Got the Nerve? Triathlon - Triathlon


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Lebanon, Pennsylvania
United States
IM ABLE Foundation
55F / 13C
Overcast
Total Time = 1h 52m 48s
Overall Rank = 226/327
Age Group = Athena
Age Group Rank = 2/6
Pre-race routine:

Ate Siggi's yogurt with half an apple, cinnamon and granola and a few drops of Stevia. Sipped a Nuun drink throughout the morning. Got to the race site a little bit later than I wanted to but still with plenty of time. Met up with my friends, set up transition, chatted with 'The Legacies' a bit until close to transition closing time when I started putting my wetsuit on. It started raining lightly but the shower didn't last long.

Next was race announcements and the national anthem, a recording of bagpipes doing the anthem, very different. They usually have a person sing it live. Time to head to the lake!
Event warmup:

Did a little meditating/visualizing while I waited for my wave (6) to be called, then swung my arms and moved my legs to get blood moving.
Swim
  • 10m 57s
  • 500 yards
  • 02m 11s / 100 yards
Comments:

I really thought my swim went better than the time shows although compared to some of my previous times it isn't horrible.

At the start I 'fought' (not literally) for my space and didn't shy back like I often do when I don't see clear water. I got knocked in the face/goggles once but thankfully they stayed put. I did need to detour around a kayak that drifted into the path of the swimmers.

Second leg I found clear water and felt like I was in a pretty good groove, nothing bad to report.

After rounding the last buoy I turned it up a notch, or at least tried to. Again, nothing bad to report. Swam until I almost touched bottom, then stood up and waded to shore. Took off my cap and goggles as I headed up the hill, then unzipped my wetsuit. Was cautious going up the hill as not to tweak my Achilles this early in the day.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing, I don't think.
Transition 1
  • 02m 58s
Comments:

Pretty good transition, I think, considering I put on extra clothes (vest). I finished taking off my wetsuit, put on my sunglasses, helmet, race number, bike shoes and put on a vest. Grabbed the bike and headed out.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Bike
  • 1h 02m 57s
  • 16 miles
  • 15.25 mile/hr
Comments:

Wellll, now here's where I get a bit more upset about my performance. Granted it was a bit windy and a bit rainy (mainly just quick showers), but this was one of my worst bike times ever at this race. Another caveat: the bike course was altered slightly from past years because of road construction but I think the distance is close, this year may have been .2 miles longer?

But a friend who I usually am faster than got done on the bike before me, which also makes me think it was me and not conditions/route. I know compared to many I'm no speed demon, but for me the bike is usually my strongest leg and usually a result I can be proud of. I also felt pretty strong and confident in the rides recently that led up to this race over the past few weeks, so I'm not quite sure what happened.

I was having some breathing issues, not sure of the cause - asthma, allergies, VCD, all of the above?! I don't know for sure.

All in all it was relatively uneventful, except for a few less-than-safe passes by the faster men overtaking earlier waves. Lawn Hill still sucks. Oh, how I hate that dang hill!

Oh, and I had toe warmers in between the sole and the insert so I could ride barefoot without freezing my feet.

Saw a fair amount of people with flat tires including one woman toward the end on the last bigger hill. She ended up passing me on the run, ha!
What would you do differently?:

Not have breathing issues, however that could be done. Get better at hills which means losing weight.
Transition 2
  • 01m 42s
Comments:

Decent transition. Took my feet out of my shoes on the way toward transition. Hung up the bike, took off helmet and vest, put on shoes, grabbed hat and put that on as I was running out. For a split second I began to turn the wrong way to go out of transition (the usual bike in/out and run in /out were reversed because of the bike course change). 8 years of turning one way to go out of transition is a habit! Thankfully I caught my mistake very quickly and turned the correct way.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Run
  • 34m 15s
  • 3.1 miles
  • 11m 03s  min/mile
Comments:

I knew the run wasn't going to be anything spectacular because of lack of run training because of rehabbing an Achilles injury and the last thing I wanted to do was to set back my healing. I started out pretty easy and ended up walking just a teeny bit (maybe 100 feet) to catch my breath which was still more labored than I'd like.

Eventually I fell into an acceptable pace as I headed to the turnaround. I walked through the turnaround, taking a drink. Tried for a brief moment to keep pace with a guy that had just passed me slowly but didn't think that was prudent. Decided to keep the pace I was at until I got to the end of the gravel where it goes back to blacktop, then pick up the pace. This mostly worked out but man, did my breathing sound awful coming in the home stretch! Ugh.

What would you do differently?:

Nothing different could've been done considering the circumstances.
Post race
Warm down:

Huffed and puffed as the volunteer removed my chip, then made it to the water table, then found K and cheered H in to the finish. Cheered for L as well, then took my things to the car and got changed. Returned to the main area for awards and hanging out with 'The Legacies', all of which got some sort of placement award.

After the race we went to a BBQ joint and got warm and enjoyed some laughs and tasty food and beer!

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Overall race thoughts: not a completely horrible race but also not what I know I'm capable of. The bike really has me mystified. Once I have more confidence in my Achilles and get whatever was going on with my breathing settled, I'll be good. That and get rid of some weight.

Event comments:

This race was my first tri ever back in 2010, so it's a local favorite to return to year after year, plus I love supporting Chris and his very worthy cause.




Last updated: 2016-11-08 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:10:57 | 500 yards | 02m 11s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/6
Overall: 0/327
Performance: Good
Suit:
Course: triangle
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 62F / 17C Current:
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting:
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:58
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
01:02:57 | 16 miles | 15.25 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/6
Overall: 0/327
Performance: Below average
Wind: Some with gusts
Course:
Road:   Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks:
T2
Time: 01:42
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Average
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
00:34:15 | 03.1 miles | 11m 03s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/6
Overall: 0/327
Performance: Below average
Course: Out and back, partly on road, partly on gravel rail trail.
Keeping cool Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
Good race?
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks?
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4