Cranberry Trifest - Sprint Course - TriathlonSprint


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Lakeville, Massachusetts
United States
Sun Multisport Events
82F / 28C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 47m 54s
Overall Rank = 315/500
Age Group = 30-34F
Age Group Rank = 17/22
Pre-race routine:

As usual, I went out to dinner and ate a humungous meal the night before. I tried to be "good" and ordered a grilled chicken buffalo wrap with coleslaw. Hubs ordered potato skins to start, so I had one of those too. Only drank water. BUt I felt soooooo full!!! So, of course, in the morning when I got up I still felt crazy full. Wasn't ready to eat, was ready for the bathroom (sorry, but this is the pre-race routine!). I did end up eating a Nutrigrain bar (usually I eat wheat english muffin and peanut butter) on the way to the race, about an hour and a half before start.
Event warmup:

Jogging to porta potty.
Swim
  • 22m 39s
  • 800 meters
  • 02m 50s / 100 meters
Comments:

Well, I swam all of 2 times since my last race on July 14, so this wasn't going to be a ground-breaking performance. BUt, I think I could have pushed myself more and been stronger mentally. After I rounded the far bouys, all I could think of was that I wanted to be out of the water. But then when I passed the last bouy and was headed to shore, I told myself to go 20 strokes and I did it. I still wasn't to shore so I continued another 20 until I could see bottom. I think I tried to break it down into stroke sets like that, I could have done more freestyle. As I was, I took breast stroke breaks and then I also did some lame doggie paddle and half breast stroke (I don't put my head in the water)
What would you do differently?:

Well first, and most obvious, swim more than twice every five weeks. That would probably help. Two, push myself harder. I give up way too easy when I swim, I think because the feeling of fatigue or heavy breathing is way more disrupting/concerning in water, even though I'm not actually ever panicking or scared. It just makes me give up too easy. TRY HARDER!
Transition 1
  • 03m 51s
Comments:

I think this time is deceiving, because this was a good transition. BUt we had to go up a bunch of uneven, different height stone stairs (like 20 of them) to get from the lake to the above shore, then run down the length of transition, then into transition then, for me, past numbers 550 to 90 all the way to the back of transition (I thought with #66 I had a sweet spot. Turns out it was the farthest away. Awesome.) THen I got out of the wetsuit, put on tank top (swam in sports bra only), put on socks and shoes, helmet, sunglasses, race belt (so I wouldn't forget for run). I also had put my hair low for the swim (near base of neck) so that I wouldjn't have to redo my hair for the bike.
What would you do differently?:

I'd like to find a way to bike and run without socks, because it slows me down. BUt it's probably a 20-30 seconds at issue. Probably would be better off practicing swimming then worrying about that.
Bike
  • 49m 33s
  • 14.2 miles
  • 17.19 mile/hr
Comments:

I'm super happy with my bike. I think I rode a really smart course, pushing whenever I could, really hitting the hills hard with high cadence, low gear, and staying strong without getting burned out. I was also very happy with the way I drank without losing momentum, because usually I slow way down and don't drink much because it slows me down. I passed plenty of people. I tried to stay in a high cadence and not burn out my legs, I'm definitely getting way better at that. MY gear changes were also very smart. This is a great time for a tougher course.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing really. I'll try to build on my speed and endurance, but that isn't something that could be done differently in this race. I will continue to get stronger.
Transition 2
  • 02m 23s
Comments:

Had a little trouble racking my bike (seat under then over the rack). My shoe change was ok and I didn't feel unsteady on my feet. Then I had to fix my hair, because I like a high pony for running and I can't wear it like that for bike. I did walk out of transition while I did that, so at least I was making forward progress :-/
What would you do differently?:

Just need to keep making everything smoother and more second nature. Wish I didn't have to fix my hair but it's unavoidable...
Run
  • 29m 30s
  • 3.1 miles
  • 09m 31s  min/mile
Comments:

This run went well too. Most importantly, it didn't feel like torture. I really made of point of starting out slow, because I wasn't actually going slow, just felt like it. I've made the mistake of getting confused and pushing too hard on my off-the-bike legs. It felt like I wqs shuffling but it was a 9:30, which I know isn't fast but its not a shuffle. THen I run the hill slow and steady, talking little steps and using my arms. I ran a really steady race.
What would you do differently?:

I'm always afraid to push because I hate the feeling when I push too hard and feel sick (for obvious reasons). I do always sprint once I can see the finish line, and I feel like vomiting when I do. I probably could have run the last 1.1 miles a tad harder. But I was still happy overall.
Post race
Warm down:

wakled around woods, used the cold hand towel from the finish line (nice touch!)

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Lack of consistent training (swim mostly, run a little).

Event comments:

I really enjoyed this race. It was exceptionally well organzined and well0-supported - they even had a 14 page race info booklet that was very informative. They assigned rack numbers for each transition space, which I think EVERY race MUST do because people can be idiots. The course itself was simple to execute and well directed. The pre-race info was just enough. Also, TONS of porta potties - KEY!!! I would recommend this race to anyone, and would definitely do another Sun Multisport event.




Last updated: 2012-04-01 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:22:39 | 800 meters | 02m 50s / 100meters
Age Group: 0/22
Overall: 374/500
Performance: Below average
Suit: sleeveless vortex
Course: basically an out and back with a short cross over section. The lake was narrow and there wasn't a lot of room on the outside of the bouys. THe lake was small and quiet, and also very shallow in some parts.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 74F / 23C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Below average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Below average
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding: Below average
T1
Time: 03:51
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
00:49:33 | 14.2 miles | 17.19 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/22
Overall: 268/500
Performance: Good
Wind: None
Course: Rolling hills, 2 kind of long and steep-ish. THe rest was flat, rural rounds. ONly a couple turns.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 02:23
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Below average
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
00:29:30 | 03.1 miles | 09m 31s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/22
Overall: 299/500
Performance: Good
mile 1 9:30 mile 2 10:30 mile 3 9:30
Course: Mostly flat with about 0.4 mile legit hill (sucked!)
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
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] 5