Broome County Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Whitney Point, New York
United States
Broome County Parks
Overcast
Total Time = 1h 26m 58s
Overall Rank = 26/110
Age Group = 25-29
Age Group Rank = 1/7
Pre-race routine:

Started on the hydration side of things on Tuesday. Tried to make sure I was drinking 60+ oz of water every day. Gave in to every carb craving during the week. Had a BIG bowl of gnocchi Friday night, drank at Gatorade before bed.

Didn't sleep the greatest, but definitely wasn't the worst. Birds starting chirping around 4am so I dozed on and off until 6:30am. Toasted two cinnamon raisin bagels. Completely burned one half of one, so I had the partially charred three halves with a little bit of peanut butter. Worked hard to choke down the bagels. My gag reflexes were at an all time high because of the nerves (gagged brushing my teeth, too!). Tried to get another Gatorade down, but only managed half...didn't finish the rest before the race, either.

Got the hair in two French braids and left to be at the race by 8am for a 9:30am start. Transition area wasn't assigned so I tried to get a spot nearest the bike in/out since I run with my bike shoes on (haven't tried to learn the running squirrel yet).

Set up the area, changed and did dynamic stretching. Helped with the nerves a lot.
Event warmup:

Aimed for 15 minutes of swimming 1/2 hour before the start, but got in late. Not sure how much I swam, but I assume it was 300-400 yards. I did some one armed butterfly, some dolphin kicking, some backstroke & breaststroke. Worked a few drills-kicking on one side, FINISHING my stroke and switching to the other side. Expected more, but wanted to have enough time to get out, relax, stretch spots that needed and just sit back and enjoy feeling ready to race. Race started late because the ambulance was late. What a pain to be raring to go!
Swim
  • 13m 34s
  • 800 yards
  • 01m 42s / 100 yards
Comments:

I'm pretty happy with this swim. Wish I could have figured out how to stay on course for a straighter line to the buoys though. Wish I didn't produce mucus during the swim, but I don't think I can really help it. Just gotta remember to drink more water the day off in hopes of keeping it from getting so thick that I really get into a coughing fit.

Couldn't tell what buoys I was supposed to aim for on the last couple 100 yards, so just tried following the chick in front of me. Wasn't sure if I should head for shore then run to the TA or if I should swim behind her and get out where she did.
What would you do differently?:

I need a better plan for my exit.
Transition 1
  • 00m
Comments:

I had a pretty hard time getting my wetsuit off my heels. I was shaky in the hands and legs which didn't help. Once that happened I was pretty good. I *felt* like I took too much time getting my socks on. That was a big debate for me the night before, but all in all, the few extra seconds it took me to put them on was a huge relief for the next hour of the race. Glad I put them on.
What would you do differently?:

I am honestly not sure about clipping my shoes in before the race and running barefoot to the mount line then trying to get my feet in while I pedal. This will be something I work on after my HIM next week. Would it make that much difference in the end? I don't know. The guy who crossed the line before me finished 19 seconds faster. I'm sure I could cut that down if I DID have my shoes on my bike already, but I don't have tri shoes. SO, that could be another expense just to shave off a few seconds. Will I want to invest in that?? I don't know.
Bike
  • 47m 39s
  • 12 miles
  • 15.11 mile/hr
Comments:

Let's just say, I can't do hills to save my life. I ALWAYS GET BEAT ON THE HILLS!!!!!!!!! Always, always, always. I just don't have the quad strength to haul my ass up a hill of any size on my bike (I'm better with hills on a run, though, interestingly).

The first turnaround seemed like a bad idea. I was barreling downhill at well over 30 mph and had to come to an almost complete stop to turn around and go back up that hill at around 6 mph. Darn it. I suck at turning around, I don't know how I can whip my ass around faster so I don't lose so much speed and yet don't have to worry about safety. ha.
Anywhoo, fricking wind. I had to work like a mother to go DOWNHILL. I was pushing to maintain 18+mph going down a hill that I should have been hitting 25+mph.
What would you do differently?:

Strength train. I need to get my quads in shape so I don't have to worry about effing up my delicate knees. Maybe figure out hydration better. I threw up some of my bagels at the very beginning of the bike leg, so I held off on hydration. Then, the last two miles I knew it was my last big chance to get fluids in me since I didn't want to worry as much about it on the run. So, I just bucked up and took a few big chugs.
Transition 2
  • 00m
Comments:

I think when I had my awesome Denali ($150 from target.com!) I was able to jump off the moving bike because I had my running shoes on. I think I'd like to get to the point again where I can get my feet out and hop off with the bike in motion. At the very least I'd feel like a rock star doing it! =)
What would you do differently?:

Nothing, really, except maybe learn more advanced techniques. Didn't hesitate on this transition, which was good!
Run
  • 25m 46s
  • 3.1 miles
  • 08m 19s  min/mile
Comments:

WALKED up that stooopid hill. Knew enough from last year that triathlons aren't necessarily about speed through every moment of the race. It's about racing smart, too. I quickly walked up and had WAY fresher legs than last year. Didn't burn them going up. Smart move on my part. Got kind of hot on top of that levy, though. Not much you can do about that though. I didn't want to pour water on me because I just didn't want to be soggy. =)

The run is where I REALLY put my game plan in place-negative split each leg. I kept a high turn over going to the turn around, just to get my legs feeling normal. I pass one gal on the way out and always worried that she was going to negative split and just blow me away (because she passed me on the bike after I had passed her and been ahead for about 4 or 5 miles). Anyway, at the turn around I saw the LONG LINE OF ATHLETES right behind me and I was going to be pissed to give up distance to them in the last 1.5 miles. SO, I kept my turn over high and pushed to the edge of almost being too much.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing, this was a good run for me!
Post race
Warm down:

Bottle of water at the finish line, chatting with family, cheering some athletes on, etc.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Wind, wind, wind. Hills, hills, hills.

Event comments:

This race has SO MUCH POTENTIAL to be a really awesome race, but it definitely lacks a little something, something. They had this the same weekend as the Utica Boilermaker and that wasn't a good idea. There were fewer athletes this year and there was talks of canceling this triathlon, which would be a tremendous shame. I got $25 for winning my age group which was pretty cool, BUT the newspaper only reported the overall top 10 finishers.

ARE YOU EFFING KIDDING ME???????!!!!

There was a man in his MID 70S that raced. AND THE COMMUNITY DOESN'T KNOW BECAUSE IT WASN'T SHARED BECAUSE AGE GROUPS WEREN'T REPORTED. That's awful, awful, awful. I was looking forward to seeing my own name in print, but I was more upset that A) the top 10 finishers were all males. Show the females some love, please!! AND, there are so many people that should have been recognized for their accomplishment by placing in their age group. HELL, the top female finisher wasn't even recognized in the paper. That's terrible.




Last updated: 2009-07-07 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:13:34 | 800 yards | 01m 42s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/7
Overall: 0/110
Performance: Good
Suit: Full Xterra
Course: Inverted triangle. Water was slightly choppy going from 1st to 2nd buoy. REALLY got run over during first 50-100 yards, but fought to get over/around other athletes as well. Part of the fun, right?! LOVED the feeling of being in a pack of 20+ people in the front and feeling like I was being pulled forward with little effort. So THAT's what drafting feels like. COOL!!! Kept getting swept far to the right of the buoys when I normally aim for them dead on. Kept my mantra "Put the water BEHIND me" running in my head. I *think* I was pushing myself on the edge of going too hard and just hard enough, but that's the goal, right?? I got the pre-exercise induced asthma mucus going. Fun. SO, I would go to breathe, get my throat blocked off from mucus sticking across it, stick my head in the water and cough a little and attempt to breath again.
Start type: Run Plus: Shot
Water temp: 72F / 22C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Average Drafting: Average
Waves: Average Navigation: Below average
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 00:00
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Below average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
00:47:39 | 12 miles | 15.11 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/7
Overall: 0/110
Performance: Average
Wind: Headwind with gusts
Course: The time includes T1 AND T2 (why???!). The bike course changed from last year. We didn't have to ride on an older road (felt like cobblestones underneath you, I just rode the old route last week), but we had extra hills to motor through in exchange. It seemed like if we weren't going up something, we were going down, but not long enough to make up any good time. I DID hit 42 mph on one hill which rocked because I was at 30 mph halfway through the next uphill. The 1st and 2nd overall females caught me on the bike, but one didn't catch me until over 8 miles in.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Bad Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Below average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 00:00
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
00:25:46 | 03.1 miles | 08m 19s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/7
Overall: 0/110
Performance: Good
Course: Paved path to REALLY FREAKING STEEP levy. Hike up to top (25 yards??) then flat on grassy stretch. Out and back. Bottled water on course. Nothing at turn around though.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? No
Lots of volunteers? No
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Bad
Race evaluation [1-5] 3