Ridgefield Sprint Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


View Member's Race Log View other race reports
Ridgefield, Connecticut
United States
TriRidgefield
70F / 21C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 11m 47s
Overall Rank = 27/395
Age Group = M40-44
Age Group Rank = 6/56
Pre-race routine:

woke up at 3:30 am had all stuff packed the night before. Showered, went down to make some breakfast and the wheat bread had gotten moldy, threw half loaf away, man i hate wasting food, decided to grab something on the way to the race. Packed some beers for the end and got my EFS out of the fridge, loaded the bike on the car and headed out to Mickey D's, got a coffee and a couple sausage burrito's, not the best but not much is open at 4am. Ate a banana, the burrito's and half cup of coffee on way to race. Bitch at drive through was really rude and forgot the picante sauce, i knocked on the window 4 times and she ignored me.....uggh dry burritos...
Event warmup:

went for a 2 mile run up the first portion of the run course, then swam about 300 meters, got my legs under me, got a good sweat going and went and chatted to friends doing the race.
Swim
  • 15m
  • 805 meters
  • 01m 52s / 100 meters
Comments:

well, i have not been swimming much, that being said i have not lost much time from last year. i was talking with my friend Jon at the start and had my back to the water, all of a sudden i hear 3-2-1 GO, i am like OH SHIT, turn around and dive into water, first 200 was good, but then i slowed and got into a rhythm and started to get passed, my goal was to just stay smooth and the results would take care of themselves. i swam confidently, had a lot of body contact, sighting was ok but my stroke still pulls me left, so i found myself outside a good line for the buoy's frequently. I just need to swim more, that is all. I was happy with this one, and felt good on the long run to transition.

2009 14:04 72/350
2010 14:51 90/365
2011 15:00 107/395
What would you do differently?:

swim more, that is all
Transition 1
  • 02m 6s
Comments:

long run to T1, i put my shoes on in here and the racks were tight, helmet went right on, suit came right off, ran out with bike, passed 4 guys trying to get on theirs, flying mount and away i went.

2009 1:59 48/350
2010 1:55 40/365
2011 2:06 43/395
What would you do differently?:

nothing, this is about as fast as i will be here without doing something much different.
Bike
  • 30m 49s
  • 12.4 miles
  • 24.14 mile/hr
Comments:

If you have read any of my race reports then you know my love of the bike. It is what i work hardest on and am the most comfortable on. That being said, i am lighter and more powerful than years past, i put a lot of work on the bike since January and it finally paid off. We start out uphill and i immediately start passing guys who had better swims, since we were the first wave there are not a ton of people, but enough, i was picking a target and chasing them down, on to the next, my goal was to go as hard as possible, hold nothing back. I wanted to win the bike leg overall and try to set the course record, then worry about the run later. After passing about 25 guys, i come up on a guy who after i yell on your left, pulls to the left lane to pass and them proceeds to block the road and not completing the pass, so i yell "finish your pass already" he finally gets it in gear and i go by him and the other guy and continue on. At about the halfway mark i start to run into the back of the elite wave, then as we approach popes corner, as nasty off camber downhill 90* left turn i see my friend Jon, he is looking strong, so i keep him just off the front of me and as we get around the corner and start the fastest descent ofthe course, go to his inside, he yells, hey Rude, go getem!!! Wheeeeeeee 48.1 miles an hour down the hill we go, power through the next bunch of rollers and now i am running out of people to pass. I probably pick off 5-6 more total, but the rest of the elites are not gonna get caught by me. As we approach the end of the course the road gets choppy and i am having a tough time getting out of my shoes to get ready for the dismount, after some swerving and loss of speed trying to dodge potholes i finally get out and to the crowds delight do an awesome flying dismount!!!! Run into T2 and there are people blocking my spot, so i motion for them to move, i can't talk as i am gasping for air at this point, they move quickly and as i go to put my bike in the race, someone laid my wetsuit right over the grooves.

2009 36:33 75/350
2010 34:00 19/365
2011 30:49 1/395
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. Fastest bike split and course record and obviously a PR by 4m 11s
Transition 2
  • 00m 41s
Comments:

So as i described above, my wetsuit is in my race, i try to shove the bike in and it falls over, lol. I put my shoes on and figure i will try again once i get them set, i try again since i am not thinking clearly, it falls again, i go for a third, and one of the peeps that was standing there pushes me and says, get out of here, we will fix it for you, so i say thanks and leave t2.

2009 :41 63/350
2010 :33 48/365
2011 :41 47/395
What would you do differently?:

I did not put my wetsuit on my rack, someone must have moved it, i left it on the side of my rack, it is why i got there at 4:45am, to get a good end spot. Other than that, it only cost me 10 secs total due to me trying to get my bike to stand up.
Run
  • 23m 15s
  • 3.1 miles
  • 07m 30s  min/mile
Comments:

well, i have worked my ass off with my running and today it all came together, don't get me wrong, this run and all my race runs are tough and a mental struggle, they always have been, i struggle to not walk, my mind is telling me to walk and let the HR come down and the body is saying,no keep going, you have put the work in, you can do this. today the body won. I was a little sore and tight for the first mile, but unlike races past, i only got passed by 2 guys in the first mile, the legs loosened up for the rest of the race and i started to feel really good, i keep listening for feet to come by me, and i am not hearing anything, there is no one running me down yet. So that fuels my fire and now i am running at a good clip for me, probably sub 8. I am starting to hate this hill that we climb, and finally we get to the top and they direct you left, uggggh more hills and the steepest of the bunch.i fight back the demons that tell me to walk, i keep hearing my friend Jeff (jsklarz) tell me if i did not go sub 25, he was gonna kick me in the jimmy, lol. So i finally get to the last hill and one of the elites passes me and says, looking great, i have been chasing you for the better part of a mile!! That was nice to hear and gave me a little boost of confidence. We get to the top, and then my buddy Jon finally catches me (westchestertriathlete)i tell him that i think his AG leader is just up, Jon is only the 6th guy to go by me. I start the downhill finale 2 more guys go by me, a 50y/o and another guy in my AG, so that is 3 in my AG total passing me, i try to stay on their heels, but i just cant make up any ground, i keep them in sight, but they are just out of reach, dig a little deeper and have a pretty good finish.

2009 30:04 303/350
2010 27:52 239/365
2011 23:14 123/395

What would you do differently?:

lose some more weight, maybe start doing some speed work on the track.
Post race
Warm down:

walked around met up with friends, had some fruit and a bagel. Watched the awards.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

I had a good race, i am finally happy with my performance

Event comments:

This is a good race, they do a good job. My only complaint would be that we could not hear the announcer doing the countdown for the swim. But that is splitting hairs.

past overall results

2009 1h 23m 21s 114/350 30/61 M40-44
2010 1h 19m 11s 81/365 24/58 M40-44
2011 1h 11m 47s 27/395 6/56 M40-44






Last updated: 2011-01-11 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:15:00 | 805 meters | 01m 52s / 100meters
Age Group: 0/56
Overall: 107/395
Performance: Average
Suit: neosport sprint sleeveless
Course: rectangular fresh water pond swim, water was perfect
Start type: Run Plus: Waves
Water temp: 70F / 21C Current:
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Average
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Good Navigation: Average
Rounding: Below average
T1
Time: 02:06
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Yes
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
00:30:49 | 12.4 miles | 24.14 mile/hr
Age Group: 1/56
Overall: 1/395
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course: rolling hills single loop, 750 feet of climbing, not really a power course, pretty technical, lotsa turns and hills
Road: Rough Dry Cadence: 90
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 00:41
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Bad
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:23:15 | 03.1 miles | 07m 30s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/56
Overall: 123/395
Performance: Good
Course: uphill first 1 3/4 miles, then pretty much downhill last part, rolling terrain and course is a little short, it came in on my garmin at about 2.92 miles.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
Good race? Yes
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] 4