New Jersey State Triathlon - Olympic Distance - TriathlonOlympic


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West Windsor, New Jersey
United States
CGI Racing
Sunny
Total Time = 3h 24m 9s
Overall Rank = 658/744
Age Group = F40-44
Age Group Rank = 34/43
Pre-race routine:

Up at 5, banana, smoothie, muffin, water, coffee.
Event warmup:

Since my wave didn't go off until 9:10am, I hit the water to warm up a little around 8:30.
Swim
  • 32m 42s
  • 1640 yards
  • 01m 59s / 100 yards
Comments:

This was my first Oly, so I wanted to save some energy, and this was my first OWS, so there was some unknown there. I wanted to take it easy and not stress myself out. Everything I read said to stay at the edge, in the back. I did. I expected the field to thin out after a few hundred meters and I'd be able to find some open water and go for it. That didn't really happen, and I ended up caught behind some swimmers from my wave, and a wave in front of us. I didn't want to utilize a ton of energy and pass them, so I breast stroked to hang back a bit, and then went for it when it was convenient. I was suprised at how crowded it stayed through the whole swim. I should have started up front, and then I could have gone much MUCH faster.
What would you do differently?:

I would have more confidence in my swimming ability. I could easily have come out of the water 5 minutes faster if I'd known I was that much better than most in my age group and started in the front.
Transition 1
  • 04m 23s
Comments:

Didn't wear a suit, even though it was actually wetsuit legal, which is odd for this race. This was such a large race that I'm not used to transition areas this large. I did ok for me. Put on sunscreen.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing really. Just generally get faster.
Bike
  • 1h 24m 31s
  • 24.85 miles
  • 17.64 mile/hr
Comments:

Lovely headwind, we had. That wasnt' fun. It was my first Oly so I wanted to do my best, but not kill myself, since it was starting to get hot and I knew I had to save a LOT for the run. I did ok on the bike. Not fabulous, but not terrible. Hydration was a bit of a problem. I'd received advice to drink water through most of the bike, then switch to powerade to gear up for the run. I did what I thought was right, and had some Luna Moons, too.
What would you do differently?:

I should have switched to powerade sooner. I was feeling fine on the bike (except for my back hurting, but for a girl who has had two back surgeries, I was just happy to be able to BE THERE AT ALL!) but later I'd learn I needed more electrolytes on the bike.
Transition 2
  • 03m 40s
Comments:

Long, large transition area. Got stuck behind some folks who were walking. Put on more sunscreen.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing, really.
Run
  • 1h 18m 55s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 12m 43s  min/mile
Comments:

The first mile was hard, but it always is. The second mile was a little easier and I thought I was hitting a decent pace. Then I hit a wall. It was incredibly hot and humid and I'm not used to that. My hands got really swollen, my legs were a little weak and I ended up walking A LOT. I knew I was going to end up nowhere near 3:00:00, and then all of a sudden 3:15:00 looked out of reach, so I decided to just make sure I finished under 3:30:00 and not get hurt. My muscles wanted a gel, or some heed, or something, but my stomach would not tolerate it. I was a good 20 minutes slower on the run than I'd hoped for, but I made it through.
What would you do differently?:

Figure out how much water vs. gels vs. powerade, etc. my body needs in those conditions. I had a plan, but it was clearly not working for me.
Post race
Warm down:

Walked around and tried to recover. Sadly I didn't know there was a shower tent... that would have helped a lot! Had a coke (which I haven't had in years!) and water.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

The heat and humidity, and not knowing the right things to eat/drink in those conditions.

Event comments:

Someone suggested I keep my towel on the run because they run out, and I'm REALLY glad I did. And sadly by the time I crossed the finish line, there wasn't a heck of a lot of cold drinks left. Turns out I didn't WANT food, so I don't know what they had left. And I was really hoping to hear my name announced as I crossed, but I didn't. Maybe that's only for the earlier finishers that are actually in contention.




Last updated: 2008-10-07 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:32:42 | 1640 yards | 01m 59s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/43
Overall: 0/744
Performance: Good
Suit: No
Course: Lake swim
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 78F / 26C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 04:23
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Below average
Biking
01:24:31 | 24.85 miles | 17.64 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/43
Overall: 0/744
Performance: Average
Wind: Headwind
Course:
Road: Potholes Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 03:40
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Below average
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
01:18:55 | 06.21 miles | 12m 43s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/43
Overall: 0/744
Performance: Bad
Course: Two out and back segments. A little shade.
Keeping cool Below average Drinking Too much
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
Good race? Ok
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