Swim
Comments: I did really well at pacing myself and swimming strong for the first 100m. Then I got stuck behind someone and pulled hard to pass 3 people on the 3rd 50m lap. I think I spent too much oxygen on that pass move. I was pretty tired for the last 100m. At the wall turnaround for the last 50m stretch, I stopped and let 3 people pass because they were right on my tail. I ended up getting stuck behind them for the last 25m. This probably cost me 15 secs. What would you do differently?: Not sure. It is tough to keep perfect pace when you have to worry about passing people in the lanes (or being passed. Also I did not kick turn. I need to get good at kick turns for the next pool Tri. The swim ended up being my best event, which is funny because I got almost last place in the swim at my last race. Transition 1
Comments: T1 went WAY better than last year at this same course. I was about half the time overall. If I'd skipped the socks, I could have saved another 20secs, but I still don't like the idea of racing without socks. Maybe I'll practice it some more. I ran out with my shoes on the pedals this time. It dropped my t1 time, but may have cost me on the bike time. It took longer than it should have to get my feet in the shoes. What would you do differently?: Practice getting in the shoes on the bike faster. Consider going sockless. Bike
Comments: I was pretty winded after the swim. It didn't help that the first half of the bike loop was all uphill. I was doing pretty poorly for the half of the bike. I had a hard time getting into rhythm. About 4 miles in on the fast downhill part, I finally caught my breath and started feeling OK. I was able to keep my speed up OK after that. I still did pretty weak on the hill the second lap. What would you do differently?: I just couldn't get too comfy on the bike today. I haven't been able to ride much since it has been winter, so I think I will be better by the next couple of races. I wish I would not have taken so many 20 second coasts to drink. I was about the same time as last year on this course, but I haven't ridden much this winter, so I guess I have just maintained my fitness, not improved. Transition 2
Comments: This went almost perfect. I got out my shoes on the bike, and rode the last 100 yards with my feet ontop of shoes. I hopped off at the dismount line and ran with my bike. I managed to keep my shoes at 9 and 3 o clock on the cranks so they didn't drag. Racking went perfect. Then I went to put on my shoes and they were already tied! I slipped them on, but they were too loose and I had to untie them and retie them. What would you do differently?: Get some quick laces or at least make sure my shoes are untied and ready to go. I would also like I race belt, because I wanted to change my shirt but couldn't afford the time to unpin the race number and put it on the SS shirt Run
Comments: Had the usual jelly legs for the first half mile. As soon as I felt like my legs were coming back, I hit the big hill. I ran half and had to walk half. This dropped my first mile to 10:00 pace. Ran the second mile at okay pace, just trying to stay strong while regaining my breath. Last mile was a pretty good clip and I had some downhill. It band started rubbing on knee about 1/2 mile from finish thanks to the downhill. IT bands hate downhill running! I tried to keep my form in check and was able to finish strong. As I entered the finish chute, I heard someone sprinting up behind me. There was no way someone was going to sprint past me at the finish line! I went into a full sprint and we had a little head to head 100y dash to the finish. It was a pretty fun way to finish the race What would you do differently?: I need more bricks to get used to the jelly legs. There isn't much I can do for run performance because I have been injured. Just need to keep building slowly and I think I will be OK. Run could have been better, but I pretty much started from zero again in January. Still beat last years time by 2 mins. I was hoping for a 25:00, but a 27:00 is acceptable given the big hill. The other problem was that I was overdressed. I was cooking in my long sleeve thermal jersey because by now it was almost 60 degrees. Post race
Warm down: Nothing much. Walked around, at some snacks. I got a free massage from a sponsor, so that was nice. What limited your ability to perform faster: It is march, so not enough time since winter to get my bike legs back. I died a bit on the run. I also think my too-warm shirt held me back a bit mentally. I ended up at 2nd place in my AG, so I can't complain too much. I was less than 20 seconds being the 1st place AG, so it hard not to beat myself up over all the places I think I could have made up that time. Event comments: This was a great race. Lots of people showed up, it was well organized, and they had a lot of nice little touches. Unfortunately, the timing company had a major malfunction and was unable to get our times at the race. So we didn;t have an awards ceremony. Kinda stinks, since I won 2nd in my AG! Can't really blame the race company for a glitch with the timing, though. I am told I will get mailed my medal, so it is all good. I am impressed with the new GOld medal racing company that put on this event. I think I will do some more of there events in the future. Last updated: 2007-03-15 12:00 AM
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United States
Gold Medal Racing
50F / 10C
Sunny
Overall Rank = 108/330
Age Group = Clydesdale
Age Group Rank = 2/11
Nothing special. Ate Oatmeal and Peanut Butter toast. Packed up my junk and headed to the race. Transition area was a little tighter than I am used to, so it was hard to get my stuff set up like I like.
Swam a few 50s. Stretched a little. Peed at least 10 times :)