Iron Girl Columbia Women's Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Columbia, Maryland
United States
The Columbia Triathlon Association Inc.
Overcast
Total Time = 2h 51m 53s
Overall Rank = 1189/1273
Age Group = Athena
Age Group Rank = 37/40
Pre-race routine:

Woke up at 3:40 a.m., had oatmeal, banana and some gatorade. Left house at 4:15 and arrived at race site at around 4:50.....got a nice parking spot near the transition area. It was still dark outside but you could feel the excitement. I walked with my gear to the transition area and got body marked. I actually think Cubefarmgopher did the honors.....I realized that after the fact. I got my transition area set up and prepared to wait till 7:40 for my swim wave to start. The time actually went by pretty quickly.
Event warmup:

My husband and I walked around the park and got a sense of the layout and headed over to the swim area. We saw some of the first waves go off....I listened to my mp3 player and tried to relax. I also got a Mid Marylan Tri Club temporary tatoo before the race. I need to get some BT tattoos for my next race!
Swim
  • 27m 51s
  • 1100 yards
  • 02m 32s / 100 yards
Comments:

Good Swim. I suffered a separated shoulder back in July when I fell off my bike.....swimming has been tough ever since. I have had to stop the swim training.....so this was a good swim for me. I mixed breast stroke and freestyle to minimize shoulder pain, worked well. I could have drafted a bit better but all things considered...good swim.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Transition 1
  • 04m 11s
Comments:

What was I doing for this long? It always seems a lot shorter when you're doing it.....other than that transition went pretty well. I didn't forget any equipment but I forgot to dry my feet off like I did in the last tri......so I took off with soaking wet feet sloshing around in my bike shoes.....no blisters but annoying nonetheless.
What would you do differently?:

remember to dry off my feet! I managed to dry my face off....when I really didn't need to.....how about the feet next time?
Bike
  • 1h 24m 40s
  • 17.5 miles
  • 12.40 mile/hr
Comments:

This was my fastest ride on the bike course so far......did well. The hills are really mentally challenging for me...I panic sometimes when I see them. I have really improved and it felt like quite the accomplishment after I finished. Mount Albert was not a mountain anymore when I finished with it.....in June I could not even hope to get up it without stopping. I had no trouble during the race! I also maximized some of the descents with a maximum speed of 30.5 mph.......

Gear shifting was really smooth. My husband (jimbo), the best jockstrap ever, cleaned my chain the day before and lubed it up, so on race day it shifted effortlessly...Thanks! I'm also really appreciate of all his tips and coaching along the way. I've never been a bike rider and hadn't ridden a bike in 10 years when I started training this year. He has helped me with clipless pedals, shifting and getting used to a road bike....I couldn't have done it without you!
What would you do differently?:

Not let myself get so worried about hills. The hills are manageable.
Transition 2
  • 02m 30s
Comments:

Good transition. Yankz laces worked well, ran out of transition with visor and race belt in hand. Put them on as I ran out.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing....good transition.
Run
  • 52m 42s
  • 3.3 miles
  • 15m 58s  min/mile
Comments:

Run was tough. Running is my weakest discipline by far. I knew this going in and after the tough bike course, my legs felt very heavy and my shins hurt. I have to do a walk/run combo and it was hard to work the running in the first half. After that I ran well to the finish.....I always seem to be able to run more in the second half.

I loved the water stations...I saw the village people with the YMCA song being played as I went passed...I wondered though whether the village people had a fireman....I don't think so...but it was funny anyway! The next station had a hawaii theme and was also very energetic....a dj helped encourage us up the big climb and it was much appreciated!
What would you do differently?:

Work on running conditioning. I need to lose more weight and work on running for longer periods of time. I am hoping that as I lose more weight, I will be able to pick up the pace and it will get easier.
Post race
Warm down:

Walked around park, ate some food and relaxed. Got my picture taken at the Ryka tent.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Nothing...I did pretty well and I beat my goal of 3:00 hours...by finishing in 2:51:53...so I'm happy with that. I hope to only get faster from here. I am now officially hooked and I'm proud of all that I've accomplished since January. I've lost a ton of weight and feel in better shape then I have been in a long time. I'm also much more confident in my physical abilities.....

Event comments:

This was the first Iron Girl Columbia triathlon and it was a great race and event. Everyone from the race director, volunteers and participants were very supportive and enthuisiastic. I loved getting a finisher's medal at the end.......it was a great race for a long journey of training.

Thanks again to my jockstrap, team manager and full time support staff....James(jimbo), you're the best!

Thanks to all the volunteers for making it a great race.

Thanks to BT for all the support, tips and encouragement along the way...this site is the best!

I'm definitely doing this race again next year!




Last updated: 2006-06-11 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:27:51 | 1100 yards | 02m 32s / 100yards
Age Group: 37/40
Overall: 1070/1273
Performance: Good
Suit: Tri top/tri shorts
Course: Loop around buoys and around little island...to transition area.
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Good Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 04:11
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
01:24:40 | 17.5 miles | 12.40 mile/hr
Age Group: 38/40
Overall: 1124/1273
Performance: Good
Wind: None
Course: Hilly and challenging course. Different steep and steady inclines and descents.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 02:30
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:52:42 | 03.3 miles | 15m 58s  min/mile
Age Group: 38/40
Overall: 1225/1273
Performance: Average
Course: Running path around centennial lake and then up gatorade hill.......a tough hill and nice descent.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
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: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5