SBR Triathlon Series Race 1 - Duathlon


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Harriman State Park, New York
United States
SBR Multisports
76F / 24C
Overcast
Total Time = 2h 00m 56s
Overall Rank = 124/125
Age Group = 25-29
Age Group Rank = 8/8
Pre-race routine:

Got up at the crack of dawn. Ate a yogurt, a banana. Drove to the race.
Event warmup:

Stretched. Ran a little - I'm glad I didn't get into the lake for a swim, since the swim never happened.
Run
  • 02m 13s
  • 0.33 miles
  • 06m 43s  min/mile
Comments:

I treated this as a flat-out sprint, which sounded good at the time, but I came to regret later on. It was great for the first portion of the run, but once we had to move up the beach to the transition area, the sand got softer and more draining to run in. I basically exhausted myself before the bike.
What would you do differently?:

Not have the swim cancelled! And maybe not go out quite so fast.
Transition 1
  • 01m 5s
Comments:

I still haven't had a real T1 experience, which is annoying. I think I did pretty well considering the circumstances. I took the time to get a drink of Gatorade, which I was very pleased about later on.
What would you do differently?:

Dunno. When I have a real T1, I'll let you know.
Bike
  • 1h 26m 10s
  • 16 miles
  • 11.14 mile/hr
Comments:

This was absolutely terrible. As I said, I didn't start the segment too well, so it took me until the 2.5 mile downhill to really gain any confidence. That was fun - I got up past 30 mph. The big hill was a killer. I actually had to get off and walk my bike three times. It was curvy, so you couldn't see how far you had to go, which was a real blow to my confidence. Every time I figured it must be over, it kept going. The end was much better, especially since I had the cleanup crew following me and picking up signs as I passed them. I tried to save face once I had people watching me.
What would you do differently?:

I don't know what I could have done during the race. I know that I don't bike as much as I should, and I definitely don't do hills like that. So I need to train them if I enter a race like this again. While I hate to blame equipment, I also think I need a new bike. Mine's only a year old, but it's a hybrid, not a real road bike. I kept finding myself wanting to sit forward more, to use my quads more effectively - especially on hills, where most of the time I ended up standing to get more power. I also want pedals I can clip into in order to increase my efficiency. They would have come in handy today.
Transition 2
  • 01m
Comments:

I ended up not even racking my bike. I was the last finisher, I was tired, and I couldn't get it on, so I just used the kickstand.
What would you do differently?:

Not much. It was ok, considering the condition I was in.
Run
  • 30m 29s
  • 3.1 miles
  • 09m 50s  min/mile
Comments:

My run was pretty good. I had an audience as I left T2, which is really what kept me going. Once I got out there, it was just putting one foot in front of the other. I can plod along like that forever if I need to. I stopped to walk at both water stations as usual (I need water IN me, not ON me) and I also stopped at the turnaround to move my chip, which was cutting into my ankle. I managed to sprint the last 50 yards to the finish, which was good since I had a large audience. They actually interrupted the awards ceremony to watch my finish (I thought it was a tad rude of them to start before I got there - I've never seen another race do that).
What would you do differently?:

Not much. It was pretty good, considering the shape my legs were in at that point. I was pleased with it.
Post race
Warm down:

Warm down? I was lucky to be standing! I watched the remainder of the awards ceremony and had some food. Krispy Kreme doughnuts! (The race t-shirt says "I did it for the doughnuts.")

What limited your ability to perform faster:

The fact that I was unprepared for the race format. They had actually changed the bike course from the original course. It was supposed to be a few miles shorter and, from what I heard, not nearly so grueling. I never train hills and I wasn't expecting such an immense challenge. The other big factor was their cancelling the swim. I have never run before biking before. A swim, even if I were taking it out hard, would really serve as a warm-up for my whole body and get me ready for the bike. Instead, I started off out of breath and tired.

Event comments:

The race volunteers were very helpful and friendly, however I wasn't thrilled with the way it was run. First off, the distances of the races in this series have changed at least twice since I signed up. The distances are a huge factor in the races I sign up for. I don't think I would have signed up for a 16 mile bike because I know I only train 12. Secondly, while there was thunder in the distance, I don't think they needed to cancel the swim entirely - especially since they told us that if it thundered while we were already in the lake, they'd let us keep swimming. And the more I think about it, the more angry I am about the awards ceremony. That's really rude, to begin before everyone has finished! I was not THAT far behind the next-to-last finisher. And the race director had been with me and knew I was running it, not strolling through the woods. I have never been to a race where they didn't wait until everyone was finished to present the awards. If they were running behind, it was because of the thunder delays, not because of me. I don't think I would do this race again.




Last updated: 2007-05-05 12:00 AM
Running
00:02:13 | 00.33 miles | 06m 43s  min/mile
Age Group: 4/8
Overall: 82/125
Performance: Good
Course: Swim changed to a short beach run because of thunder (which went away as soon as the race began).
Keeping cool Drinking
T1
Time: 01:05
Overall: Average
Run with bike? Below average
Jump on bike? Average
Getting up to speed and into shoes:
Biking
01:26:10 | 16 miles | 11.14 mile/hr
Age Group: 8/8
Overall: 125/125
Performance: Bad
Wind: Little
Course: HILLS, HILLS, HILLS. Can't be emphasized enough. The first five miles was hilly, then there was a 2.5 mile downslope, followed by a terrible 1.5 mile curving incline. After that it got much flatter down to the finish.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Below average Hills: Bad
Race pace: Too hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:00
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Average
Running with bike Below average
Racking bike Bad
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:30:29 | 03.1 miles | 09m 50s  min/mile
Age Group: 8/8
Overall: 111/125
Performance: Below average
Course: A trail through the woods. Some small rises and dips, but not exactly hilly (but I can handle hills better in the run than on the bike). The path was very stony for the first mile - I was afraid I'd step on the wrong rock and turn my ankle or something. The shady woods were pretty nice, on the whole.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Too much
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Ok
Evaluation
Course challenge Too hard
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? No
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Below average
Race evaluation [1-5] 2