Pink Power Triathlon - TriathlonMini Sprint


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Midlothian, Virginia
United States
Richmond Multisports
70sF / 0C
Overcast
Total Time = 1h 34m 52s
Overall Rank = 196/372
Age Group = Athena!
Age Group Rank = 19/45
Pre-race routine:

Got up at 4:30. Fed the 6 month old baby. He would only eat on the right, so then I pumped. I hadn't allotted time for this but a few minutes wouldn't hurt. Made tea. Got dressed. Kissed hubby and headed out with breakfast. I was worried about hydration because I've been having side cramps while running. I drank 1/2 L water on the way, plus had a plum, dry chex and tea. When I got to the race site, I was able to get everything done easily - chip, body marked, port-o-potty. Met up with Tricia and her friend, a first-timer (whose name I don't recall but starts with R). Then I obsessed about my transition area. I decided to go with my blue tri shirt, even though it'd be hard to put on.
Event warmup:

I got in the pool and swam 50 m. De-fogger was working great. Got out to get more water before transition closed. Stood around talking with people - Kristen (enders_shadow), who recognized me, Tricia, and her friend. Then asked lots of people their predicted time. I think I got in just ahead of most of the 8:00's. Tricia was a few up from me. I think she started 30 or 40 seconds ahead of me. (But I was nervous so I wasn't even paying attention!)
Swim
  • 09m 13s
  • 437 yards
  • 02m 07s / 100 yards
Comments:

Pool swims kinda depend on who is around you... I and those behind me passed someone in the second lane, then it opened up. Then the woman behind me was halfway past me, so I let her pass at the wall. Then she was suddenly slower than me, especially at the turns. So then I tried to pass her (which is really hard) and collided with someone. She let me go at the next wall. Then a couple more ppl passed me. I worked really hard, but lost a lot of time at the turns due to other people. The time includes getting in the pool, getting out of the pool, and running the length of the transition. I don't know what my in-pool time was, but I think it was under 8:00... maybe. (I failed to look at my watch, or get my splits right for the whole race.)
What would you do differently?:

If I had known, I wouldn't have let the first person pass. Also, I wish I had looked at my watch when I got out. But I think I did pretty well overall.
Transition 1
  • 02m 24s
Comments:

Getting the shirt on was hard, but it was OK. I didn't lose too much time, and the tri shirt was the right choice - felt good the whole time.
What would you do differently?:

Practice! Didn't do any swim/bike bricks this year!
Bike
  • 42m 4s
  • 11 miles
  • 15.69 mile/hr
Comments:

I could see Tricia ahead of me. It took me a couple miles to catch up. I rode hard almost the whole way. I passed a couple athenas. I drank a lot, even though it was overcast. I was worried about cramping on the run. Bike is my strongest of the three! That's a change from when I started doing tri's.
What would you do differently?:

Maybe take the turns a little faster, and drink less. But otherwise a good effort.
Transition 2
  • 01m 35s
Comments:

Took it a little slow, took my inhaler, worried about cramping. Decided to just go with the hair bandana since it was cloudy.
What would you do differently?:

Take most direct route from rack to run out.
Run
  • 39m 35s
  • 3.11 miles
  • 12m 44s  min/mile
Comments:

I started out worrying that I had drunk too much and wondering if I should stop at the port-o-potty. (But they are not in transition or on course!)

Started easy. Cramp on right started within first quarter mile. I started walking. Tricia passed me and said something encouraging. I started running again, still hurting. I decided I would do a 1 min walk/5 min run scheme so I would still run a fair amount. I set my watch. At the first walk break, I realized that walking wasn't helping the cramp and also that running (slowly) wasn't hurting it anymore. So I decided I would just run. And the cramp didn't go away, but it didn't get debilitating either. So I just ran the whole way with the cramp. I felt stronger and stronger! I noticed, apart from the cramp, I was feeling good: strong legs, strong lungs. (Of course, I wasn't running too fast.) I could see Tricia the whole way and thought maybe I could catch her. She was walking the uphills, and I thought she must be hurting (had a pulled muscle from earlier in the week). Turns out she was having trouble - if she was doing well, she would have smoked me. In any case, I couldn't catch her.
What would you do differently?:

I should NOT have walked, even though I had the side cramp. Also, I had plenty left at the end. I should have sprinted the last quarter mile. I thought the finish line was farther away from the short trail through the woods. I should have LOOKED for the finish line when I was getting ready for the race. Duh.
Post race
Warm down:

Greeted our spectators, debriefed a little with Tricia and R. Hubby came up and handed me the baby who gave me a LONG hug. He's such a cuddle bug. I would have like to chill and eat and chat more, but I was worried about the baby (and uncomfortable). He hadn't eaten anything at all since 4:30 am! I tried hard to feed him, in lots of different places, but he was too distracted. Then it started raining. So we left.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Having a baby! Missing training due to vacations. But I have to say, I trained hard, and compared to where I was in February, or even April, I feel GREAT.

Event comments:

This is a great race for beginners! No open water (though pool swims have their disadvantages.) Course is not too hard, but does have small hills. No testosterone to get in the way on the course, and all-male volunteers make it fun. I don't know about post-race because we left due to rain, but no complaints.




Last updated: 2012-06-21 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:09:13 | 437 yards | 02m 07s / 100yards
Age Group: 12/45
Overall: 127/372
Performance: Good
Suit: tri shorts and sport bra
Course: Snake swim up and down and under lane line in 25 m pool for 8 laps.
Start type: Plus: Time Trial
Water temp: 78F / 26C Current:
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 02:24
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
00:42:04 | 11 miles | 15.69 mile/hr
Age Group: 9/45
Overall: 107/372
Performance:
Wind: None
Course: Slightly rolling, with three different out and back spurs. U-turns are kind of a bummer.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Too much
T2
Time: 01:35
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:39:35 | 03.11 miles | 12m 44s  min/mile
Age Group: 19/45
Overall: 196/372
Performance: Good
Course: Also slightly rolling hills, out and back.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
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