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Clemson Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Seneca, South Carolina
United States
Set Up Events
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 23m 53s
Overall Rank = /
Age Group =
Age Group Rank = 0/
Pre-race routine:

Had breakfast and tripled checked I had all my stuff. Left to go to the race and got there at 7. Picked up my timing chip and got body marked and made my way to transition to set up my stuff. Then ran to the bathroom and by the time that was done it was time to head over to the swim start.
Event warmup:

Nothing besides a little stretching and running between transition area and the bathroom
Swim
  • 29m 37s
  • 750 meters
  • 03m 57s / 100 meters
Comments:

So I was in the novice women's group which was a pretty small group... maybe 30 people. I was feeling really good until we took off. Splashing and people everywhere put my body in full panic mode. Really wish I'd been able to get an OWS before this tri but unfortunately that didnt happen. 50 meters out I thought I was going to start hyperventilating and crying hysterically. I had every intention of quitting but I rolled over on my back and started the backstroke while my heart felt like it was going to come jumping out of my chest. Kept telling myself that I did not spend 5 months training to quit 50 meters into a race and just kept going. Started to relax a little but the OMG I CANT TOUCH THE BOTTOM WTF WERE YOU THINKING WHEN YOU SIGNED UP FOR THIS I'M GONNA DIE!!! thought just wouldnt leave my mind to allow me to start freestyle. I was drained when I finally made it out of the water, but it was awesome to have the entire family, James and the dog, Skye, cheering for me as I ran to the transition area... When i say ran i mean walk/slow jog as my body was like WTF why are you running all of a sudden??
What would you do differently?:

Get in several OWS's just to get comfortable. Honestly think if I hadn't been so panicky that I would've killed the swim.
Transition 1
  • 02m 57s
Comments:

Hard to get my legs to want to run to my bike, my body was kinda disoriented from the swim so hurried over, ripped my wetsuit off, learned that socks and wet feet do not like each other at all. Shoes on, helmet on, grabbed my bike and ran out. Oh yeah as I get to my bike the first guy crosses the finish line... 57 minutes and some odd seconds. crazy fast!!
What would you do differently?:

Honestly for being my first tri, I wasn't too worried about the transition times... next one I'll definitely practice some.
Bike
  • 1h 01m 9s
  • 11 miles
  • 10.79 mile/hr
Comments:

Well this started great then there was that hill everyone kept mentioning at mile 2.5. There's a reason one of the most popular sayings about Clemson is "there's something in these hills". Some famous guy said it, I can't remember who right now, but hills is the key word. This hill was steep, and my legs were still pissed about the whole having to go from swimming to running to T1 to biking so i got off and walked up the hill. The thought of quitting crossed my mind again... how was i supposed to do another 8.5 miles?? Reminded myself that quitting was not an option and just walked instead it was better than quitting. Of course there were several more hills after this one. Had to get off 2 more times to get up some short steep hills. Mile 9 was great. HUGE downhill, hit 31.7 mph which felt like flying :) Coming back to transition was great too as the whole family and James and Skye were all right there waiting and start screaming for me as soon as they see me. It was great to have that kind of support.
What would you do differently?:

more hill training and more biking in general, but I'd only had my bike for a month so i think I did what i could with the time I had
Transition 2
  • 01m 7s
Comments:

What took me over a minute??? I racked my bike took a sip of water and put on the white tank top I had pinned my race number to since i couldn't find a race number belt before this race and I didn't want to be pinning my number on in T2.
What would you do differently?:

Be faster :)
Run
  • 49m 5s
  • 3.11 miles
  • 15m 47s  min/mile
Comments:

Well my legs were pretty annoyed at me first swimming to biking and now biking to running. it was a pretty odd feeling trying to get used to running after biking for so long. Pretty tired at this point so this was a walk and jog effort. There was an extremely steep hill that absolutely sucked. Legs were so tired they just didn't want to go up. I got lost!!!!! In my defense the sign was way off to the left telling me to turn left and I just ran right past it into a little parking lot area for the rowing team. Came to a dead end and realized something was wrong so I had to back track until I found the sign. This wasted time but i wasn't too upset. Kinda thought it was funny as i get lost really easily when I'm driving around so obviously this would carry over into my triathlon. James just laughed when I told him... typical Emma moment! Made it to the turn around point and headed back to the finish line. This meant steep hill became a downhill and was much easier to run. Managed to pass a couple people about .2 miles from the finish. The feeling I got when everyone started cheering for me coming up to the finish was awesome. Not to mention the feeling I got when I crossed the finish line knowing I could now officially call myself a triathlete!!
What would you do differently?:

More run training especially hill training.
Post race
Warm down:

Found my family and got my hugs and congrats. Felt great to have my parents be so proud of me. Got some water, grabbed my stuff from the transition area and headed home. Did some stretching and took a shower. Then went to Mellow Mushroom with the family and James.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Just need more training on the bike and with running. Also I really need to do some OWS's. My goal was just to finish. I had hoped to finish in under 2 hours but with almost quitting 50 meters in and how tough the bike segment was, I'm really happy with how well I did.

Event comments:

This was an amazing experience for me. The people were so awesome. I got encouragement from everyone. On the run, some girl high-fived me as she passed on her way to the finish. As I was walking to the car the final two people crossed the finish line with everyone cheering for them. It's just such a great sport when the people who are bringing up the rear get as much applause as the winner! I learned a lot about how hard I can push myself even when my entire body is freaking out telling me to quit because I'm going to drown. Couldn't be happier with this race. I really learned that I do have a lot of mental toughness and i can do anything I set my mind to. I am so hooked on this sport now. I can't wait for the next race :)




Last updated: 2010-04-04 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:29:37 | 750 meters | 03m 57s / 100meters
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance:
Suit:
Course:
Start type: Plus:
Water temp: 75F / 24C Current: Low
200M Perf. Remainder:
Breathing: Drafting:
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 02:57
Performance:
Cap removal: Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
01:01:09 | 11 miles | 10.79 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance:
Wind:
Course: hilly
Road:   Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks:
T2
Time: 01:07
Overall:
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
00:49:05 | 03.11 miles | 15m 47s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance:
Course:
Keeping cool Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities:
Race evaluation [1-5] 5

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2010-05-15 2:28 PM

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Master
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Subject: Clemson Triathlon


2010-05-15 2:36 PM
in reply to: #2860729

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Champion
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marietta
Subject: RE: Clemson Triathlon
CONGRATS TRIATHLETE!!!!!!

very proud of you emma.  been fun "watching" you up in erics mg.  no regrets man!!!!!  two things....  1. next time you see the guy finishing as you're coming out of T1, trip him.  or flash him.  get him off his game ya know.  2.  joe sherman.  ;-)

YOU ROCK!!!!
2010-05-15 2:59 PM
in reply to: #2860729

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Payson, AZ
Subject: RE: Clemson Triathlon
Awesome job Emma.  I knew you had it in you.  That panic you had at the start of the swim is fairly normal and you did an awesome job fighting through it.  You did exactly what you should have done (except maybe swearing at yourself. ).  Very proud of you.
2010-05-15 3:05 PM
in reply to: #2860729

Veteran
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back of the pack
Subject: RE: Clemson Triathlon
Great job!. Got a lot of HTFU in you to selftalk through the swim and the hills. Good for you.
2010-05-15 3:52 PM
in reply to: #2860729

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Extreme Veteran
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Houston, TX
Subject: RE: Clemson Triathlon
Yeah Emma!  You always remember your first race.  Miss Triathlete!
2010-05-15 4:23 PM
in reply to: #2860729

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Regular
74
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South Carolina
Subject: RE: Clemson Triathlon
Congratulations on your first triathlon!  It is awesome that you were able to hang in there and not quit even though you wanted to.  I hope you get to do more and get more comfortable in the water.


2010-05-15 5:10 PM
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Pro
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NJ
Subject: RE: Clemson Triathlon
Woooo Hoooo!!! Great job Emma.  You conquered a great deal getting to and during the race.  You should be proud.  Very proud.
2010-05-15 5:17 PM
in reply to: #2860729

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Extreme Veteran
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Houston
Subject: RE: Clemson Triathlon
Great job Emma!  Plenty of "don't give up" give up in your first TRI  I imagine you will need to pull from that a time or two in the future.  Very happy for you.
2010-05-15 6:37 PM
in reply to: #2860729

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Pro
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Houston
Subject: RE: Clemson Triathlon
Three Cheers for Emma the TRIATHLETE!!!!  Wahoo!!!
2010-05-16 9:21 AM
in reply to: #2860729

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Expert
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Subject: RE: Clemson Triathlon
Great job Emma, I meant to say Triathlete! Way not to give up and finish the race. Sorry to hear about the "freak out" but that's nothing that a few ows won't correct.

And I have the perfect remedy to climb better as well... climb some more!!!!

You'll always remember your first.
2010-05-16 3:31 PM
in reply to: #2860729

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Expert
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Rowlett, TX
Subject: RE: Clemson Triathlon
Awesome job Triathlete!!!! That is some dig deep and get the job done perseverance. You will only get better. 


2010-05-16 5:23 PM
in reply to: #2861706

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Master
1318
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Houston
Subject: RE: Clemson Triathlon
Congrats on your first race, you are now a triathlete! First races always seem to be filled with lots of unique challenges in addition to the whole swim/bike/run thing you'll remember it forever... Congrats! 
2010-05-16 7:03 PM
in reply to: #2860729

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Veteran
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Subject: RE: Clemson Triathlon
Congrats!  Welcome to the triathlete club.
2010-05-17 7:53 AM
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Pro
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Sarasota FL
Subject: RE: Clemson Triathlon

YAYYYYYY!

Great job Emma!  And a fun race report!  Way to stick it out and push through the race!

So proud of you!

2010-05-17 9:22 AM
in reply to: #2860729

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Triathlete Nation ~ Texas!
Subject: RE: Clemson Triathlon
Great job Emma!  "Emma, you are a TRIATHLETE!"  Really proud of you for sticking with the swim, and gutting your way through it.  You have faced a tough schedule with school & all, still managed to get in your training and you went out there had fun, pushed yourself, and finished strong!  Great RR and awesome job out there!
2010-05-17 10:04 AM
in reply to: #2860729

Extreme Veteran
521
500
Subject: RE: Clemson Triathlon
Welcome to the family! Way to persevere in the swim...the first race OWS is definitely an experience you can't replicate in training. Now you're ready to keep rocking!


2010-05-17 1:17 PM
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Master
1209
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New York, NY
Subject: RE: Clemson Triathlon
CONGRATS!!! Great job Emma.  So excited for you!!  Like everyone else said, you'll always remember your first triathlon!
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