Aflac Iron Girl - TriathlonOther


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Atlanta, Georgia
United States
Iron Girl
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 02m 37s
Overall Rank = 357/
Age Group = 25-29
Age Group Rank = 37/98
Pre-race routine:

I had a bagel pre race at about 4:30 in the morning. We were traveling with some friends and luckily the Hampton inn was nice enough to open the breakfast area early which put me in carb heaven. I also consumed a mini luna prior to the race start.
Event warmup:

Well no warm up really. See I had planned to do a mini swim but the restroom was calling. Now what do you get when you have about 8 stalls and 1500 women at a women's only event... one long ass bathroom line. I was in the 3rd wave and was freaking out once they first wave went off and I still wasn't in a stall. Needless to say triathletes are the nicest people around and let me skip ahead in line. I knew I loved this sport for a reason.
Swim
  • 11m 13s
  • 656 yards
  • 01m 43s / 100 yards
Comments:

I felt good in the swim. I had a good rhythm and unlike last year, I never got startled/flustered/spooked. Just overall a good swim.

I some how got aged up an additional year and ended up swimming with the 30-34 group. That was awesome. I found out from a friend that the 25-29 group was brutal. I think I might like life in my new age group next year.
What would you do differently?:

I still need to focus on slowing down enough so that I can effectively do bilateral breathing. I get so caught up in the speed of the race that I end up breathing just to my right side. It inst a problem but I would really like to focus on speed with breathing bilaterally.
Transition 1
  • 03m 28s
Comments:

I completely forgot how brutal the run up to T1 from the swim was. Luckily tri friend Kelly was at the bottom of the hill to cheer me on and to snap a picture.
What would you do differently?:

Hill repeats. It seems too many races have a steep hill from the swim to T1. I need to get better on hills. :)
Bike
  • 1h 09m 45s
  • 19 miles
  • 16.34 mile/hr
Comments:

Wow am I really in the top 25% of my age group for the bike at this event! Dang!
I will be honest in saying that I forgot how tough this course could be. I am so thankful I had the experience from last year but even with that, I still make some mistakes. I didn't suck but I definitely used some excess energy where I should have conserved.
I am getting better with comfort on the aero bars. I really need to work on my mount and dismount. This bike is so much harder to get on and off of.
What would you do differently?:

Drive the course the night before again. I think I just underestimated the major hill on this course.
Transition 2
  • 02m 15s
Comments:

Oh gosh I don't even know where to get better here. This T2 time is actually slower than last year and I have no clue why. Rack placement, possibly. Different bike shoes which caused me to be much more cautious while running, who knows. Bottom line, running in tri shoes with shimano cleats is so much different than mountain shoes with eggbeaters cleats. It cost me some time but nothing worth sweating about
What would you do differently?:

Learn how to run with shimano cleats. :)
Run
  • 35m 56s
  • 3 miles
  • 11m 59s  min/mile
Comments:

So lets be honest here, the run is where I really suck it up. How does one go from being in the top 25% on the bike and the top 40% on the swim but then finish in the bottom half on the run. Seriously, I need some help in this area.
Run overall was ok for me. Not a stellar pace and just a few seconds faster than last year. Not the improvement I was hoping for. THis was probably the most disappointing part of the race for me. Even if I could shave my time down to 10 minute miles, I would have cut off nearly 6 minutes which would have put me finishing 100 places higher overall. GAH!
What would you do differently?:

Run faster... enough said
Post race
Warm down:

I waited for Gen to cross the finish line and we got a print out of our unofficial times. Gen was a super speedster and finished in the top 100. We made our way over the the breakfast buffet and I ate a breakfast burrito just like last year.
I later found Marni and congratulated her on an awesome race. She finished 6th over all and first in our age group.
We collect the families and decided to head home!

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Running, running, running... I need a coach

Event comments:

I still really like this course. I know it is not my husband's favorite race to spectate but I would do it again in a heartbeat.




Last updated: 2009-12-30 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:11:13 | 656 yards | 01m 43s / 100yards
Age Group: 40/98
Overall: 0/
Performance: Good
Suit: Tri Top and Shorts
Course: Key Hole shaped Course which was a change from last year.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current: Medium
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 03:28
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed:
Biking
01:09:45 | 19 miles | 16.34 mile/hr
Age Group: 23/98
Overall: 0/
Performance: Average
Wind: Some
Course: This was a loop/lollipop shaped kind of course. It has some hills (one major doozy) and some good down hills. One false flat that makes you think you are riding on two flat tires.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering:
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 02:15
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
00:35:56 | 03 miles | 11m 59s  min/mile
Age Group: 61/98
Overall: 0/
Performance: Average
Course: An out and back course. Fairly shaded but deceivingly hilly.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Ok
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? No
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 4