions of a beach run on race day
Post race
Warm down:

Visit the EMS ambulance.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Crash, front brake, lack of training.

Event comments:

The following was sent by the RD to participants after the race:

"Due to the "unusual high tide," the timing mats getting wet, and the timing van sinking in the ocean, some of the results are not quite right....All in all, besides the horrible water conditions, the high-tide-soft-sand run, the sprinkler system wetting down the bike course, the PA system not working inside the tent, the results not getting posted and having to mail out the awards"

I'd hate to pay for this race next year, but its personal now...I'll prob do the race again, and next time it's payback time!!!


Profile Album


Last updated: 2006-08-25 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:10:45 | 402 meters | 02m 40s / 100meters
Age Group: 0/55
Overall: 191/436
Performance: Below average
Avg HR: 164
Suit: Zoot sleeveless
Course: Enter the ocean around 12th Street, swim north and exit around 15th Street.
Start type: Run Plus: Waves
Water temp: 68F / 20C Current: High
200M Perf. Below average Remainder: Below average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Bad
Waves: Average Navigation: Average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 01:36
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed:
Biking
00:34:13 | 11 miles | 19.29 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/55
Overall: 208/436
Performance: Bad
HR: 174
Wind: Strong
Course: Two loops. Double out-n-back. First to the north then to the south. Repeat for loops two.
Road: Rough Dry Cadence: 95
Turns: Bad Cornering: Bad
Gear changes: Average Hills:
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 01:18
Overall: Below average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Below average
Running with bike Below average
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
00:29:52 | 03.11 miles | 09m 36s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/55
Overall: 220/436
Performance: Below average
Splits are way off b/c off incorrect mile markers: 1 10:56 171 2 9:48 168 3+ 9:11 168
Course: Run down the beach to the water's edge and then out and back.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Below average
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? No
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? No
Events on-time? No
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? No
Post race activities: Below average
Race evaluation [1-5] 1