Pumpkinman Half Iron Triathlon - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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South Berwick, Maine
United States
Overcast
Total Time = 7h 24m 39s
Overall Rank = 422/434
Age Group = 50-54
Age Group Rank = 12/14
Pre-race routine:

I slept some but was awake frequently during the night. Finally got up about 4:45 and made some hotel coffee (weak). Ate the Greek yogurt, granola and chopped nectarine I had packed from home. Having a room with a kitchenette was nice. Packed up, checked out and made the 20 minute drive to the race venue. The fog clinging to the surrounding hills was beautiful. I almost stopped a few times to take pictures but was anxious to get there and get set up. Racked in transition with all the other senior ladies-very crowded. I ended up standing in RedSoxChick's area to get my wetsuit on since a couple of DNS had left some extra room over there. I was so happy I got the wetsuit on, right side out and the front where it was supposed to be! Only my 3rd time getting into one of those.
Event warmup:

As it ended up I had plenty of time for photos. The fog on Knight's Pond was eerie and thick. Seeing the guards on paddle boards glide in and out of view had a nether worldly feel (River Styx maybe). Race start was delayed close to 45 minutes waiting for visibility to improve and I passed the time chatting with BT friends Isis and RedSoxChick. Sipped a little Gartorade but not much more in terms of warm-up.
Swim
  • 46m 41s
  • 2112 yards
  • 02m 13s / 100 yards
Comments:

Very little contact. I basically try to stay out of everyone's way.
What would you do differently?:

My swim training was not what it was supposed to be this summer. I probably swam once a week but almost all OWS in the ocean. I like the water and just tried to keep moving forward today. Ended up probably doing at least 50% breaststroke. I just can't seem to break this habit. I had a little trouble sighting due to lingering fog both on the water and in my goggles-lol.
Transition 1
  • 05m 44s
Comments:

I got the suit off! Took my time to make sure I had everything I needed for the bike.
Bike
  • 3h 37m 45s
  • 56 miles
  • 15.43 mile/hr
Comments:

This was an okay ride. I felt good starting out but felt lousy for the middle 60-90 minutes. My cycle computer was giving me only cadence data so I really didn't see my speed but I felt very slow. Had some issues with a headache and nausea. I stopped 3 times on course once to check a tire, once to refill my aerobottle and once for the porta-potty. I finally felt better after the potty stop and felt like the last hour or so went well. I kept asking myself "are you suffering?" and after checking would usually say "No, not really, legs are fine and you are not too tired. Quit your whining". This seemed to help.
What would you do differently?:

While I think I had an adequate number of long rides for training I really didn't do any training for speed. My shorter rides were with hubby on my old bike. Next time I would continue the long rides and add speed work to the short rides and all on my Felt.
Transition 2
  • 03m 3s
Comments:

Took me a bit to find room for my bike since the rack was very stuffed full.
What would you do differently?:

Maybe finish the bike before at least a few more folks from my rack so there is some space left.
Run
  • 2h 51m 23s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 13m 05s  min/mile
Comments:

Started out fairly well. Kept with my 5 minute run and 1 min walk plan for the first 5-6 miles. Because of the loops there were lots of folks on the course when I started. My Garmin battery died after 6 miles or so and I started singing 99 bottles of beer. I walked after every 20 bottles off the wall. High fived with Isis and RedSoxChick who were looking strong. As I started back on the second loop most folks were finishing and it was mentally hard to just be starting the return when they were all heading to the finishers shoot. The course was pretty empty except me and my beer bottles. I ended up walking quite a bit on the last 3 miles. My quads were trashed and the balls of my feet hurt with every running step. I could have pushed harder than I did but I was mentally worn out and knew I would finish but wasn't in a rush. Between a nonfunctioning cycle computer and a low battery Garmin I had no idea how long I had been going but figured it was a long time.
What would you do differently?:

Maybe some longer bricks? Stick to Olys?
Post race
Warm down:

Hike up that fricking hill one more time to get my stuff out of transition since they were packing things up.

Had a delicious turkey dinner with cranberry and dressing.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Training in the last 3 weeks before the race was pretty haphazard. Packing up from the Cape and preparing for hurricane Irene followed by 4 days with no power followed by getting my DD off to college and then home from college left me worn out. I could have bailed but I didn't and am proud of that. I will find one of those 70.3 magnetic sticker to put on my car and be happy to say I did it.

Event comments:

The race organizers did everything under their power to make this a great event. I didn't like the road conditions much but I was also not in the best place mentally while riding. I would certainly recommend it to others.

I need to remember that triathlon is just a fun diversion and I am doing this to challenge myself, stay fit and enjoy the company of people who feel the same way as I do. Back at work on Monday only one person even knew/remembered I had raced. It helps keep things in perspective. I will just keep tri-ing. First 70.3 is done!




Last updated: 2011-04-28 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:46:41 | 2112 yards | 02m 13s / 100yards
Age Group: 12/14
Overall: 0/434
Performance: Average
Suit: MAV's 2XU
Course: 2 loops with a swim in towards shore but no getting out of the water
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current:
200M Perf. Remainder:
Breathing: Drafting:
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 05:44
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: No
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed:
Biking
03:37:45 | 56 miles | 15.43 mile/hr
Age Group: 13/14
Overall: 0/434
Performance: Below average
Wind: Some
Course: 2 loops of mostly country roads. One stretch newly repaved (YAY!). Some great long down hills but in places deeply rutted from heavy trucks with broken pavement in the groove. Hard to know whether to ride on the ridge on the far right and risk potholes or else need to ride almost to the center line to avoid the rut. I ended up doing a little of each depending on traffic. Modest uphills but nothing too steep. Thankfully only a few testosterone poisoned pick up drivers to deal with as they roared past way too fast to be safe...
Road:   Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks:
T2
Time: 03:03
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
02:51:23 | 13.1 miles | 13m 05s  min/mile
Age Group: 12/14
Overall: 0/434
Performance:
Course: Sort of weird loopy thing. Mix of shaded and sunny roads. Saw my first horseback rider on course too!
Keeping cool Average Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
Good race?
Evaluation
Course challenge
Organized? Yes
Events on-time?
Lots of volunteers?
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 4