HITS Triathlon Series: Ocala - Half Iron Course - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Ocklawaha, Florida
United States
HITS Triathlon Series
Sunny
 		Total Time = 6h 19m 23s
Overall Rank = 61/80
Age Group = 45-50
Age Group Rank = 3/5
Pre-race routine:

Quick shower to wake up. Coffee, Whole Grain English Muffin w/Peanut Butter, and a banana for breakfast at 4:30am. Gather my gear and head to the race site.
Event warmup:

Quick dip in the lake and a few prayers. Hanging out with my husband and son on the beach was a nice way to relax before the big day.
Swim
  • 42m 24s
  • 2112 yards
  • 02m 01s / 100 yards
Comments:

I kept thinking I was going to be the last one in the water and that really messed with my head. After seeing that I finished more MOP, I hope I'll forget that nonsense next time.
What would you do differently?:

I've had better swims. I really need to focus on staying in my own box and relaxing from the get go. I need a longer warm up.
Transition 1
  • 02m 16s
Comments:

T1 went fine. Nothing too exciting. Finally found a use for the stools HITS provides for your transition area...threw my wetsuit on it once I pulled it off completely.
What would you do differently?:

Wearing my Garmin in the swim was not a great idea. I didn't end up with good data and it was a pain to pull my arm out of my wetsuit sleeve. I'll ditch it and just leave it mounted on my bike next time.
Bike
  • 3h 01m 37s
  • 56 miles
  • 18.50 mile/hr
What would you do differently?:

Nothing...just wish I didn't have to deal with the sore muscles. Otherwise, good ride.
Transition 2
  • 01m 22s
Comments:

Easy transition
What would you do differently?:

Learn to do a flying dismount...maybe?
Run
  • 2h 31m 43s
  • 13 miles
  • 11m 40s  min/mile
Comments:

Not my favorite run. Tried to stay in endurance zone and had set my Garmin to beep if I went above it. Lets just say it beeped so much that someone asked if it was telling me to run faster or slower.
What would you do differently?:

I'm turning off the alarm next time.
Post race
Warm down:

Water, banana, recovery drink and an ice cream sandwich while I walked around the finish area to cool down.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

The heat was a factor but I just need to train more. I learned a lot about where I am in my training and what I need to work on going forward.

Event comments:

I really loved the HITS weekend. My 14 year old placed 2AG in the Sprint and my husband placed 14OA in the Oly on Saturday and it was fun to hang out and watch them race. The race director knew all of us by name (something he works on very hard) and the volunteers went out of their way to make sure we had what we needed. I'll look forward to watching this series take off. They really do offer a race distance for everyone.




Last updated: 2012-03-28 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:42:24 | 2112 yards | 02m 01s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/5
Overall: 45/80
Performance: Average
Single out and back loop.
Suit: Orca full sleeved
Course: Course was great. I had clear water most of the swim with very little contact.
Start type: Wade Plus:
Water temp: 70F / 21C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:16
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off: 		Yes
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
03:01:37 | 56 miles | 18.50 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/5
Overall: 61/80
Performance: Good
My goal was to stay in high Z2/low Z3 and keep race cadence. I managed to do just that with the exception of some slow-downs at miles 25 and 33 due to some strange muscle cramps in my quads keeping me out of aero. Thankfully, they left as quickly as they came on and I could get back to plan.
Wind: Little
Course: Rolling hills...nothing to really slow you down much but nothing to help you cruise on the downside either.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 79
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:22
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
02:31:43 | 13 miles | 11m 40s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/5
Overall: 66/80
Performance: Below average
avg. HR Z3.0
Course: First three miles were in sand but mostly shaded so not all bad. The rest of the course was almost full sun and asphalt. Some of the course was on a busy stretch of road with little to no shoulder.
Keeping cool Below average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
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: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4