Summer Solstice Sprint - TriathlonSprint


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Sutton, Massachusetts
United States
MRA Multisport
75F / 24C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 28m 20s
Overall Rank = 125/161
Age Group = 40-44
Age Group Rank = 1/1
Pre-race routine:

Ate a PBJ for lunch then had oatmeal with blueberries and bananas for the pre-race meal.

Note - In what is sure to be the only time, I finished 1st in my age group. Due to a scoring error - I was the only racer in the "0-0" age group. Didn't even get a cookie : )
Event warmup:

Actually got in a bit of a warm up biking 3/4 mile from the parking lot to the race. With my back, I decided to skip the warm up and just hope for the best.To be honest - there wasn't a whole lot of time for warming up anyway since we had to wait so long in the registration line.
Swim
  • 09m 40s
  • 440 yards
  • 02m 12s / 100 yards
Comments:

The swim was pretty decent. Since it was 7pm, the air temp. was pretty warm and the fact that we had stood out in the sun during the pre-race briefing made the water feel refreshing. I felt pretty good - much better than I had during the Season Opener. I didn't hyper ventalate and the fact that I was trying to go slow helped me to just relax. My biggest problem was that since I had started at the back, I kept running into people. Plus navigation is something I need to work on.

One final note - with the sun going down - the water looked amazing - shiny and golden.
What would you do differently?:

Not sure - I really need to work on bilateral breathing so I can keep better track of the buoys. I would also start midpack as I'd rather be run over and have people change their course then have to move around to avoid others.
Transition 1
  • 04m 15s
Comments:

To get to T1 - you have to go up an enormous hill, which I walked up. Once in transition, I couldn't get the suit off my legs and had to sit down to make it happen. I was able to get everything on pretty quickly after that.
What would you do differently?:

I'd love to figure out a way to 1) ride without socks (I keep getting blisters) and 2) get out of my wet suit faster.
Bike
  • 37m 20s
  • 10 miles
  • 16.07 mile/hr
Comments:

My competitive spirit really got the better of me here. After the first mile which was mostly uphill, I was flying once I started heading downhill. At one point I was averaging 17mph, which was pretty decent considering how slowly I had gone up that first hill. So, I kept trying to slow myself down but then I'd see someone in front of me and I push it a little bit so I could make the pass. But perhaps the best part of the ride was watching the sun start to set. With the lake as the backdrop, It was truly idyllic.

On an amusing note - people started to call me Lager Man. I had at least three people do this thanks to the Jack's Abby shirt I was wearing.
What would you do differently?:

Not much. Maybe trust myself more on the uphills.
Transition 2
  • 01m 19s
Comments:

A decent transition... until I followed a guy out of transition. His way out was actually the way in... Woops. Once I figured it out, I happily ran out of transition knowing that I didn't have to kill it on the run.
What would you do differently?:

Practice leaving T2 before the race and as always practicing transitions more.
Run
  • 35m 44s
  • 3.1 miles
  • 11m 32s  min/mile
Comments:

The run was totally different from any of my previous runs because I was working hard on taking my time so as to stay fresh for next week's race. I decided to walk up the hills to conserve my energy and to go nice and slow. Since I had plenty of O's, I had a good time cheering other participants on.

The highlight of the race occurred near the end as I was running downhill towards the park. I had a great view and the sunset was amazing. I said a quick prayer of thanks for such a beautiful gift. Heavenly.
What would you do differently?:

Not much.
Post race
Warm down:

Burger, chocolate chip cookies and chips. All guilt free. I did not stretch.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

I didn't want to go fast - so the biggest limiter was my desire to still have something in the tank for next week.

Event comments:

This was the first year they had run this race and there were the typical delays like running out of tee shirts. They actually had us down by the water for the briefing and then we had us walk up the hill to the parking lot to give us the details.

But the post race music and food more than made up for it... Of course by the time we packed up our gear, it was pretty much dark. Would have been nice to have a lit transition area. I need to throw a flashlight into my tri bag.


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Last updated: 2013-06-21 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:09:40 | 440 yards | 02m 12s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/1
Overall: 94/161
Performance: Average
Suit: Wetsuit
Course: It was a triangle swum counter clockwise
Start type: Dive Plus:
Water temp: 65F / 18C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Below average
Waves: Navigation: Below average
Rounding: Below average
T1
Time: 04:15
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Below average Helmet on/
Suit off:
Yes
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed:
Biking
00:37:20 | 10 miles | 16.07 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/1
Overall: 113/161
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course: A loop around the lake. The course was pretty hilly but there weren't any killer uphills, and the downhills were pretty fun. There were a bunch of places where the road was filled with potholes, which they told us about before the race began but it didn't make it any less nerve racking to go over them.
Road: Rough Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:19
Overall: Below average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:35:44 | 03.1 miles | 11m 32s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/1
Overall: 140/161
Performance: Good
Course: Out and back. Started off with a short downhill and then a big uphill to the street. Once on the road, a 1/2 mile uphill followed by rolling hills to the turn around/water station. The fact that runners going both ways had to share a sidewalk was a little disconcerting.
Keeping cool Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 2
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? No
Events on-time? No
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? No
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 3