A Tri in the Buff - TriathlonOlympic


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Irving, New York
United States
Score-This!!!
80F / 27C
Overcast
Total Time = 2h 54m 34s
Overall Rank = 68/92
Age Group = 35-39
Age Group Rank = 1/3
Pre-race routine:

THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE MY FIRST OLYMPIC DISTANCE TRI

Family were making a long weekend of this so we travelled up the day before to a B&B just 7 miles south of the park where the race was. Boys played on the beach whilst I sussed out the area a bit and we drove the bike course.
The B&B had no a/c and none of us could sleep that night as it was so hot.

Was up before the alarm to have an improvised breakfast of oatmeal with hot water and a banana and then headed off to the race site.

Oh what a disappointment! As soon as I got there I started hearing the rumours which were then confirmed - THE SWIM WAS CANCELLED. It was very windy and there were3 to 4 ft waves on the lake so they wouldn't let anyone in. WORSE they made it into a duathlon by putting a 5k run first instead of the swim. Now not only is swimming a strength for me (not particularly fast but confident) but running is my weakness by far and I like having the run at the end cos I know if I just survive it I will be finished.

We went off in waves and the last OLY wave was women and there were only 18 of us. It was horrid to know that by definition all the fast runners would be ahead of me and so even if I caught a few on the bike they would most probably catch me on the second run. Have I ever mentioned that duathlons don't appeal to me?????
Event warmup:

Walking around, trying not to dread the race.
Swim
  • 25m 55s
  • 4650 meters
  • 34s / 100 meters
Comments:

Ha well this wasn't so much a swim (and I had just bought a wetsuit!!!!) but the extra run. My pace on results showed me at 8min 22sec /mile which quite frankly is pretty zoomy for me - but was only 85th out of 92 competitors. Glad I didn't know this at this stage as it would of really put me off the second run!

Age group is going to be a bit deceptive throughout as there were only 3 of us in it!
What would you do differently?:

Swim! I would rather have swum in 3ft waves than done an extra run.
I was brought up on the coast and they're not scared of waves there!
Transition 1
  • 01m 12s
Comments:

14th out of 17th girls. Definitely should work on this but know I can save a lot more time elsewhere than a few seconds here. However I am really rubbish at jumping on and off the bike
What would you do differently?:

Learn to run and jump on bike
Bike
  • 1h 23m 11s
  • 24.85 miles
  • 17.92 mile/hr
Comments:

I like the bike! I overtook a few people and didn't get overtaken by anyone.
It wasn't a particularly easy or pleasant ride just because the wind was so strong and gusty when we passed open places.
I felt I rode well. This is clearly one of my strengths and I was only a couple of mph off the womans winner so would like to get this even stronger over the next year. Should add that I never manage speeds as fast as this in training though (official results said 18.0mph so not sure about discrepancy) so it was a good ride for me!
I didn't feel like I was overdoing it on the bike (pushing myself but mindful of the run later) but maybe with the wind etc I was tiring myself more than I realised

I tried to eat half a clif bar after the first lap as I wanted some energy in me for the run and I had used clif bars in training but for some reason it felt so dry I had trouble swallowing so only managed a small bite
What would you do differently?:

This was a good learning experience. Think I will try using some gels or something easier to swallow for nutrition.
Transition 2
  • 01m 12s
Comments:

Same comments as T1. Am not very good at getting on and off bike.
What would you do differently?:

Practice maybe
Run
  • 1h 03m 4s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 10m 09s  min/mile
Comments:

Oh dear, this is where it all fell down.
Running out of transition was fine (thanks to brick practice) and I didn't set out too fast but after the first mile and a half I realised I wasn't settling into my usual plodding routine as I was feeling short of oxygen. Legs were fine but just couldn't keep going properly. I made myself take a 30sec walking break which helped but then over the course had to take 4 or 5 more.
Think part of it was not mentally prepared for duathlon (although I was mentally tough enough to tell myself that I wasn't going to quit regardless). Not really sure what happened as I have run this distance loads of times in training so disappointed I had to have these walking breaks.
What would you do differently?:

Hmm - need to work on my running I guess
Post race
Warm down:

Walking around. Drank water. Felt pretty bad to be honest! Took several hours for me to feel better.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Lack of swim and replacement with horrid run.

Event comments:

Lots of hanging around afterwards whilst kids races went on and queue for food (hot dogs, burgers and salads).
Think would of been a lot nicer event if the weather was nicer. Organisers seemed to have done a good job.




Last updated: 2006-04-24 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:25:55 | 4650 meters | 34s / 100meters
Age Group: 1/3
Overall: 85/92
Performance: Good
Suit: I wish!
Course: 1 lap of the run that would be 2 laps later
Start type: Run Plus:
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current:
200M Perf. Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting:
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding:
T1
Time: 01:12
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Below average
Biking
01:23:11 | 24.85 miles | 17.92 mile/hr
Age Group: 1/3
Overall: 59/92
Performance: Good
Wind: Strong
Course: 2 loops of flattish course although one longish incline which felt straight into wind
Road: Potholes Dry Cadence: 90
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:12
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Bad
Running with bike Below average
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
01:03:04 | 06.21 miles | 10m 09s  min/mile
Age Group: 2/3
Overall: 79/92
Performance: Bad
Course: 2 loops Flat course, some paved, some on grass. Windy
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Ok
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Below average
Race evaluation [1-5] 3