Musselman Half-Iron Triathlon - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Geneva, New York
United States
Musselman Triathlon
Sunny
Total Time = 7h 00m
Overall Rank = /
Age Group = 30-34
Age Group Rank = 72/76
Pre-race routine:

Took a "wake-up" shower, and had my breakfast of pancakes. Set up in transition and tried to relax as much as possible.
Event warmup:

very quick dip into the water before being called to go to the corral.
Swim
  • 36m 47s
  • 2112 yards
  • 01m 44s / 100 yards
Comments:

I had wished the swim went better, but my cap kept falling off throughout the swim. Even though I put my goggles on under my cap, 2 of the times my cap popped off, my goggles went with it. I spent too much time and energy having to fix my cap and goggles.
What would you do differently?:

Bring my own matching color cap that won't come off during the swim.
Transition 1
  • 02m 42s
Comments:

I spent more time than planned in T1, but I figured an extra 30-45 seconds is worth it to go out on a 56 mile bike to make sure I didn't drop anything I needed during the transition.
What would you do differently?:

Not much, except maybe not worry as much about things I may have dropped that are in a closed bento box.
Bike
  • 3h 13m 36s
  • 56 miles
  • 17.36 mile/hr
Comments:

I tried to go easy on the bike knowing that I had to hold back for a decent run. My nutrition, sodium intake and drinking amount seemed to be on par for what I needed. I probably could have pushed it more and averaged over 18mph, but didn't want to burn myself out.
What would you do differently?:

Not much, it's easy to get frustrated when people are passing you early in the bike, but I ended up seeing quite a few of them later on when they were struggling up the hill coming back from Cayuga Lake.
Transition 2
  • 05m 6s
Comments:

I spent way too much time in T2, but I had dropped my aquaphor during the bike and had to search through my bad for the second tube. I had gotten a pretty bad rub during the swim from my wetsuit on my underarms, and didn't want to have to run 13.1 with my arms on complete fire. I wasted a good 2.5+ minutes easy digging through my bag.
What would you do differently?:

Stash some extra aquaphor on or near my run stuff.
Run
  • 3h 18m 35s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 15m 10s  min/mile
Comments:

I felt good with a nice easy pace for almost 3 miles, and then it seemed as though the heat got the best of me. I state that I had enough to drink on the bike, but I may have not have in the long run. I started to have extreme chest and back cramps that anytime I would try to run would make it tough to breathe even a little bit. I decided at that point that my run was now going to be a walk. This seems extremely daunting when you know you have over 10 miles to go and some decent hills to climb still. I tried to cool myself down with a lot of ice and water. I was also taking salt tabs around every 45mins-1hr to try to help with the cramping. This seemed to help as there were very short instances where I did try to do a little running later on in the run course.

I did gain quite a bit of mental strength on the course though. Some people may have just dropped out at the thought of having to walk 10+ miles having bad cramps.
What would you do differently?:

Not forget my own nutrition back in transition and not rely on the course as had hoped. I was happy to hear they would have shot blocks on the course because that seemed to work for me. Unfortunately I only came across 2 aid stations that had them readily available at the time I came through. I will also use a fuel belt for any half-iron + distance race due to being effected by the heat very easily.
Post race
Warm down:

As much cold drinks I could get into me

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Heat issues and potential dehydration on the run, even though I was drinking as much as I could after the cramping started.

Event comments:

Jeff Henderson and his crew always do a good job.




Last updated: 2010-07-13 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:36:47 | 2112 yards | 01m 44s / 100yards
Age Group: 40/76
Overall: 0/
Performance: Average
Suit: Xterra Vortex - Sleeveless
Course:
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 76F / 24C Current: Low
200M Perf. Below average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Average Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:42
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed:
Biking
03:13:36 | 56 miles | 17.36 mile/hr
Age Group: 62/76
Overall: 0/
Performance: Average
Wind: Some
Course: Many false flats, but not too many major hills to worry about.
Road: Rough Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 05:06
Overall: Bad
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Average
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
03:18:35 | 13.1 miles | 15m 10s  min/mile
Age Group: 75/76
Overall: 0/
Performance: Bad
Course: A couple decent hills
Keeping cool Below average Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Below average
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? No
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