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New Jersey Devilman 1/2 Iron - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Millville, NJ
United States
Piranha Sports
69F / 21C
Overcast
Total Time = 5h 43m 10s
Overall Rank = 123/315
Age Group = M20-24
Age Group Rank = 3/7
Pre-race routine:

Had some salmon ravioli the night before. Popped a motrin that night and the morning of. Packed up all my stuff to get out quickly in the morning.

Woke up at 5, had a bagel w/ peanut butter, a banana, and a Cytomax pre-performance drink. Drove to race site, set up transition area.
Event warmup:

Did about a 5 minute run.
Swim
  • 37m 14s
  • 2112 yards
  • 01m 46s / 100 yards
Comments:

Overall pretty good, I think I was the only guy there not in a wetsuit. Tried to stay relaxed and just get a good warm-up for the rest of the course. I thought the huge pack would thin themselves out, but even by the end, it was very crowded with the wave behind us catching up. I kept getting kicked and running into people and having to stop. Probably would have been 3 or 4 minutes faster in an empty lake. Oh well. The water temp wasn't too bad at first but by the end I was starting to feel the cold in my muscles, I was worried about my calves and hammies cramping up.
What would you do differently?:

Get a wetsuit. Try to get around annoying people in front of me better. Concentrate on my stroke more than worrying about the people around me.
Transition 1
  • 03m 18s
Comments:

Nothing special here, slow but it was a big transition area, and I walked for part of it getting out of the water. Took some time drying off feet.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Bike
  • 2h 58m 58s
  • 56 miles
  • 18.77 mile/hr
Comments:

Had a really good ride. Averaged 1.6 mph faster than 30K du only a month ago. This was due to the lack of wind and hills. At times I was really hammering it up to 25 mph sustained. Had to stop at about 2 hours in to pee. After that I felt ready to take on the world and really got into it passing all the people who passed me at the pit stop relatively quickly.

Twice I had my bottle of ultra endurance formula pop out. Once on the railroad track and once over a pothole. I went back each time because I could not afford to lose those calories. Once while doing this, this girl with a full faced, BMX style helmet gave me and "admirable." Kind of weird, but I passed her 3 or 4 times and each time she said something odd to me. I did lose half a power bar though thanks to another bump. Did have some digestive issues with gels and whatnot but I don't think it really affected me and by the time I got off the bike I was fine.

The bottle swap thing was a good idea. Had I known they had gatorade available too, I probably could have gone without the behind the seat waterbottles.

Back started to get a little sore toward the end, but I managed through it.

NutritionTotal Nutrition on bike:
after 30 min - 1/2 powerbar, gel every 45, gatorade bottle for first loop, ultra endurance for second.
Total Nutrition on bike:
2 Gu's, 1 Accel gel, 1/2 PowerBar, 24 oz Gatorade, 24 oz Ultra Endurance Formula - about 900 calories total
What would you do differently?:

Probably carry less water with the amount of aid stations they had (every 14 miles). That said though, I'm glad I had the comfort of knowing I had my own nutrition.

Don't carry PowerBars! They're sticky and hard to open.
Transition 2
  • 01m 55s
Comments:

Took my time, did a couple quick stretches.
What would you do differently?:

Maybe do a few more stretches
Run
  • 2h 01m 47s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 09m 18s  min/mile
Comments:

Started out in low zone 3 which was probably sort of a bad idea. I walked through every aid station (about every mile) in order to get water and Gatorade in me. Tried to alternate which I drank each aid station.

My back was still a little sore from the bike and it felt like I was pinching a nerve or something by being upright. Both the soles of my feet went numb about a mile in and lasted like this for at least 4-5 miles. Very strange, as that's never really happened before. At about the 10 mile mark when I was walking, I started up again and both my achilles were on fire. They had been a little sore up to that point, but for some reason they really started acting up then and lasted for the rest of the run. Probably a big part of the slow 2nd half splits and low HR's.

Overall though, I was a little sore but it could have been a lot worse. My IT band was fine, my knees were fine, and my plantar fascia were fine. My right armpit started chafing and I didn't realize till later but my crotch was pretty chafed. Luckily it didn't affect me on the course.
Ended up stopping twice for pee breaks.

Nutrition:
Gel ABOUT every 45 min, gatorade
1 Accel Gel, 2 Hammer Gels, 24 oz. Gatorade estimate - total about 450 calories
What would you do differently?:

Next time start off slower and finish stronger. Also use Body Glide and better sunscreen.
Post race
Warm down:

Walked around a little while, did some stretches. Got in line for some food (meatballs, stuffed shells, sun-chips, orange, Coke). Packed up my stuff and left. Was going to stay to see awards ceremony but it was threatening rain and started drizzling so I just left.

After I got home, showered, had a Balance Bar, stretched out, peed about 15 times, watched the Giro on TV, and took a nap.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Probably should've done longer endurance runs and longer bricks. Also more long training rides would've probably helped with back/neck pain. Once again wetsuit.

Event comments:

I can't believe I "podiumed" in my age group. I guess I should've stayed for the awards ceremony. I saw a 22 yr old with a few miles left in the run, so I made a point to pass him though I didn't realistically think it would matter. One thing I notice is my rank for swimming is the worst while my rank for running the best (even though I was barely putting along the run course). This is backwards from my first tri. This tells me that my endurance has improved, I ran (swam) a smarter race, and/or less people still in the race by the run (although this wouldn't matter much because if they did drop out, or miss cut-offs they probaby wouldn't have been ranked ahead of me anyways).

The race went off well and the weather gods must have been smiling on us as it was 50% chance of thunderstorms, yet I barely felt a drop all day. Also the clouds and cool air was much preferable to sun.

Definitely glad I did my first 1/2. After I recover I might try to do one in the fall based on my schedule. A full ironman seems like a big step from a half, and a long way off given my training time will probably decrease in the near future, but like it says in Gordo's book, "One is never 'ready' for an ironman-distance race. The event is far too big for that."

Now looking forward to NO training next week except for my golf swing!


Profile Album


Last updated: 2005-05-15 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:37:14 | 2112 yards | 01m 46s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/7
Overall: 183/315
Performance: Good
First lap was about 17 or 18 minutes, didn't use split button though
Suit: None
Course: 2 lap course of 0.6 mi loop in pond.
Start type: Wade Plus: Shot
Water temp: 67F / 19C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 03:18
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: Good
Biking
02:58:58 | 56 miles | 18.77 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/7
Overall: 160/315
Performance: Good
Average HR 150, max about 161. Didn't really take splits but they were about even At first was pretty worried that I wasn't anywhere near zone 2 but I figure my LT threshold is outdated anyway and 150-155 bpm felt fine so I just kept going.
Wind: Some
Course: 2 loop 28 mile course. At times road surface was terrible. The first half had wind at the back, second half head on but not too strong.
Road: Rough Dry Cadence: 93
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:55
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
02:01:47 | 13.1 miles | 09m 18s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/7
Overall: 113/315
Performance: Below average
First leg - 29:03 (161 bpm) 2nd leg - 29:09 (157 bpm) 3rd leg - 30:44 (155 bpm) 4th leg - 31:44 (153 bpm)
Course: 2 loops of an out and back course on hard packed dirt, through somebody's hunting property it looked like. Actually I think it was some sort of wildlife management area.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
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] 5

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2005-05-16 4:14 PM

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Regular
81
252525
Philadelphia, PA
Subject: New Jersey Devilman 1/2 Iron


2005-05-16 4:23 PM
in reply to: #158578

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Not a Coach
11473
5000500010001001001001002525
Media, PA
Subject: RE: New Jersey Devilman 1/2 Iron

Great job!  That was a pretty darn good swim sans wetsuit.  Sounds like you kept it nice and steady on the swim & bike which helped your run (relative to others if not to you rown expectations).

2005-05-16 4:42 PM
in reply to: #158578

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Coach
10487
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Boston, MA
Subject: RE: New Jersey Devilman 1/2 Iron

CONGRATS!!! That was a nice race report. Keep up with the smart training and next time you'll get the 1st pace 

2005-05-17 8:50 AM
in reply to: #158578

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Extreme Veteran
471
1001001001002525
Northern Virginia
Subject: RE: New Jersey Devilman 1/2 Iron
great race! i only saw a few people with no wetsuit so you may have been one of the people i called "crazy" were you the one that had regular basketball shorts on? it was warm enough, but it's just easier to swim with the wetsuit.
i was impressed with the people who did the half. most of all because halfway through the bike, you guys had to ride by all of us sprinters walking to our cars. that is not good motivation.
2005-05-17 9:05 AM
in reply to: #158895

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Regular
81
252525
Philadelphia, PA
Subject: RE: New Jersey Devilman 1/2 Iron
Haha, you're right about watching y'all walk to your cars, and then have the cars drive by us for the first hour of the bike. At the time I didn't think much of it. I just kept telling myself "they're jealous." And no I at least wasn't wearing basketball shorts, I had tri shorts w/ singlet on.
2005-05-17 9:44 AM
in reply to: #158578

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Master
1668
10005001002525
Cinnaminson, NJ
Subject: RE: New Jersey Devilman 1/2 Iron
great race and report... I was down there, but only watching. I had a friend doing the sprint so i didn't pay much attention to the 1/2 people, but the guy who was first out of the water for the 1/2 swim was flying!!!
i notice you live in Philly, so do i if you need someone to train with feel free to drop a line i normally do a long bike and open water swim every weekend (open water swim when it warms up a little)


2005-05-17 1:07 PM
in reply to: #158938

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Philadelphia, south of New York and north of DC
Subject: RE: New Jersey Devilman 1/2 Iron
Well done, Jeff!!!
2005-05-17 4:39 PM
in reply to: #158578

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Member
14

New York, NY
Subject: RE: New Jersey Devilman 1/2 Iron
Awesome race! I have found that you need to have the right water bottle holders to keep those bottles in the behind the seat carriers from ejecting over potholes. The Ciussi bottle cage, while ugly, has been quite kind to me: http://www.nytro.com/bike-cages.html. I just reach back every time I hit a big pothole and make sure to shove them back all the way in as they have a tendency to slowly move up, though not out. These should help a lot. Good luck with the rest of the season.
2005-05-18 3:39 PM
in reply to: #158578

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Master
1989
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New Jersey
Subject: RE: New Jersey Devilman 1/2 Iron
Congrats!
This was going to be my first 1/2 IM too, but I decided against it after having an awful experience when I tested my progress during a Looooong brick about a month ago. Haven't decided yet which one I'll do, but after reading your report, it's definitely got me fired up again.
2005-05-18 9:16 PM
in reply to: #158578

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Member
48
25
Boulder, CO
Subject: RE: New Jersey Devilman 1/2 Iron
Hey there, great work on the race. Thanks for sharing your race report. It sounds like you had a great race. That's a really funny story about the women in the bmx helmet. I had some guy run down the wrong side of the running course and he muttered something about closing the barn door. Wasn't sure if he was talking to me or what he was talking about for that matter.

In any event, congratulations for going the distance!
2005-05-18 9:48 PM
in reply to: #158578

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Extreme Veteran
527
50025
Jacksonville, FL
Subject: RE: New Jersey Devilman 1/2 Iron
Solid race...sounds like a couple of kinks to work out & your posting some great times. Great job...keep going!


2005-06-08 8:32 PM
in reply to: #158578

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Champion
8766
5000200010005001001002525
Evergreen, Colorado
Subject: RE: New Jersey Devilman 1/2 Iron

To reiterate the comments above...GREAT RACE!  A strong run is the key to succeeding in triathlons...if you are the type of person that can sustain any sort of decent pace after swimming and biking...it really helps!  Awesome job!

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