South Carolina Half - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Greenwood, South Carolina
United States
set-up.inc
Sunny
Total Time = 6h 15m 48s
Overall Rank = 66/107
Age Group = 25-29
Age Group Rank = 10/17
Pre-race routine:

Woke up at 5:00 and really wanted to keep sleeping but Kate made me get up :) Got dressed and went downstairs to meet Sandy and eat a bagel w/PB. Drove to site and talked out nervous energy and plans for the day.
Event warmup:

I swam maybe 100 meters. Just wanted to remember what it felt like to swim in a wetsuit.
Swim
  • 1h 02m 58s
  • 2112 yards
  • 02m 59s / 100 yards
Comments:

First off, my googles kept leaking. I had to stop about 5 times in the first 5 minutes to re-seal my googles. That was frustrating. Plus I couldn't see the buoy's because the sun was shinning directly into my eyes burning my retnas :) The saftey boat people kept directing me in the opposite ways I was swimming.."you're going the wrong way" I just laughed and would turn the other way and keep swimming. They must have been thinking wow this poor girl. I was having a little difficulty in the water but I was use to it so it didn't bother me as much. I kept moving forward, slowly but surely I knew I would get out of the water. I would tell myself I'm having fun and what a beautiful day it was to be racing. I included breast stroke, doggy paddle, and even tried back stroke. Yikes. I made it though and man did it feel good to hit dry land.
What would you do differently?:

swim faster. dunno. there was nothing I could have done yesterday to improve my time. it was what it was. a bad swim :)
Transition 1
  • 02m 57s
Comments:

I had some trouble getting my wetsuit off. Other than that it went fine. I'm sure I oculd use some improvement here but after that swim I really didn't care.
What would you do differently?:

get wetsuit off faster
Bike
  • 3h 14m 20s
  • 56 miles
  • 17.29 mile/hr
Comments:

Wind: All of the above. Got on bike and immediately started drinking. I was bad and didn't really drink anything prior to the start. I know, bad Amy. Anyway, the bike went as I figured it would. The first 30 miles went by quick and were fairly fast. Hills really didn't seem difficult and I felt I was pushing a good pace. I stopped after mile 30 water station and peed in the bushes. Had to or else Frankie was getting a golden shower but I didn't think we were ready for that step in our relationship. I like to take things a little slow. Call me old fashion :) So, mile 40 somebody mean and cruel turned on the wind tunnel and I really thought I was going backwards. Holly crap that mile stretch was a pain in my ass. Winds were pretty strong during the remainder of the ride and the roads were less than smooth. I pushed when I felt capable and took it "easier" when I needed a little break. I will say my neck, shoulders, and ass hurt more than usual but I think that's from my seat change right before the race. It didn't bother me though, just a part of racing. Coming back into transition was a bit cramped to say the least. All runners and bikers were supposed to be on ONE side of the road. Well that makes no sense and made for a dangerous situation. Runners heading back in couldn't see you coming towards them so I had to keep yelling "on your right" in hopes they would move. I was racing and didn't want to slow down but I certainly didn't want to crash into anyone either. I was glad to get through that part with no incidence.
What would you do differently?:

Hmm. Well honestly I gave what I had. I would like to eventually not have to stop on the bike to pee but in the name of comfort I think that was best. Just keep working on bike strength.
Transition 2
  • 01m 24s
Comments:

This went smoothly. I had an amazing bike rack position. My bike went right on and I thought I was out pretty quick.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing that I know of but I'm open for suggestions.
Run
  • 1h 54m 11s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 08m 43s  min/mile
Comments:

I started off conservative to get my running legs and also assess how I was feeling coming off the bike. I had slight stomache issues from not "using" the bathroom before the race. ( I know, who wants to know that) But I could tell all day. Yuck. Anyway, I felt good so I just kept a steady pace and pushed my way to the turn around. I alternated gatorade and water for the first 4 or so water stops but that would prove to not be enough. My legs felt good and I was feeling strong otherwise. I really feel I ran the first loop at an even steady pace. Coming back to the finish area for my first lap was a little sad but I was having so much fun I kinda didn't want it to be over. After all I was running in a HIM! That got me excited. I pushed on and tried to keep a steady pace going back out. I heard a girl tell another runner to drink the flat coke..so I tried it at the next stop and it helped a lot with energy. My legs were getting a little tight but I put that aside and made myself keep running. All I needed to do was keep moving forward. So that's what I did. I realized at about mile 8 or so I hadn't taken a gel the whole run but as I mentioned earlier my stomach was "full" and not wanting any more gels. So I ate a couple pretzels and took 2 electrolyte pills. That helped. Running into the park was awesome. I felt so good and it was great to see everyone and hear people cheering. My last mile was fast and strong. Just the way to end a great first HIM race and Tri season. Whoo HOO!!
What would you do differently?:

I could have not walked at the 2 water stops where I drank coke and also should have poured water over my head to keep cool. I had goose bumps the last 5 miles of the run so obviously I was getting dehydrated. Otherwise this was a good run. It was a PR for a half mary :)
Post race
Warm down:

Nothing. Walked over to watch other racers coming in and drank some water.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Overall I think I gave this race all I had to give. I do think my lack of power on the swim obviously hurt my time but it's something I need to work on and give time to improve. On this day particularly, the only thing that "bothered" me was my bathroom stops or lack there of.

Event comments:

The venue is beautiful and well organized with lots of volunteers. The end of the bike course/beginning of run is way too cramped. Bikers and runners should NOT be sharing one lane of a road. That is dangerous as people on bikes are coming up fast on runners with their backs turned. Also, some of the roads are a little rough but it's mostly between miles 40 to 50. The water stops were excellent on the run. They had anything and everything you could want. All of the volunteers were great and there were plenty of them on the entire course. A special thanks to the girl in the boat cheering me on during the swim.




Last updated: 2007-08-30 12:00 AM
Swimming
01:02:58 | 2112 yards | 02m 59s / 100yards
Age Group: 17/17
Overall: 106/107
Performance: Bad
Suit: Reaction76 wetsuit/full sleeve
Course: Semi-rectangle. Super sunny to first buoy and over to next turn buoy and then a short way back to shore. Point to point.
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 76F / 24C Current: Medium
200M Perf. Below average Remainder: Bad
Breathing: Average Drafting:
Waves: Below average Navigation: Below average
Rounding: Below average
T1
Time: 02:57
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed:
Biking
03:14:20 | 56 miles | 17.29 mile/hr
Age Group: 9/17
Overall: 66/107
Performance: Good
Wind: Cross-winds
Course: A 56 mile loop. Through the country in SC. Very pretty and in most parts not a lot of traffic. Roads were a bit rough in spots and the locals weren't very bike friendly.
Road: Rough Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:24
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
01:54:11 | 13.1 miles | 08m 43s  min/mile
Age Group: 5/17
Overall: 24/107
Performance: Good
Course: Out and back loop X 2. Rolling hills but they were small and really insignificant. Plenty of water stops with anything you could need.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
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: Below average
Race evaluation [1-5] 3