mini-Mussel Sprint Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Geneva, New York
United States
Musselman Triathlon
85F / 29C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 50m 38s
Overall Rank = 422/804
Age Group = M45-49
Age Group Rank = 30/47
Pre-race routine:

Up at 4:30, bagel, banana, Balance Bar, water. Load up the gear and my 14-yr old son (he was supposed to race with me, but had a bike accident two days prior). We drove down to Geneva, and got their early enough to get decent parking. Nice temps, but thinking it's going to get a lot warmer. Set up transition area, no troubles, but I am wondering about using the full-length wetsuit. I have never used one before, so I am looking around to see what others are doing. They announce water temp at 77.5, so wetsuits are OK. I don't have a sleeveless suit, and am concerned about getting too hot, but I also want the buoyancy. In the end, I decided to get it on up to my waist and walk down to the swim start. Lots of others are doing the same, and I am seeing many full-length suits, so at least I am not the odd man out.
Event warmup:

Pretty much none. This was a mistake. I only swam about 50 yds prior to the start, and I needed more.
Swim
  • 18m 53s
  • 820 yards
  • 02m 18s / 100 yards
Comments:

The swim was my first OWS, and the worst part of my race. After 100 yards I was totally breathing out of control, heart rate through the roof, goggles fogged up, and I had to flip over to catch my breath and reduce HR. All I could do was elementary backstroke, but with the wetsuit, that saved me. About halfway through I thought about quitting, but the thought of getting out of the water and facing my son, and going home early, that spurred me on. I was figuratively over my head, but not drowning, so to speak. A guy kept following me and risked getting kicked in the face, I am not sure why he did not move away from me. Eventually he passed me. I tried to freestyle a couple more times, but wasn't able to. Once my HR was something more reasonable, I swam the final 200 yds or so breast. Some white caps from the next wave passed me, but I could have cared less. When I exited the water, someone said "great job!" I'm thinking, are you freaking kidding me? Haha!
What would you do differently?:

Swim more building up to the race. I had six weeks between my first triathlon in June and this race, and I swam all of twice. Also, I should have trained in open water prior.
Transition 1
  • 04m 16s
Comments:

I walked to my bike. At my first tri, I did not recover cardio-wise from the pool swim until five minutes into the bike. I wanted to take a little time to calm down and focus. I had a little trouble getting the wetsuit off until I remembered to use my feet to pull it off, and that worked perfectly. I ate a package of Clif Bloks, wore my shoes through transition (grass), walked to the start, and got on the bike with no trouble. All the bad things I did in my first tri I corrected at this one.
What would you do differently?:

Run. Move faster. Run.
Bike
  • 53m 54s
  • 16.1 miles
  • 17.92 mile/hr
Comments:

The bike felt good. My average was higher than my last race, but that was mostly the course was easier. I did not have enough to drink, just one bottle of Hammer Heed, I could have used two. I wished there was an aid station on the course for water. I tried to eat a gel, but that hurt going down with dry throat, I washed it down with Heed. Stayed left, and passed many more riders than passed me, that felt good. Especially down hills, I could not believe how many were not pedaling down hill.
What would you do differently?:

I could have biked harder, but did not want to calf cramp like I did in my first race. The Heed and all the water I had been drinking helped with that. Next time, two bottles, one with Heed, the other with water. No gels, just Clif Bloks, they go down easier.
Transition 2
  • 01m 46s
Comments:

I had a great T2, really the only thing I could have done better is use a flying dismount, but there were too many people at the dismount area, and I did NOT want to crash myself or especially anyone else. I popped my shoes off way too early, rode for about a mile with my feet on top of my shoes, but I think the extra time stretching my feet actually helped my running.
What would you do differently?:

Have a water bottle at transition. I had given it to my son, but he still had it. I was dying for water, but the first chance I got was 1.25 miles into the run. Parched!
Run
  • 31m 49s
  • 3.1 miles
  • 10m 16s  min/mile
Comments:

I cooked right along at my easy training pace, around 10 minute miles. I could not go faster if I tried. I gained 4 pounds over the past six weeks since my first race, and I was feeling it. It was HOT almost 90 it seemed in the sun. The two aid stations were awesome, cup of water, cup of Heed, another cup of water over my head.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Post race
Warm down:

Enjoyed the kiddie pools full of cold water, than walked around looking for my son. He had left the bike exit to get some water, and missed me coming through. We found each other 15 mins after I finished. :( Enjoyed the post race meal, connected with a potential youth coach for my son, and then got everything and drove home.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Lack of training in the six weeks leading up to the race. Time commitments for other things, and the kids, killed me. I am committing and working harder over the next six weeks before my next race. I hope to lose 12 pounds prior to my next race, and already dropped four since Saturday (most of that water weight).

Event comments:

Only knock was lack of water on bike course (one aid station would have been nice) and I would have liked the run aid station come sooner than 1.25 miles.




Last updated: 2012-07-18 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:18:53 | 820 yards | 02m 18s / 100yards
Age Group: 44/47
Overall: 0/804
Performance: Below average
Suit: Full-length Xterra wetsuit
Course: Mouth of boat canal to the boat ramp
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 78F / 25C Current: Low
200M Perf. Bad Remainder: Below average
Breathing: Bad Drafting:
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 04:16
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: No
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
00:53:54 | 16.1 miles | 17.92 mile/hr
Age Group: 20/47
Overall: 0/804
Performance: Average
Wind: Little
Course: Slight uphill for 8 miles, downhill for the next 8 miles. No steep hills, pretty easy course.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Average Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 01:46
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Average
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:31:49 | 03.1 miles | 10m 16s  min/mile
Age Group: 35/47
Overall: 0/804
Performance: Average
Course: Flat, sunny and hot. I loved the out part, under some shade trees, but the back was all sun.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? No
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 5