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Danskin Disneyland - TriathlonSprint


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Disneyland - Anaheim, California
United States
Danskin Women's Triathlon Series
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 02m 20s
Overall Rank = 34/1337
Age Group = 25-29
Age Group Rank = 4/135
Pre-race routine:

Up at 3am, ate 1/2 bagel and had a cup of coffee. Got to the parking lot at 4:30am, and then made my way straight to transition. Got a spot right on the end and just monopolized the porta-potties before the lines formed.

This is only my second year of triathlon and my first Danskin, so I was excited to see how different it was from Subaru, Iron Girl, and Santa Barbara, all women's races I've done in the past. I mostly enjoy these races because I don't get swum over by guys in later waves. No offense to guys, but it's a little scary.

I'm estimating the distances here. My Garmin had 10 miles on the dot for the bike and around 2 for the run....I'm assuming the website was correct for the swim at .35 miles, but it may have been shorter. Age group ranks for individual splits are based on scanning the results-- they aren't up and not sure they will be.
Event warmup:

Nothing. We had nowhere to go and never even got to see the swim course before they put us into the chute. I just hoped for the best!
Swim
  • 10m 8s
  • 616 yards
  • 01m 37s / 100 yards
Comments:

This swim was.....different. We never saw the water until our wave was moved into the boat launch area. I made sure to get up to the front, because there was no way I was going to swim around 135 women in my age group. The start was easy--- we were standing, and when they said "go," us girls in the front just dove head first, as there was a bit of a drop off at the launch.

We had 3 minutes between waves, so I enjoyed a relatively easy first 100 yards or so. Sighting was excellent, even though the water reeked of chlorine and was very warm. I was comfortable, and thinking that maybe my fears were unfounded.....

But then the backups started. Longboarders in the way because they were rescuing people. Backstrokers three and four abreast. Panicked faces and grabbing. (Thank goodness I had on a wetsuit!) It was like a scene from a horror movie, with carnival music and all. I was sighting well, but had a heck of a time getting around these people. I know a lot of my friends just swam over them, but I really took Sally Edwards' message to heart and didn't want to put these girls in a worse place than they were already in by swimming into or over them. So in the last 100 meters or so, I actually stood up in the water because I had nowhere to go! It was crazy. And then when I tried to swim around a large group of strugglers, I got HIT with a noodle from a swim angel because they had to save room for the incoming swimmers!!!

Yeah, not my finest swim ever. I got a bad trip, and it probably cost me close to a minute. But I have a clean conscience, and that is all that matters. Had some help getting up onto the ramp and then off I went, waving to the girls who were still in the start chute.
What would you do differently?:

Bring a bullhorn with me and yell "incoming!"? Grease up my wetsuit?

No, seriously, there was nothing more aside from having better luck. The wetsuit, which eliminated me from a prize (i didn't think I had a chance anyway) was a good choice because it saved my legs and it actually made it harder for people to grab me.

Oh, and I would hug the swim angels. Because they WERE angels out there, and without them, I don't think some of these women would be able to achieve their goal of successfully completing their first triathlon.
Transition 1
  • 02m 26s
Comments:

There was a pretty good run from the swim to transition, and thankfully they had the timing mat out by the swim so our splits are pretty true. I switched it up a little today and did the whole sock-free thing for the bike, not wanting to deal with wet feet and socks. It was pretty slick, actually.... This was a quick transition for this race, and I was happy with it.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Bike
  • 29m 48s
  • 10 miles
  • 20.13 mile/hr
Comments:

I had a great bike leg. Maybe came out a little slow on the first loop while getting into my groove, but had a blast on the second loop. It was a little treacherous out there taking turns with women that didn't have great bike handling skills, but I was good about calling out "on your left!" as loud as I could. And when they veered toward me, I managed to avoid injury. :) Lots and lots of maneuvering here, but it was kind of fun. I didn't feel too cardiovascularly challenged, but my legs were a little heavy in the end because I was pushing the biggest gear I could. I just wanted to go fast on the bike today....and this is my best pace in a race ever, so I'll take it.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. Picture perfect bike leg for me.
Transition 2
  • 01m 57s
Comments:

This was a bad transition. First, I put both my shoes on and realized that I had only put my left sock on! So off goes the right shoe and then I try the sock. And then I decide I can't handle life without my Garmin, which is attached to my bike because I'm not mechanically-inclined enough to install my Cateye Mity8. Ugh! It was a struggle, and it probably took me way too long to try to unattach the stupid watch. The time I spent with the shoes and the watch was the difference between 3rd and 4th place. I totally blew it!
What would you do differently?:

Everything? Next time, I'm going to get over myself and just leave the Garmin. Or install the Cateye and have the Garmin somewhere else. And maybe I'll just put the socks on after the swim when I still have brain cells left?
Run
  • 17m 59s
  • 2 miles
  • 08m 59s  min/mile
Comments:

I am a horrible runner! I'm so mad at myself about this run, but I will stop for now and just discuss. So, I leave transition and decide I need to mess with my Garmin. And I decide, this is an excellent time to walk, since I'm not in a race. Then I move along, but I settle next to a runner on my team who I *know* isn't as fast I usually am. But I am content to sit behind her, because I knew she was in a wave in front of me and as long as I finish with her, I've beaten her. Psychotic, I know. I didn't feel very strong. Legs were a bit heavy from my hard bike leg, but I knew they were trained to Olympic distance and should be fine. But cardiovascularly, I just was racing. So this run was nowhere near what I think I was capable of, and I don't know what happened? I just don't like running, and when I get out there, it's like my own personal form of hell. Since there were no ages on calves, I had no fight in me at all and was content to just hang on. I managed to sprint pretty quickly to the finish line, so I knew I had plenty in the tank.....guess I have some mental demons to beat down.
What would you do differently?:

I have a lot of excuses, mainly that I traveled all last week and haven't been hitting the training as hard as I would have liked. I've done a lot of long, endurance building swims, bikes, and runs, but no speedwork whatsoever and really no bricks in the past 3 weeks. So I suppose if this were an A race, I would have prepped for it more appropriately and worked a little harder on my bike-run transition.
Post race
Warm down:

Grabbed my finisher medal, HUGE bottle of water, and then headed over to cheer on the rest of my teammates streaming in across the finish line.



What limited your ability to perform faster:

My brain.

Event comments:

I'm a harsh critic, but I have to say, they did better than I expected. With 1600 women entered and the constraints of Disneyland, they managed to get some great volunteers who helped run things smoothly. I was not a fan of the swim start because we couldn't hear the announcer at all thanks to the echoing between buildings, and because of it some people missed their assigned waves. Bike course was pretty easy and completely closed to traffic, which made it easy to follow. Run course was lined with Disney employees, who were fantastic as well, but no spectators were allowed inside the park until the very last 1/4 mile.

Post race bagels, fruit cups, pretzels, and bananas were available and there were plenty, which we all appreciated. Overall, not a bad race at all. I cried at Expo when the cancer survivors came to the stage and got a standing ovation--- they did a great job out on course, although when Subaru sends them off in silver caps ahead of the rest of the race, it's far more poignant. Seeing Sally Edwards standing right before the finish line and high-fiving every competitor in the back of the pack was great.....made me smile. This is a great race with the best of intentions. I am not sure I'll come back and race it next year--- I think I'll want to volunteer.




Last updated: 2008-04-27 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:10:08 | 616 yards | 01m 37s / 100yards
Age Group: 12/135
Overall: 84/1337
Performance: Below average
Suit: Full wetsuit
Course: Course was clockwise, keeping buoys to your right. Started out at the boat ramp under the Paradise Pier bridge, and then made its way past the roller coaster launch, ferris wheel, and down around by the swings and the Mulholland Madness. Boat launch was very narrow and only two could exit the water at a time, requiring help because there was a large step up.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 80F / 27C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Below average
Breathing: Good Drafting: Below average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:26
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
00:29:48 | 10 miles | 20.13 mile/hr
Age Group: 3/135
Overall: 30/1337
Performance: Good
Wind: None
Course: 2 loops through Disney Way, along Ball Rd., and somehow getting back down to Katella. One tiny tiny hill, but mostly flat as a pancake. Road had lots of reflectors and railroad tracks, but they weren't too scary.
Road: Smooth  Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks:
T2
Time: 01:57
Overall: Bad
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike Below average
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
00:17:59 | 02 miles | 08m 59s  min/mile
Age Group: 39/135
Overall: 249/1337
Performance: Below average
Course: Up the Tram Road, in the back gate of Disney's California Adventure, and then twisting through the Hollywood Backlot, Soarin', Grizzly River Rapids, around Paradise Pier, and then out a back gate to the finish. All flat, with great tunes blasting the entire time.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
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

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2008-06-15 1:34 PM

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Subject: Danskin Disneyland


2008-06-15 1:46 PM
in reply to: #1467598

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I'm a Tennessee girl living in SoCal.
Subject: RE: Danskin Disneyland
Sounds like you had a great race! I'm doing Subaru in October and planning to do this race next year, so I really enjoyed reading your experience.
2008-06-16 4:01 PM
in reply to: #1467598

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Subject: RE: Danskin Disneyland
You go girlfriend!

Your description of the swim portion is HILARIOUS and sadly true! I can't imagine anyone saying they had a great swim.

I hope you won't write off the Danskin. . . last year it was held at Bonelli Park (Fairplex Pomona) a much better location for the number of women who raced on Sunday. Maybe they'll move it back to that location.
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