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 Swim
Comments: I'm the first to admit I am not a strong swimmer, but after finishing Columbia in a Oly PR of 28 minutes, I was expecting to be out of the water no later than 40 minutes or so on this course. Even without a wetsuit, I felt like I had a strong swim- I sighted well, didn't get off course, didn't get stuck in a crowd...so I was SHOCKED to see my watch when I got out at almost 50 minutes. From discussions after the race, it seems like something was wrong with either the course or timing so I HOPE that's the case or I have some serious problems with my swim! What would you do differently?: I thought I had a good swim, given my swim abilities, so nothing- other than allow wetsuits and make sure the course is measured correctly :)  Transition 1
Comments: I think there is still room for improvement here, namely leaving the shoes on the bike but I'm still not there yet. Also took a little extra time here to load up with nutrition for the bike- probably should have taped those to my bike instead of putting them in my tri top pockets. What would you do differently?: Tape my nutrition to the bike; learn to start with shoes on the bike  Bike
Comments: I was expecting a windier bike but it wasn't too bad- only felt some serious headwinds in the last 15 or so miles, and even then they only lasted for a couple of miles. Any wind was actually welcomed as it helped cool me off. Stayed in aero almost the entire time except to stretch and take a few corners. Felt strong. Only problem was that my stomach started cramping- probably because I was drinking more gatorade (out of fear of dehydration) than I am used to, with a higher sugar content (for the calories) so I eased up on the gatorade and started taking only water at the bottle exhanges, and that seemed to help. What would you do differently?: Figure out a better hydration/nutrition plan that doesn't mess with my stomach as much- I tried to take in more calories/electrolytes with Gatorade this time than I typically do and it ended up causing some stomach cramps. Transition 2
Comments: Again, probably hindered by clipping out instead of leaving the shoes on the bike.  Run
Comments: Holy cr@p- I am a runner and this was the hardest, most brutal run I have EVER done. The only saving grace was the abundance of water stops with ice cold water and ice- I got one cup of each at every water stop, drank the ice water/poured it over my head and then dumped the cup of ice in my hat. Towards the end I'd take two cups of ice and put one in my hat and suck/chew on the ice from the other cup in an effort to keep my body temps down. Didn't see any mile markers until I noticed mile 11 marked on the ground- not sure if they were all marked on the ground but wish I had known where they were (or that there were better signage) because I would have liked to know how much farther I had to endure. All said, a decent run for the conditions but that run HURT! What would you do differently?: Nothing, given the conditions- did the best I could in the heat! Post race
Warm down: Crossed the finish line and stood under the water showers provided for a good 10 minutes just cooling off. Changed and got my gear, took the shuttle back to the parking lot to drop off my gear at the car, took the shuttle back and then (cruel joke) rode the 2-3 miles back to the car. What limited your ability to perform faster: The HEAT- and not wearing a wetsuit. Physically I felt strong- it was just the heat beating me down. Event comments: Even given the conditions, this was a great race- I was SO impressed with the volunteer support (those folks were out there for HOURS in the blazing heat) and abundant supply of water, ice, etc. It was my first HIM so I didn't have that many expectations going in but I think this is a first-rate race and think I'll probably come back again next year! Last updated: 2009-09-06 12:00 AM
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United States
Columbia Triathlon Association
94F / 34C
Sunny
Overall Rank = /
Age Group = F35-39
Age Group Rank = 14/90
Drove to Cambridge (1.5 hour drive from our home outside of DC) for packet pick-up and then went to the race start for a practice swim. At the expo the RD announced that the water temp was 74 so I assumed we'd be able to wear wetsuits the next day- how in the world could temps go up 4 degrees in less than 24 hours, right? Practice swim went well but water was pretty choppy and did feel warmer than 74...should have been a clue as to what was to come but I didn't really second guess the reading from Saturday.
Drove to hotel in Salisbury, grabbed dinner and got to bed on the early side. Woke up at 4:00 and left at 4:30 for Cambridge; ate a PB on bagel on the way and started loading up on fluids knowing how hot the day would be.
Parked at the school and took the shuttle over only to hear, as I got out, that the water temps were over 79 and no wetsuits would be allowed (after having a lengthy debate over whether to wear my sleeveless or full-sleeve- which immediately became a moot point!) Actually took the shuttle back to the school to get my tri suit but in the end decided to swim in my tri top and shorts even though I had never done a swim in them before.
Ate a Clif Bar and used the porta potties before watching some earlier swim waves go off and waiting for our turn.
Nothing other than riding the shuttle back and forth after finding out no wetsuits would be allowed!!