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HU Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Mt. Airy, Maryland
United States
Health Unlimited
Overcast
Total Time = 1h 07m 27s
Overall Rank = 9/110
Age Group = M30-35
Age Group Rank = 3/12
Event warmup:

Watched dozens of swim waves start ahead of me for almost 3 hours.
Swim
  • 07m 46s
  • 400 yards
  • 01m 56s / 100 yards
Comments:

As soon as I started swimming, I knew this tri would take longer than I hoped. My legs just felt very dead and tired from all the previous training I've been doing. The chick I was sharing a lane with torched me on the swim. I passed her on the bike, though. :-) There were no split times, so all times are based on my stopwatch.
What would you do differently?:

Rest / taper more, and obviously swim more.
Transition 1
  • 01m 50s
Comments:

A very quick T1 for me, since all I really had to do was put my socks and shoes and helmet on. There were no split times, so all times are based on my stopwatch.
Bike
  • 37m 7s
  • 11.4 miles
  • 18.43 mile/hr
Comments:

There were no split times, so all times are based on my stopwatch.
Transition 2
  • 01m 11s
Comments:

Pretty quick for me. Bike shoes off, running shoes on. My shoes are still fairly new and kinda stiff, so I lost a few seconds fiddling with them. There were no split times, so all times are based on my stopwatch.
Run
  • 19m 33s
  • 2.85 miles
  • 06m 52s  min/mile
Comments:

There were no split times, so all times are based on my stopwatch.
Post race
Warm down:

Grabbed a powerade and a cup of water.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Tired, dead legs.

Event comments:

The swim start could have been better organized. They started the slow swimmers first, but it was all self reported so many fast swimmers lied about their time and went in the opening waves. I'm not a good swimmer, but was still in one of the VERY last waves. I got to the event around 6:15, and didn't start swimming until around 9:05. Three hours is a long time to wait for an even that took me roughly an hour!




Last updated: 2009-08-17 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:07:46 | 400 yards | 01m 56s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/12
Overall: 0/110
Performance: Below average
Suit:
Course: A 400yd pool swim, with a VERY long and tedious wave start.
Start type: Inside Pool Plus: Waves
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current:
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Below average
Breathing: Average Drafting:
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 01:50
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
00:37:07 | 11.4 miles | 18.43 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/12
Overall: 0/110
Performance: Average
Avg / Max HR = 161 / 171
Wind: Little
Course: The bike course was listed as 10 miles of "rolling" hills in Mt. Airy. It was closer to 11.5 miles, and had some challenging hills. Difficulty wise, I'd put it up there with the Columbia Tri. I was slower than I hoped due to the hills and my dead legs.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Average Hills: Average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 01:11
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Average
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
00:19:33 | 02.85 miles | 06m 52s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/12
Overall: 0/110
Performance: Good
Avg / Mas HR = 168 / 177
Course: The run course had a few hills, but was easier than the bike. It was listed as a 5k, but I think the guy at the turn around point was turning us around a little too soon, so the course was short. B and I both got 2.85 on our Garmins (plus, this would be a 5k PR for me it it were normal!)
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race? Ok
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? No
Lots of volunteers? No
Plenty of drinks? No
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 3

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2009-09-22 10:04 AM

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Master
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Fulton, MD
Subject: HU Triathlon


2009-09-23 2:19 PM
in reply to: #2419744

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Extreme Veteran
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Fulton
Subject: RE: HU Triathlon
Considering your recent training, you had a good race.  It really did suck waiting for our swim start when we really aren't good swimmers.  At least we know for next year...although I think I'd still feel bad about lying.  Top 9% is an awesome finish though, and you should be very proud.  I know I am!
2009-09-23 3:51 PM
in reply to: #2419744

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MD
Subject: RE: HU Triathlon
Good job on the race.

I agree, the run seemed short. In past years we went through the arch and back. It's never been listed as a full 5K, just a 3 miler, but it seemed even shorter than that.

One thing - You imply that any fast swimmer lied about his/her time to get in earlier waves, and I think this may not have happened as much as you think. At registration they only ask for your estimated 400M time - there's nothing stating that faster swimmers would be seeded together at the start OR the end of the race. How would anybody know what lie to tell to win an early start? I've done this race 3 times now and they've seeded the race 3 different ways - so past experience wouldn't be helpful in figuring out what seed time will guarantee an early wave.

I was in Wave 1 and I was first out of the water. I was a 'fast' swimmer in wave 1 and I did NOT lie about my time, and in fact I was only about 20 sec off my estimated seed time. I did write the race director and ask if I could be moved into wave 1 if there were some no-shows (due to another engagement). They were flexible enough to grant my request as they had a lot of no-shows in the earlier wave. Had there been no empty slots or no-shows, or if the RD denied my request, I would have been perfectly fine with that - it's luck of the draw.

Others in my wave had high bib numbers, too, indicating that they were moved up from later waves to fill the earlier waves.
2009-09-23 5:05 PM
in reply to: #2422773

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Master
1584
1000500252525
Fulton, MD
Subject: RE: HU Triathlon
econway - 2009-09-23 4:51 PM Good job on the race. I agree, the run seemed short. In past years we went through the arch and back. It's never been listed as a full 5K, just a 3 miler, but it seemed even shorter than that. One thing - You imply that any fast swimmer lied about his/her time to get in earlier waves, and I think this may not have happened as much as you think. At registration they only ask for your estimated 400M time - there's nothing stating that faster swimmers would be seeded together at the start OR the end of the race. How would anybody know what lie to tell to win an early start? I've done this race 3 times now and they've seeded the race 3 different ways - so past experience wouldn't be helpful in figuring out what seed time will guarantee an early wave. I was in Wave 1 and I was first out of the water. I was a 'fast' swimmer in wave 1 and I did NOT lie about my time, and in fact I was only about 20 sec off my estimated seed time. I did write the race director and ask if I could be moved into wave 1 if there were some no-shows (due to another engagement). They were flexible enough to grant my request as they had a lot of no-shows in the earlier wave. Had there been no empty slots or no-shows, or if the RD denied my request, I would have been perfectly fine with that - it's luck of the draw. Others in my wave had high bib numbers, too, indicating that they were moved up from later waves to fill the earlier waves.


Fair enough.  I was really only going by what peeps told us before the race.  Ras26 and I were asking how the swim was organized, and several of the faster swimmers told us that was their strategy.  One guy even told us he listed 15 min.  The swim coach there confirmed that's what people did.  I'm not furious about it or anything, I just wish it had been better organized so that we knew what we were in for.
2009-09-24 9:28 AM
in reply to: #2422886

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Expert
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MD
Subject: RE: HU Triathlon
Wow. I totally agree with you that the organization and seeding of the swim should be done better and in a more fair manner. Being one of the very last to start the race is not fun, I've been there before. And to find out that indeed people did fudge their estimated swim times just to start earlier would bother me as well.

The first time I did this race they mixed up the faster and slower swimmers using a swim meet style seeding method, where they fill up lanes 3 and 4 in each wave starting with the fastest swimmers, then work their way to the outer lanes in each wave going in order of decreasing seed time.

The second time I did this race they grouped all the faster swimmers in the first couple waves then randomly seeded the remaining swimmers in waves 3-n.

This year they tried the opposite, place slower swimmers first and work their way outward. I'm not sure which is the most fair way to do it.

I like the way the Tri to Win triathlon at South Carroll Swim club runs it. Waves 1 and 2 are for fast swimmers, and you get penalized or DQ if you fudge your seed time to get into the early waves and don't finish before the cutoff time (7-8 minutes). This gets the fastest 32 swimmers through the swim quickly and moves the start along better. Then they line up by race number and you start as soon as a lane opens up - it seems to go much faster that way.

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