Philadelphia Triathlon in Fairmount Park - Duathlon


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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
United States
Philadelphia Triathlon, LLC
77 F / 25C
Precipitation
Total Time = 3h 03m 5s
Overall Rank = 976/1328
Age Group = F 25-29
Age Group Rank = 44/76
Pre-race routine:

Breakfast: bagel with eggs, cheese, and ham....breakfast of champions :)

Got the the site a bit early (4:30am early, the race didn't start until 7). Got body marked, rode the bike to make sure all was ok, set up transition. Hung around....heard that the water temp was 80 (what!?!?!), so changed into my tri top. THEN heard that the swim was off because of the heavy rain the night before and the race would then become a duathlon...ok....changed back into my other top (much looser and thus more comfortable to be in). Also, cushioned my blister so that it wouldn't hurt so much during the race.
Event warmup:

Jogged a bit then stretched. Should have stretched more, especially my knees and butt muscles, but whatever, by then the pros were getting ready to start and I wanted to watch.
Run
  • 27h 26m
  • 3.1 miles
  • 8h 50m 58s  min/mile
Comments:

This felt aweseome. No other way to discribe it. I started out kinda slow (wanted to pace myself), but once I started I just went. I was afraid of going too fast too soon, but as it turned out I think my pace was just right.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Transition 1
  • 03m 55s
Comments:

By the time I got to my bike I was dripping with sweat. It wasn't too hot, but it was crazy humid. Took my time, poured part of a water bottle on me and drank the rest, changed shoes and went. I walked my bike out.
What would you do differently?:

I guess I could have run the bike out? But I really dont' care too much about my T times. I care so much more about my actual swim/bike/run pace.
Bike
  • 1h 25m 34s
  • 25 miles
  • 17.53 mile/hr
Comments:

The race director/organizers did and AWESOME job with hydration on this course! They had a water bottle exchange table where they had waterbottles filled with water or Gatorade. Riders would exchange their empty waterbottes for filled ones. This saved my race. The concoction that I made the nigth before turned out to be way too sugary and strong. I was feeling sick to my stomach, though I would toss my cookies, but then I saw the table....what a Godsend....

The volunteers and spectators were awesome! Very cheerful and encouraging. In particular, there was a TEAM IN TRAINING tent on top of Lemon Hill (the steepest hill on the course). They were so encouraging that everytime I wanted to get off the bike I didn't because of them! Also, on top of another hill (don't know it's name) there was a volunteer who was soo militant about us NOT getting off our bikes and to just pedal...quite funny! and it worked for me too...I was scared!


Absolutely loved this course. The hills were tough but not impossible and they were spread out enough that the legs and heart got some rest in between.

What would you do differently?:

Taste my drink before the race.
Transition 2
  • 03m 36s
Comments:

Again, took my time....no rush.....

My blister was getting worse, though. My sock was bloody but it wasn't painful.
What would you do differently?:

rush a bit more? ahh...may be not...
Run
  • 1h 02m 36s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 10m 05s  min/mile
Comments:

Started the run and my knee began to hurt. Darn it! I had not had any problems with it in MONTHS!!!! Crap!!!! Anyway, jogged a bit, walked a bit. My left hip also began to give me problems...blah blah blah. Hey, come on, it's a race...things are SUPPPOSED to hurt, right? If not, then there is something wrong, righ? Something about "good pain"?

This was a tough run for me, though...long. Mentally challenging. I KNOW I didn't have to stop as often as I did....I feel bad about that.

Loved the finish!!!! Apparently the anouncer called out my name as I was running in!!! I did not hear it at all, all I wanted to do was get it done. Can't wait to watch the video finish. Rumor has the finish was taped. How cool is that!!!

Again, kudos to the race organizers...water stops were in the perfect spots for me. As soon as I felt I needed something to drink, a water station would appear up ahead.
What would you do differently?:

Not stop. But, I have not trained at all for a duathlon, and this was a long run at the end of a tough bike leg.

I am overall happy with my performance.
Post race
Warm down:

drank water, sat down, walked a bit, sat down, stretched, ate, hung around.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Definitely my lack of hill work on the bike.

Event comments:

Absolutely loved it despite the fact the swim was cancelled. The water was a muddy mess with chunks of trees floating by and all....organizers really did trhought of everything; waterbottle exchange station on the bike course, waterstation spaced just right on the run, photographers EVERYWHERE, awesome volunteers, course was easy to follow, athletes could be tracked by voicemail or email..I even think there was a video finish!





Last updated: 2006-04-28 12:00 AM
Running
27:26:00 | 03.1 miles | 8h 50m 58s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/76
Overall: 1027/1328
Performance: Good
Course: Out and back from the finish line. Flat course.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
T1
Time: 03:55
Overall: Good
Run with bike?
Jump on bike?
Getting up to speed and into shoes:
Biking
01:25:34 | 25 miles | 17.53 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/76
Overall: 923/1328
Performance:
Wind: None
Course: Moderately hilly to me with a total of 8 hills. I cruised at a nice 19-21 mph on flats, but those hills slowed me way down to about 8 or 9 mph!!! I NEVER got off the bike, although I thought about it more times that I'd like to admit. Plenty of bikes got flats, and quite a few people actually fell! Didn't realize how dangerous the down hills could be, but yeah, some did have sharp turns at the end. I did pretty good on those turns...didn't break too much on them.
Road: Smooth Wet Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Below average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 03:36
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
01:02:36 | 06.21 miles | 10m 05s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/76
Overall: 974/1328
Performance: Average
Course: Flat with two turning points. Great course.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
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: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5