Musselman Half-Iron Triathlon - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Geneva, New York
United States
Musselman Triathlon
73F / 23C
Sunny
Total Time = 5h 22m 53s
Overall Rank = 182/700
Age Group = F25-29
Age Group Rank = 10/45
Pre-race routine:

Was planning to sleep in a bit (5am) but everyone else was up and making noise at 4:30am. Got up, made coffee, and headed out to get a good parking spot. Set up transition and wandered around.
Swim
  • 32m 54s
  • 2112 yards
  • 01m 34s / 100 yards
Comments:

A bit of chop out there, made sighting and breathing slightly more challenging, but not bad. Really helped on the way in to the canal - could feel the waves/chop pushing me in. Hit the stinky part of the canal and really though I was going to start heaving. Ugh!! Kicked it into high gear to get the eff out of the water.
Transition 1
  • 02m 17s
Comments:

Was having trouble getting the wetsuit off, but still managed a fast T1 (w/ wetsuit) for me. Usually it's a good 3 mins of me struggling to get it off.
What would you do differently?:

Cut even bigger leg openings in the wetsuit.
Bike
  • 3h 02m 8s
  • 56 miles
  • 18.45 mile/hr
Comments:

Not sure what went wrong. I was pushing what felt like a good pace early on - not too hard, but more than what I would do on a training ride. Terrain was pretty flat so I figured I could crank out a good bike split, given that I've had some rides of 40-60 miles where I averaged 18.8-19.0 mph. But early on I was suffering. Starting at ~3miles in, I was having some serious pain at the inside/front junction of my thighs/groin. Ow ow ow!! Not sure what it was felt like sore/tight muscles or tendons. Maybe the hard pace, maybe the saddle, maybe a combination. At times it felt like the muscles there were trying to cramp up. Not good! I did notice that I was holding a lower cadence than usual. Normally I'm ~90rpms, but I noticed I spent a lot of time in the low to mid 80s. Maybe that contributed to the slow pace and pain? And my shoulders were really hurting too - not the muscles, but the joints. Made it hard to push during miles 5-25 until things got better. Second half of the bike was good. Played leap frog with a few people, legs still felt good. Overall I felt like I'd put out a good effort, but was disappointed with what my pace turned out to be, as I have done better on training rides of similar distance. Need to figure this out, as I should have been under 3 hours.
What would you do differently?:

Higher cadence maybe? Eat more.
Transition 2
  • 01m 24s
Comments:

What was I doing?!? (Oh yeah, having issues getting the shoes off... WTF? One velcro strap, how hard could it be?) Had trouble running in with the pain at the thigh/groin junction flaring up again (made it hard to stand and run).
What would you do differently?:

Not be retarded!
Run
  • 1h 44m 10s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 07m 57s  min/mile
Comments:

Got my running legs under me pretty and decided to push the pace. I had about 3:40 on the clock when I started the run, so I knew I needed to run ~1:50 to have a crack at 5:30. This shouldn't be a problem, but I ran a (disappointing) 1:53 at my previous HIM 4 weeks earlier. So I pushed the pace early, as I was feeling good, and hoped the wheels wouldn't come off. Gradually began picking off people ahead of me. Could tell I was pushing hard and hoped I was going fast enough - definitely felt faster than in my last race. Hit some of the uphills and slowed waaaay down, but ran most of them (a couple were just too steep). Let gravity do the work on the downhills and flew past other racers. Last 4 miles kept pushing the pace up to come in under 5:30 and pass as many women as possible. Knew I had it in the bag when I had <1 mile to go.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Post race
Warm down:

Hopped in the cold water "pool" by the finish for a bit, then got pizza and ice cream. What more could you want? (ok, beer would be nice too!)

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Improper pacing on bike / not holding a good cadence / pain.

Event comments:

Hung around for a bit to see the awards ceremony. Missed the podium for the Double Mussel by 1:34. D'oh! Guess that means I'll have to go back next year with a stronger bike leg.




Last updated: 2009-02-21 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:32:54 | 2112 yards | 01m 34s / 100yards
Age Group: 21/45
Overall: 212/700
Performance: Good
Ummm... perhaps the course was a bit short?? Seems fast.
Suit: Sleeveless
Course: Out into lake, parallel to shore, back in and through the (stinky) canal.
Start type: Deep Water Plus:
Water temp: 70F / 21C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Average Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:17
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed:
Biking
03:02:08 | 56 miles | 18.45 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/45
Overall: 0/700
Performance: Below average
Wind: Some
Course: Scenic, flat to gradually rolling country roads. Generally good road condition, except for a 2 mile stretch of unmaintained road (rough as heck!).
Road: Smooth  Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering:
Gear changes: Average Hills: Good
Race pace: Drinks:
T2
Time: 01:24
Overall: Below average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
01:44:10 | 13.1 miles | 07m 57s  min/mile
Age Group: 5/45
Overall: 102/700
Performance: Good
Course: Out on the bike path, through town out onto country roads, then back through town passing by the college and downtown, then back to the bike path. A few climbs, but generally a good course.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Too easy
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5]