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 Swim
Comments: This was my first indoor pool swim. This was also my first tri without noseclips. I had gone to a local store to see if they had any, as this is where I'd bought my last 2 pairs, but they were out. I wanted to wear them as a security blanket, but the truth is I really just don't need them anymore. When I first got in, I had a shock because the water was so cold. After a few seconds I adjusted and got in my groove. During the second set of 50, doubt started creeping in, though it was just for a couple seconds. It seemed like I had so far to go. Then I told myself, "Oh, good grief, Lora! You swim this distance ALL the time in practice - SHUT UP!" There wasn't a lot of backlog at the lanes and I managed to swim underneath the ropes with no problems. Almost at the end, I was right behind two breaststrokers and I was dying to pass them. Luckily, I was able to do that at the last 50 and made up for some lost time then. I can't decide if I'm disappointed with my time or not. I typically do this distance in 10 or 11 minutes. However, when you consider that I was swimming with other people, had to slow down at times for them and that I had difficulty climbing out of the pool, I guess it's OK. However, this was by far my best time/pace in the swim portion of a tri. I need to rejoice in that. What would you do differently?: I need to work on speed. I've managed to cut my swim time in half, but I need to chop it in half once again. Maybe learn flip turns?  Transition 1
Comments: I probably spent too much time wiping off the dirt on my feet. What would you do differently?: Do more tris to practice this more.  Bike
Comments: I had been warned about a very big hill, but when I saw it, I kept on telling myself to wake-up because surely I must've been in the middle of a nightmare. I was able to bike it about 1/3 of the way, but had to join the rest of the folks (everybody) who were walking it. Roller coaster engineers for the Son of Beast must've used this hill as a model. It was that crazy! At the bottom of another big hill, there was a volunteer and a law enforcement (LE) guy. The volunteer shouted, "On the outside of the cones." I thought, "OK," and I did...but apparently for only one set of cones. I passed the LE official and he kindly said, "Oops, you didn't go on the outside of THESE cones." Having lost my momentum, I slowed down to look at him. He said, "Oh, that's okay. Don't worry about it." I didn't have enough speed to shift gears at this point and I hope I didn't do any permanent damage to my bike. It made noises that didn't sound natural. There were several areas where the course had a long, steady tough grade. I kept my head down so I couldn't see the end of the grade so I wouldn't get discouraged. I just biked to get through each moment. That really helped. Several people passed me, but I also did my fair share of passing. I did have my best time on a 20K bike in a tri. What would you do differently?: Though I currently train on nice rolling hills, I need to start riding the routes at home I've been avoiding because they're too hilly. I can't be a wimp about that anymore. Transition 2
Comments: At this point I have a pair of bike shoes to fit my pedals, but I haven't trained in them so I didn't race with them. So, I biked in my running shoes. The only thing I had to do was to switch my bike helmet for a ball cap, take off my jacket and grab a bottle of water. What would you do differently?: Nothing, really.  Run
Comments: When I run at home, I train on hills. I'm sure nobody will believe me, but I'm slower on flats than I am on hills and this showed in my time. Because I hadn't stretched before the race, I had to stop 3 times to stretch my calves, which added to my time. I walked a few seconds of it, as well, so I could drink out of my water bottle I'd brought along. I feel safe in saying that I'm disappointed with my run time. I really could have pushed more at the end, but I didn't. As I took off for and came back from the run, I passed the members of the Cincy tri club and the gang here on BT who were both cheering me on. That was just completely cool. I mean, really. That just meant a lot to me. What would you do differently?: Train more on flat courses and stretch before the race starts. Post race
Warm down: A volunteer handed me a water bottle and I gladly took it. I didn't do much stretching, just kind of focused on my calves. What limited your ability to perform faster: Not doing speed drills for my swim, not training on bigger hills for my bike and not training on flats and doing speed drills for my run. Event comments: The race was very well organized and the location was beautiful. I love my Marshall University, but I gotta say, Miami has one of - if not the most - beautiful campuses I've ever seen. It is important to note that in my first tri, I came in 207/217 overall and 40/42 in my AG. At the next tri, I came in 195/197 overall and 23/23 in my AG. So, considering I came in 498/585 overall and 49/56 in my AG at this race, I'm pretty pleased overall. Profile Album Last updated: 2008-10-10 12:00 AM
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United States
Miami University Student Foundation
45F / 7C
Sunny
Overall Rank = 498/588
Age Group =
Age Group Rank = 49/57
Packet pick-up started at 6:00 a.m. I woke up at 2:00 a.m. and left at 3:00 a.m. Before leaving, I ate a bowl of oatmeal and drank a cup of coffee.
When I got to the race site, I parked in the garage next to the TA, getting a spot right by the door. It was 5:25 a.m. I set my alarm for 5:55, grabbed my backpack to use as a pillow and tried to sleep, but just ended-up resting.
I went to pick up my packet and only had to wait 5 minutes. The only race number they were giving was a wrist strap to wear for all three events. That worked well for me because I had been wondering where to pin my number because I figured I'd be wearing more for the bike than the run, especially on top.
I went back to my SUV, got all things necessary for the race, found my corral and took the spot closest to the aisle. The early bird gets the worm.
I found a couple friends from the Cincy tri club and hung out with them for a few minutes. I put on my swim cap and goggles, took off my shoes and all clothes but my trisuit, and ran to the rec center entrance. It was in the upper thirties and I was freezing.
I then spotted the folks from BT who were doing the race and we all chatted until numbers started getting called.
I did not get in the water or stretch. I was so nervous about freezing in T1, that I just let it consume me. I don't regret warming up in the water, but I do regret not going for a quick run and then stretching. During the run my calves started tightening and I had to stop 3 times to stretch.