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Philadelphia Insurance Triathlon - Olympic Race - TriathlonOlympic


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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
United States
Philadelphia Triathlon, LLC
90F / 32C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 28m 20s
Overall Rank = 252/1820
Age Group = M 30-34
Age Group Rank = 24/171
Pre-race routine:

Woke up at 4. Showered, ate my Stinger bars and drank my Doubleshot Espresso. Listened to my iPod on the way to the race. Got there a little late because Liz decided to take forever getting ready (I would have woken my chauffer up earlier than 4:30 if I knew she was going to prepare like we were going out on the town for the evening). Walked down to transition and learned it was a duathlon :-( Not what I wanted to hear with my injured ankle, but understandable given the circumstances.
Event warmup:

Didn't do much. I decided to show up, give it a go and see how my ankle held up. My plan was to do the swim and bike, and if things didn't go well early in the run, take a DNF and take away the extra experience from the other portions and not screw up my chances at racing well in the two tri's I have planned for later in the summer. That plan changed once it became a duathlon and once the starting gun went off...
Swim
  • 22m 22s
  • 5000 meters
  • 27s / 100 meters
Comments:

I decided to start off sort of easy, was hoping to average about 8'/mile and come in between 24-25', just to test the ankle and not push myself since I had never trained for nor done a duathlon. Actually felt great - a little twinge on the medial aspect, but stride was ok and my energy level was good. Did first mile at about 6'41". After the turn around, I felt like my effort level was increasing but noticed my speed decreasing according to my Garmin.
What would you do differently?:

This was my first duathlon, so despite how good I felt at the beginning I probably should have paced myself a little better. I was just happy to be running and not be in any real pain - and I don't like running 5k's slower than 7', so pushed it a little harder than I should have.
Transition 1
  • 01m 40s
Comments:

I took a little extra time in transition to make sure I took in some water and Accelerade before unracking my bike. With the high temps and beginning the race with a run, I was concerned about over-heating and hydration. My bike bottles on my Xlab also didn't fit under the bike racks very well, so wasn't very smooth getting the bike out.
What would you do differently?:

I need to practice some basic bike skills and get better running and jumping onto the bike, but I did get into my shoes faster than last race. I think the extra time making sure I took in some fluids was not detrimental on this day.
Bike
  • 1h 08m 41s
  • 24.85 miles
  • 21.71 mile/hr
Comments:

WOOOOHOOOO!! Felt like I was flying! First time I've averaged over 20 on an Olympic (and first Olympic on my P3). I felt great on the first loop - don't think I got passed by anyone until a couple of pros lapped me just before I was finishing the lap. I really focused on my cornering and turns and felt like I was flying through them. I did respect the last downhill and turn before transition, but didn't find it as scary as many warned it was (still, better to be overly cautious than not cautious enough). Began to tire a little going into the second lap, and felt some pre-cramping tightening in both my calves. My ankle also began to increasingly bother me throughout the second loop. Managed to refill my Aero Drink from my left-side rear cage water bottle, but need to work on getting my bottles from the rear cages. I cut the throttle back a little bit 3/4 of the way through to try to prevent cramping. At the end of the second loop, I decided to unstrap my shoes before the Black Road hill so that I could get out of them in time for transition. Unfortunately I did it a little too early and ended up not strapped in for longer than I needed to be. At the bottom of the hill, some volunteers were waving ambiguously and a sign behind them pointed to transition inside the pylons they were in front of. I headed this way and came to a stop before I could understand that they were saying "keep going, its up ahead". I gently suggested that they move the sign - next time I saw it, it had been turned over so you couldn't see it. Unfortunately my right calf developed a mild cramp when I stood back on the pedals. I somehow (accidentally) got my left foot back into the shoe and unclipped from the pedal. As I hit the actual dismount line, race officials were screaming at a guy ahead of me to slow down. I also felt my left calf begin to cramp. I can't describe what happened next, as I'm not sure what happened, but my bike was suddenly stopped and I was flying over my handle bars. I managed to land fairly softly on the heels of my hands, got at least one foot down and kept my bike from totally slamming the ground. As I stood back up and righted my ship, a volunteer handed me my bottles that had launched out in the semi-crash. Some nice lady asked if I was ok - physically I didn't have more than an abrasion. As I ran into transition, I noted my right sock was missing (weird).
What would you do differently?:

Pace myself a little better. Not injure myself by training stupidly two weeks before the race. Apparently I need to practice my dismounts (or go to circus school). As I mentioned, practice getting my water bottles out of the Xlab - especially the left side. Pre-race hydrate and warm-up better - I think that may have been part of my cramping issues.
Transition 2
  • 03m 21s
Comments:

I'm going to take a mulligan and blame this transition on my crash landing rather than myself - I think the adrenaline was surging after almost synchronized cartwheeling with my bike and my brain wasn't processing well. I racked my bike ok, and took time to put on my Ace neoprene ankle wrap to try to help out my ankle. I made it about 3/4 of the way towards the exit to transition when I realized that my bike helmet was still on. I turned to the guy I was running beside and said "I'm running with my freaking helmet on!" He advised me to toss it to the side, but I wasn't expecting to win any cash prizes to make up for the cost if it went missing (plus I was already down a sock!). Apparently Liz was yelling to me from just outside the transition fence to give it to her. I didn't hear her (and that's probably a violation of USAT rules), so I turned around and trotted back to my transition spot and put the helmet back. I think I was also making sure that I remembered to carry my Accelerade bottle with me to try to get some extra energy and fluids in due to the heat and my cramping. You can see the above bike notes for my other issues earlier at transition (finding it, dismounting etc.)
What would you do differently?:

Not crash. Take off my helmet. Not get injured and feel the need to take extra time to put my ankle bandage on (not sure if it helped, anyway).
Run
  • 52m 15s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 08m 25s  min/mile
Comments:

The fact that my age group rank was better on this run than on the first run but my overall rank was worse may mean a couple of things: 1)My age group doesn't know how to pace themselves 2) None of us had trained for a duathlon 3) The heat kicked our a**es.
I knew coming off the bike that this was only about finishing. The ankle injury, the cramping, the heat - this was a huge mental effort to finish. The only reason I didn't walk the entire thing is that it would have prolonged the suffering. I really didn't care about my time, and this was a good mental exercise in trying to block everything negative out and focus on what I could control - putting one foot in front of the other until I saw the finishing shoot. This was the first race I've ever done that I actually took a walk break for the purpose of just walking. At the last turn around I knew I wasn't feeling right and actually had some goose-bumps and shivered (not normal on a 90 degree day while running). I was worried my body might be on the verge of crashing, so I took a 20 second walk break to check the vitals and focus on the last 1.5 miles. I also walked at every aid station on the last 4 miles to make sure I got in some fluids and dumped water on myself. I got passed by quite a few in my age group, and lots of other people I had dusted on the bike, but I also saw some of them start walking and I passed them later. After the last water break I paced myself with someone from my group who caught up to me at the stop. We chatted a bit (or maybe I just rambled deliriously). I offered to sprint with him at the finishing chute, but he said I could have the prize money to myself. Probably stupid on a day like that, but I wanted one more cramp (right hamstring) to help commemorate it!
What would you do differently?:

Move to Venus to train in a hotter, more humid, more toxic atmosphere. I honestly could not have done anything different on this day in this physical condition (i.e., not get injured, train and condition better)
Post race
Warm down:

Got my iced towel at the finish, did a little stretching to make sure my hamstring spasm didn't become a full on debilitating cramp. Headed to the medical tent to get a bag of ice to wrap around my ankle. Removed my sweat and water soaked shoes. Got a quick post-race massage. Realized the little kids handing out medals had missed me!! I tracked them down and got my finisher's medal (damn straight I wasn't leaving this one behind)!. Ate a piece of tomato pie, had 4 bottles of water, a Regen shake, eventually remembered to stretch better.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

My ankle and conditioning were major and related factors. I did not get a chance to really train in the heat wave we've had for the last 2 weeks, and I think my mind and body re-adapted to A/C living. I had not trained to race 9.3 miles running. Mental errors (not taking off my helmet, stopping too early for T2) cost me at least a minute. I was stupidly worried about overhydrating pre-race - I think I did not pre-hydrate well enough. Bike handling needs to be better - it cost me time at the end, and could have hurt me and/or my P3 :-(

Event comments:

I will definitely try to fit this race in again. My only complaint, really, is the post-race food. It is good, but I think a little more variety (fruits etc) would help. As much as I love pizza, I have trouble forcing down slices of salty tomato pie after a race (ditto to post-race hoagies). The organizers can't do anything about the air temp, but I thought they were well prepared with aid stations fully staffed by volunteers who could hold 6 cups in each hand! I would have preferred a triathlon, but I'm happy I can now call myself a duathlete. I'm only rating the course as Too Hard due to the temp - the bike and run terrain are actually fairly flat and fast - the ability to not handle the course well was totally due to my conditioning and decision making.




Last updated: 2009-12-13 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:22:22 | 5000 meters | 27s / 100meters
Age Group: 44/171
Overall: 350/1820
Performance: Good
Suit:
Course: Reverse of the sprint 5k - starting at finish, ran down MLK to a turn around and then back to transition. Flat paved road for most of it, with a short section of grass at the end.
Start type: Run Plus:
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current:
200M Perf. Remainder:
Breathing: Drafting:
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 01:40
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
01:08:41 | 24.85 miles | 21.71 mile/hr
Age Group: 15/171
Overall: 183/1820
Performance: Good
Wind: None
Course: Two loops, lots of straight flats with some short climbs of mild to moderate grade. Road condition overall ok (especially for Philly) - no worse than any other roads in Pennsylvania (which means occasional potholes, rough surfaces and bridge joints).
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 97
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Average Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 03:21
Overall: Bad
Riding w/ feet on shoes Bad
Jumping off bike Bad
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Bad
Running
00:52:15 | 06.21 miles | 08m 25s  min/mile
Age Group: 39/171
Overall: 430/1820
Performance: Below average
Course: North of transition along West River Drive = shaded. Back past transition to continue down MLK for an out and back of about 3.5 miles = not shaded. All flat.
Keeping cool Below average Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Below average
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Too hard
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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2010-06-29 6:01 PM

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Regular
143
10025
Collegeville, PA
Subject: Philadelphia Insurance Triathlon - Olympic Race


2010-06-29 7:33 PM
in reply to: #2951722

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Veteran
106
100
Gloucestershire, England
Subject: RE: Philadelphia Insurance Triathlon - Olympic Race
Good report !  Well done on keeping going in the heat.   I think winter training on Venus is the way  to go - although I understand Matty Read does does it at altitude as well ....
2010-06-29 8:34 PM
in reply to: #2951722

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Regular
85
252525
Stowe, PA
Subject: RE: Philadelphia Insurance Triathlon - Olympic Race
Strong race and great report.  Funny story about losing your sock; I've heard of people getting nocked out of their shoes, but never their socks.
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