Lowell Mill City (sprint) - TriathlonSprint


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Lowell, Massachusetts
United States
Double C Racing
82F / 28C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 21m 31s
Overall Rank = 14/
Age Group = 35-39
Age Group Rank = 1/
Pre-race routine:

Up at 5:15am to make the 70 min drive north to Lowell, MA. Had one cup of coffee, granola bar, and stole one of my son's cotton candy flavored GO-GURT tubes! Sipped water and carb drink knowing most of the run on this course is in the directly sunlight/no shade. I arrived and was set up in transition exactly one hour prior to race time. Always try to do this; drives me nuts to be rushed.
Event warmup:

A little light stretching, a short mile or so jog, and about 5 mintes of swimming to loosen up.
Swim
  • 11m 48s
  • 540 yards
  • 02m 11s / 100 yards
Comments:

Merrimack river is always a light brownish color i think due to the silt in the river, always makes it interesting. You could only see 5 to 6 feet in any direction underwater, if that. River is know at times to have a decent current supposidly, not much of one on this day.Started in 4th and final wave, so waiting around in the wetsuit, I started to get alittle warm. Continually floated around in the water every few minutes to keep from overheating. Only interesting part was having some of the swimmers from the other waves heading head on towards you on their way back. A couple seem to be alittle of course. Used my Garmin 305 in a waterproof baggy under my swim cap. Wanted to analize the data later to see how the race went as a whole, according to the numbers.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. Found a pace I was comfortable with and held it, utilizing only a 4 to 6 beat kick. Trying to keep the heartrate stable and save the legs for the bike and run segments knowing those two are my strengths.
Transition 1
  • 02m
Comments:

Exited water and ran a few yards across blocked road into transition. Decided to use my Garmin 305 for this whole race so I had the thing ziplocked in a watertight baggy. Removed it from under the swim cap and fiddled with that.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. Everything went as planned.
Bike
  • 36m 32s
  • 13 miles
  • 21.35 mile/hr
Comments:

Started off pacing behind two other racers for the first 3 miles at 19mph or less and then realized they may be conserving energy since they were possibly in the olympic distance race. Took off on my own and pushed it hard the whole way. Only getting passed by one other guy at the very end. Pushed hard on the bike segment yet was consious of not burning out my legs for the run, since I was looking forward to see how I had improved my run-off-the-bike since last year.
What would you do differently?:

Would have took off right from the get-go instead of waiting until mile 3 to go out on my own.
Transition 2
  • 00m 50s
Comments:

Was concentrating on remembering to take my Garmin 305 off the bike to take with me on the run, along with thinking of the pace I wanted to go at, almost missed the bike shoot leading to transition. Dismount good, T2 uneventful. Running shoes on, Garmin 305 off bike, snapped onto watch band, and off running we go.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. T2 went better then planned. T2 time was under a minute, as it should be.
Run
  • 30m 23s
  • 4 miles
  • 07m 36s  min/mile
Comments:

Left transition pacing back and forth with Scott Brown. He would lead 3/4 mile then I would run up and pace for 3/4 or so. Back and forth running, sort of zig-zagging at times to find areas of shade to run in. First half of run segment, very light breeze. Second half, running directly into blazing sun, with absolutely no breeze/wind! Very hot. Utilized both water stations more for cooling off the for hydrating. Dumped a small baggy of ice cubes down the front of my shorts for the last mile. Only got passed by one younger guy, otherwise paced with racer S. Brown the whole way. I took the front and lead less then a mile from finish and slowly pulled away from him. Garmin tracked me at a 7 min/mile pace for final mile, but that all I could hold it for, I was cooked!
What would you do differently?:

Wish I would have tried to pace and keep up with the younger kid that passed us after the half way point, but I knew he was just holding to fast of a pace that I could hold up to, especially on such a hot day weather wise. And after pushing hard on the bike segment, I only had so much reserve left.
Post race
Warm down:

Fluids, shade, and cooling down.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Wish I wouldn't have waited until mile 3 or 4 on bike segment to take off on my own and set my own pace instead of riding behind the others.

Event comments:

Great race with a small town feel to it. Well organized. Only drawback which I see hasn't been fixed from last year: bike rack/tubes in transition are way to flimsy!! Finished the race again this year, and came back to transition to see two full racks full of bikes all tipped over again! Cheap, poorly made and set up! A shame to see a few really nice and expensive bikes falling over because when one person slightly moves their equipment. Otherwise, love this race and venue!




Last updated: 2012-06-03 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:11:48 | 540 yards | 02m 11s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 19/
Performance: Average
Suit: full suit
Course: Up river to half-way point, around bouy and back.
Start type: Deep Water Plus:
Water temp: 76F / 24C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Good
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 02:00
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Yes
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
00:36:32 | 13 miles | 21.35 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 18/
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course: One single 13 mile loop. A mix of rolling hills and flats. Only 2 or 3 smaller climbs, nothing great. A few rough/pothole sections of road. Roads seemed alittle better then last year?
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 00:50
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:30:23 | 04 miles | 07m 36s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance: Good
Course: Two miles up the Blvd. to the turnaround, and two miles back. Mix of sidewalks, road surface. My Garmin tracked alittle further, just over the 4 mile mark. (?)
Keeping cool Average Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
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:
Race evaluation [1-5] 4