Mini-Mussel Sprint Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Geneva, New York
United States
Musselman Triathlon
70F / 21C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 33m 1s
Overall Rank = 239/496
Age Group = M40-44
Age Group Rank = 35/42
Pre-race routine:

Got up at 600, finalized my packing and loaded up the minivan. I then woke the wife and kids to get them ready. I had wanted to leave by 700, but it was closer to 730 before we left. The drive to Geneva took us a little over an hour, with scenic Seneca Lake to our right for most of the drive. Had a banana, a peanut butter sandwich, and large mug of hot tea on the way up. Stopped at the Barn on the campus of Hobart and Smith College to pick up my race packet. We then drove into Seneca State Park where the triathlon was being held. I was sporting my BT colors proudly, as I wearing a BT tri top. On my way to the transition area, I met another BTer, Julie, (or jamjam or Marmamommy) who was wearing a BT tri suit. At the entrance to the transition area I caught up with Bob (rstocks3). He helped me put my number on my race belt and walked me over to the body marking and chip area. I got to meet Teresa (tbatt) who actually handled the body marking duties for me. I also met BTer Ron while walking around.

Event warmup:

A stop at the porta potties and putting on the wetsuit pretty much detailed my warm-up. I hung out with my wife and kids (while chatting with some of the other competitors) prior to the start of the swim.
Swim
  • 12m 50s
  • 500 yards
  • 02m 34s / 100 yards
Comments:

This was the leg that caused me the greatest anxiety. I was in the second wave. They had a novice group, which went out as the 4th wave, but I decided not to enter that group. We waded out to the small buoys and were off when the gun sounded. It was shallow for the first 20 or so yards, so I figured I'd walk as far as I could. When the water was about chest high, I started swimming. I think by doing this, I managed to avoid most of the "washing machine effect". Surprisingly I had no problems sighting whatsoever. We swam past one large buoy before coming to a second large buoy, which was the turnaround point. The water was really choppy, and we were swimming into the incoming current, which made this portion of the swim even more challenging. All I can say is thank goodness for wetsuits. When I reached the turnaround buoy, I was surprised to see that I was in the midst of a pack of swimmers. I had expected to be by myself by this time, at the tail end of the back of the pack. Luckily the incoming current was giving us a push as we swam back to shore. I really started to tire here but was determined to keep swimming. I could see some other swimmers floating on their backs, taking a breather. Directly in my path was one of the kayaks, where one of the other swimmers was hanging on, gasping for breath. I tapped the kayak on the side with my hand as I swam by, thinking "thanks, but no thanks - not necessary today". I was quite pleased when I reached the shallow end of the lake, and was able to wade in to the beach. I had kept my Timex watch on because I wanted to know my approximate swimming time. I was stunned to see that I was a little over 12 minutes as I began the long wade in. I was figuring the swim would take me 14-15 minutes. As I emerged from the lake and jogged to the transition area with my wetusit at my waist, I saw my wife, who snapped a picture. I was very tired from the swim, but elated that it was over.
What would you do differently?:

Not a whole lot I could have done differently. I just need to get better at swimming, and master body position so I don't get so tired while swimming. Otherwise, I was very pleased with the swim.
Transition 1
  • 03m 11s
Comments:

I kind of lollygagged and dawdled during this transition. Part of it had to do with me trying to catch my breath after the swim. I also wasted time by slowly taking off my Timex and putting on my Garmin. I unracked my bike and started to race out before realizing I didn't have my biking gloves. I dashed back and picked them up off the ground before heading out. I saw my wife snap another picture as I was leaving the transition area.
What would you do differently?:

Set my transition are up in a more orderly fashion and have more of a sense of urgency. I could have very easily have taken one minute off of this time. But with this being my first tri, I'm okay with it.
Bike
  • 50m 47s
  • 15.4 miles
  • 18.19 mile/hr
Comments:

I was pretty spent from the swim, so I wasn't really expecting a lot performance wise from the bike. In addition, the first 7 or so miles were into a stiff headwind. I was only passed by 2 or 3 riders on the bike. Around mile 4 or so, one of those riders pulled alongside asked what my screen name was (because I was wearing BT colors). When I responded that I was "boyddr", he replied that he was "PDA". I wished him good luck, and he zoomed off. I started to make better time after the halfway point and tried to push until the end. I had no problems dismounting the bike, and wife was there again to snap a picture right after the dismount.
What would you do differently?:

Not a whole lot I could have done differently here either other than not starting off already tired from an exhaustive swim. Additonally, I just need more time in the saddle. I only have about 2 and half months of road biking experience, so I expect this to improve as time goes on. However, in spite of the above, I was happy to break 18 mph.
Transition 2
  • 01m 34s
Comments:

Another transition where I tarried more than I should have. I could have cut about 30 seconds off of this; but again, this being my first tri - I'm not too concerned about it.
What would you do differently?:

Again, better organization, move faster and have more of a sense of urgency. I know now what to expect, so these will get better.
Run
  • 24m 39s
  • 3.15 miles
  • 07m 50s  min/mile
Comments:

Starting out of the run I didn't feel like I had a lot left in me. Luckily I didn't suffer from the "jelly legs" that I normally get for the first half mile or so for my brick workouts. I just felt tired and winded, as the swim and the bike had taken a lot out of me. My wife was there again to snap another picture as I started out on the run. About a quarter mile or so into the run, I realized that I had left my race belt and number back in the tranisiton area. I was hoping that with the chip and the body markings, that it wouldn't be a major issue. I then hit the water stop that was manned by the BT'ers and that gave me quite a lift, as it was very cool to have them cheering me on. The course was an out and back, and by the time I had reached the BT waterstop again, I was feeling better. My Garmin said I was at slightly under an 8:00 pace, although I felt like I was moving much slower.

Shortly thereafter, I hard someone call my name, and I saw SweetK running the other way. Little did I know that this would be the only time I would get to see her. A little while later I saw a BT jersey and recognized Julie (jamjam) as I pulled up with her. I called out encouragement to her as I headed towards the finish. I figured she was having a good race, as I knew she had started in the wave after me. I later found out she had taken 3rd in her AG. As I neared the finish line, I saw a 43 on the calf of the runner in front of me, realizing he was in my age group. I picked it up a bit and caught him just prior to the finish line. If I'm reading the results correctly, I believe that was another BTer that I passed - MKraus64, making that a little bittersweet.
What would you do differently?:

Not be so tired from the swim and run. My Garmin had the course at 3.15 miles at a 7:50 pace, while the official results say 3 miles at an 8:13 pace. In either case, I am happy with the time.
Post race
Warm down:

They handed out a couple of drinks and a BT cowbell as I crossed the finish line. My family was waiting there for me, and I shared the moment with them. I didn't run into any other BTer's in the finish area. Unfortunately we had to rush back to Corning to a corporate sponsored picnic that we were more or less required to attend; so I didn't get to hang out with the BT crew afterwards.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Lack of swimming prowess which really tired me out; lack of biking fitness, and slow transition times. I really have no complaints though, as all of my times (each area - swim, bike, run, T1, and T2) were faster than I had anticipated.

Event comments:

You only experience your first tri once, and for me it was a very good experience. I survived the swim easier than I had thought, and my family was on hand to share in the accomplishment. I had a lot of support and encouragement from my online BT community, and would like to thank BAMBAM66, mtskibum, Steph883, susanp, and SweetK for just being there. Most importantly, I'd like to thank rstocks3 and McFuzz, who both helped me out a lot more than they know.




Last updated: 2006-12-30 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:12:50 | 500 yards | 02m 34s / 100yards
Age Group: 40/42
Overall: 399/496
Performance: Average
Suit: 2XU Elite
Course: A V shaped course, with about a 100 yd wade in prior to the start; then a 200 yd swim to the turnaround buoy and a 300 yd swim back to shore.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 70F / 21C Current: Medium
200M Perf. Below average Remainder: Below average
Breathing: Below average Drafting: Below average
Waves: Below average Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 03:11
Performance: Bad
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
00:50:47 | 15.4 miles | 18.19 mile/hr
Age Group: 35/42
Overall: 220/496
Performance: Good
Avg HR 154, max HR 172.
Wind: Headwind with gusts
Course: A kind of horseshoe shaped course with a tail, with some rolling hills along a state road and along the east bank of Seneca Lake.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:34
Overall:
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
00:24:39 | 03.15 miles | 07m 50s  min/mile
Age Group: 25/42
Overall: 168/496
Performance: Good
Mile 1 - 7:47, HR 167; Mile 2 - 7:58, HR 168, Mile 3 - 7:54 HR 172; Last .15 - 1:05 HR 175
Course: A pancake flat course exiting the State park, heading towards downtown Geneva, and the returning back to the park. They billed this course as 3 miles, but my Garmin (as well as a couple of others I talked to) had it a 3.15 miles.
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: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5