West Point Triathlon - Triathlon


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West Point, New York
United States
West Point Triathlon
Overcast
Total Time = 1h 27m 15s
Overall Rank = 119/634
Age Group = F35-39
Age Group Rank = 1/19
Pre-race routine:

Parked, got my stuff together, ate half a pbj. Got set up in transition and wrestled myself into my wetsuit (thank goodness it was wetsuit legal this year!)
Event warmup:

Stretched my hamstring, hoping my knee wouldn't act up too much. I'd done a 10 mile long run the day before and my bursitis was bothering me. I decided not to do a swim warm up because last year I ended up feeling quite cold afterwards, which I don't think helped as a "warm up" and also possibly contributed to the foot cramp I got mid-swim. So instead I just chilled on a rock by the water and watched the other waves go off before me.
Swim
  • 14m 37s
  • 800 meters
  • 01m 50s / 100 meters
Comments:

GREAT swim. I pushed hard through the entire swim and felt like I was really moving. Rounded the buoys like a pro and was totally on the mark with navigation. Best open water swim ever.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing, this was a good effort and result for me. Second in my AG out of the water!
Transition 1
  • 02m 42s
Comments:

Decent transition, suit off pretty fast, got my shoes and socks on with decent speed, but my helmet wouldn't clip closed for some weird reason. Stood there for what felt like an eternity, but was probably in actuality all of about :10 trying to get the darn thing to snap in. I turned to the girl next to me getting out of her suit and said, "SERIOUSLY? This is what's gonna get me? My helmet?"
What would you do differently?:

I'd love to shave some time off my T1...it's always so slow compared to everyone else. Problem is I have nowhere to practice this (bathtub maybe? I'm still up 5 flights of stairs, though). Shrug. No real solution.
Bike
  • 45m
  • 13.67 miles
  • 17.93 mile/hr
Comments:

The hills were hard, but not deadly. They slowed me down, but then I tore down the other side...so much fun. Passed a girl in my age group on the last hill. The third place finisher was right on my butt during the entire bike, so that kept me pushing hard.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing! I came in first on the bike!
Transition 2
  • 01m 8s
Comments:

Good transition for me. In and out.
What would you do differently?:

Maybe practice a little more running with the bike.
Run
  • 23m 50s
  • 3.1 miles
  • 07m 32s  min/mile
Comments:

Good run. I felt ok -- the knee didn't like this at all for the first mile or so -- but like I was holding back a smidge (not my "A" race, so I didn't want to do anything stupid). Third place gal was still right on my butt, so that kept me moving. I knew I could probably hold her off, but she saw me at the turnarounds and I figured if she got any ideas about trying to catch up, I might be in trouble. So I kept her at a good distance behind me.

At around the 3K mark, I spotted another girl in my age group. At first I thought her calf said 25. But as I got closer, I realized it said 35. I debated whether to hold off on passing her and maybe just stick right behind her for a bit until we got closer to the finish. But I quickly could tell she wouldn't be able to hold me off so decided I had enough in me to get past her and drop her. So I did.

And then came in first in my AG! :)
Post race
Warm down:

Stretched, had some water, ate a banana. Then made my way over to the car to get my pbj and soy milk. The two girls in my AG and I chatted briefly over the race, congratulated each other over our placements and then went our separate ways.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

My T1 needs some work.

Event comments:

An excellent sprint race. Very inspiring as you're racing with cadets, military personnel and wounded warriors. The course is challenging but great for beginners and veterans alike (no pun intended). Beautiful lake swim, fun rolling hill bike course, challenging but doable run at the end. Post-race activities are a bit dull and they could stand to hold the awards sooner than two and a half hours after most of the winners finish. But overall, I highly recommend this race.




Last updated: 2013-07-15 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:14:37 | 800 meters | 01m 50s / 100meters
Age Group: 2/19
Overall: 0/634
Performance: Good
Suit: Yes
Course: 800 meter swim in Lake Popolopen (out to a buoy, across to another, then swim to shore to a different exit than the start). Nice clean water, a couple of weeds at the end, but nothing horrifying.
Start type: Run Plus: Waves
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:42
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed:
Biking
00:45:00 | 13.67 miles | 17.93 mile/hr
Age Group: 1/19
Overall: 0/634
Performance: Good
Wind: None
Course: Two out and backs on a rolling hill two lane road -- some potholes, couple hills.
Road: Potholes Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:08
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:23:50 | 03.1 miles | 07m 32s  min/mile
Age Group: 2/19
Overall: 0/634
Performance: Good
Course: Rolling course around Camp Buckner. One really crummy hill at the start, the rest is rolling and tolerable.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
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: Below average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4