Ironclad Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Glen Cove, New York
United States
Tri and Du It Multisport
75F / 24C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 55m 10s
Overall Rank = 336/405
Age Group = Clydesdale
Age Group Rank = 29/36
Pre-race routine:

I didn't think to check and we were out of my usual prerace mini-bagels so I settled for some Gu20, toast and a Powerbar on the way to the race. I took my usual warmup shower and then ran out the door since I dawdled too long.
Event warmup:

My wife dropped me off near the entrace to the Webb Institute. I used the walk to transition while carrying all my stuff to try and get a little sweat going. I then tried to stretch and get my legs, particularly my balky right knee, loose.
Swim
  • 22m
  • 880 yards
  • 02m 30s / 100 yards
Comments:

The conventional wisdom around BT is to try and start to the outside and back in your first open water swim. I now see why! I considered my two pool races and put myself 2/3rds the way to the outside but neglected to consider that the "outside" on the shore was still inside of the first buoy. Needless to say, I got stuck behind three slower guys then pummeled from behind. Between the physicality, my need to maneuver and the cold water, I was exhausted by the first buoy and part of me felt like it wanted to just quit then and there.

After a quick breather via some sidestroke, I got myself back together and just kept telling myself to go slow and steady. By this time, I got some open water and was able to finish but I was mentally and physically exhausted.

I later found out my feet got several cuts on them, including one really deep one, from the shells on the beach so watch where you step!
What would you do differently?:

Overtrain for the distance and be prepared for the starting scrum.
Transition 1
  • 03m 16s
Comments:

After my ordeal in the water, I took some time to walk up the beach and into transition. I actually did the goggles and swim cap into the sleeve technique and getting the suit off routine smoothly, albeit slowly. The only hitch came during my usual "let's see how much grass I can carry with me for the rest of the race when I put my socks on" routine. I'll eventually figure out how to put my socks on without mowing the lawn at the same time.
What would you do differently?:

Jog and finally practice rolling socks onto wet feet in long grass to the point where it is no longer a problem.
Bike
  • 50m 30s
  • 13.52 miles
  • 16.06 mile/hr
Comments:

After my swim fiasco, I used the first lap of the bike to recover and learn the course. On the second, I got my legs back and started to be more aggressive. Unfortunately, two miles from the finish I shifted while climbing a long gradual hill and dropped my chain. To add insult to injury, I unclipped my right foot and noticed a drop off on the shoulder at the last second, so I leaned left, unclipped too late and kissed the pavement. Delicious!

I got my chain back on in a minute or two with a minimum of difficulty. Unbeknownst to me, my fall shifted my back brake and it now was rubbing on the wheel. I could not get my hand in to force it back and because of where the brake is in relation to my pedals, I couldn't leave it open. Finally, another rider who was walking back because his day was done helped realign the back wheel for me.

All told, I have to believe I lost around 5-10 minutes with this ordeal. At least I learned some very valuable lessons and I grew much more comfortable with my bike handling during the race.
What would you do differently?:

Not shift under load. Train harder so I don't have to wait a lap to kick it up a notch.
Transition 2
  • 02m 34s
Comments:

After the stress of dropping my chain and pushing to get back into the race, I was spent and my calf cramped at the dismount. Fortunately, I had a good rack position close to the entrance and got there fairly quickly.
What would you do differently?:

Move a little faster and not walk at all. How's that for a complicated goal?
Run
  • 36m 48s
  • 3.2 miles
  • 11m 30s  min/mile
Comments:

Even though this course was much tougher than I expected, I also need to get much fitter.
What would you do differently?:

Get fitter and not blow my mental reserves on both the swim and bike.
Post race
Warm down:

I walked around with my wife, drank some juice and then walked the 1.2 mile walk back with her to our car.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

This was my first open water swim ever, first race with my tri bike ever and first trail run in a long time. I need more experience with all three in addition to getting fitter.

Event comments:

In spite of my own performance, I really enjoyed this race. It is well organized, the race site is very pretty, the swag is decent and my wife got a huge kick out of the announcer calling out racer names like we were at an Ironman race. It is a race I will defintely do again!




Last updated: 2010-03-04 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:22:00 | 880 yards | 02m 30s / 100yards
Age Group: 21/36
Overall: 288/405
Performance: Below average
Suit: Xterra Vortex 3 Full
Course: Straight shot out from shore to a buoy with a right turn and pretty straight swim past the next 4 buoys. After the last one, it was a diagnal swim back to the shore where we started. I think it's an 880 swim and then 50 yards to transition which made my time look even slower. While I was waiting for my wave to go, several people around me were complaining about there being no exit buoy. I didn't find it hard to aim for the small beach we left from or the lifeguards with red shirts who were standing in the water.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 60F / 16C Current: Low
200M Perf. Bad Remainder: Below average
Breathing: Below average Drafting: Bad
Waves: Average Navigation: Average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 03:16
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Yes
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed:
Biking
00:50:30 | 13.52 miles | 16.06 mile/hr
Age Group: 31/36
Overall: 340/405
Performance: Below average
Wind: Little
Course: Two 6.76 mile loops through the town of Glen Cove. Cars were allowed on the roads but the police and volunteers did an amazing job minimizing their impact. One bone to pick: I don't know who advertised this as mostly flat but I would call it more gently rolling hills. I can only think of a couple of actual flat portions of the course.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 85
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Below average Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 02:34
Overall: Below average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Bad
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
00:36:48 | 03.2 miles | 11m 30s  min/mile
Age Group: 30/36
Overall: 359/405
Performance: Average
Course: A trail run through Welwyn Preserve. Lots of ups and downs and nary a straight path until the very end. Both the weather and the foliage kept it nice and cool. Though they were helpful, I found it very humorous that there were mile markers in the middle of a forest.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Below average
Mental exertion [1-5] 1
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
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] 5