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 Swim
Comments: Wow, what a difference a couple of months make! I've spent the last 2 months swiming at least once a week at a local lake and it made a huge difference. The course was identical to last time, so I knew what to expect. It took me up until the first bouy to warm up my CV system. From there, I told myself to just take it easy, so I swam the distance between the first bouy and the last one at an easy pace without really using my legs at all. No problems. Then when I rounded the last bouy, I allowed myself to turn it on. I pulled hard and actually kicked some. Fun! Unfortunately, I came at the final arch a little too far to the left and got really caught up in some weeds! Luckily, that doesn't bother me, but it sure cost me some stupid time. I ended up doing the 880m in 19:53 (3 minutes faster than in June!). What would you do differently?: I'm pretty sure that I can do better and I will as I learn how to better pace myself.  Transition 1
Comments: Went well, actually. My spot was really close to the swim entrance into transition so that suited me well as there was no confusion at all. Wetsuit slipped right off (weight loss helps!) and shoes & helmet went on smoothly. I had LONG run with the bike both heading out to the bike and again for T2 heading back in which kind of sucks since I wear road shoes...but whatever.  Bike
Comments: Rocked it. I knew my avg speed from in June, and my goal was to beat it even with a longer course. Straight and flat, it was well suited to either aerobars or a TT bike...neither of which I had. I also know that my run is so bad that there is no point in 'saving' anything for it, so I didn't. I passed all but 2 of the women in my AG and countless others. I was in the last wave for the sprint, so there were TONS of people ahead of me. I seriously don't think I got to ride to the right for more than a couple of seconds at a time the entire ride. This kind of sucked for about 1/2 the course too because the road was much rougher in the middle of the lane where I was doing the passing than it was in the bike lane, but I managed. Not one rider passed me. Last time, I averaged 18.6, so this was an improvement. What would you do differently?: This course really calls for aerobars or a TT bike. Next time! Transition 2
Comments: Again, long run with the bike in my road bike shoes. Had to sit down to put on my running shoes, too. I'm looking forward to being able to do these races barefoot to save time!  Run
Comments: Ugh. I went out pretty fast because I'd passed what I thought were all the women from my AG on the bike. I figured that if I could hold at least a couple of them off, I'd be thrilled. I saw two pass me and thought "hey, I could still podium"...but then the third passed me. Then I saw a woman running the other direction who was also in my AG that I never saw on the bike. Based on the results, there was one other woman whom I must not have seen on the bike, either. Anyway, after I knew a podium spot was a pipe-dream, I backed off a bit. I tried to keep a steady pace and I never really felt spent or like I wanted to walk. I guess that meant I could have pushed harder, but whatever. I finished strong.(0:30 faster than in June). What would you do differently?: Run faster. Post race
Warm down: Afterward I grabbed some water and then some tea. Food was pathetic but Bob's Red Mill was there with samples of steel cut oatmeal so I had a cup of that...YUM! I spent the rest of my 'cool down' looking for my friends who were racing the OLY distance (I was taking photos). What limited your ability to perform faster: Training. I need more experience with the swim to better gauge how much energy I can expend in a race situation. I also need a TON more run training. I will also have either a TT bike or aerobars on my road bike by this race next year. Event comments: AA sports had their typically dismal food offerings at the race end, but the rest of the event was well organized. Last updated: 2010-07-13 12:00 AM
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United States
racecenter
65F / 18C
Overall Rank = 130/183
Age Group = 40-44
Age Group Rank = 7/12
My third official triathlon was on Sunday (second OWS). This one was a bit unusual. There were only 50 women competing since the 'All-Womens' version was the day before and also offered a sprint distance at the same location. I opted to do the 'Mid-Summer' version on Sunday since my friends were all racing on Sunday as well (to do the OLY). As it turns out, this was a good thing for me since the bike leg was extended for this race. This race is part of Amica's National Sprint Series and their races are all 19.7 distance. To meet that (since they were founded in 1907), they extend the bike leg to 16.1. So it was a half mile swim, a 16.1 mile bike and a 3.1 mile run.
This was my second sprint at this same location, as well. I did the Blue Lake tri in early June - same course. Almost the same conditions, too. Weather was perfect for me - temps at 60F at the start and no sun until half-way through the run when it got closer to 70F. Almost identical to the race in June!
I set up my transition, walked around with my friends for a bit, scoped out the swim, and then put on my wetsuit and headed down to the lake front. I put on my cap and my goggles and swam a few strokes to make sure everything was adjusted correctly and then spent the next 5 minutes trying to remain calm and keep my HR down.