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Litchfield Hills Olympic Triathlon - Triathlon


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New Hartford, Connecticut
United States
Hartford Marathon Foundation
80F / 27C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 38m 51s
Overall Rank = 45/210
Age Group = 40-44
Age Group Rank = 7/24
Pre-race routine:

This was my first Olympic triathlon. With a 7:30 race start, I woke up at 5:00 and had a PBJ sandwich and a cup of coffee. Out the door at 5:45 for the 20 minute drive to the race. I slept well the night before. DW handled sherpa duties for the day.
Event warmup:

A 300 yard easy swim just to get the blood flowing a little. Lots of friends and teammates at the race made for some fun pre-race chatter and encouragement. I love those guys.
Swim
  • 30m 5s
  • 1500 meters
  • 02m 01s / 100 meters
Comments:

Just barely wetsuit legal! Still being pretty new to triathlons, this was the best race swim I've had yet. I was a little nervous about the sight buoys being on my non-breathing side as I struggled with this in my last tri, but the practice I've done in the pool and my OWS definitely helped. I was able to spot well and get into a good, hard groove. For the first time yet in a race, I was able to actually "race" the swim, instead of just trying to just get through it. I was in wave 2 and caught a bunch of people in wave 1. I was middle of the pack overall and top half in my AG. It feels great to be a mid-packer instead of bringing up the rear. Swim confidence is rising!
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Transition 1
  • 04m 14s
Comments:

The run from the swim-out into T1 is about 2/10 of a mile up a rocky dirt road. I stripped my wetsuit and put running shoes on at the beach, then made the run up to the transition area. A long T1 time, but was actually fairly decent based on what others did.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Bike
  • 1h 16m 28s
  • 25 miles
  • 19.62 mile/hr
Comments:

A fast first half downhill, then a slow second half uphill. I had a good ride. I took in all of my race nutrition during the first 15 miles of the bike. I stayed in aero for almost the entire ride. I could feel the temperature rising during the ride. It was getting hot, and it was already humid. Halfway through the race I was averaging 23 mph. I gave 4 mph back in the second half.

This is the fourth time I've done this race (first three times were duathlon) and I beat my previous best speed by almost 2 mph. I'm not a strong climber and did get passed by a handful of people in the second half. Overall though, this is about as good a ride as I've had.
What would you do differently?:

Train more on hills.
Transition 2
  • 00m 51s
Comments:

A nice, fast, clean transition.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Run
  • 47m 15s
  • 6.2 miles
  • 07m 37s  min/mile
Comments:

The run is still my bread and butter despite rough conditions. Half mile into the run, I wondered if I'd break an hour. The heat and humidity were really bad. Once I got past the first mile, my legs finally got going. The sun was hot and my heart rate was pegged, but I managed to hold it together and push through. I dumped water on my head at every water station. I took the uphills slow, and tried to make up the time on the downhills. I managed to pass 25 people during the run. This was still a slow run for me, but pretty good when compared to the field.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. I did what I could in the heat.
Post race
Warm down:

I crossed the finish line and chugged three bottles of water. I spent about 30 minutes chatting and laughing with friends and teammates. DW made pancakes when we got home, then I tagged along with her on her 6 mile run. A good race and a good day!

What limited your ability to perform faster:

The heat and the hills!

Event comments:

HMF always runs a well organized race. I've done this event four times now and will be back for more.




Last updated: 2016-07-19 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:30:05 | 1500 meters | 02m 01s / 100meters
Age Group: 10/24
Overall: 105/210
Performance: Good
Suit: Xterra
Course: Counterclockwise triangle
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 78F / 26C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Good
Waves: Good Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 04:14
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
01:16:28 | 25 miles | 19.62 mile/hr
Age Group: 6/24
Overall: 50/210
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course: 12 miles down, then 12 miles up, with the the last two miles being fairly painful.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 00:51
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Average
Jumping off bike Average
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
00:47:15 | 06.2 miles | 07m 37s  min/mile
Age Group: 2/24
Overall: 27/210
Performance: Good
Course: The run course is all rolling hills, with a one mile climb to start and a couple of steep inclines thrown into the first half of the course. 475' of elevation gain, according to Garmin.
Keeping cool Bad 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: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4

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2016-07-19 11:44 AM

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22

Subject: Litchfield Hills Olympic Triathlon


2016-07-21 2:38 PM
in reply to: #5191544

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New user
25
25
Subject: RE: Litchfield Hills Olympic Triathlon
Hope you enjoyed your first Olympic Tri! Great run, those conditions were brutal. I did the duathlon and wilted in the heat and humidity.

2016-07-25 8:39 AM
in reply to: swimbikerun81

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Member
131
10025
Connecticut
Subject: RE: Litchfield Hills Olympic Triathlon
Nice race - you killed the run despite the heat!
2016-07-26 10:06 AM
in reply to: swimbikerun81

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22

Subject: RE: Litchfield Hills Olympic Triathlon
Thanks, guys!


Originally posted by swimbikerun81

Hope you enjoyed your first Olympic Tri! Great run, those conditions were brutal. I did the duathlon and wilted in the heat and humidity.




I did the duathlon the prior three years and wanted to do it again. My coach "made me" do the tri this year. That first duathlon run is a killer, especially the back half of that thing. I don't think any of the run 2 hills are as tough as that long run 1 hill.
2016-07-27 8:08 AM
in reply to: #5191544

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702
500100100
Aledo, Texas
Subject: RE: Litchfield Hills Olympic Triathlon

Awesome race, and congrats on finishing your first olympic!

2016-07-27 8:14 AM
in reply to: LundyLund

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538
50025
Brooklyn, New York
Subject: RE: Litchfield Hills Olympic Triathlon
Nice Race. Raced in the heat that day and it was another element we had to deal with. Glad you loved the race. That lake is beautiful. I raced it 2 years ago as part of a relay and it was the race that hooked me. Great race swag, great event and gorgeous area. Nice work


2016-07-28 7:58 AM
in reply to: TJHammer

Member
763
5001001002525
Subject: RE: Litchfield Hills Olympic Triathlon
great report and congrats! I've raced Litchfield a few times and love that race. It's a fantastic course and I'm glad it's still fairly small, though with the quality of that race and it's relative proximity to NYC, Boston and Hartford metro areas, I'm surprised it's not more popular!

in any case, congrats!
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