Philadelphia Triathlon in Fairmount Park - Sprint - TriathlonSprint


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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
United States
Philadelphia Triathlon, LLC
77F / 25C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 59m 45s
Overall Rank = 710/1083
Age Group = 30-34
Age Group Rank = 41/68
Pre-race routine:

I ate a banana and met Josh to ride to the transition area.
Event warmup:

Just the ride over to transition.
Swim
  • 21m 29s
  • 984 yards
  • 02m 11s / 100 yards
Comments:

I have a hard time swimming in a straight line so I was meandering through the course. This was also the first time in a Philly race where people kept grabbing my feet, people were running into me and I was running into people. The course is narrower than the Olympic and Sherox, which lead to tons of bunching. Overall, I was pleased with my swim.
What would you do differently?:

Swim more than twice during training. (My schedule limited when I could get to the pool, and I swam for the first time two weeks ago.
Transition 1
  • 04m 22s
Comments:

I had problems with this transition for some reason. I swam in my tri-shorts and sports bra. I went to put on my shirt and I couldn't get it on. I tried about three times before I gave up and switched to my bike jersey that I wore before the race. I realized on the run (after I finally got the shirt on) that when I pinned the number on, I grabbed two much fabric from different spots, so the shirt felt like it was half the size it should have been. Oh well, lesson learned.
What would you do differently?:

Get a race belt so I don't have to pin my number to my shirt. Then I can swim in my shirt.
Bike
  • 55m 13s
  • 15.8 miles
  • 17.17 mile/hr
Comments:

This was a good ride. My legs felt like bricks when I first got on the bike, but they eventually loosened up. I was passing a lot of people, including from my wave, earlier waves, and surprisingly, I pass quite a few of the men on their first lap.
What would you do differently?:

Like with the swim, ride more. This was the second time on the road all year and I rode Deger's bike on the trainer three or four times.
Transition 2
  • 03m 54s
Comments:

I just couldn't win with the transitions today. For some reason I never untied my shoes and so, of course, my laces were in knots. I got my shoes on and then changed my shirt into the one that had the race number pinned to it. (I eventually figured out the issue with the pin and fixed it during the run.)
What would you do differently?:

Untie my running shoes before the swim.
Run
  • 34m 46s
  • 3.11 miles
  • 11m 11s  min/mile
Comments:

I was hoping to run the entire 5K, since this is where I had been focusing all of my training during the winter. Unfortunately, I had to walk several times to get rid of cramps and just plain catch my breath. I also walked to fix my shirt. When I was running (which was the majority of the run just not all of it), the pace felt comfortable.
What would you do differently?:

I need to learn to relax more on the run and stay out of my head. As soon as I get into my head, I let myself walk and the more I do that, it becomes harder and harder to keep running. I can run it, but I always seem to let myself walk too early and too often.
Post race
Warm down:

Waited for Josh to finish and then ate some pizza and biked home.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Lack of training.

Event comments:

This is a great race and a fun course.




Last updated: 2008-02-25 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:21:29 | 984 yards | 02m 11s / 100yards
Age Group: 28/68
Overall: 490/1083
Performance: Average
Suit: None
Course: Starts at one end of the transition area, goes through the Columbia Ave. Bridge. Just past the bridge there is a right turn swimming across the river. Another right turn and back through the bridge. Swim past the finish area and make a right turn around the last buoy and head into the swim exit.
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 73F / 23C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Average Drafting: Below average
Waves: Good Navigation: Below average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 04:22
Performance: Bad
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
00:55:13 | 15.8 miles | 17.17 mile/hr
Age Group: 32/68
Overall: 569/1083
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course: Two loops through Fairmont Parkhttp://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/training/races-edit.asp?raceid=62262 BeginnerTriathlete.com
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 03:54
Overall: Bad
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Bad
Running with bike Below average
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Below average
Running
00:34:46 | 03.11 miles | 11m 11s  min/mile
Age Group: 57/68
Overall: 878/1083
Performance: Below average
Course: Out and back on West River Drive
Keeping cool Good Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
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: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4