Niantic Bay Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Niantic, Connecticut
United States
Hartford Marathon Foundation
69F / 21C
Precipitation
Total Time = 1h 17m 55s
Overall Rank = 122/474
Age Group = 30-34
Age Group Rank = 8/19
Pre-race routine:

What a freaking day!! Got to bed early night before, and of course, couldn't sleep. Antibiotic issues, but that's another story. Anyway, I Was pretty pumped about this race as I would have more than a handful of friends and family there cheering me on. Woke up at 4:30. I was already packed up, so ate (Powerbar Energy and Banana) and off to Niantic. Forecast was calling for 50% chance of rain and thunder. It def did that. As I pulled into the parking lot, here it came. It did stop for a few minutes pre race, but then was on and off at times throughout and very heavy at times.
Event warmup:

Chatted with a few people I met, some friends from BT, set up etc. Was glad I brought a couple plastic garbage bags to cover my shoes etc in transition. Got wetsuit on, and headed over the hill to the other beach where we were starting. As I was zipping up my wetsuit, it got stuck in my Zoot top. Not sure how that happened, but had to get assistance to get that fixed. More on this later.
Swim
  • 14m 57s
  • 700 meters
  • 02m 08s / 100 meters
Comments:

Apparently they announced they shortened the swim course a bit, but not by much. It was brutal. 3 foot swells, choppy, and directly in your face the entire time. It wasn't until the last 100 yards that it started to work with you. I started in the middle, which not too sure I'll do that again. 5 minutes in, I get kicked directly in the head hard, and goggles go flying. SHIT!!!! I stopped for at least 45 seconds to minute to get myself together. Not sure what to do. Obviously nothing. Just keep going and keep the head above water the rest of the way. kept getting splashed in the eyes. It was just not a good swim for me and definitly took a lot out of me with the conditions. 304 out of 474 on the swim. Damn awful. I guess I am complaining, as I never expected conditions to be like that
What would you do differently?:

Def more swim time. I haven;t focused on that nearly enough.
Transition 1
  • 03m 27s
Comments:

Here is where my day got interesting. Back to the zipper stuck in my shirt at the start. As I am exiting the water, I start to unzip and I can't. It's just about stuck all the way at the top. I am almost irritated at this point. I enter transition, squirming like a fish out of water trying to get it undone. After what seemed like 5 minutes, I finally get it undone. Stripped down, socks, shoes etc on, and I am off.
What would you do differently?:

Have someone else zip up my wetsuit before I get in the water. I was able to fix the zipper when I got home. Just needed to put it back on track.
Bike
  • 36m 22s
  • 11.8 miles
  • 19.47 mile/hr
Comments:

Course started with a short steep hill out of transition. I was pretty irritated after the wetsuit issue, and motivated enough that I sprinted to the top of the hill as soon as I clipped in, picking off at least 7 people. HR + 180. Ooooops. Having family and friends cheer you on near transition was a huge motivator. I settled in tried to get the HR down a bit, but it stayed in the 160's throughout the bike. It's a sprint, no big deal. As you get to the top of that short start, I see Kelly and Shaun for the first time, and gave them a shout out. They were directing bikes etc. Thanks for volunteering Kelly and Shaun. There was a good size hill in the middle of the course, but again, nothing too bad. Some roads were newly paved which made them very fast! I was glad to continue picking off more people on the bike, and even a few women that passed me on the swim (they started 4 minutes after me on the swim, GO LADIES!!!) I felt I had a good bike today and course was not as dangerous as most thought it would be with the rain. 88th out of 474 on the bike. Happy with that, for now!!
What would you do differently?:

Just more volume to pick up speed.
Transition 2
  • 00m 56s
Comments:

Prior to entering transition was a little slick. You dismount at the top of the hill, and then run down before entering transition. At this point, it was pouring pretty hard. Dismount went great, and was able to rack quickly, slip on shoes and off.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing, thought it went well.
Run
  • 22m 16s
  • 3.1 miles
  • 07m 11s  min/mile
Comments:

I had no issues with legs coming off the bike. They felt good. Not great, but good. Slightly heavy, but no indication of any cramping/tightness, which is a good thing. Held pretty much the same pace for the first 1.5 miles. As soon as I made the turn around, I picked it up a bit. Picked off quite a few on the run, got passed by a handful, but that was about it. at about 2.7 miles, you enter into a gravel parking lot, and then enter a winding singletrack, gravel path for probably 200-300 yards, running by beach houses, and surrounded by bushes etc. it was def cool. You exit that onto the beach and finish strong. It was cool to see the finish, and hear your name announced.
What would you do differently?:

Maybe more speed work, but for now, happy with the run. 76th out of 474 ont the run.
Post race
Warm down:

Someone handed me a popsicle, which was well received. Chatted with family. Thank you family and friends for coming. Your support was awesome, and more than appreciated. I hung around for a bit, watched a few finish. It was raining so hard at this point, I just wanted to get out of there. Walking back to the car, I was able to stop for a while and talk to Shaun and Kelly. Finally great to meet with you both. Kelly is trying to talk me into an Olympic in two weeks. We'll see. I just don't think my swim is there yet. No concern on the bike or run, but my swimming is just not good.

As I arrived home, family and friends surprised me with a small party and already stopped to have some pictures posted in the house. Very cool and so appreciate everything they did for me today!!

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Swimming. that's all I need to say. SWIMMING!!!

Event comments:

Niantic bay is a popular race. I can see why. Great location, well organized, etc. i am def doing it again. I am going to start praying now for better water conditions. Hopefully by this time next year, I won;t have to worry so much about the swim.




Last updated: 2011-05-24 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:14:57 | 700 meters | 02m 08s / 100meters
Age Group: 0/19
Overall: 304/474
Performance: Below average
Suit: BlueSeventy Fusion
Course: Start at one beach, swim around a point, and exit on another. Wind and chop directly in your face the entire time. OUCH
Start type: Run Plus: Waves
Water temp: 69F / 21C Current: High
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Below average
Breathing: Below average Drafting:
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 03:27
Performance:
Cap removal: Bad Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
00:36:22 | 11.8 miles | 19.47 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/19
Overall: 88/474
Performance: Good
Wind: Headwind
Course: Loved the course. Not the rain. rain at this point was bearable though. It was light for the most part.
Road: Smooth Wet Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 00:56
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:22:16 | 03.1 miles | 07m 11s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/19
Overall: 76/474
Performance: Good
Course: This was a pretty flat course. Tiny up hill, but I wouldn't even call it that. Run through small little beach town, and finish on the beach. Def awesome. They advertised a 3.4 mile run, but garmin only showed 3.1
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
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: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5