Cayuga Lake Triathlon - Sprint Course - Triathlon


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Taughannock Falls State Park, New York
United States
Ithaca Triathlon Club
70F / 21C
Overcast
Total Time = 1h 45m 51s
Overall Rank = 62/152
Age Group = 65-69 F
Age Group Rank = 1/2
Pre-race routine:

Woke at 2 am dreaming I had murdered someone and put their cut-up body in a walk-in cooler; I was waiting to be found out.
That was it for my night's sleep, altho I didn't have to get up til 4:15
Ate 2 hb eggs & v8 juice, met Gail at 5 to ride together. Wave start not til 9:10.
Ate 1 slice ww bread at 7; had forgotten my Hammer bar so did without. Was a little anxious about that because I hate that empty-stomach feeling, even though I know I'm better off with an empty stomach. Had a gel 20 min before the swim.

Event warmup:

Rode bike to check operation of shifters, etc.
At 7:45, run warm-up for 12 minutes including 3 20-sec strides.
Practiced putting on my sunglasses & helmet FAST for about 30 reps.
At 8:30 got in the water to swim easy 10 minutes. That may have been a bit early, but it was ok.

Swim
  • 20m 20s
  • 820 yards
  • 02m 29s / 100 yards
Comments:

The previous day I attended an open water swim clinic given by pro triathlete Doug McLean. I had a total paradigm shift. Previously, my strategy was to try to stay away from other swimmers and just swim my swim. What I learned was that the gain from drafting other swimmers is huge; getting kicked is just part of the race and kicking others is not rude; that I should look for their bubbles under water and try to stay in them; that following the bubbles makes sighting unnecessary.
So that is exactly what I did in the race, starting in the middle of the middle and swimming pretty hard to stay with other swimmers, focusing on staying in the bubbles. Fairly early on (100-200 yds?) I did start to tire, slowed a bit, but then looked around for someone else's bubbles to ride.
My time was a full minute less than what my pace during trainings and other races would predict, and 3:23 less than last year, same race. My improvement on the swim was probably what won me the AG; I bested the second place finisher by only 58 seconds overall!
Time was in 44th percentile among all women (!!) and 34th percentile among all competitors.
What would you do differently?:

Keep improving swim fitness so that I can sustain that initial burst longer.
Transition 1
  • 01m 8s
Comments:

1 second faster than last year; #2 among all 152 women and #8 among all competitors. I do get that wetsuit off fast.
What would you do differently?:

nothing.
Bike
  • 50m 50s
  • 14.2 miles
  • 16.76 mile/hr
Comments:

Time was my best ever for this race, 3:44 faster than last year; 72nd percentile among all women and 52nd among all competitors !
Average cadence was 88; I'm very pleased with that.
Nutrition: 4 (or 5?) Perpetuem solids; 1 1/2 water bottles.
What would you do differently?:

I need to redo my LT field test on the bike to get more accurate zone assessments. Also need to work on strength to go up hills faster. (Zsofia kept passing me on the uphills & I would pass her on the levels & downhills)
Transition 2
  • 01m 20s
Comments:

I had the hardest time getting one of my shoes on, even dropping it. This time was 23 seconds slower than last year.
58th percentile among all women and 55th among all competitors. I'm not happy with this one. Although it was better than more than half of all competitors, I can do better.
What would you do differently?:

More baby powder!
Run
  • 32m 13s
  • 3.1 miles
  • 10m 23s  min/mile
Comments:

This run was 1:34 SLOWER than last year, my only real disappointment. It didn't feel really slow or heavy, I felt good enough, tired but not overtired; at mile 3 where I like to pour it on a bit more, I didn't have it. Maybe I had expended more in the bike and swim.
36th percentile among all women and 28th among all competitors. I'm really not happy with this one.
Nutrition: 1 gel at about mile 1 half of small water bottle..
What would you do differently?:

I'm happy I'll be doing the run focus training plan.
Post race
Warm down:

Drank Recoverite, ate 1/2 Recovery bar, had a couple of Endurolyte caps. Walked around a lot, stood in line for ice cream and then box lunch (Wegman's-best post-race lunches ever) Went for a brief swim to cool down & rinse off.
Did take the time to stretch before eating lunch & watching awards.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Just need more training, especially on the run.

Event comments:

I think it's time to do the Olympic distance next year. One of the reasons I do relatively well here is that the best competitors are doing the Olympic. I am confident enough to join them. (Although I won't be first in my AG anymore!)




Last updated: 2014-04-20 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:20:20 | 820 yards | 02m 29s / 100yards
Age Group: 2/2
Overall: 215/152
Performance: Good
Suit: wetsuit
Course: Out & back in Cayuga Lake
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 69F / 21C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Good
Waves: Average Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 01:08
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
00:50:50 | 14.2 miles | 16.76 mile/hr
Age Group: 1/2
Overall: 158/152
Performance: Good
Rode by HR, trying to keep in the 129-131 range that worked well for me in the other tri's this season. (whatever zone that may be; I'm pretty sure they have shifted by now.) Going up the first big hill, HR did rise as high as 136 briefly, of necessity, but I focused on not charging the hill, using my granny gears & high cadence, and getting up it primarily in my target zone. Kept in my zone for most of the ride; average HR was 129. Resisted the urge to "race" Ruth S & Zsofia, even though we were doing a lot of leapfrogging and my competitiveness was kicking in.
Wind: Little
Course: Course starts with 250 feet ascent in the first mile, and has a total of maybe 700 feet. Not really really a lot, but enough to make it not a really easy course. Straight out & back.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 88
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:20
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
00:32:13 | 03.1 miles | 10m 23s  min/mile
Age Group: 2/2
Overall: 237/152
Performance: Below average
GPS was unaccountably not working on the run, so I don't know splits by mile. Successfully kept HR in zone 3 (129-134) for most of the run. Tried unsuccessfully to pick it up to zone 4 for the last mile; I believe I may have been fatigued. Was able to sprint the last quarter mile or so, HR rising into 5a.
Course: First & last half-miles are on grass; then a nice trail to the (spectacular) falls & back. Long slow incline on the way out.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
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