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 Swim
Comments: I was definitely most nervous about the swim. This was only my second OWS, so I wasn't quite sure how it would go. Plus, I had a lot of mental issues with swimming in the Schuykill River. It actually wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. There was a steep drop-off getting into the water, so I had to dive right in. There was no time to be freaked out about the water. I started at the back of my wave, and just took it nice and easy. The only people I really passed were those who were taking a backstroke break, or the occasional person doing breaststroke. But that's about what I expected. I did okay with my sighting, luckily I didn't actually have to sight all that much. I was able to follow the swimmers ahead of me, or just sight as I breathed to the side. I did stop and tread water occasionally to take a quick rest and have a look around to make sure I was headed in the right direction. I was very pleased with my swim time. The current did a lot to speed me up in the water. Very nice! What would you do differently?: I need to work on sighting. Luckily I didn't have to sight too much, but this is something I'll need to definitely work on for future races.  Transition 1
Comments: Ran in from the swim, feeling fresh. Sat on my towel to clean and dry my feet and put on shoes and socks. Put on helmet and glasses, took a gel, double checked that I hadn't forgotten anything, and was off to the bike course. What would you do differently?: Nothing. Felt good about T1.  Bike
Comments: The course was nice and flat, so I had a really fast ride. I actually passed quite a few people on the bike, mostly other mountain bikes, but also a few road bikes. I pushed hard on the bike, but not too hard that I had nothing left for the run. What would you do differently?: Buy a road bike and clipless pedals. (Next year!) Transition 2
Comments: T2 was easy, helmet and glasses off, race belt on. Off I went. What would you do differently?: Nothing  Run
Comments: Felt great running out of T2 and waving to the family. Then the heavy legs kicked in. The course was mainly in the sun, so with the 90 degree temps, it was hot. I just kept saying, "slow and steady" in my head over and over. My goal was to run the entire distance without having to walk. This was my longest run in months, due to a nasty case of ITBS, so it was a big challenge. I counted my foot falls in my head, up to 100 and then back down. This kept me distracted and I just kept plugging away. I did have some side stitches that started within the first mile and continued through the end. Luckily, I was able to keep them under control with deep breathing. The turn around seemed to take forever to get to, but I just kept trucking along and eventually got there. Grabbed a cup of water, stopped for a second to drink and ran the rest of the way to the finish. What would you do differently?: Drink a little more in T2 before heading out. It seems I get most of the water up my nose when drinking from those little water station cups. Post race
Warm down: Did some stretching and walked around after reuniting with the family. Drank plenty of water and got some grub. What limited your ability to perform faster: 1. My 33 pound Schwinn mountain bike. 2. Lack of run training due to ITBS injury. Event comments: This was a really well run race that's just perfect for first-timers. I would definitely recommend it! Profile Album Last updated: 2007-05-29 12:00 AM
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United States
CGI Racing
90F / 32C
Sunny
Overall Rank = 473/669
Age Group = First Timers
Age Group Rank = 89/174
Woke up at 4:30. Felt fairly well rested and ready to go. I came down with a cold about 2 days ago, but luckily on race morning all I had to deal with was a sore throat and a bit of a cough.
Breakfast was two pieces of toast. I know I should have eaten more, but that was about all I could stomach at the time.
Arrived around 6:30, a little later than planned and after about 5 min of walking towards the race, realized I forgot my water bottles in the car. D'oh! I hopped on the bike and zipped back to my car to grab them while Drew patiently waited for me to return.
I felt really rushed from the minute I got down to the race area. I got body marked then headed right into the transition area to set up. At this time it was about 7:00 and they were announcing that the transition area would be closing in 30 minutes. So I set up my area quickly and dashed off to use the bathroom, where I stood in line for what seemed like an eternity.
At this point my parents had arrived, so I said a quick hello to them, pointed out where my spot in transition was, and dashed back in to finish setting up. At this point, they were directing all competitors to the swim start, about 1/4 mile away.
Before heading down to the swim start I said my good-byes to my family (after posing for some pictures of course).
None really, unless the bike back to my car to get my water bottles counts. I would've liked to have a warm-up swim, but didn't have time.