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Philadelphia Triathlon in Fairmount Park - Sprint Distance - TriathlonSprint


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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
United States
Philadelphia Triathlon, LLC
75F / 24C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 44m 48s
Overall Rank = 365/1083
Age Group = Male 35-39
Age Group Rank = 47/100
Pre-race routine:

Woke up at 5:00 AM. Met friends at Rocky Run YMCA in Media PA at 5:30. Ate a powerbar and banana for breakfast. Washed down with no-calorie sports drink. Had a little bit of coffee as well. Arrived at race around 6:10 and checked in. Set up transition area by 7:00 and chowed another small protien bar and drank some water. Went to the bathroom twice. Our 'heat' wasn't scheduled to start until 8:28 A.M.
Event warmup:

Not much of anything. I did do some swimming strokes in the water before we started.
Swim
  • 20m 56s
  • 984 yards
  • 02m 08s / 100 yards
Comments:

Overall feel that I can do better. I started out swimming strong, bi-lateral breathing and relaxed but due to cluster of bodies and getting hit many times, even pulled at (by accident of course) my breathing and stroke started to suffer. I swam freestyle the first 300m and then had to move to sidestroke to get my breathing and heart rate under control. Finished the last 200m w/ freestyle.
What would you do differently?:

Start out slower and in middle of pack to be able to use freestyle the entire time. Need to train once or twice in open water. Next tri in a month so we'll see if I use this strategy.
Transition 1
  • 02m 12s
Comments:

IMPROVEMENT! My last tri it took me over 3 minutes to complete this transition. I took over a minute off my T1 time! I was better organized and focused on getting on the bike. Still need to remember to unzip the wetsuit on the run out.
What would you do differently?:

Unzip wetsuit on run out of the water. Not wear socks on bike.
Bike
  • 51m 11s
  • 14.91 miles
  • 17.48 mile/hr
Comments:

Good bike route. Averaged 18.5 MPH which is 1.5 MPH better than last race in Sea Isle. Can improve by getting up to cadence speed quicker out of transition. Once legs warmed up I felt good. Need to bring water. Had cytomax but I mixed it to strong and it didn't replenish me which I paid for later on the run. Used my new aero-bars sparingly as I had not ridden with them before. I believe as I get more comfortable with them they will be an advantage.
What would you do differently?:

Continue to work hard on training with more hills and longer rides followed by runs. This was only my second tri and the first race with my new bike and aero-bars. Still working out the finer points of gear shifting and cadence. Another year of training under my belt will help. Goal is to get up to 20 MPH average on a race.
Transition 2
  • 01m 59s
Comments:

Transition felt smooth. Didn't waste time. Longer run to rack area and I could have moved faster. Had to slow up at end of bike due to numerous racers finishing at the same time.
What would you do differently?:

Move faster through the timing area and into rack.
Run
  • 28m 29s
  • 3.11 miles
  • 09m 10s  min/mile
Comments:

Nice flat course. Should have been faster but I could tell I was dragging. Ran a quicker pace on the beach for my last tri (8:30) but I also had a slower bike time. I didn't get enough fluid on the bike and that hurt me on the run. Can improve with more 'longer' bike/run bricks. This time should be under 8 minutes on a course like this.
What would you do differently?:

Wear a techincal run hat to keep sun off of face. Get more fluid into body during bike. Get a Garmin training watch to help understand pace.
Post race
Warm down:

Just finished and got some water into my body. Walked around food area and ate a banana and drank some gatorade. Wasn't very hungry.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Swim needs to be more consistent. More work on the bike w/ longer rides at better cadence. Need to consider fluid intake on bike.

Event comments:

Very well organized and a lot of fun. High energy and all the racers and spectators were very supportive. Can't wait until next year! Olympic???




Last updated: 2008-03-24 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:20:56 | 984 yards | 02m 08s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/100
Overall: 441/1083
Performance: Below average
Suit: Wetsuit; farmer john style
Course: Point to point in rectangle. Started out wading and swimming against current.
Start type: Wade Plus:
Water temp: 73F / 23C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Below average
Breathing: Below average Drafting: Below average
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 02:12
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Yes
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
00:51:11 | 14.91 miles | 17.48 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/100
Overall: 342/1083
Performance: Average
Wind: None
Course: Primarily flat with two short climbs. Good ride.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Average Hills: Below average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 01:59
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
00:28:29 | 03.11 miles | 09m 10s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/100
Overall: 556/1083
Performance: Average
Course: Flat. Slight decline out and incline back. Nice course. Running with wind on way out and against on way back.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 2
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: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5

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2008-06-21 8:18 PM

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Veteran
199
100252525
Glen Mills, PA
Subject: Philadelphia Triathlon in Fairmount Park - Sprint Distance


2008-06-25 8:47 PM
in reply to: #1480438

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Regular
90
252525
Philadelphia
Subject: RE: Philadelphia Triathlon in Fairmount Park - Sprint Distance
It sounds like you had a great race.  I don't know though if starting in the middle of the pack will help you avoid the "traffic jam" of people.  Based on your time and my experience, I think you seeded yourself correctly.  I swim at a similar pace and always try to seed my self up near the front.  You'll still have people bumping into you, but it is much worse the further back you go.  Just keep swimming and you'll get more comfortable with it.
2008-06-26 3:19 PM
in reply to: #1480438

User image

Veteran
199
100252525
Glen Mills, PA
Subject: RE: Philadelphia Triathlon in Fairmount Park - Sprint Distance
thanks. I really consider this my first OWS as the last one on Memorial Day was in a 55 deg Atlantic and I didn't so much swim as paddle like a drowning dog to get the h*ll out of the water.

I have two more OWS this season so I'm hoping to build on this experience and get a good one under my belt.

Phil
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