1ST Annual Patanella's Buckman Olympic & Sprint Tr - TriathlonSprint


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Lebanon, New Jersey
United States
Greenbrook Racing
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 49m 44s
Overall Rank = 108/157
Age Group = 40-44
Age Group Rank = 12/14
Pre-race routine:

Standard: Clif Bar, banana, 8oz soy milk with teaspoon instant coffee, 8 oz water. Drive to venue -- didn't get lost !!
Event warmup:

Lots of stretching
Few minutes swimming
Swim
  • 09m 17s
  • 440 yards
  • 02m 07s / 100 yards
Comments:

The water was beautiful -- crystal clear, warm, and calm. There were only 2 waves and I moved toward the front. However, I was totally swamped by the high performance guys who got a swimming start from the back of the pack. Went out much faster on 1st 100-200 and then settled down. Lots of bumping, kicking, etc. but happy with swim
What would you do differently?:

Start in the middle of the pack with a swimming start
Transition 1
  • 02m 6s
Comments:

A little trouble getting shoes on, but probably not as bad as it seemed at the time. Trouble getting into peddles since bike start was uphill!
What would you do differently?:

??
Bike
  • 1h 04m 12s
  • 17 miles
  • 15.89 mile/hr
Comments:

Very tough day on the bike. I had strained a muscle in my lower back 3 weeks earlier and so did zero biking or running for last 3 weeks to heal. Really felt it -- sucking wind terribly on uphills -- probably would have gone faster to walk the 1 monster hill (at least that's how it seemed . . . . on my granny ring for the first time ever on my bike!!). Got a cramp in my right calf at about 10 miles in, stopped got off and stretched, but the calf kept "twinging" -- almost but not quite cramping for the rest of the ride. Had the thrill of hitting 40 mph on a big downhill and leaving a 50 yard skid mark as I braked to make the 90 degree right turn -- fishtailing and praying the guy 3 lengths ahead of me wouldn't fall! This was a REAL challenge.
What would you do differently?:

TRAIN HILLS!!!!!
Transition 2
  • 02m 2s
Comments:

I just cannot get the hang of the riding with feet on top of my shoes and jumping off the bike.
Run
  • 32m 10s
  • 3.11 miles
  • 10m 20s  min/mile
Comments:

The cramp in my right calf flared up as soon as I started to run. I stopped and massaged and stretched, and it came back again within a few steps. I thought at that point I might just drop out but decided to walk a little and try to stretch it out by walking. That seemed to help and I was able to jog, which gradually loosened up the calf. I was very very winded -- terribly out of shape, frankly, for an event of this difficulty. I walked 10-50 yards intermittently, chiefly on hills, of course. The run course was quite tough with a significant hill right at about mile 2 or so, which was pretty demoralizing, except that it gave a nice long, maybe 1/2 - 2/3 mile downhill pitch to the finish!
What would you do differently?:

TRAIN!!!
Post race
Warm down:

1. Immediately iced right knee -- no swelling YEAH!!
2. LOTS of gentle stretching
3. LOTS of water

What limited your ability to perform faster:

The injury, which really cost me 3 weeks of training, which I fully intended to use for hill training.

Event comments:

For me, coming off the NJ State Tri as my first race ever, this race was a real wake up call -- here's what a tough course feels like. I don't think it was too tough, I was not as trained as I should have been and I knew that going in. Frankly, a good argument was made that I shouldn't have even gone out, given the muscle strain and impact on my training, but I accepted the fact that I might have to drop out. In the end, my back was absolutely FINE, which was great! It was just a lack of conditioning plus the calf cramp that really hit my time. I consider this race to have been a huge success for me -- that it was a tough course, that I put myself together and got there and that despite the known challenges and limitations, I went out and did it, and although at times I felt sure that I was absolutely dead last, came in pretty decently. My transitions were each a full minute faster than last time, I learned more about starting and pacing and experienced firsthand the importance of proper training.
The race was great where it had to be great -- very well organized, very well designed and marked course, great timing, plenty of volunteers who were really helpful. Amenities were fine -- plenty of icy cold water, bananas, snacks, bagels and peanut butter -- the most important things. No beer truck, pizza van, massage tent, etc. but that's just frills. This race had everything that counts in abundance. I was really jazzed by how genuinely supportive the volunteers were, cheering me on as I was clearly struggling on the run and very helpful immediately afterwards in getting me ice packs and stuff for my knee.


Profile Album


Last updated: 2007-09-11 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:09:17 | 440 yards | 02m 07s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/14
Overall: 57/157
Performance: Good
Suit: Racing - no wet suit
Course: Straight out, around buoy, and back.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 78F / 26C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Drafting:
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 02:06
Performance:
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
01:04:12 | 17 miles | 15.89 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/14
Overall: 99/157
Performance:
Wind:
Course: Very hilly! Big inclines
Road:  Wet Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks:
T2
Time: 02:02
Overall:
Riding w/ feet on shoes Bad
Jumping off bike Bad
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
00:32:10 | 03.11 miles | 10m 20s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/14
Overall: 0/157
Performance:
Course: HILLY
Keeping cool Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %2.7%
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
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: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4