TDD triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Douglas, Massachusetts
United States
55F / 13C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 18m 24s
Overall Rank = 184/440
Age Group = M45-49
Age Group Rank = 20/24
Pre-race routine:

Got there around 7:30 and just by chance got waved into the world's best parking space just at the top of the path to the beach, so I could run by my beat-up Subaru as I finished the race. Cereal and banana before I left the house, couple of snacks before the race. I have Type 1 diabetes, so balancing insulin and carbs is my major concern before a race. This was my first real tri, so I was trying to get it just right, without much experience to call on.

I had tried to do Hyannis II last week, but the bike course was rained out, so I felt cheated and came back home to sign up for this one, as the only Sprint close to Boston with spots open. So, this would hopefully be my first complete tri.
Event warmup:

Ran for 5 minutes through the parking lot and swam for another 5 minutes. Didn't really warm up but calmed the nerves
Swim
  • 07m
  • 437 yards
  • 01m 36s / 100 yards
Comments:

This is an estimate, as I missed the split somehow, but this was consistent with my time in Hyannis. I was pleased with the swim, since at the start of the summer, I could not swim more than 25 yards of crappy freestyle and could not breathe properly. Got jostled a bit, but overall it was pretty pleasant and I felt good coming out. I rented a wetsuit from Trisports for Hyannis and kept if for this race also, planning to use the two rental fees as a credit to buying a suit. Loved the wetsuit - not for the temperature but the ease of swimming and increased speed.

Although I wasn't fast in my AG or overall, I just felt good about getting through
What would you do differently?:

Next time, have a bit more confidence and push a bit harder at the beginning - it's a sprint, after all.
Transition 1
  • 02m 20s
Comments:

The time is an estimate again, but I know my overall time out of T1 was 9:20. I took forever getting out of the wetsuit - because it was rented I didn't want to treat it too badly (man, am I considerate...), so next time, I'll be rough with my own suit and stamp on it. So ended up sitting down to get it off.

Also felt like it too forever to put socks on and tie laces.

I also have no biking shoes, but just wear running shoes and have clips on my road-bike, so I took forever to get those on. With all that, I feel like I was in T1 for longer than 2:20, but can't believe I did the swim in much less than 7 minutes. Next time, I'll be sure to hit the mat coming out of the swim.

Decided to run my bike along the 100 yards of path before the road began also - probably added 10 seconds overall, as people weren't riding fast, and I wanted to make sure I didn't puncture there.
What would you do differently?:

Get medieval with the wetsuit. Also, get some Yankz - from what I've heard I'm hoping they'll be the cheapest minute I ever buy
Bike
  • 40m 13s
  • 11 miles
  • 16.41 mile/hr
Comments:

I'm disappointed with my bike time. I know I can do 18 mph on average on flatter terrain, and the swim didn't tire me that much. The hills really got to me - the course was much hillier than expected, particularly that last SOB which went on for way too long. There was also a long-ish climb right out of the parking lot, which I went out too fast on. Also, you can't really take advantage of the long descent to the lake, because of runners and a narrow, bumpy road. But I passed a few (and got passed by a few more) so it wasn't horrible, just a bit disappointing.
What would you do differently?:

Maybe look at bike shoes - but do you really gain enough on a Sprint to make up for extra transition time?
Transition 2
  • 00m 48s
Comments:

This should be quick since I didn't have to change anything really
Run
  • 28m 2s
  • 3 miles
  • 09m 20s  min/mile
Comments:

I was really slow on the way out of the transition, on purpose, then kept a slower than I hoped for 9:30-10:00 pace up most of the hill, planning to pick it up on the return. I succeeded some in doing that, but my legs were just beginning to cramp on the last mile, so couldn't push it as much as I would hope for.
What would you do differently?:

Find a race with a flat course...
Post race
Warm down:

Ate about 4 lbs of watermelon - a great post-race snack for me. Watched the other finishers for a good while and felt smug about finishing my first tri in a time which was a little slower than I hoped for, but on a course which was much hillier than I expected (except the swim...)

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Maybe more salt to prevent cramping legs. Does that work?

Need to work a bit harder on getting the blood sugar right, which I know will take some time off, but that will come with experience. Finished with a blood sugar of 110, which was pretty much exactly where you want to be, but it was high at the start.

Event comments:

Atmosphere was nice, but there was a lot less information before the start than I saw at Hyannis. I think most nervous first-timers would like to hear a bit more information about where to go and how long until the race starts etc.




Last updated: 2009-09-23 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:07:00 | 437 yards | 01m 36s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/24
Overall: 0/440
Performance: Average
Suit: Rented
Course: Rectangle
Start type: Wade Plus:
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Average Drafting: Below average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:20
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Bad Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed:
Biking
00:40:13 | 11 miles | 16.41 mile/hr
Age Group: 19/24
Overall: 185/440
Performance: Below average
Wind:
Course:
Road: Rough Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Average Hills: Below average
Race pace: Hard Drinks:
T2
Time: 00:48
Overall:
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Average
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
00:28:02 | 03 miles | 09m 20s  min/mile
Age Group: 21/24
Overall: 235/440
Performance: Below average
Course: 1.5 miles out all pretty much uphill and 1.5 miles back all pretty much downhill
Keeping cool Below average Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race?
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 3