JCC Tri By the Sea - TriathlonSprint


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Marblehead, Massachusetts
United States
JCC North Shore
68F / 20C
Overcast
Total Time = 1h 22m 22s
Overall Rank = 127/250
Age Group = F30-34
Age Group Rank = 11/13
Pre-race routine:

Woke up at 5:15am to get ready. Had a bowl of oatmeal and water. Drove an hour to race, arrived at 7:15 (8:00 start). Got registration info and got marked, went to the bathroom, then brought bike and gear to transition area. Set everything up, number on bike. Had a granola bar and some more water, went to the bathroom (maybe too much water?). Then got in line for swim (pool swim).
Event warmup:

None.
Swim
  • 06m 20s
  • 200 meters
  • 03m 10s / 100 meters
Comments:

This did not go as well as I had hoped. I felt out of sync with my breathing and winded before finishing 50m - and I can swim 50m no problem on a normal day! I had to do the side stroke and some breast stroke, and it felt soooo slow. But whenever I tried to resume freestyle, I felt so out of breath. I think I was at least partly psyched out by the thought that there was someone only 15 seconds behind me and I could not stop (although I did stop to let someone pass). Also, with all those people flailing around, the chop was really high.
Also, the time includes the time to get out of the pool, walk through the building and get outside.
What would you do differently?:

I really need to push myself in training to not rest on the wall frequently.
Transition 1
  • 00m
Comments:

T1, bike, and T2 times are all in one, so I don't know for sure what my T1 time was. Your time starts after you exit the building that the pool is in. I know it wasn't fast. I decided to change out of my wet tank top and into a dry short sleeve shirt for the bike. Then I had to change my pony tail from high to low so that it would fit with my helmet. Then I had to get socks on my wet feet. Then I had to drink some water and get my water bottle into the cage. Then I tried to put my gloves on, but decided to skip them because this transition was taking forever!!
Then, you have to run with your bike down hill, cross the street and down half a block and THEN you can get on your bike. That was actually fairly tiring :-/
What would you do differently?:

Get an outfit that works for all phases of the race. Try wearing hair low with swim cap to avoid "restyling." Practice cycling without socks, maybe I can skip that step. Get an insulated water bottle that I can leave in the cage so it's just there.
Bike
  • 38m 8s
  • 10 miles
  • 15.73 mile/hr
Comments:

This was a nice course. It was also nice to do 3 loops, because for the second 2 I knew what was coming and how much I could push on hills. I do think I could have written harder/more aggressive, but I was afraid of wasting my legs for the run. I think I rode the hills and downhills smart and shifted smartly. I tried to maintain a fairly high cadence (unfortunately I didn't have the cadence sensor hooked up), because I tend to ride in a too hard gear and make my legs work too hard. Overall, I think the bike went very well.
I REALLY hated having to get off my bike down the street from the transition area, run down the street with it and up a hill in bike shoes. It was exhausting.
What would you do differently?:

Now that I have a better sense of what my body can handle at this distance, I would push harder on hills and the flat. But, this was my first race and I just wanted to finish strong.
Transition 2
  • 00m
Comments:

I think this transition went as well as it could. I had a little trouble getting my helmet off and then I had to put my hair up again, because I don't like it on my neck when I run. I also took time to drink water and gatorade, because I didn't drink much on bike because it slows me down.
What would you do differently?:

I need to find other times to get fluids, not stand in transition and drink.
Run
  • 34m 6s
  • 3.5 miles
  • 09m 44s  min/mile
Comments:

I think the run went well. Between the slight uphill grade and biked-out legs, the first mile was hard though. Also, I was thirsty so I brought a mini gatorade bottle with me, and I got very tired of holding that, very quickly. Also, there wasn't much air movement so it felt kind of hot.
What would you do differently?:

Not bring a handheld drink. Bad idea. Try to push a little harder through the quicksand legs. But overall I was pleased with the run. My goal was to do it in less than 35:00.
Post race
Warm down:

None. Celebrated accomplishment with family and friends!

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Fear of burning out too early, mostly. But overall, I am pleased with my pace for bike and run. Swim...well, I knew there was a chance that could go awry.

Event comments:

I did this race because it is known as a good beginner's race. I agree, it was. It is small, not highly competitive, well organized, lots of friendly volunteers. My biggest complaint is the bike mounting/dismounting. You have to run with your bike in your cycling shoes a fair distance, and it's time consuming and tiring. But the course itself is not too hard.




Last updated: 2012-02-22 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:06:20 | 200 meters | 03m 10s / 100meters
Age Group: 0/13
Overall: 0/250
Performance: Bad
Suit: tri shorts/tank top
Course: 5 laps of 25m pool, moving across the lanes 1-6.
Start type: Inside Pool Plus:
Water temp: 83F / 28C Current: High
200M Perf. Bad Remainder: Bad
Breathing: Below average Drafting:
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 00:00
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
00:38:08 | 10 miles | 15.73 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/13
Overall: 0/250
Performance: Good
So, my bike time is actually less because the above time includes T1 and T2 Real time is probably more like 33:00 (18 mph)
Wind: Little
Course: fairly flat first 2 and last 2 miles. Then there is a 3 loop course around an island, which has rolling hills.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering:
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 00:00
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Bad
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
00:34:06 | 03.5 miles | 09m 44s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/13
Overall: 0/250
Performance: Good
My first lap was 9:25, my middle mile was slower and then my last mile was fastest, because it was a slight downhill grade.
Course: Relatively flat. The first mile and a half was a slight uphill grade, and then near mile 3 there was a notable hill. On paved roads, open to traffic
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
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: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4