General Discussion Race Reports! » Mystic River Valley Triathlon - First Triathlon! Rss Feed  
Moderators: k9car363, alicefoeller Reply

Mystic River Valley Triathlon - First Triathlon! - TriathlonSprint


View Member's Race Log View other race reports
Mystic, Connecticut
United States
55F / 13C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 37m 24s
Overall Rank = 89/142
Age Group = F25-29
Age Group Rank = 3/5
Pre-race routine:

Woke at 5:30, ate a 1/2 bagel w/PB and jelly, had some coffee and then drank some more on the road. It was an hour ride, and I didn't have to drive, which was a big help.
Event warmup:

Nothing unless you count being nervous. People were saying it was too cold to get in the water so I didn't bother. Ate a Gu about 3 minutes before the start, since I couldn't finish my bagel earlier.
Swim
  • 23m 7s
  • 948 yards
  • 02m 26s / 100 yards
Comments:

My goal for the swim was to complete it. With 25 minutes of OW swim experience, and a few months of pool swimming to my name, this was realistic. The good news is that I didn't flip out. The bad news is that I swam most of the course with my head above the water, and a fair amount of it on my back. Performed a good deed by saving some poor woman who was backstroking her way off into the yachts.
A few people who have raced previously were saying that this was the choppiest they have seen this water, so while I'm not happy with my performance overall, I'll take it.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing, considering my swim experience. Going forward, I am adding one OW swim per week to my training schedule to address this.
Transition 1
  • 01m 58s
Comments:

No transition times in this race, but I did manage to time myself coming out of each transition. This should be fairly accurate since the mats were at the beginning of the transition area. Transition went well, remembered to do everything I was supposed to. I was a bit dizzy after the swim, but it passed quickly.
What would you do differently?:

Get on my bike a little faster. It may have been a little leisurely.
Bike
  • 48m 53s
  • 14.1 miles
  • 17.31 mile/hr
Comments:

Goal was to complete with over a 16mph average speed. I had ridden this course three weeks ago, and had a hard time on the hills. Addressed this in the interim by taking a new approach to climbing, and it seems to have worked out well. At the beginning, I was a little too "hello trees, hello cows", but was able to pick it up once I got settled in. Most of this ride was a very comfortable pace.
At one point, there was payback for my good deed to the backstroking woman on the swim. A woman who was a bit bigger than me started yelling at me on a hill climb. She goes, "I know you can kick my a$$ on these hills, I don't want to have to pass you". So I realized she was right, said "Thank you", then dropped her. I made sure to thank her again after the race, she made my ride.
What would you do differently?:

Not much at this point, I need more race experience before deciding.
Transition 2
  • 00m 52s
Comments:

Passed my area by about 5 feet, so I had to double back. Little bit of trouble racking my bike and getting the socks on. Didn't start running with my bike helmet still on, so that was pretty good!
What would you do differently?:

Paid more attention to where I was going. I was a little (more) spacey (than usual).
Run
  • 22m 28s
  • 2.91 miles
  • 07m 43s  min/mile
Comments:

My goal for the run was sub-26:00. Due to the chilly day, my feet were numb coming off of the bike. Managed to find my legs within the first three minutes and keep a pretty steady pace. Didn't think I'd be running under an eight minute mile anytime soon, so I am very happy with my performance on this run. Actually, I still can't believe that I ran this fast.
What would you do differently?:

Probably could have pushed it a little more. Who knew?
Post race
Warm down:

Nothing, unless you count talking 100 miles a minute. Waited for Steve's dad to come in, then walked around a bit and ate lunch.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Triathlon race experience and OW swim experience. Also probably wasn't as focused as I should have been. Working on it!

Event comments:

Overall, a good event and a good first-time race if you're up for a challenge. It's also a pretty cheap event in the world of triathlon, and the brownies were good. The things holding me back from rating the race as a 5 are: not USAT sanctioned, no transition times, and the swim was started in one wave.




Last updated: 2006-04-20 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:23:07 | 948 yards | 02m 26s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/5
Overall: 107/142
Performance: Below average
Suit: ProMotion AfterBurner Sleeveless
Course: Beach start, only one wave. Triangle Swim, with first leg as the longest. Quite choppy out there today. Great buoys for sighting on the course, but there was nothing coming back to the beach, which made it a little hard.
Start type: Run Plus: Shot
Water temp: 59F / 15C Current: Medium
200M Perf. Below average Remainder: Bad
Breathing: Good Drafting:
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 01:58
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
00:48:53 | 14.1 miles | 17.31 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/5
Overall: 85/142
Performance:
This is the time from my bike computer. Course is marked as 14.4 miles, but it's not actually that long.
Wind: Strong
Course: Rolling on mostly country roads. Plenty of people directing and blocking traffic.
Road: Rough Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Average Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 00:52
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Below average
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
00:22:28 | 02.91 miles | 07m 43s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/5
Overall: 105/142
Performance: Good
Time from my spot in transition to finish. Official race distance is 3M, but it's not really that long.
Course: Fairly flat out and back course onto an island and through neighborhoods.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
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: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 4

{postbutton}
2006-06-11 7:36 PM

Subject: Mystic River Valley Triathlon - First Triathlon!


2006-06-11 7:50 PM
in reply to: #450548

User image

Master
1551
10005002525
Virginia Beach, VA
Subject: RE: Mystic River Valley Triathlon - First Triathlon!
Great job!!! Congrats on your first tri!
2006-06-12 7:33 AM
in reply to: #450548

Pro
3903
20001000500100100100100
Andover
Subject: RE: Mystic River Valley Triathlon - First Triathlon!
Woo Hoo... 1st Tri and 3rd in AG. Well done!

BTW:
Isn't the support/encouragement you get/give on the course awesome? I love that!
2006-06-12 7:35 AM
in reply to: #450548

User image

Expert
1160
10001002525
Avon, CT
Subject: RE: Mystic River Valley Triathlon - First Triathlon!
Wow, hardware at your first race- awesome!
2006-06-12 8:33 AM
in reply to: #450548

User image

Extreme Veteran
532
50025
Plymouth MA
Subject: RE: Mystic River Valley Triathlon - First Triathlon!
Congratulations on your first tri!.....and on the hardware!   You had an awesome bike and run!    It was great of that lady to encourage you like that...I love when people do that.
2006-06-12 4:48 PM
in reply to: #450548

Subject: RE: Mystic River Valley Triathlon - First Triathlon!
Thanks everyone! I just updated because I realized that the relays were included in the regular standings. Sweet, because that means I was in the top 2/3 of the group! I can't wait to do this again...


General Discussion-> Race Reports!
{postbutton}
General Discussion Race Reports! » Mystic River Valley Triathlon - First Triathlon! Rss Feed