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Baltimore Triathlon - Sprint Course - Triathlon


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Chase, Maryland
United States
Elite Race Management
63F / 17C
Overcast
Total Time = 1h 32m 24s
Overall Rank = 2/70
Age Group = 30-34
Age Group Rank = 1/17
Pre-race routine:

Woke up at 5am and finished packing everything I would need. Ran through a mental checklist (for the 5th time at least) of the steps I would go through and everything I would need for them. Got everything in my car and grabbed some food (grapes, yogurt, and a protein bar). I ate the protein bar in the car.
After arriving I went straight to transition (I had picked my packet up the night before) and got all set up. I ate some energy chews and my grapes and kind of relaxed.
Event warmup:

I jogged around a little (to and from the bathroom, to and from the water). The Olympic race started first, so I had about 45 minutes from when transition closed to when my race began. Mostly I jumped around while watching the Olympic races and the ASA (I was very VERY impressed that these people were dragging a life boat behind them while swimming! They got lots of support from everyone waiting and watching).
I did step on a burr while I was waiting. I got a little concerned it would effect my run, but I didn't feel it.
Swim
  • 19m 15s
  • 750 meters
  • 02m 34s / 100 meters
Comments:

I didn't start out very strong. The water was pretty choppy, which I was not used to, and I let it freak me out a little. I was sighting too much, so I had to tell myself to trust I was going pretty straight and stop sighting so much. I got a groove going about halfway through and felt really strong by the end.
Running out of the swim I couldn't believe how tired my arms were!
What would you do differently?:

Train more in open water to build confidence.
Transition 1
  • 01m 59s
Comments:

I felt a little light headed when I got to my bike. I was able to find it easily though (counted the rows and had a tree right next to it). I sat down to do my socks and shoes b/c I felt a little dizzy. Then I reminded myself I got to sit for the next 14 miles, so that helped my anxiety.
I grabbed a Gu to eat on the beginning of the bike
What would you do differently?:

Dry off my feet a little more. Also, Gu is not for me. Way too sweet (I had a salty caramel one). Might try some other flavors, but I really can't eat anything while I work out normally, especially sweet stuff.
Bike
  • 46m 2s
  • 13.8 miles
  • 17.99 mile/hr
Comments:

I felt really amazing on the bike. I had been worried because I only got out on it once really since my last tri, but I felt really strong and passed a lot of people. The ground was pretty wet, so I took corners real easy to avoid wiping out.
What would you do differently?:

Train more. Also, I just put a water bottle cage on my bike, but need a water bottle that fits it. I only drank a tiny bit b/c the bottle I had was a screw top and was tricky to get off during the race.
Transition 2
  • 00m
Comments:

This time wasn't actually listed so I think my transition time was added onto my bike time. Still, it went pretty smooth.
What would you do differently?:

Possibly change my socks.
Run
  • 25m 6s
  • 5 kms
  • 05m 01s  min/km
Comments:

I did not feel great on my run. My right leg was really stiff, and I was just really tired. I felt okay and was still passing a few people, but I could feel the one girl chasing me down, haha. My friends told me as I left transition that I was in 2nd place, so I was determined to hold that. The woman who won was well in front of me, although had I really trained for the run I would've closed the gap there a lot.
It was a great feeling to cross the finish line and have my mom and 2 friends there! They had a good time cheering everyone on during the day, too!
What would you do differently?:

Train more, but my foot injury kept me from running for a few months leading up to the race.
Post race
Warm down:

Did a little jog and tried to avoid sitting still for too long.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Training.

Event comments:

Overall it was a good day. The race started a little late because of the weather (it had blown the buoys around overnight). There were a couple times when I was unsure of a turn and there were either no volunteers in that area, or they weren't paying attention to direct us. There weren't really that many drink stations either. It would've been nice to have one right outside of the transition area. The food afterwards was also an odd combination. There was pasta salad, caesar salad, some kind of pizza/calzone type thing, and cookies. I can't eat that kind of stuff right after competing, so it would've been nice to have some fruit and veggies to munch on.


Profile Album


Last updated: 2014-10-06 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:19:15 | 750 meters | 02m 34s / 100meters
Age Group: 3/17
Overall: 6/70
Performance: Average
Suit: Tri suit
Course: It rained basically right up until the time of the race. We started in the water for this race, which I kind of liked, although someone did still swim over me at one point. The course was a giant rectangle around the buoys. Olympic racers did 2 laps on the course.
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 69F / 21C Current: Medium
200M Perf. Below average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 01:59
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
00:46:02 | 13.8 miles | 17.99 mile/hr
Age Group: 1/17
Overall: 2/70
Performance: Good
Wind: Some
Course: I tried to do this course on my own a few weeks before. I missed a turn and ended up just doing an out and back. The course was on some main roads, and there was one specific one that was really frustrating because there were cars trying to get by everyone and it slowed down our group a bit because you couldn't really pass or anything. It was a pretty flat course overall, with just a couple short, steep hills.
Road: Rough Wet Cadence:
Turns: Below average Cornering: Below average
Gear changes: Average Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 00:00
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:25:06 | 05 kms | 05m 01s  min/km
Age Group: 2/17
Overall: 7/70
Performance: Below average
Course: This course looped around the parking lots of the park and was pretty much completely flat. You ended up passing people who were right behind you (it was basically an out and back), which is how I knew there was a girl hot on my trail. That gave me a little push.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Not enough
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? No
Lots of volunteers? No
Plenty of drinks? No
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 3

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2014-10-06 9:10 AM

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1945
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Baltimore, Maryland
Subject: Baltimore Triathlon - Sprint Course


2014-10-06 10:29 AM
in reply to: #5057104

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Champion
14571
50005000200020005002525
the alamo city, Texas
Subject: RE: Baltimore Triathlon - Sprint Course

this is amazing!  congrats!  you had some good cheerleader/race photog crew, too, you look SO happy!

2014-10-06 10:52 AM
in reply to: 0

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Regular
477
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Washington, DC
Subject: RE: Baltimore Triathlon - Sprint Course
Great job! All those turns on the bike with the wet, leaf-covered pavement had me a little freaked. I finished 4th woman -- was trying really hard to close the gap on the run, but could tell on all the run out/backs that you and #3 were too far ahead, haha.

Edited by meggfishy 2014-10-06 10:54 AM
2014-10-06 12:09 PM
in reply to: meggfishy

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413
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Subject: RE: Baltimore Triathlon - Sprint Course
Way to go! What a great feeling. A real confidence booster, I'm sure! Just awesome to have a cheering section. Makes it all that much more fun! Congrats again.
2014-10-06 9:54 PM
in reply to: #5057104

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Extreme Veteran
1704
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Penticton, BC
Subject: RE: Baltimore Triathlon - Sprint Course

Congrats again Nicole.  Sounds like you had a good time and the photos really added a lot to your report.  It's always nice to have family and friends there to support you.

2014-10-06 10:04 PM
in reply to: PsyTri

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Master
2484
2000100100100100252525
St. Louis
Subject: RE: Baltimore Triathlon - Sprint Course
Awesome race! Second overall is really impressive. You are a speedster!


2014-10-08 7:49 AM
in reply to: #5057104

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1945
100050010010010010025
Baltimore, Maryland
Subject: RE: Baltimore Triathlon - Sprint Course
Thanks everyone! It was definitely amazing having my mom and friends there.
2014-10-09 12:12 PM
in reply to: nicole14e

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538
50025
Brooklyn, New York
Subject: RE: Baltimore Triathlon - Sprint Course
Sounds like an awesome race performance despite less than ideal conditions. Choppy conditions can get into your head early and then get off to deal with wet leaf covered pavement at speed. Great job! How much do you (for Megan and Nicole) think the conditions affected overall times in each discipline?

2014-10-09 1:51 PM
in reply to: TJHammer

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1945
100050010010010010025
Baltimore, Maryland
Subject: RE: Baltimore Triathlon - Sprint Course
Great question. I don't think it affected the run much. It was pretty much completely flat and all on pavement. I think it probably affected the bike leg the most. I know I hesitated a lot more than normal at the turns. There was one especially treacherous turn that a friend from my tri club had warned me about, followed by a ginormous hill, so you basically had to kill your momentum right before the climb. With the swim, it really depends mostly on how comfortable people are in the open water. I can see others like me who did not get out there much and did not have the experience in the choppiness.

Overall I don't think it affected the race times THAT much, but I think it had to play some part. Megan, what did you think?
2014-10-09 2:13 PM
in reply to: nicole14e

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Regular
477
100100100100252525
Washington, DC
Subject: RE: Baltimore Triathlon - Sprint Course
I agree that it affected the bike leg the most. I may not be the best representative sample since I once had a very bad crash during a rainy race and have been extremely spooked by wet pavement ever since -- but I slowed down quite a bit. For reference, my bike split from an Olympic earlier this month was 19.3mph v. this sprint race at 17mph. I saw three people with road rash post-race and they all crashed on the sharp turn into the hill that Nicole referenced.

The RD posted on the Facebook page after the race that the swim course was long since the buoys moved during the storms. I know they tried to move them back, but he said the sprint ended up being 950m for the sprint, which explains the absurdly slow swim times (I swam 18 minutes, and my most recent 750m OWS before that was 13 minutes).
2014-10-09 4:59 PM
in reply to: meggfishy

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538
50025
Brooklyn, New York
Subject: RE: Baltimore Triathlon - Sprint Course
Thanks, these comments confirmed what I was thinking after seeing the level you 2 can keep. I sensed an "offness" to times there.


2014-10-10 7:43 AM
in reply to: meggfishy

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1945
100050010010010010025
Baltimore, Maryland
Subject: RE: Baltimore Triathlon - Sprint Course
Originally posted by meggfishy

The RD posted on the Facebook page after the race that the swim course was long since the buoys moved during the storms. I know they tried to move them back, but he said the sprint ended up being 950m for the sprint, which explains the absurdly slow swim times (I swam 18 minutes, and my most recent 750m OWS before that was 13 minutes).


Good to know!! Makes me feel a little better about the swim!
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