Osprey Sprint Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Public Landing, Maryland
United States
Maryland Coastal Bays Program
63F / 17C
Overcast
Total Time = 1h 27m 32s
Overall Rank = 45/389
Age Group = M40-44
Age Group Rank = 17/50
Pre-race routine:

Considered this a C- race, as I've been feeling tired for about a month now, and I've been running really slowly. Add to that, I've ridden the bike once since Lake Placid (2+ months). I love this race enough to just do it no matter what.

Ate at Zia's in Salisbury the night before, excellent pre-race meal. Got to bed around 11, up at 6. Ate the typical Clif Bar and drank a Gatorade. Got to the race about 730, 90 min before the start, which was about right. To get a good racking spot though, you need to get there even earlier. And if you do not get there early, you risk having a newbie mountain biker rack up and smash next to you right before the start. Got to hang out with two friends who were doing their first triathlon. The swim start is about 1/4 mile up the road, and the crowd walks up together.

Event warmup:

Light stretching. Tried to get in the water but they were calling people out as I got there. I goofed off too much talking to friends. No biggie. Felt enough to be happy that I was wearing a wetsuit.
Swim
  • 14m 5s
  • 880 yards
  • 01m 36s / 100 yards
Comments:

Last year I ranked 89th in the swim, with a 3 minute faster swim. This year, 67th. We fought a current, a bit of rough water, and the exit was on the other side of the dock from years past. Plus the run to transition was a lot longer than in the past. The swim went fairly well, I sucked up some water a few times due to the rough water, and I did get into a fight with one guy who would not move. In the end I took his legs and swooshed them over as I wanted to go to the buoy and not go his direction. Not too much drafting going on, but did it a bit to gather some energy back. I fought for a great swim but the time did not improve from year to year because of the changes. Ranking feels good though. I swam past a couple of waves, and ended up with not many of my wave around.
What would you do differently?:

I have to wonder if I should do this race without a wetsuit. It's right on the cusp, and would make transition a lot easier.
Transition 1
  • 01m 26s
Comments:

Hah, same exact time in T1 as last year. But ranked 43rd compared to 59th, probably due to the long run from the swim exit. I had issues with getting the wetsuit off my feet. Sat down to do it but I would've been better off standing.
Bike
  • 45m 14s
  • 15.2 miles
  • 20.16 mile/hr
Comments:

Wow, last year I had 45:12, this year 45:14, with one bike ride in 2 months. Pretty decent bike ride, I wanted to put all my efforts into the bike and let the run play itself out the way it plays out, especially since I have been running poorly lately. My bike split was more important than the overall time to me. Ranked 61st, compared to 58th last year. Pretty strong wind but not crazily so. This race tends to have strong wind. I though I rode pretty well in the wind, as others would be struggling in windy areas while I was blowing past them. This was the first test of my aero helmet. Hard to ever say how much these things help but it sure felt like it helped. Pretty happy with the bike. When I got back to the transition area, the area was pretty empty of bikes, meaning that there sure weren't many people out there on the run ahead of me, and I started in the 4th wave.
What would you do differently?:

If I were taking this race seriously I would've probably put in my race tubes and taken the tools off the back.
Transition 2
  • 00m 59s
Comments:

8 seconds slower than last year. Jumped off the bike well, ran with the bike well, don't know how much I could've changed.
What would you do differently?:

If I were to take the race seriously, I would've racked my bike in a better spot.
Run
  • 25m 48s
  • 3.1 miles
  • 08m 19s  min/mile
Comments:

The clear difference in last year and this year is the run, did 25:48 (81th) this year and 24:28 (77th) last year. But that's still a better run than I could expect with the way I've been running for the last month. The legs felt fine, but the first mile was like a 8:45. The 2nd mile was about 8:20 with the turnaround away from the headwind, and the last mile was 7:26. On the surface that looks like the wind slowed me up but really, I haven't been running well, and I felt like my norm lately.
What would you do differently?:

I have no complaints
Post race
Warm down:

Light stretching, hanging out with family, and watching friends come in.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

After Lake Placid I was burnt out and not willing to continue with the triathlon season. I kept Osprey because I love this race and its attitude, in addition to seeing all the newbies doing their very first triathlon. Thus, I only swam once a week, and biking was once in 2 months. More focused on the marathon season and the JFK 50 right now. I am very happy with the way this race worked out considering where I had myself training for it. In the end I ranked 45th this year compared to 49th last year, which is really nice.

Event comments:

The appeal of this race is the high percentage of newbies due to the "easy course." It is not intimidating to the beginner. You see people from all walks and lives, showing up, and it seems like everyone you talk to is doing their first ever triathlon. The race organization itself is very laid back, which has its pluses and minuses. A few years ago they were flexible enough to change the race date to Sunday at the last minute due to a big storm roughing up the waters too much for a swim. This year, we didn't even have helmet and bike stickers. You might see a 60 year old guy/woman doing his/her first ever triathlon, as well as guy pulling up next to the start with his boat, planning on keeping his bike on his boat for the transition (and probably some beer ;-)). I wonder what the race people would have done if I didn't tell him to rack his bike last year. :-)

The course itself is kind of boring but if you like the Eastern Shore of Maryland, you will like the course. The swim is in the Chincoteague Bay, and very nice and pretty. And being near Ocean City, is a big plus. Hang out in OC before and after your race, on a weekend where the weather can still be nice, but the crowds are gone. The post race scene is usually soda, gatorade, water, and turkey/roast beef/veggie wraps. I will be back next year, hopefully with another couple of newbie friends. :-)




Last updated: 2009-01-15 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:14:05 | 880 yards | 01m 36s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/50
Overall: 67/389
Performance: Good
Suit:
Course: starts about 1/4 mile north of the transition area. Swam from the beach, over to transition, and around the dock to get out. In past years we have gotten out in different areas, this was the furthest away from transition. It shows in the overall swim time.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current: Medium
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 01:26
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Below average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
00:45:14 | 15.2 miles | 20.16 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/50
Overall: 0/389
Performance: Good
Wind: Strong
Course: Flat and fast if there were no winds, but winds are the norm. Lollipop type course, pretty uneventful.
Road:   Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks:
T2
Time: 00:59
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:25:48 | 03.1 miles | 08m 19s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/50
Overall: 81/389
Performance: Below average
Course: Out and back in on a small street next to the bay. Pretty boring course, can be hot when the sun is out but that wasn't the case today. There was a headwind though on the way out.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
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