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 Swim
Comments: First our wave was delayed an extra 2 minutes. A pontoon became unmoored and we waited while they drove back and anchored. Glad I wasn't in the water when that happened, since there seemed to be swimmers everywhere and rather close to the prop. I tempted fate two ways: I didn't bring my nose clip (only recently weaned) and didn't get wet first. BAD BAD BAD. I could never catch my breath and only put my face in the water for a second between each stroke. Breathed onn the right the whole way. Even threw in some back stroke, etc. The whole darn thing was a struggle! I have no idea how i managed the time, the course must have been short. I am mad since my swimming has been so much better. Thankfully on a 1/4 mile swim it's hard to get too far behind. Also lots of beginners at this race, so I wasn't alone. There was also a little chop. What would you do differently?: Warm up, wear (or at least bring along) nose clip for backup. I have nothing to prove with that!  Transition 1
Comments: The run from the lake to T1 was long and I just didn't hustle, as usual. I was cold and numb and getting my wetsuit off and shoes on was a struggle. So, a hard T1 circumstance coupled with my general laziness in T1 and a swim struggle equals a ridiculous T1 time, IMHO. Must work on this. 9/61 AG What would you do differently?: Hustle  Bike
Comments: This was harder than I thought it would be! Started out good and passed a ton of folks (sorry Tom :) ), only learn later it felt easy due to a tailwind. Boo. The steeper hills were harder than I thought they'd be, and the drizzle had picked up. I had to drop to the small chain ring twice, which I was really trying to avoid today. This was hard for me, but I passed a ton of folks so for this race it went well. The bike course is the only place where the amount of newbies and general lack of rules (not USAT) really showed. I struggled a lot having to pass packs of people, people riding to the left of the shoulder slowly (open course), etc. Nothing sucks worse than slowing down up a hill because you're in between a car, someone passing on your right (!) and behind a pack of hybrids. Grrr. I also dropped my Shot Bloks which was worrisome to me, and the gel I picked up on the course was inedible. I was glad to be doing the short course today. Only pleasant surprise was I didn't feel as cold as I worried I would be. I threw on my cycling rain jacket in T1, which was perfect. Legs and hands weren't cold (no socks, pretty airy tri shoes). What would you do differently?: Remember to buy my own gel for races and have it taped to my bike, like I prefer. Transition 2
Comments: Screamed into T2 and even though it's a difficult T area with a grassy wet slope to run down (!), I made it without trouble. My problem here was due to trying to wrench on my running shoes with rather wet feet. Went sockless for the first time in a race, which was perfect for a short run. Not as bad as T1, but not proud of this. 29/61 AG What would you do differently?: Hustle...  Run
Comments: Never thought I would say this, but I enjoyed the run most of anything today. It couldn't have been easier and it was my kind of weather - drizzly, overcast, cool. I grabbed a water, which I didn't need, and struggled with that for a minute. Should have skipped that. Otherwise I felt good! Maybe too good? Passed a TON of people. Wow, I just cannot believe this. Maybe I should have run harder? :) What would you do differently?: Not a thing! Post race
Warm down: Warm-down is an understatement. After finishing I was okay for about 10 minutes then was FREEZING. I did a quick change in the bathroom and got my post race meal. Simply the best post-race lunch. Too bad the weather was so crappy, it wasn't really fun to hang around. Finally just left before the awards and raffle since I never win anything, anyway, and didn't want to risk hypothermia. Seriously. Event comments: VERY good race. The ONLY problem (also a highlight) is the number of newbies. I can live with them, but they need rules. They should be told about appropriate passing etiquette. Also, transition is uncontrolled and people pack up and leave while others are racing (with friends and family in tow). I am going to contact the race director to explain my feeling about this. Closing transition is hard, but he could at least give a few safety tips at the mandatory pre-race meeting. Other than that, though, it was great sprint and I'm sure I'll be back. Oh, and Torrenzo Bozzone is super cute! Last updated: 2008-12-19 12:00 AM
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United States
Buffalo Triathlon
49F / 9C
Precipitation
Overall Rank = 95/342
Age Group = F30-34
Age Group Rank = 22/61
(Overall rank is female only)
Got there pretty early, and with the help of my awesome new GPS I found an early turn off and sweet parking spot right by the bike out. At least I have race packing and transition set-up down pretty well. Did struggle to find a place to fill my water bottles, so I need to remember to bring full bottles from now on. Did a bunch of walking around with my girlfriends and generally avoided taking off my warm clothes. Finally had to put on the wet suit, which was warm except for my arms. The WORST part, though, was going barefoot down to the water. The grass was so cold and the sand hurt. I stood at the edge of the water, which was actually best. The sand was softer there and the water was warmer than the air. My only mistake was I avoided a warmup swim, because while the swim would have been nice I would have FROZE waiting for my wave.