Philadelphia Women's Duathlon - DuathlonStandard


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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
United States
CGI Racing
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 54m 43s
Overall Rank = 112/275
Age Group = 30-34
Age Group Rank = 22/44
Pre-race routine:

Up at 5:30 a.m., Breakfast: Clif Bar, Bananna, a few ounces of Vitamin water, and about two glasses of water. Meant to leave the house by 6:10 a.m., but actually left at about 6:30 a.m. So, instead of a slow, easy bike ride to the race (about 4-5 miles), I had to push it.
Event warmup:

Rode to the race, about 4-5 miles.
Run
  • 15m 21s
  • 1.9 miles
  • 08m 05s  min/mile
Comments:

I went out fairly fast, faster than I intended, although I don't think I was hurt by it at all.
What would you do differently?:

In hindsight, for a two-miler, I probably could have pushed it a little harder to drop below an 8 minute mile.
Transition 1
  • 02m 23s
Comments:

I spent more time in transition than I thought. I felt like I zoomed in and out, but I guess not. Since I was in the first wave, there weren't many people in transition when I got there.
What would you do differently?:

Pay more attention to my time, adrenaline had me thinking I was moving fast, but I was apparently not. I definitely lost a few places in overall rank due to my slow transitions.
Bike
  • 1h 06m 5s
  • 17 miles
  • 15.44 mile/hr
Comments:

I was having a hard time on the bike. I was biking in my running sneakers, which were wet on the soles after running through the grass transition area, and I had a hard time keeping my feet on the pedals for the first two or three miles until they dried out. Also, I just couldn't get comfortable on the bike. I'm not sure if it was nerves or what, but I kept shifting on my seat, feeling like I was crunched up too far forward...and I realized when I got off the bike that I was actually sitting way to far back. I was sitting practically on the tops of my hamstrings!

It was particularly rough for me mentally too, b/c while my run is good enough that I wasn't being passed by subsequent waves during that segment, for the entire first loop of the bike, I passed no one, and was being passed by what felt like everyone on the bike. I had considered before the race that scenario, b/c I'm more of a beginner on the bike, but the reality of being passed by so many people was much harsher than I anticipated. For the first loop, b/w my wet sneakers, inability to relax and get comfortable on the seat, and being passed continuously, I was just miserable and wanted off the bike.

When I started the second lap, it was the middle of primetime for the bike start for the later waves. There were a still some strong bikers passing me, but with more people on the course, I finally had some people to keep pace with, and even pass.

One not so good thing was that as we were getting ready to head down a small hill into the final straightaway the road splits into two. There was a race official/volunteer standing on the penninsula b/w the two road options shouting and waving/pointing to us keep us on the course at the split. I had a split second of panic when I saw him until I fully realized what he was trying to convey. Ifelt like it wasn't quite enough...they probably should have put up a wooden barrier on the other side and/or had a big sign pointing us in the right direction.

I also felt the warning to slow for dismount was a little late, but this was my first race, so maybe it was just later than I thought it would be, not later than it should have been. A woman was shouting to slow down for dismount, so I stopped pedaling and got ready to brake. All of a sudden, there was the dismount line...couldn't have been more than 30 yards from the woman. So, I braked fairly hard and got off right at the line (there was another woman getting off a few yards past the line ahead of me, so I think maybe I wasn't the only one surprised at how close it was). It was kind of tough, b/c right after getting off, we had to almost immedately turn to the right, come to a dead stop, and lift our bikes over a pretty high curb onto the grass.
What would you do differently?:

Not get psyched out. I also learned that I wasn't training as hard on the bike as I thought, so I need to step that up if I want to improve my speed. And, I have to relax and get situated on my bike seat.
Transition 2
  • 03m 11s
Comments:

T2 was much slower than I thought. I did pause at the rack to take a drink and eat two bites of a Clif Bar, but considering that I didn't even have to change my shoes, my T2 was super-long.

Also, as soon as I dismounted the bike, I knew immediately why I couldn't get comfortable during the bike portion...and I knew I was in trouble for the run! I had been sitting not on my sit bones, but completely on the tops of my legs, not on my arse at all! It hurt! Not like a tight muscle, but like a bruise from being hit. And it was nothing like the rubbery legs I had prepared for, in fact, I had none of that at all...or possibly I couldn't feel the rubberies with pain from sitting incorrectly on the bike. Every step felt like someone was hitting me right below my arse cheeks with a hockey stick. Ouch!
What would you do differently?:

I need to be more mindful of my transition time!
Run
  • 27m 45s
  • 3.1 miles
  • 08m 57s  min/mile
Comments:

My legs hurt for the entire 2nd run b/c of how I was sitting on my bike. Every single step hurt, but in the end I ran the pace I was expecting to for the second run (and a lot faster than I thought I was running at the time.)

My 2nd run pace was pretty good, considering. I did a 10 miler in May at a 9:05 pace (also a flat course), so I think beating that in the final segment of a du AND after what I did to myself on the bike, beating that time was pretty good. The difference b/w my pace on the 1st and 2nd runs was high, but that is mainly b/c I did the first run faster than I anticipated. Also, I think that if I hadn't been sitting incorrectly on the bike segment, this run would have been quite a bit faster than it was/faster than I anticipated.
What would you do differently?:

Next time I think I can probably push faster on the run. My bike position killed me for the second run this time, but it looks like I'll be able to hold up a faster pace for the 5k next time...as long as I can keep from having another bike position fiasco!
Post race
Warm down:

Got some food (the race had a great post-race food selection), collected my things from transition, and biked 4-5 miles home...very slowly.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

My psych-out and positioning issues on the bike. Also, my overall speed ability on the bike.

Event comments:

Good overall, sans a little mixup as to what side of the road/lane we were supposed to be running on for the 5k.




Last updated: 2009-07-20 12:00 AM
Running
00:15:21 | 01.9 miles | 08m 05s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/44
Overall: 42/275
Performance: Average
Course: Advertised as a 2 mile, but course organizers told everyone up front that the course was short, about 1.9. Based on time/pace results, it must have been a hair shorter than 1.9. Flat out and back, no shade. All on asphalt road, except for the final .1 or .2, which was on grass. Both out and back shared one lane, since the other side of the road was part of the bike course. Since I started in the first wave and placed fairly high in this segment, the run was uncrowded. (All du racers were in first wave. Tri racers were waves 2+ and did the same course as their swim was cancelled due to river conditions.) There was a water stop.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
T1
Time: 02:23
Overall: Below average
Run with bike? Average
Jump on bike? Average
Getting up to speed and into shoes: Below average
Biking
01:06:05 | 17 miles | 15.44 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/44
Overall: 171/275
Performance: Below average
Wind: Headwind
Course: Course was a fairly flat two-loop course on closed roads. A beginner's bike course for sure. There was a strong headwind for the final 2-3 miles of each lap.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering:
Gear changes: Good Hills:
Race pace: Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 03:11
Overall:
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
00:27:45 | 03.1 miles | 08m 57s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/44
Overall: 62/275
Performance: Good
Course: Flat out and back on asphalt. It was the same as the 2 mile course, except we went out a little farther. It was more crowded while I was running the course this time, and there was a little bit of chaos. Both directions where sharing a lane (well, a lane and a bike lane technically), and we were definitley getting some mixed directions from the race officials/volunteers. On the first run we ran on our right the whole way, for the second I started on the right, but then someone was on the course telling us to move to the left, so we did. Then there were some runners on their way back to the finish who ran towards/past on our right. Then, there was another pack of runners on their way back to the finish running towards us on our left, so I and the pack of runners I was with moved back over to our right. On the way back, the same thing happened...there was a point there we had to "cross traffic" to the left and then back to the right. I think one or two of the race officials or volunteers was a little mixed up. There was one drink station, which the run passed twice. Two opportunities for water/sports drink on a 5k is plenty.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: 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