Skinnyman Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


View Member's Race Log View other race reports
Skaneateles, New York
United States
Skaneateles Labor Day Race Weekend
66F / 19C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 42m 26s
Overall Rank = 427/615
Age Group = 40-44
Age Group Rank = 23/42
Pre-race routine:

Woke up at 4:50, got dressed, searched frantically for watch, didn't find it. Made coffee, PB and J sandwiches, and hit the road. The drive was shorter than I expected, and I got to Skaneatales by 6:10. I ate the PB and J on the way, as well as a banana. Parked, got marked and chipped, and set up. Ate a gel and some water about 7:10, and the race started up at 7:30 (my wave was 4th).
Event warmup:

Walking around, swimming up to starting line.
Swim
  • 20m
  • 800 yards
  • 02m 30s / 100 yards
Comments:

During the mini-mussel I was nervous about being able to swim the distance, so I didn't push myself much. This race, I came in better prepared, and really tried to push myself, stroking strong and concentrating on form. So I was disappointed when I saw my pace because it was basically the same as the Mini-mussel. But when I look at how I compared with the others in my AG, I actually improved- at the mini I was 27/41, and here I was 25/41, and there were definately fewer people with sub-2:00/100 paces. So I wonder whether the course was a little longer, either in the swim or the exit run.
What would you do differently?:

I was having a little more trouble sighting and staying straight while I was pushing the pace, and once had to backtrack for a couple strokes to stay on the correct side of the bouy. I need to work on my OWS technique, and get used to swimming harder.
Transition 1
  • 01m 54s
Comments:

Not too bad- wetsuit will be a pain until I get a new one. I didn't bother drying off my feet, which probably was OK (see run). I didn't stop to eat a gel this time, which saved a bit as well.
What would you do differently?:

Get a new wetsuit?
Bike
  • 53m 33s
  • 14 miles
  • 15.69 mile/hr
Comments:

The bike just sucked. I am not prepared for these little rolling hills- I don't have aero shifters so I couldn't spend much time in aero position because I kept shifting up and down. My legs were pretty tired after my effort on the swim, and felt dead. To top it off, I thought I would try drinking exceed on the bike instead of having a gel, to save time. Unfortunately I mixed it too strong, and after half a bottle, I started getting a headache and a little nauseous- probably a little dehydrated from the hyperosmolar sugar load.

On the bright side, I was the top AG finisher who biked slower than 16 MPH! I take that as a hopeful sign :).
What would you do differently?:

Train on more hills with less recovery- the hills I tend to do are long but have a long recovery after, which is pretty similar to Mini-mussel and FLT. For Skinnyman next year I think (besides just more time in the saddle) I would do some hill repeats with out much recover in between. Hydration wise, I think I'll go back to water, and instead have a gel on the bike at the beginning, and maybe the end.
Transition 2
  • 01m 23s
Comments:

Took a few seconds to swig some water.
What would you do differently?:

Check shoes before race for objects inside them (see below).
Run
  • 25m 36s
  • 3 miles
  • 08m 32s  min/mile
Comments:

This is really where I redeemed myself. I passed many of the people that passed me on the bike, and ended up with a very respectable time. I just let the cadence from the bike keep my legs moving, and trucked along. Fortunately after a couple of hills at the beginning (where I was passing people) the end was a nice slow downhill, and I really could pick up the pace a little. It was fun :). At the very end, a younger guy started sprinting past me- I started to run after him, and got egged on by the announcer, and caught up to him at the finish. Hehehe.

I did notice something in my left shoe at the beginning. I was a little worried it would cause a blister, but I wiggled my toes around to put it in the little hollow under the toes. Turned out it was a broken rubber band- NO idea how it got there!
What would you do differently?:

Nothing, really. I was pretty happy with the run.
Post race
Warm down:

Walked around, got a massage (nice!), rehydrated, and ate pizza.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Nutrition and hydration, and training (as usual)

I went into the race not being that psyched up, after a hard week, so in that sense I'm pretty happy with how it went, and that I started at all. On the other hand, training had been going well, so I was hoping for a better bike. Overall I'm less disappointed than I was yesterday, and I'm looking forward to Fingerlakes in a couple of weeks.

Event comments:

My first time at this race- it was a nice race, well organized, and would have been more fun if I had people I know there!




Last updated: 2009-06-09 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:20:00 | 800 yards | 02m 30s / 100yards
Age Group: 25/42
Overall: 429/615
Performance: Average
Suit: Wetsuit
Course: Out across and back
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 72F / 22C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Bad
Waves: Navigation: Below average
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 01:54
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
00:53:33 | 14 miles | 15.69 mile/hr
Age Group: 31/42
Overall: 498/615
Performance: Below average
Wind: Some
Course: Out and about- lots of left turns. Lots of rolling hills...by the end I was saying to myself- oh my gosh, another f-ing hill? And I don't swear much. They were mostly not big hills (well, there was one) but they just kept coming, and the downhills were too short to be helpful.
Road: Smooth  Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Below average Hills: Bad
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 01:23
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Below average
Running
00:25:36 | 03 miles | 08m 32s  min/mile
Age Group: 22/42
Overall: 359/615
Performance: Good
Course: Out and around
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Below average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race? Ok
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