Tri The Midlands - Triathlon


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Columbia, South Carolina
United States
84F / 29C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 39m 43s
Overall Rank = 62/102
Age Group = Novice Female
Age Group Rank = 2/14
Pre-race routine:

Up at 4:00 a.m. for breakfast (the usual cream of rice with coconut milk, blueberries and walnuts), 32 oz of water and one cup of coffee. On the road at 5:00 a.m. Arrived at venue at 6:20...Racked my bike, set up my gear, located timing chip and body marking areas. Met members of the local tri club.

As the swim waves were starting, and my wave kept progressing forward, I found that I was getting that 'icky feeling' in my stomach. Fortunately, it went away as soon as I waded into the water and got my face wet.
Event warmup:

Had a 15 minute walk from the car to transition area...does that count?
Swim
  • 14m 29s
  • 547 yards
  • 02m 39s / 100 yards
Comments:

The novice female group was the last swim wave to go. It was a small group of only 12, which was really nice for one's first tri. I didn't get bumped, pushed or swam over at any point. Need to sight more often...I find that I have a tendency to veer left. I started off conservatively, just trying to find a rhythm to my stroke and breathing. Sighting after the 2nd buoy was much better.

Started to feel a little tired after the 2nd buoy. Switched breathing patterns so as to get a bit more air.

Caught up swim some slower swimmers from the two waves ahead of me after rounding the 1st buoy.

Swim finish was a longish uphill run from the water.
What would you do differently?:

Practice sighting more in OWS. Swim more/longer distances in open water.
Transition 1
  • 02m 13s
Comments:

After the run up from the water, I breathing pretty heavily. Took a minute to slow down my brain and my breathing, hence the 2:13 transition. I wear gloves on the bike, and those were a royal PITA to put on. Socks (which I had prerolled) went on easy peasy.
What would you do differently?:

Figure out the gloves...I really don't like to ride without them. Practice this transition more.
Bike
  • 49m 47s
  • 14 miles
  • 16.86 mile/hr
Comments:

I felt like I really pushed myself the first 2/3 of the bike. The girl who eventually won my division passed me about 3 miles in and said, "I've been chasing you ever since the swim," which motivated me to return the favor and pass her. We played hopscotch the entire way. I passed about 20 racers ahead of me in earlier start waves. I drank on the bike for the first 10 miles (Infinite custom blend) and got about 16 oz. of fluid/nutrition in me. Used my gears wisely and used the aero bars on all the flats and downhills.
What would you do differently?:

I felt really good about the bike leg (except the whole glove thing in/getting out of transition). I thought I was faster than I was, though.
Transition 2
  • 01m 26s
Comments:

Took my time dismounting and running in my bike shoes/cleats. Took extra & unnecesary time reracking my bike as my seat post was about 1" too high to fit underneath the bike racks. Fortunately, the bike rack I was assigned to was full of novices, most of whom were behind me so had room to lean it over and fit it under the rack. Wore my race belt and number on the bike, so that was one less thing to worry about. Got the gloves off much easier than they went on in T1.
What would you do differently?:

Multitask...remove bike 'stuff' as I'm running from the dismount area to the bike rack. Maybe start practicing/thinking about practicing removing feel from shoes while clipped in??
Run
  • 31m 49s
  • 3.11 miles
  • 10m 08s  min/mile
Comments:

Did I say it was hilly? I walked up two steeper sections, as I was walking faster than the people around me were running. As I was in the last swim wave, most of my tri club friends were finishing the run as I was heading out, so I got lots of shout outs along the way. That was encouraging.
What would you do differently?:

I've got to get more serious about my run training. More speed work and more hills.
Post race
Warm down:

Grabbed a water and a banana, chatted with the tri group and shared my 'first time' experience with them.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

The fact that I've only been swimming and riding a bike since mid March and neglecting my running a bit since I was working so hard on the swim and bike portions.

Event comments:

Although the run was challenging, this was a really good experience for a first time triathlon.




Last updated: 2013-05-04 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:14:29 | 547 yards | 02m 39s / 100yards
Age Group: 2/14
Overall: 66/102
Performance: Good
Suit: Tri shorts/top
Course: Three sides of a rectangular pattern.
Start type: Wade Plus:
Water temp: 84F / 29C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Below average
Breathing: Good Drafting:
Waves: Navigation: Below average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:13
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: No
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
00:49:47 | 14 miles | 16.86 mile/hr
Age Group: 2/14
Overall: 51/102
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course: Rolling course with some nice flats. One 2-3 mile stretch of road was REALLY rough. Otherwise, nice a course for a first timer.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Average Hills: Average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:26
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Below average
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
00:31:49 | 03.11 miles | 10m 08s  min/mile
Age Group: 4/14
Overall: 67/102
Performance: Below average
Course: HILLY...the first 1/2 mile out of transition was a steady climb. There was another really steep climb just before the turnaround point. Fortunately, the last 1/3 mile was downhill. During the 'ups,' I really tried to focus on my breathing. I did push the pace a bit once I finally got to the downhill portions, thinking about foot turnover and not overstriding.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
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? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4