Big Fish Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Hadley Township, Michigan
United States
3 Disciplines
78F / 26C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 34m 15s
Overall Rank = 131/240
Age Group = 45-49
Age Group Rank = 7/19
Pre-race routine:

Woke with a start...the alarm didn't go off! I set it to the time, but didn't turn it on!!! My husband made my breakfast for me! My hero! Visulized a bit on the ride to the race(I didn't drive) and tried to stay calm...drank coffee and h20 in car. Walked the swim exit to transition,t1 to bike mount, bike in to run out, run in to finish. I think this helped me be clear during the event of where to go when.
Event warmup:

just did a bit of jumping up and down and stretching upper body. There were so many people I was meeting or had met at prior events that the social aspect helped keep my hr and nerves down.
Swim
  • 12m 18s
  • 547 yards
  • 02m 15s / 100 yards
Comments:

Tried to remember to rotate shoulders,REACH, and use my follow through. Really didn't get into my plan till almost the turn around. Tried to remember I didn't need arm strength for anything else in the race...I think I was faster on the second half of the swim...
What would you do differently?:

Try and find my pace faster...I also was a bit off course in the very beginning and I spent a bit of energy getting tighter to the bouy line. Didn't stick to the 3 strokes per breath pace I was hoping for which I am sure would have helped my speed. Need to practice sighting and swimming ON COURSE...more open water experience would be great too.
Transition 1
  • 04m 46s
Comments:

I took a LONG time in T1---I decided at the last moment to wear my gloves, took water, toweled off, put on socks, chapstick,...slow! Holy Cow-I just got my actual time and only 20 people were slower than me!!! Ugh!!! Lots of room for improvement here! :-)
What would you do differently?:

Practice a lot more! Need to have a no brainer routine for better speed. I will train with no socks to see if I can avoid the struggle of putting on socks with wet feet! I think I'll skip the towel off as well.
Bike
  • 44m 41s
  • 13 miles
  • 17.46 mile/hr
Comments:

This was a good ride for me...except for the first hill where I popped my chain...got off and fixed it, but I felt I took advantage of the downhills out and managed the uphills pretty well on the way back. Training there on Thursday gave me the knowledge I could handle it. My hr was about 3-5% above my training rides, and was totally doable.
What would you do differently?:

Fix the %@3 chain issue!!!! The baby will be in the shop for help before Kensington Happy Trails! Push myself a little harder on the bike..it is my best leg of the race, and I think I can get more out of it. I will be working on hilly rides to prepare better for Kensington.
Transition 2
  • 02m 55s
Comments:

I don't think I was quite as slow with this transition, but I know I could be faster.
What would you do differently?:

Again, Practice Practice Practice!!! I might get some zip laces too...I noticed a lot of people have those on their shoes. Instead of taking a hammergel at T2 I could take it at the very end of the bike and that could speed things along as well and perhaps eliminate the burps on the run.
Run
  • 29m 38s
  • 3.11 miles
  • 09m 32s  min/mile
Comments:

Yeah ME! I stink at running, but I did much better than my only other sprint in 2006. The race splits provided by 3d were exactly 2 minutes faster per mile from my Happy Trails race in 06! WHOOPIE! I told myself to push it and I did the second half of the run. Mind you, there were some rollers in there (I am a flat lander in training) and I was sucking some wind, but my interval trainging that I HATE taught me I wouldn't die, even if I sounded like I might :-)
What would you do differently?:

I was pretty conservative on the first part of the run...I would like to push myself to run faster earlier in the run. I will be working on that before my next race.
Post race
Warm down:

walked, talked, took Hammer recoverite...nasty tasting, but I think good for me. Stretched about 35 minutes after the race very briefly. It was great to meet lots of the BT crew before and after the race. The social aspect of the race was AWESOME! Made the day!

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Not being sure what limits I can push myself to....I am afraid of bonking on the run, my worst event. Not practicing transitions.

Event comments:

The course was challenging, but there were serious timing issues with 3d. My times were pretty accurate (I had my hr watch on and started and stopped it properly) but I was placed in the wrong age group according to USAT rules. I am 44, but will be 45 this year, and should have been in the 45-49 age group. I was in the 40-44 age group, and it doesn't really matter to me...but...it was incorrect. I also know of many athletes with incorrect timing issues, some who only had partial postings at the event, missing splits, etc. I hope 3d gets these issues resolved quickly for future events. (UPDATE-3D GOT THE AGE GROUP RATINGS UP, PUT ME IN THE PROPER AGEGROUP-- THEY SEEMED TO GET THINGS CORRECT,ALTHOUGH THE MALE CLYDES ARE ALSO RANKED IN THEIR AGEGROUPS FOR THE SPRINT)

The folks working the event seemed nice and happy to help out newbies like me...always a bonus!

Totally had a blast meeting folks from BT, my gym, and prior races, and racing with JoGo!




Last updated: 2008-05-18 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:12:18 | 547 yards | 02m 15s / 100yards
Age Group: 4/19
Overall: 101/240
Performance: Average
Suit: swam in LG tri suit - no issues here
Course: out and back around a double buoy. Sure looked like it was longer than 500 meters! Talked with a friend who did 11 events last year and she thought it looked long too. Oh well...it was what it was!
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Below average Drafting:
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 04:46
Performance: Bad
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
00:44:41 | 13 miles | 17.46 mile/hr
Age Group: 5/19
Overall: 102/240
Performance: Good
Wind: Some
Course: Course was 13 miles, not 12.4 Hilly Hilly Hilly! Fast and fun out, rolling and 2 larger hills about 1 mile before the end of the ride. Challenging for sure!
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 02:55
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
00:29:38 | 03.11 miles | 09m 32s  min/mile
Age Group: 9/19
Overall: 141/240
Performance: Good
Course: Mostly flat with some rolling hills on the dirt road portion of the race(about 1 mile).
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? No
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 3