Patriot Half Iron - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Freetown, Massachusetts
United States
Sun Sport Events
75F / 24C
Sunny
Total Time = 6h 34m
Overall Rank = 383/502
Age Group = Athena
Age Group Rank = 4/8
Pre-race routine:

Woke up at 5 a.m. at the hotel. Ate a bagel with peanut butter and drove 15 minutes to the race site.
Event warmup:

Nothing serious. Set up transition and then waited f-o-r-e-v-e-r to use the port-a-potty (I definately picked the wrong line). Chatted with a few people I knew and then made my way down to the swim start.
Swim
  • 36m 40s
  • 2112 yards
  • 01m 44s / 100 yards
Comments:

For a lake swim there was a lot of chop. The wind was blowing in from the lake do it was against the current all the way out, across the current back when going across and finally with the current on the way back in. The other issue was that may wave have orange caps so when trying to site, I kept siting to orange caps rather than to the orange buoys.
What would you do differently?:

As usual, I'm pretty happy with my swim, but I need to swim more in open water, especially choppier open water.
Transition 1
  • 04m
Comments:

I took my time in transition, makign sure to dry my feet off and put socks on in order to prevent my feet from freezing.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing really. I could have moved quicker, but I think it was worthwhile to take my time.
Bike
  • 3h 23m 51s
  • 60 miles
  • 17.66 mile/hr
Comments:

I was actually happy with my bike. Because my swim wave was the last wave to go off I was able to pass more people on the bike than passed me -- this was a wicked strange occurnce for me. I still need to get stronger on the bike, but I finally felt like I was showing some improvement.
What would you do differently?:

Keep peddling outside. I know I can go faster than this and I just need to keep working on it.
Transition 2
  • 02m 45s
Comments:

Saw Kathy on my way in which was cool and once again I took my time in transition. I suceeded in breaking my race belt so I ran with my number partially hanging off. I kept on the same socks from the bike (they have a little tortoises and hares on them)and I have convinced myself they were lucky.
What would you do differently?:

Use the port-a-pottys. I knew I needed to use the bathroom but I was so excited, I forgot to go in transition. Next time I need to remeber to use the bathroon.
Run
  • 2h 26m 46s
  • 13.8 miles
  • 10m 38s  min/mile
Comments:

Met up with Joanne on the run, who quickly pulled away from me. For the first two miles or so several people passed me, but for the remainder of the course I was able to pick off several people which felt nice. Ran with some very cool people from time to time. Pretty much kept my pace even and just walked through the aid stations (yeah for well stocked stations and very helpful volunteers).
What would you do differently?:

I focused on the bike this month and I feel like I need to evenly focus on the bike and the run for the month of July. I know that I'm capable of a faster run at the end, so I just need to work on it.
Post race
Warm down:

Saw Chris, Kim, Joanne, Kathy and Emily at the finish line, which was great. Got my sponge and bottle of water and chatted and hugged for a while (so much better experience than at Mooseman).

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Training (both over and under). Due to work I definately under trained in both April and May which led to me (probably) overtraining in June. All in all I think it work out ok, but I still need to be able to strike a better balance.

Event comments:

Great race, a PR by over 20 minutes from FIRMman last year.




Last updated: 2006-12-29 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:36:40 | 2112 yards | 01m 44s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/8
Overall: 308/502
Performance: Good
Max = 169 Avg = 151
Suit: Sleeveless Orca Sonar
Course: Three side rectangle. Long out. Short-ish across. Long back.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 70F / 21C Current: Medium
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 04:00
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
03:23:51 | 60 miles | 17.66 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/8
Overall: 378/502
Performance: Good
Max = 169 Avg = 151
Wind: Some
Course: Double loop around the Freetown area. Relatively flat with some rollers and a few nice downhills. Four miles were added to the total course due to construction.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 02:45
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
02:26:46 | 13.8 miles | 10m 38s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/8
Overall: 396/502
Performance: Good
Max = 169 Avg = 151
Course: Wind-y, loop-y, course with some rolling hills through residential neighboorhoods and farmland. Very pretty course with a decent amount of shade.
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? No
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5