Pumpkinman Half Iron Triathlon - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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South Berwick, Maine
United States
Sunny
Total Time = 5h 09m 4s
Overall Rank = 86/434
Age Group = M30-34
Age Group Rank = 10/40
Pre-race routine:

Woke up at 4:30 to leave for 5:15. Ate bagel just after 5 before heading out. Arrived on site around 5:45.

Got body markings and setup transition before the 6:45 pre-race meeting. Walked down the VERY cold grass to the pre-race meeting near the beach. Would buy a very cheap pair of flip-flops to wear down to the beach if doing the race again to avoid frozen feet.
Event warmup:

Chilly at the race start (around 50) so got the wetsuit on and enjoyed the warmth.

No swim warm-up due to unknown race start due to heavy fog over the lake.
Swim
  • 36m 29s
  • 2112 yards
  • 01m 44s / 100 yards
Comments:

Swim start was delayed 45 minutes due to fog over the lake making sighting of buoys and swimmers unsafe. Started at the front middle of the pack to try a new strategy making people swim past me rather than me getting stuck behind slower swimmers. Once in the water, felt very good overall and got into a great rhythm. Swam without kicking to try and save the legs for the bike and run. Overall, very happy with the swim and left the water feeling fresh.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Transition 1
  • 04m 2s
Comments:

Not much to say here. Not sure if this time includes the hill climb challenge, but if it doesn't it is definitely an area for improvement.
What would you do differently?:

Not really focused too much on the transitions, but I'm sure I could pick up some time here.
Bike
  • 2h 45m 50s
  • 56 miles
  • 20.26 mile/hr
Comments:

Felt great on the bike, with no major breathing problems like experienced at Amica. Loved the new bike, and felt like the fit was just right as no major pain was experienced. The only major issue on bike physically was fatigued from holding the neck in the new aero position. Other than that, losing a bottle out of rear cages and losing cyclometer sensor were less than ideal in the first 5 miles of the race.

Fueling: Took a gu before getting on the bike, 1/2 clif bar at 45 min, another gui at 1.5 hrs, and second 1/2 of clif bar at 2.25 hours. Also drank 1.5 24 oz bottles of gatorade endurance that I brought along, didnt use bottle exchange.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing, felt great about the final numbers as well as the amount of legs left for the run.
Transition 2
  • 01m 34s
Comments:

Stretched the quads for ~15 secs each which I think was a great idea. Left the legs feeling much looser for the start of the run.
What would you do differently?:

Almost left without visor, need to look over transition setup again to make sure items are easily identified and put on or removed.
Run
  • 1h 41m 6s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 07m 43s  min/mile
Comments:

Amazed at how good the legs and breathing felt at this point in the race. Didn't wear Garmin, so relied on the mile markers for race relative to splits from the Timex. Started around 7:30 pace and kept in that general area until the legs or breathing started to go. Ended up completing the whole run around that pace. Loved the very cold sponges that were handed out. Also, had to concentrate on taking in a number of GUs or HEED gels as I could feel hunger starting in the stomach roughly half way through the run. Overall, drank almost exclusively gatorade and had 3 or 4 GUs/gels. Very happy with performance overall.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing, better than I could have hoped for.
Post race
Warm down:

Got some gatorade and a banana at the finish line. Met up with the family, walked a bit down towards the lake, stretched, and then headed for the feast. Amazing turkey, stuffing, potatoes, squash, gravy and whoopie pie! Drove back to the condo for some R&R.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Still need more time on the bike to bring results closer to the top of the division. Also, at this level of competition, more time in the pool and consistency will be needed to compete on the swim leg.

Event comments:

Great event at a great venue. Enjoyed every minute of my first half iron and I would definitely suggest the race to anyone looking for a well run event.




Last updated: 2011-06-15 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:36:29 | 2112 yards | 01m 44s / 100yards
Age Group: 18/40
Overall: 156/434
Performance: Good
Suit: Xterra Vortex 2 Sleeveless
Course: Triangular 2 loop course (no water exit, second loop based on rounding buoy in water)
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 68F / 20C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 04:02
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
02:45:50 | 56 miles | 20.26 mile/hr
Age Group: 20/40
Overall: 141/434
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course: 2 loop course, flat overall. Climbs were gradual, with no major includes or declines. Sections of newly paved road, with other pretty rough sections, leading to more movement towards the center line to avoid trouble.
Road:  Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering:
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 01:34
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
01:41:06 | 13.1 miles | 07m 43s  min/mile
Age Group: 5/40
Overall: 56/434
Performance: Good
Course: 2 loop run course. Flat overall, no major includes or declines.
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? No
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 4