Rose Brooks Women's Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Smithville, Missouri
United States
Rose Brooks Women's Triathlon
Total Time = 1h 17m 44s
Overall Rank = 65/240
Age Group = 25-29
Age Group Rank = 21/45
Pre-race routine:

Got up around 5:15, took a quick shower, had half a whole wheat bagel, and packed up the car to go. We had an hour drive to the race site and were a little late in leaving, so we didn't get there until just after 7:00. I was already checked in from the packet pickup the day before, so just had to get the body-marking done, pick up my chip, and set up my transition area. I was definitely nervous as this was my first tri, but I got to talk to a lot of women who have done this before, got some good advice, and that helped to calm me down.
Event warmup:

There was a pre-race meeting at 7:45, and after that they had us line up. I wasn't quite ready and had to dump my sandals with my BF and didn't get the other drink of Powerade I'd been planning on. With being late, and all the activities going on, I didn't really do a warm-up at all. I kept telling myself to think of the swim as my warm-up, as someone on BT had suggested doing.
Swim
  • 11m 58s
  • 500 meters
  • 02m 23s / 100 meters
Comments:

The swim was great. Since this tri was aimed at beginners, they did a staggered start, one person every 3 seconds, fastest estimated times to slowest. We had a pretty long run down to the water, and it was hard to get through the mud/sand. I was worried about the water being cold, but it was actually pretty warm from the past few weeks of high temps. I got in a nice groove pretty fast. My plan was to do 5 breaths of freestyle and then 5 breaths of breastroke, and sight the bouys then. This plan worked really well actually-I was able to keep my pace and not get tired, while keeping on the course. I also tried the "spit-in-your-goggles" technique and found that it really helped prevent them from fogging up. The staggered start times definitely helped, too- I only got bumped a few times, nothing major, and didn't have any freak-outs. I felt strong and steady the whole time.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. I was very pleased with my performance. My estimated swim time was 12 min, and I was only off by 2 seconds.
Transition 1
  • 02m 24s
Comments:

I know my transition was slow, but I had no intention of rushing and forgetting something. I also wanted to be able to catch my breath a little. I used a hand towel to clean the sand/mud off my feet, put my socks and shoes on and put my helmet on. I also put on bike gloves b/c I knew the course would be bumpy- it had A LOT of filled-in cracks. Had a couple sips of Powerade and I was off. I had a little trouble getting moving on the bike, but that only cost me a few seconds, so no worries.
What would you do differently?:

In the future I'd like to do this faster... I'm sure someday I'll be able to shave a minute or so off, but for now, I was happy to just experience everything.
Bike
  • 34m 12s
  • 10 miles
  • 17.54 mile/hr
Comments:

I loved this part of the race! I had driven out the week before to ride it, so I knew what to expect, but I remembered it being hillier... it must have been the adrenaline. I only noticed maybe 2 or 3 hills. I wasn't going very fast at the beginning, due to some stomach issues, but after a nice, big burp, I felt a lot better, and sped up (especially after being passed by a few people). I ended up averaging 17.5 mph, which is the fastest ride I've ever done, so I was really pumped by the time I was finishing the ride and realized my average mph had stayed up. (The week before it had dropped considerably on the return.)
What would you do differently?:

nothing!
(maybe take some gas-x before the race?) =)
Transition 2
  • 00m 59s
Comments:

I was surprised to see my T2 time so low, because it seemed to take longer. I had trouble racking my bike b/c it was so crowded, but I didn't have to change shoes- I rode in my running shoes. All I did really was rack the bike, take off my helmet, and take a sip of Powerade. I actually forgot to take off my bike gloves, though, and felt a little silly during the run!
What would you do differently?:

take my gloves off, D'oh!
(or maybe not wear them next time if the course is smoother)
Run
  • 27m 52s
  • 3.11 miles
  • 08m 58s  min/mile
Comments:

Of course, the run started with the usual "jelly-legs" feeling and I was pretty tired. My legs also were feeling tight, so I used the advice I saw on BT earlier, and took short, quick strides, which helped. It probably took 3/4 of a mile or so before I felt a little more loosened up. Mostly, I was just really tired, and I actually made the comment to another runner, "So is it just me, or is this going to be your slowest 5k time ever too?" I honestly felt like I was running at a 12-13 min/mile pace, and I was shocked to see the official times. I even wondered whether or not they measured the course right, but Garmin was a major sponsor, so you'd think they would get it right. (On a side note, though, I ran a "2 mile" dog-n-jog earlier this year in 11:00. Yeah. Right. I've never- nor will I ever- in my life run a 5:30 min/mile, so there have to be some mistakes.) But I'm hoping this was measured correctly. I guess it could have been, since the official time was more like my usual pace, but I was surprised nonetheless. Maybe that slow feeling is typical after pounding it out on the bike? I definitely sped up on the return, though, and felt strong enough to say "Good job!" to just about everybody headed out on the course. Something else that helped the run was that there was still total cloud cover, so it was not nearly as hot as it could have been otherwise.
What would you do differently?:

Drink the energy drink instead of just water at all the aid stations. They had three places to get a drink- which was awesome. This race had the BEST volunteers!
Post race
Warm down:

I was so excited that I didn't stretch nearly enough, and I'm a little sore in the quads now (the day after). Not much else cool-down. I hung out with my BF, a friend, and my dog, talked with some other triathletes, and had a good time. Got some pizza and a smoothie, too. We stayed to watch them hand out the awards and then headed home, since the sun was out and in full force by this time.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

For my first tri, I don't think I could have done much better. In the future, I'll have more experience and train more. I didn't get much running in before this race due to a foot injury last month, so I'm sure my run will be stronger in the future, but overall, I think I did as much as I could and am really happy with my performance.


Event comments:

Pretty much everything came together to make this a great race. The weather was prefect (started around 75/80 with cloud cover and a warm lake). The race was well-organized (esp for an inagural race). The volunteers were great and there were lots of them. There was also a lot of encouragement between participants. This was a women-only race and the first tri for about half of us, so there was a lot of support for everybody. I would definitely encourage anyone to "tri" this race next year! =) I'll be there!




Last updated: 2006-08-02 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:11:58 | 500 meters | 02m 23s / 100meters
Age Group: 0/45
Overall: 88/240
Performance: Good
Suit: Speedo + tri shorts
Course: Clockwise rectangle
Start type: Run Plus:
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting:
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:24
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed:
Biking
00:34:12 | 10 miles | 17.54 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/45
Overall: 90/240
Performance: Good
Wind:
Course: Out and back on country roads
Road:  Dry Cadence: 95
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 00:59
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Below average
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
00:27:52 | 03.11 miles | 08m 58s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/45
Overall: 0/240
Performance: Good
Course: out and back on a paved trail alongside the lake (mostly in the woods, but with some open areas)
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
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: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 5