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Pittsburgh Triathlon
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Pittsburgh Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic
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 Swim
Comments: I don't know what to say about this. The waves were a little late starting and I barely got in the water and the horn sounded to start. I had 2 main problems on this swim. My goggles fogged up almost immediately and I could literally not see the buoys at all. I had to stop every few strokes and literally remove my goggles to see where I was going. The goggles were new, but I had used them a few times in practice and did not have any problems. Also, I got calf cramps which have never been a problem before. I don't know if it was from the wetsuit, because the cramps were right where the wetsuit legs ended. (The legs were short and ended mid calf.) The current in the river was really strong. Every time I stopped to see where I was going or try to stop my calves from hurting, I ended up back down river! I didn't think I was ever going to get to the turn-around buoy! I actually was thinking as I got close to it, that there was somebody holding on to the other side moving it away from me!! Going down stream was easier! I was literally holding back the tears as I went downstream and got out of the water and ran to transition. I really just wanted to pack up and go home. What would you do differently?: Something, anything! Any suggestions??  Transition 1
Comments: There was a fairly long run from the river to the transition area. I did a good job getting the wetsuit off. I didn't even run out of transition with my bike because I was too mad/disappointed.  Bike
Comments: I had heard about the bike course being horrible because it was uphill for 6 miles. I was expecting the worst. It actually wasn't that bad. I kept a slow but steady pace and it didn't kill me!! What would you do differently?: Go faster! Transition 2
 Run
Comments: Within the first mile of the run, it started raining. Then it started raining harder. Then it started pouring!! The trail went from paved, to gravel, to crushed stone, to dirt. It was raining so hard that the water was washing away the trail in places. There were mud puddles everywhere and you had no idea how deep they were. It definitely affected my pace, but I had a lot of fun doing this run during a storm! Post race
Warm down: Walked around a little. It was still raining and the wind was blowing and I was freezing, so I was anxious to just leave. Got my soaking wet stuff from transition, changed my clothes in the car, and my husband and I went to Buca di Beppo for lunch. Yummy!! Last updated: 2009-02-03 12:00 AM
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 2009-07-28 2:53 PM |
Veteran  458   Greensburg, PA |  Subject: Pittsburgh Triathlon |
| 2009-07-28 3:05 PM in reply to: #2313327 |
Elite 3395  Raleigh | Subject: RE: Pittsburgh Triathlon I told you before, but I will repeat it here, great showing in the face of adversity. First, you had awesome transitions! Truly. The swim seems like everything was working against you, yet you got through it. I know that feeling of wanting to quit personally. I bet things would be a lot better if the goggles had not fogged. Try some defogger next time. It seemed to make to current issue worse. I think your strategy on the bike was good. You want to keep something in reserve for the run. And as for the run: rain SUCKS! You never mention quitting during the run. This is definitely a race I would be please just to say I finished. You were a warrior! Imagine how easy the next one will be! Doug |
| 2009-07-28 3:09 PM in reply to: #2313327 |
Champion 6973  marietta | Subject: RE: Pittsburgh Triathlon AWESOME JOB KAREN!!! I didn't realize part of the swim was up friggin' river! Now you have a great goal for next year. Tape that results page up in the garage or someplace where you will see it to remind you of whose a$$ you are going to kick next year! Edited by fattyfatfat 2009-07-28 3:09 PM |
| 2009-07-28 3:12 PM in reply to: #2313327 |
Elite 4108 Calgary,AB,Canada | Subject: RE: Pittsburgh Triathlon Way to fight through it and finish. Upstream swim? That doesnt sound like much fun with foggy goggles. Good job getting through it and finishing strong in the rain! |
| 2009-07-28 3:24 PM in reply to: #2313327 |
Extreme Veteran 689 | Subject: RE: Pittsburgh Triathlon Upstream! That sounds like a nightmare! Congrats on getting through it. The conditions sounds brutal. I was talking to a few people before my swim and they got stuck going upstream last yr in my race and they were in the water for more than an hr too! I can't imagine that. Great job toughing it out. |
| 2009-07-28 3:25 PM in reply to: #2313327 |
Champion 5522 Frisco, TX | Subject: RE: Pittsburgh Triathlon It took a lot of guts to stay in that water for over an hour! We are all proud of you in MG for not giving up! |
| 2009-07-28 3:47 PM in reply to: #2313327 |
Expert 856 Pittsburgh | Subject: RE: Pittsburgh Triathlon Way to stick with it! Based on that river current, your upstream swim was probably longer than downstream, even though down was twice as long. I knew it was going to be a long first leg when I had to do breastroke to stay even with the starting line! Looks like once you got past that swim, you did a great job! It's tough to keep going sometimes when the start goes bad. But you should be proud of getting through the swim then having a great bike and run!  |
| 2009-07-28 3:52 PM in reply to: #2313327 |
Expert 1797 CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia | Subject: RE: Pittsburgh Triathlon Great job - I didn't get a chance to comment in our MG group but you should be proud for getting through it. I felt the same in my first HIM. Think of it this way - easy PR next time. :-) |
| 2009-07-28 4:11 PM in reply to: #2313327 |
Elite 3072 san francisco | Subject: RE: Pittsburgh Triathlon I am SO proud of you Karen! Your swim time was really close to my first oly swim last year! And mine was in a very calm lake with no current! I wanted to cry too! But, like you, I shook it off and kept going. And you did great! Running in pouring rain on top of it all! You are a superstar and you showed it with a gutsy performance. Awesome! |
| 2009-07-28 5:24 PM in reply to: #2313327 |
Master 2005 Silverton, Oregon | Subject: RE: Pittsburgh Triathlon Great job getting through that tough swim! Super speedy transitions! Fantastic run pace! I am so proud of you!!!  |
| 2009-07-28 7:23 PM in reply to: #2313327 |
Champion 7163 Verona WI--Ironman Bike Country! | Subject: RE: Pittsburgh Triathlon Karen YOU DID A GREAT JOB! The fact you perserved with the current of the river and ran out of the water is stellar. You could have asked for assistance, but you kept going! While it may have sucked you learned a valuable lesson in mental toughness. The next Oly you will have this in your arsenal to draw strength from.....be proud. Suzy |
| 2009-07-28 10:20 PM in reply to: #2313327 |
Regular 310 Seymour, IN | Subject: RE: Pittsburgh Triathlon Great job, Karen! After reading I can't see any reason for you to be upset. Knocking out that swim and the run in the downpour...sounds like a serious victory to me. |
| 2009-07-29 7:31 AM in reply to: #2313327 |
Expert 1010 Greer, SC | Subject: RE: Pittsburgh Triathlon As everyone else has said - way to fight through adversity. Upstream swim? That's just plain hard!! Great run time, especially with the added weather issues. Also, you probably spent a ton of energy (adjusting goggles, upstream swimming, etc.) during the swim, but were still able to finish strong on the run. That says alot right there. Awesome job. |
| 2009-07-29 9:13 AM in reply to: #2313327 |
Master 2436 Apex, north carolina | Subject: RE: Pittsburgh Triathlon I second everything everyone said. You fought through very tough swim conditions that were completely out of your control and you did a great job with the rest of the race. Keep you head up and be proud. We are! |
| 2009-07-30 7:55 AM in reply to: #2314676 |
Champion 9060 Charlottesville, Virginia | Subject: RE: Pittsburgh Triathlon Great job Karen, we all have races like that. The best part is next race you can forget about it and get back to going fast! Also interesting swims always make great conversation starters, just ask Tracy about the Seaweed monster... |
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Precipitation
Overall Rank = /
Age Group = Athena
Age Group Rank = 4/4
Got up at 4 am. Had a bagel and Gatorade. Left at about 4:45.
Not much. Rode my bike around the parking lot a bit. No swimming allowed.