Long Branch Sprint Triathlon Series - Race #3 - TriathlonSprint


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Long Branch, New Jersey
United States
Sandy Hookers Triathlon Club
80F / 27C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 39m 41s
Overall Rank = 271/286
Age Group = 35-39
Age Group Rank = 22/24
Pre-race routine:

woke up at 3:45 packed up the car. noticed the back tire on the bike was low, pumped it up and was off (your 10th grade english teacher would point this out as foreshadowing). got the race in good time, was the second one on the rack so i got a pretty good spot.
Event warmup:

flew totally solo today. no fans and no friends or family racing. saw a bunch of people that i had met before at races and ran into allison (ocean annie). everyone asked WHERE ARE YOUR SISTERS? it was funny. helped solve (temporarily) the toilet paper issue in the bathroom by scoring a roll at the shore runner. spent a lot of time talking to the really nice newbie that was on my rack. went down to the beach and chatted with some of the women in my wave.
Swim
  • 06m 25s
  • 400 yards
  • 01m 36s / 100 yards
Comments:

it was pandamonium as only a triathlon could provide.i stayed too close to the rope and buoys and should have known better. there was actually a woman who was not swimming but pulling herself along the rope and kicking the crap out of all of us, that is what you get for doing a non-usat race. felt like i was just getting by on the way out but when i rounded the end buoy i took off and didn't stop or hit anyone until i hit the shore. the waves were big and the current a little rough but it was do-able. a little caveat here... the official results list my swim time as 8:23 because they didn't have a mat as you got out of the water,only as you went into transition. i started and stopped my watch based on the actual swim and counted the run up the beach, up the stairs and down the boardwalk as part of transition time.
What would you do differently?:

start away from the buoys, they help me navigate but i was surrounded by the panic stricken masses
Transition 1
  • 05m 58s
Comments:

this was abyssmal! i have done the unofficial version of this race too many times and went on auto pilot, but the transition area was much longer with a different entrance than normal. and lets face it, i could haul my cookies down that beach a little bit, no A LOT faster.
What would you do differently?:

run more in and out of transitions
Bike
  • 46m 45s
  • 9.5 miles
  • 12.19 mile/hr
Comments:

so i was going along at a pretty good clip. managing my bike snacks better than normal. when i started out i pulled over for a minute to check the back tire because i panicked thinking it was low again, nope solid as a rock. clipped back in and kept going. realized that in my infinite wisdom of tire changes i had never checked my rear wheel magnet so my computer was not working so i was getting no feedback. i stayed with the crowd i started with and passed a few people, more than a few really. i was feeling very confident when right at about mile five i hear the ever so faint hiss of the air coming out of my back tire. I KNEW I SHOULD HAVE CHANGED IT BEFORE I LEFT!!!! i pull over, jump off the bike and take a minute to act like a baby, stamp my feet and yell the F word about 4 times. then i pull it together and realize i have the know how now to fix this and just decide to suck it up and get on with it. it literally took me 10 minutes because my hands were fumbling and i kept looking up to tell people i was ok and no they didn't have to stop and help me. the one race "official" i saw though was just about the only one who DID NOT ask if i needed help. i wouldn't have felt bad making him stop. after i get it all back together i take the time to shove the popped tube in my seat bag, why you ask? i have no clue but i guess i didn't want to litter. it took me about a mile to get my mojo back and get back in the swing of things.
What would you do differently?:

not let something like this throw me, i can't help flats but i can help how i react. actually i should have been a little bit more cycle savvy and thought to change the freaking thing BEFORE the race when the tire seemed if-y
Transition 2
  • 03m 23s
Comments:

when will i learn? shoes first then start moving and do hat and i-pod while moving!
What would you do differently?:

i would do everything opposite of what i did during this transition.
Run
  • 37m 8s
  • 3 miles
  • 12m 23s  min/mile
Comments:

my nemesis the run. it wasn't that bad and i figure my running is faster but my ability to keep the pace is shot. i took more walk breaks today than i have since last year and i still came in around my usual time. i would like to suggest that the race officials try a little harder to keep the strollers and old people out of the way. i was cut off twice by passers by and it was frustrating but most certainly not the demise of the run just something for me to complain about.
What would you do differently?:

change my mantra to "i am a runner" instead of "oh crap, the run"
Post race
Warm down:

exchanging e-mails with newbie friend and saying goodbye to other random tri buddies. calling pete to tell him of my successes and failures of the day. packing up the car and going home.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

mental blocks, dumb decisions

Event comments:

they need to put a timing mat at the edge of the water, i don't train my swim to have a beach run effect it. and don't have the finish line up a sidewalk and then have us race off the curb to the parking lot to cross it. other than those things it was an awesome race, cool pearl izumi technical shirt. i'm doing it again on the 30th! i am very proud of my swim time, the fact that i know how to change a tire and did so, the fact that i did this solo.




Last updated: 2007-08-02 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:06:25 | 400 yards | 01m 36s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/24
Overall: 0/286
Performance: Good
Suit:
Course: out and back along buoys
Start type: Run Plus:
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current: High
200M Perf. Bad Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Below average
Waves: Average Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 05:58
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
00:46:45 | 9.5 miles | 12.19 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/24
Overall: 0/286
Performance: Below average
Wind: Headwind
Course: very twisty through some poorly paved local roads
Road: Rough Dry Cadence:
Turns: Below average Cornering: Below average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 03:23
Overall: Bad
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Below average
Running
00:37:08 | 03 miles | 12m 23s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/24
Overall: 0/286
Performance: Average
Course: big loop on the boardwalk
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Bad
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time?
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4