Mason-Dixon Sprint Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Lewisberry, Pennsylvania
United States
Tricat Sports
60F / 16C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 24m 20s
Overall Rank = 1/120
Age Group = M35-39
Age Group Rank = 1/
Pre-race routine:

Woke up at 4am and ate my usual oatmeal breakfast. It was pretty chilly out (upper 40s) so I put some pants and a jacket over my tri clothes. Packed the car and got the kids out of bed around 4:30am. At this point, they are pretty accustom to waking up for these silly races so it was nothing new. All 3 of them were chatty as can be and wired all morning. Got to the race site early (as usual) and set things up. Chilled out for a bit with the family trying to get my kids to settle down and quit acting like a bunch of fools. I think those were my exact words actually. If you think about it though....I was the fool who got them up at 4:30am so I guess I shouldn't complain.

I had hurt my back on Friday lifting my bike. I always hurt my back in some obscure way. It was bad on Friday. Saturday was hit or miss but I still wasn't sure if I'd be able to race. I went out for a 20 minute ride on Saturday and it seemed OK (at least on the bike) so I decided for sure that I was doing the race.
Event warmup:

About 45 minutes before the race start I went out for a 15 minute ride. I felt pretty good. My back didn't feel too bad. I popped 3 advil that morning. I never, never, never take NSAIDs when racing so this was a first. The only reason I even considered doing this was because it was a short race and the temperature was mild. Never would have done this for HIM distance or above. I jogged for 5 minutes after biking. The back was iffy but good enough to race. Got in the water 5 minutes before the start and swam a couple hundred yards. Saw my buddy Matt at the swim start. I was ready to go.
Swim
  • 14m 17s
  • 880 yards
  • 01m 37s / 100 yards
Comments:

I had just finished a quick warm-up when I heard somebody say "10 seconds". I quickly made my way to the front of the wave. Got there just in time to hear "GO!". I started off a bit faster than usual to try to get clear of the mid-pack mess. It didn't really work. Lots of contact before the first buoy. I'm not quite fast enough to get clear of the masses and end up fighting for position. After about 3 mintues I took a quick look up and saw the front pack slowly pulling away. As usual, I was leading the mid-pack. I really need to get a little better in the water so I can make that front pack. Just before the first buoy, I got stuck between 2 other swimmers. These were probably the same guys that I'd been fighting with since the start. I swear one of the took both arms and pushed me out of the way. I got a bit of a laugh out of that.

After the first turn, I had open water. I swam with one other guy most of the way but it was just the two of us. I sighted every so often and could see the lead pack pulling away.

The last turn puts you directly into the sun. I put it in cruise control and finished the last couple hundred yards strong. As soon as I could see the bottom of the lake I stood up and made my way to the bike.
What would you do differently?:

Not much really. Try to avoid so much contact. Tough to do when you stuck between a bunch of swimmers going the same speed.
Transition 1
  • 00m 54s
Comments:

Good T1. Stayed calm and everything went as planned. X-terra sleeveless is easy to get off.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Bike
  • 50m 47s
  • 18.5 miles
  • 21.86 mile/hr
Comments:

Jumped on my bike and made my way out of the park. There is a slight uphill out of the park which makes it tough to get in a rythm right away. Once out of the park there is a short fast section where you can get yourself comfortable and start flying. That doesn't last long before the first time up "the hill". At the base of the hill I could see at least 10 people makeing their way up. I started cranking and climbed out of the saddle most of the way. Felt pretty good. Could tell I was going to have a decent bike.

The second hill on Rosstown rd was more of the same. All the fast swimmers watching me ride away from them. :) Things thinned out after this. I could see a few guys a 30s-1m ahead of me and I was slowly reeling them in.

At the start of loop 2, I could see my friend Matt in the distance. He is an awesome swimmer and was out of the water over 2 minutes ahead of me. I knew I was gaining on him. I made up some time on "the hill" and than passed him on the Rosstown rd. hill. I didn't feel quite as fresh on the second loop. That bike course does take something out of you. I think I started to fade a bit on the last few climbs. The final 8K or so felt smooth so I knew I set myself up for a good run if my back cooperated.

LIke I mentioned, I hurt my back on Friday and wasn't even sure if I could do the race. I wasn't too worried about the swim/bike but it's tough to run with a sore back.

I cruised into the park and did my flying dismount. Ready to run.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Transition 2
  • 00m 32s
Comments:

Not much. Back was sore after dismounting so I didn't take off my helmet until I racked my bike. I normally take it off while running with the bike. Might have cost 3-4 seconds. Meh.
Run
  • 17m 52s
  • 3.11 miles
  • 05m 44s  min/mile
Comments:

When I was running to my transition spot with the bike, I could tell my back was quite sore. The 30 yard run through transition was tough. I quickly racked my bike and put in my shoes...grabbed my hat and race belt and took off.

Started off at a good pace. Legs felt great but my back was quite stiff. I was hoping it would loosen up quickly. Not much time to loosen up when you have to red-line a 5K. The first mile was a bit painful I have to admit. I don't think the back slowed me more than a few seconds in the first mile but it definately didn't feel great. Most of the run was a very muddy trail run. Lots of rain recently so there were quite a few spots where you had no choice but to run throught the mud. I love these types of runs so I have no complaints.

The back slowly started feeling better and by the end of the first mile it wasn't an issue at all. I kept a nice steady, consistent pace and kept looking ahead for runners. I had no idea how many were in front of me. The duathletes are mixed in so none of the volunteers would have known either. Around the 2.5K mark (as I was coming through the transition area), I saw a runner ahead. Awesome! I have some motivation to run now. I could tell he was running slower than me so I set out to catch him. We went back into the woods for the second half of the run and I quickly closed the gap. I made the pass at about the 2 mile mark just before the only 2 hills on the course. I stomped on the gas as I passed and he had no response. The last mile I felt great. I think I put a minute on him in the last mile.

I cruised into the finish area and saw the family. I felt bad because my girls looked like they wanted to run with me but I just kept trucking to the finish. Crossed the line and was greeted by my girls. What a great feeling...even if it's only a sprint.

Good thing I didn't slow down at the end. I finished first by only 4 seconds. Poor 16 year old kid almost won. In a way, I wish he would have beat me. Probably would have meant more to him. But I'm pretty sure that kid is going to have quite a few more wins than me by the time he's 36.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. Good run.
Post race
Warm down:

Gave the kids some hugs and hung out by the finish line. Chatted with many of the familiar faces that I see at all the local races. James (Tasr) was there volunteering so I talked with him for a while. Met Jason (wabash) and talked for a minute. Mike Hebe was there spectating. Glad he didn't race because he usually beats me. Matt T. and his wife raced and I talked with them for a while. Quite a few others from Southern PA that I've seen around. I really love the local feel of this race and the location. You don't get the big race feel of the WTC events but it really has a good vibe.

After hanging around for a while I went to check out the results. Holy crap...I actually finished 1st. I've finished 2nd a few times but could never seem to win one. 2nd place was only 4 seconds back and the kid was 16 years old. I told Sue (wife) that I sorta wished he would have beat me. Honestly, the only reason I won was because the ususal suspects who beat me didn't show up that day. But hey...a win is a win..right?

I stuck around to get my first place medal. It was actually quite funny. The person announcing the awards forgot to give out the first place medals. All of the age group awards were given out...than it was something like "Oh yeah...sorry...I forgot, the male and female winners were ....." I don't really care though. It was a good day.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Sore back. I don't think it really had that much of an impact though. Just annoying. It definately hurt the next day though.

Event comments:

Good local race with a nice vibe. I would recommend to anybody who likes a small race without all the bells and whistles.




Last updated: 2012-05-02 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:14:17 | 880 yards | 01m 37s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/120
Performance: Good
Suit: X-Terra sleeveless
Course: Triangle shaped course. Directly into the sun on the last section.
Start type: Wade Plus:
Water temp: 75F / 24C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 00:54
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
00:50:47 | 18.5 miles | 21.86 mile/hr
Age Group: 2/
Overall: 2/120
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course: 2 loop course around lake. 2 fairly big hills on each loop make this a tough bike course. The back side is fast and smooth. The front side is tough.
Road:   Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 00:32
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
00:17:52 | 03.11 miles | 05m 44s  min/mile
Age Group: 1/
Overall: 2/120
Performance: Good
Course: A winding trail run through the park. Lots of rain recently so the course was really muddy.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers?
Plenty of drinks?
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 5