New Jersey State Triathlon - Olympic Distance - TriathlonOlympic


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West Windsor, New Jersey
United States
CGI Racing
85F / 29C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 57m 21s
Overall Rank = 501/731
Age Group = 30-34
Age Group Rank = 50/
Pre-race routine:

Ate a Powerbar and drank some Gatorade on the ride to the race. Dragged the rest of the tri club tent and table to the Tri Club Corner and then set up my transition. Met up my wife and walked over to the swim start.

I was so focused on trying to have a good race that I decided I'd try to visualize having a good race on the ride up. So I starting to visualize how a good swim would go, quick transitions, a strong, fast bike leg, and finally a fast, but easy run. Apparently I got into it because after truck blew by us my wife looked at me and said "since when do you drive the speed limit?". I looked down and I was doing 65 on an empty highway which is not usual for me. Kind of have a lead foot. HA.
Event warmup:

None really. Didn't get there in time for the swim practice so I chatted with my wife a Laura who was also doing her first Oly.
Swim
  • 35m 52s
  • 1500 meters
  • 02m 23s / 100 meters
Comments:

Ok, the swim, my nemesis. It started out Ok, but I realized the congestion I've had in my chest kept me from taking as deep a breath as I wanted/was used to, so I settled in to pattern of freestyle and breaststroke for the duration. I didn't have the OWS panic that I normally face, which was good, but I was suprised by my lack of fitness. I've had this congestion for about a month and I didn't anticipate how bad it hit me. So, I was bummed the swim didn't go better but I'm excited because I didn't have the same OWS panic as I've had in the past. It didn't go my way but I can't wait to do it again. Felt like I overcame an obstacle by completing that distance and next time will do much better (w/out the constant coughing and hacking).
What would you do differently?:

Not ignore the coughing and hacking for a month and go to the doctor to get it taken care of. Otherwise, I'd work harder to get into a rhythm with the swim.
Transition 1
  • 02m 3s
Comments:

So I had a long run to my rack since it was right next to the bike in/out. Transition went fine until the mount....
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Bike
  • 1h 14m 33s
  • 24.85 miles
  • 20.00 mile/hr
Comments:

A few weeks ago I was about to start a group ride when I had a problem with my pedal. I bagged the ride but said that if it happened during a race or in the middle of a ride, I would continue. Well, apparently that was a little foreshadowing. I went to put my foot in the pedal when the same problem occured. The spring in the pedal came loose which made it impossible to lock the cleat in. I quickly realized the bike was just not going to be ideal so I just kept going. I could still pedal with both feet, but just didn't have the amount of power I would have liked. Needless to say, I got passed a lot, but also did some passing myself. I think I would have been a few minutes faster on the bike with a working pedal, but I still had fun.

Nutrition was good. Used the aero bottle for the first time with Infinit. Drank almost the whole thing and never felt hungry or lacked energy for the rest of the race. Although I've been using Infinit for a while now, this is the first time I used it in race. It makes me burp a little (the protein foams) but its much better than the alternative (I have post-race GI issues when I use gels).
What would you do differently?:

Not break my pedal.
Transition 2
  • 01m 40s
Comments:

Couldn't find my rack so that cost me a few seconds. Looked like a chicken with my head cut off running around the first too racks looking for my stuff. Awesome.
What would you do differently?:

Find my rack.
Run
  • 1h 03m 15s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 10m 11s  min/mile
Comments:

So, this is where the lack of fitness caught up to me. Did OK for the first 2.5 miles. Then I had to walk as the coughing was really getting bad and almost made me puke. I walk/ran the second loop, but decided that aroun 4.9 that I was going to run the rest regardless of how slow I might be moving. Just put my head down and ran/jogged it out to the finish trying to keep from hacking up a lung. Oh, and the blister I had on one of my toes really hurt, but that was secondary.
What would you do differently?:

Be in better shape..i.e.do some interval runs to maintain fitness and a strong running pace.
Post race
Warm down:

Dumped a few bottles of water on my head and drank more. Hung out for a bit with my tri club, but had to leave pretty quickly since my wife had to get to a baby shower. I'm tired of having to leave races right away. Feel like I'm missing out on some fun. Next time I'm going to plan to hang out longer.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Health issue that I've been ignoring. Lack of OWS experience. Broken pedal.

Event comments:

Love this race. Plan to do it again. Revised the report slightly to fix glaring grammar/typos. Added comment on nutrition that I forgot to mention.




Last updated: 2008-01-15 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:35:52 | 1500 meters | 02m 23s / 100meters
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 512/731
Performance: Good
Suit:
Course: Loop.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 80F / 27C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Below average
Breathing: Bad Drafting:
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 02:03
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed:
Biking
01:14:33 | 24.85 miles | 20.00 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 493/731
Performance: Average
Wind: None
Course: Loop
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Average Hills:
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:40
Overall: Below average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Below average
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
01:03:15 | 06.21 miles | 10m 11s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 528/731
Performance: Below average
Course: Two 3.1 mile loops
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 2
Physical exertion [1-5] 2
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