JerseyMan Triathlon - Triathlon


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Clinton, New Jersey
United States
TMB Racing Triathlon Team
75F / 24C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 59m 2s
Overall Rank = 74/141
Age Group = F35-59
Age Group Rank = 1/4
Pre-race routine:

Had a Clif bar and some Gatorade. Got to the race about 6:25 for a 7:30 start, which was enough time here. They had port-a-potties but also had the park bathrooms available so there weren't any lines, which sped things up considerably.
Event warmup:

10 minute run before meeting up with CJTC people for a team picture. By the time we got people together, it was late and the swim warm-up was closing. I was ok not getting in, though, because it was chilly and overcast before the race and I didn't want to stand around all wet and get colder.
Swim
  • 13m 25s
  • 800 meters
  • 01m 41s / 100 meters
Comments:

I didn't start out the swim overly hard. I had put myself off to the side in the deep water, so I didn't feel like I had to break out to stay in front of anyone. I just started swimming. That meant I didn't die like I sometimes do after taking it out too fast. One woman got out in front of me from the start and I was able to use her sighting and even draft off of her for a little while. When she pulled away a bit, I started to stray a little wide. When I reoriented myself, I realized that a few other pink caps were on my toes. I was able to hold my position around the first two buoys. At that point, we ran into lots of other swimmers and things got trickier. I tried to swim a bit to the inside to get around them smoothly. I don't think I swam over anyone or crashed into them too badly, which was impressive since I wasn't really looking. We ran into a bit of weeds on the way back and I scraped my hand on a branch underwater, but it didn't slow me down much. It got really crowded at the next buoy and I was able to shake off the remaining woman at my heels. As I rounded it and turned for shore, I realized that the first woman was right there. I pulled up next to her, was ducked by one of her strokes, and then pulled ahead for the finish. I swam until I didn't have room, but there was still a good ten feet or so of water to run through before the shore. Then it was a run across the beach, up the stairs, and up to transition where I crossed the timing pad.
What would you do differently?:

I thought it went pretty well. I'm not entirely sure how I got off-course toward the beginning, but it was a long way to that first buoy, so maybe it was just distance. I think I recovered very well and had a strong finish.
Transition 1
  • 02m 43s
Comments:

T1 was a bit sub par. I was dizzy and disoriented (as usual) going in, and it took me a second to get my bearings once I'd gotten to my stuff. I started out ok, getting my shoes, helmet and sunglasses on easily. I ran into a ittle trouble switching my watch to the bike. I started to jog the bike out of transition and realized that one of my shoes was undone (did I not do it or did it slip out?), so I had to stop for that. Then, as I got toward the line, I realized my chin strap wasn't clipped, so I had to stop for that as well. Then I got out of there. I got on the bike and started moving wieth less trouble than usual, at least.
What would you do differently?:

Take a tiny bit of extra time to make sure I've done everything thoroughly so as to avoid all those stops.
Bike
  • 1h 05m 35s
  • 17 miles
  • 15.55 mile/hr
Comments:

This was a hard bike for me and I was happy about my performance. My Garmin had me averaging 18.8 mph before the big hills hit. My HR was quite high at the beginning, so it took some time to get into a rhythm, and then that rhythm was hard to keep. My racing HR is SO much higher than my normal rides, which is why they all feel so rough.I did pretty well, though. I felt like my shifting was smoother than usual (at least until the last 1/3 of the course, when shiftng to my big front gear gave me some trouble) , cornering was much more confident, and my descending was great. I passed several people because of the speed I was able to gain going downhill. I am still not a great cyclist, but I've definitely improved some of my skipps.
What would you do differently?:

I just need to be better prepared for those hills. I ride hills all the time, but not like that. I should find some more varied routes to get used to it.
Transition 2
  • 01m 21s
Comments:

I did better on T2. Getting my watch off the bike took a little extra time, as I knew it would, but I didn't have any hiccups like in T1. Got everything settled, paused for an extra swig of Gatorade, and was off.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. This went smoothly.
Run
  • 35m 58s
  • 3.7 miles
  • 09m 43s  min/mile
Comments:

It was sunny by the time I got to the run and not nearly as chilly as it had been beginning the bike, but not warm enough to be a problem. The weather was basically perfect. The run started out rough - I haven't felt dead leg like that in a long time. My bricks have been good practice, but I don't generally do them immediately after crazy hills like that (I just don't have the hills near my house!). The hills on the run course itself were also rough - the second half mile was basically uphill and they were fairly steep. I got to the first mile marker, near the crest of the bigger hill, and let myself walk for :30. My stats show that this was able to get my HR down just a bit, which I think helped my manage the rest. I didn't walk again and was able to keep up a steady, if not fast, pace. I accelerated a bit down the finish chute, and when the announcer commented on it, I was spurred to really sprint in for a very hard finish.
What would you do differently?:

Not knowing the course length was rough. I saw the stats on my Garmin and didn't know whether to trust them, and was really annoyed at the length (I had warmed up on the end of the course, so I knew exactly how much more was ahead as I came down the lake, and it made me a little angry). I had a hard time through the last third of a mile, but tried to call upon the mental toughness that got me through that half-marathon two months ago. I got there eventually, but I was in bad head space for some of it.
Post race
Warm down:

Walked around the event. Got first aid for my hand, which had been cut on that branch in the swim. Ate a lot (they served a full breakfast buffet!). Got my trophy!

What limited your ability to perform faster:

I didn't rest for this and trained pretty hard this week because we're leaving for Barcelona tomorrow and workouts will be really limited there. I think that was the biggest factor. Overall, I did feel like I'm better-prepared and in better shape than much of last year.

Event comments:

The course was very hard. I wouldn't recommend this for a beginner. If I hadn't done some Olys last year, I think it would have been much worse for me. Having experience with longer distances, I was able to manage but it was still tough. The race was mostly well-run, though, with good support and great post-race festivities. They even gave out trophies!




Last updated: 2016-10-31 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:13:25 | 800 meters | 01m 41s / 100meters
Age Group: 1/4
Overall: 10/141
Performance: Good
Suit: Zoot tri suit
Course: One loop around some buoys. There was also an Oly distance race going on, so we met those swimmers coming back when we rounded the second buoy.
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 71F / 22C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Good
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:43
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
01:05:35 | 17 miles | 15.55 mile/hr
Age Group: 1/4
Overall: 87/141
Performance: Good
Wind: None
Course: Loop on local roads around the reservoir. Very hilly, with several big ones (they named them: Papa Bear, Mama Bear, and Baby Bear).
Road: Potholes Dry Cadence: 87
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:21
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:35:58 | 03.7 miles | 09m 43s  min/mile
Age Group: 2/4
Overall: 91/141
Performance:
Course: One loop around trails and local roads (the longer race did two), then back along the reservoir and around to the finish. They advertised this as a 5K, but my Garmin said 3.78 and MapMyRun agreed.
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 Too hard
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 4