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New England Season Opener - TriathlonSprint


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Hopkinton, Massachusetts
United States
Max Performance
45F / 7C
Overcast
Total Time = 1h 02m 21s
Overall Rank = 20/207
Age Group = 25-29
Age Group Rank = 6/24
Pre-race routine:

Woke up on my own about 5. Had my high school 10 year reunion the day before and some of the food wasn't sitting all that well...we'll leave it at that. My Dad came and picked me up around 5:30. Just drank some water and had a Cliff bar.
Event warmup:

Did a quick jog before the race, did some lite stretching, went back to transition area, threw on the wetsuit, bumped into a friend of mine I played hockey with when I was a kid, and then did a quick swim and got a feel for the water.
Swim
  • 08m 5s
  • 440 yards
  • 01m 50s / 100 yards
Comments:

This was quite a swim. It felt more like swimming in the ocean. I did pretty well spotting and came out pretty strong. However, during the swim I was aiming to the right of the buoy a little bit to try to compensate for the current. However, one time I spotted and I was over slightly to the right side of the buoy. At first I figured I must have swam off to the right, but after the race and talking to some people, I figured out the buoy must have moved with the wind/current.
What would you do differently?:

Don't think I'd change much with the swim. However, it would be cool if the buoys would stay put :)
Transition 1
  • 01m 45s
Comments:

Wasn't happy with T1. First off, my wetsuit strap got stuck on my Garmin. I battled with it for almost the whole run to the transition area, but I did get it off just before I got to my bike. I wore booties for the swim and for some reason I decided to try to take my wetsuit before taking them off. Not a good idea. As a result, I actually had to sit down to get everything off. I've never done that before. I also decided to wear a jacket for the ride and I had a real hard time getting it on. The material just wasn't cooperating with my wet arms.
Lastly, I had tied a rubber band to hold my right shoe up and it broke/fell off before I mounted. As a result, I had a little trouble getting on, but it wasn't too bad.
What would you do differently?:

1. Make sure my wetsuit strap doesn't get caught on my watch.
2. Take Booties off first.
3. Hopefully not have to wear a jacket
4. Make sure the rubber band is holding my shoe on the bike securely.
Bike
  • 30m 8s
  • 10 miles
  • 19.91 mile/hr
Comments:

Went too hard on the bike. It started out with a hill while I was trying to get my shoes on and they didn't help as my HR was pretty high. I didn't have enough juice in the tank to attack the hills like I should have.
What would you do differently?:

Pace myself a little better. I was just going a little too hard and it cost me on the hills.
Transition 2
  • 00m 46s
Comments:

Content with T2. Was in and out pretty quick.
What would you do differently?:

Go Faster!
Run
  • 22m 19s
  • 3.1 miles
  • 07m 12s  min/mile
Comments:

Hands down an absolutely terrible run. I tried to come up hard and pushed it up the first hill and it cost me. I ended up getting a cramp and couldn't lose it for the first 2 miles, aka 2/3 of the run...
By the time I shook it, there wasn't enough time to catch anyone. Very disappointed with the run.
I wasn't even tired when I crossed the finish line. I had been cramped for so lung that I didn't get to push myself at all. It was actually a really weird and disappointing feeling. I love that feeling of not having anything left when I finish a race.
What would you do differently?:

Started with the bike...needed to pace myself better there. Next time I need to not try to come out too fast. Would have been a different story if I didn't cramp the whole time.
Post race
Warm down:

Didn't really need to warm down or I guess you could consider my run the cool down.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Pushing a little too hard on the bike and then trying to push through it at the start off the run, resulting in cramping.

Event comments:

I was disappointed with my results, but overall, I enjoyed this race! Going to my 10 year high school reunion the day before didn't help. I didn't drink at all, but I ate foods I definitely wouldn't normally eat the day before a race. I think this was an important factor in my weak performance.
I liked the tough swim course and there was some very fast people that did the race. I'm also glad I got a race under my belt before Mooseman.




Last updated: 2010-02-06 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:08:05 | 440 yards | 01m 50s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/24
Overall: 22/207
Performance: Good
Suit: Blue Seventy Helix Full body
Course: Turned into an out and back course, but the buoys were moving around quite a bit.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 62F / 17C Current: High
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Below average
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 01:45
Performance: Bad
Cap removal: Below average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
00:30:08 | 10 miles | 19.91 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/24
Overall: 12/207
Performance: Below average
Wind: Strong
Course: Loop course. Had some pretty solid hills and weren't the highest quality roads.
Road: Rough Dry Cadence: 81
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Below average
Race pace: Too hard Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 00:46
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:22:19 | 03.1 miles | 07m 12s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/24
Overall: 62/207
Performance: Bad
Course: Strange course - up/down a hill, out a turnaround, out on some grass, back on road, etc. The finally across a dam - with wind blowing like crazy!
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Below average
Mental exertion [1-5] 2
Physical exertion [1-5] 2
Good race? No
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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2010-05-09 8:51 PM

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Expert
1099
1000252525
Bedford, NH
Subject: New England Season Opener


2010-05-10 1:37 PM
in reply to: #2847537

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Extreme Veteran
335
10010010025
Medway, MA
Subject: RE: New England Season Opener
Congrats! Wow, man, nearly 7 mins/mile on the run, that's smoking it! You're a great all-rounder for sure.
2010-05-10 3:25 PM
in reply to: #2847537

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Member
124
100
Salem
Subject: RE: New England Season Opener
i know you're disappointed with your performance, but you're a beast man...seriously.

awesome job!
2010-05-10 3:59 PM
in reply to: #2847537

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Master
1641
100050010025
Cambridge, MA
Subject: RE: New England Season Opener

First, congrats on finishing from someone in wave #3 (white caps) who didn't get to swim

Wow, you got a lot of good "take home" data from that race.  Chalk it up to a great learning experience -- and a pretty darn good performance.  Most would NOT call a near 20 mph ride and 7:12 mile a below avg outcome for a windy day like that!  You're fast.

Cheers, -Sunny

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