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Delaware DIAMONDMAN® TRIATHLON - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Bear, Delaware
United States
Piranha Sports
70F / 21C
Sunny
Total Time = 5h 35m 42s
Overall Rank = 155/367
Age Group = F30-34
Age Group Rank = 6/14
Pre-race routine:

Got up at 4:20 and had a clif bar. Left my parents house at 4:45. Almost hit a deer, they were all over!
Arrived at race area ~5:30. It was still really dark outside. On the way to the transition area I dropped my wetsuit. So I had to backtrack to find it. I kept picturing the wetsuit runover by cars. Luckily I found it pretty quickly. I made it over to transition area where I had to be body marked before I could enter the area. That was a bit annoying considering I had all of my stuff with me.

I got to my rack area and found that I was in the middle of the middle rack. I was centrally located to the bike entrance/bike exit and the swim entrance/run exit. I started to get my stuff organized as the sun finally rose. I met with Dave (dtraining) and Glenn (Wyecrab) and we decided to head over to the swim start to warm-up. Well we walk the 1/4 mile or so to the swim start to find out that they are not letting anyone in the water. So we ended up missing the meeting and still not being able to swim. Oh well. We set-up our shoes in the mini-transition area.
Event warmup:

None since we weren't allowed to swim.
Swim
  • 32m 10s
  • 2112 yards
  • 01m 31s / 100 yards
Comments:

Swim start was ok. I probably started out a bit too far back. I was really trying hard to take it easy and not push the swim too hard. The first 200 yds or so were not so good because I seeded myself badly and I had to swim over a few people.

The rest of the swim was pretty uneventful. I was in the third wave and I spent alot of time dodging the waves ahead of me. I did figure out that I swim pretty far to the right. In my last race, the course was clockwise, and I did a great job staying on track. This race was counterclockwise, and I had a TON of trouble staying left enough to stay inline with the buoys. My wetsuit was bugging my neck a bit. I hadn't worn it for 2 months so this is not surprising.

My other concern during the race is that I had to "go" but was having trouble doing it. Finally near the end of the swim I was successful.

Overall I think I held a pretty good pace because the swim didn't tire me much, but I was still moving at a nice pace. I am not sure where the 171 HR during the swim came from, probably as I got out of the water and moved towards the mini-transition area.


What would you do differently?:

1. Wear the wetsuit more frequently for practice
2. Seed myself at the front in every race
3. Just stop swimming to take care of buisness if needed instead of constantly just slowing down to see if I can do it. :)
Transition 1
  • 01m 33s
Comments:

On the run to T1 I did a SLOW jog to try to get the HR down. It was interesting how many people passed me, obviously in serious breathing distress...
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Bike
  • 2h 47m 54s
  • 56 miles
  • 20.01 mile/hr
Comments:

I enjoyed the bike course and that is probably the most important thing :)

My goal was to stay between 150-158 for the entire ride. Well I FAILED at this one :) 159 avg HR means I basically stayed above zone half the time. This would come to haunt me on the run. I know better, but I go faster when I am about to pass someone, and when someone is about to pass me. Hopefully I learned my lesson.

I also probably worked the bridge too hard. My HR got up to 169 both times on the bridge.

The first 22 miles until the first water exchange were strong and I felt really nice. It is so hard to slow down when you feel good! I was surprised how many flat tires I saw in this section of the course! The wind was not too bad, but I could tell that it was on our backs at this point in the course. I got some water at the exchange, which came at a perfect time since my aerobottle was just empty. My nutrition consisted of just one bottle of concentrated Sustained Energy (4 scoops) and Hammer gels (3) mixed together. I sipped on this throughout the race.

The second part of the bike course was after the water bottle exchange to the course turnaround and back to the exchange. The goal of this portion was to try to "go" again if possible. Once again I had trouble. But if anything I did slow down to accomplish this and it helped me slow down the pace and save more energy for the run. At the turn around I got to see Glenn who was really close to passing me, and Dave. Right after the turnaround Glenn caught up to me. It was nice to see the other BTers out there. The way back had more wind, but I still wouldn't call it windy. I finally was "successful" and now more comfortable, picked up the pace again.

I once again got a water bottle at the exchange and was just about empty on my bottle. I took a few more endurolytes, a Hammer Race Cap and took 2 advil that I knew I would need for the run. I actually had 3 advil but dropped one on the course. Next time I will put extra supplements in my bento box to make sure I have enough.

The last part of the course was hard only because my saddle was starting to bug me. I didn't feel fatigued but I started to feel a stomach cramp/stitch in my right side.

I slowed down at the end of the ride to get ready for the run.
What would you do differently?:

1. Bring more supplements
2. SLOW DOWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Transition 2
  • 02m 40s
Comments:

I took my time in this transition. I sat in the grass and spent time putting the bodyglide on my feet.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Run
  • 2h 11m 28s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 10m 02s  min/mile
Comments:

Started the race hurting a bit because of the side stitch/cramp. I really thought I was running so slow that I was almost walking. I was shocked to see my first split at 8:28. This included stopping to turn my race number around since it was upside down. I don't know if I could have gone slower. I guess next time I will have to.

The second mile was more of the first. I felt ok, except for the stitch. This is the mile that took us towards the canal and down a big hill. At the bottom of the hill was the start of the 3rd mile and the heat hit me real bad. The canal is a dirt path with some small rocks, NO shade and NO breeze. There is nothing to look at but the canal and the woods on the side of the course. I started feeling really sick from the heat. I carried a water bottle with accelerade in it. I made sure to drink it frequently and at aid stations I either refilled it with fresh water or I just slowed down and drank a cup of water. The next few miles were like the last, except somewhere in here the cramp went away. I was OVERHEATING and felt like CRAP. The speed on the bike really caught up to me. I was now running ~10 min miles.

I was so happy at the turnaround because I was on the way home, and out of no where I suddenly felt a breeze. I picked up the pace, mostly because I finally felt better with the breeze. My legs at this point felt pretty good, but now the miles were starting to cause some joint pain. And the pesky blisters started. I kept plodding along, happy to be on the way home. The next DAGGER was how the course was marked. Either I was hallucinating or I saw a 9 mile mark more quickly than I expected. Turned out that the next mile marker said 9 miles as well! Two 9 mile markers. Someone told me later that there was no 7 mile marker. So the course went 6 miles 8 miles 9 miles 9 miles.. At this point I started to forget hitting the lap button. I am pretty sure that my first two miles on the way back were around 9:30 pace, the next 2 miles around 11 min pace, then the last two miles I sped it up to maybe 9 min pace. I did alot of walking at the end, especially up anything that was a hill. My HR at this point was having trouble staying in the 160s which I guess was either dehydration catching up to me or I was OUT of energy. I did have 3/4 of a hammer gel on the course along with my 240 cals from accelerade. Looking back, I probably needed to ingest a bit more food.

With about 1/2 a mile left Glenn showed up. He actually ran the last part of the race with me! Wow that was nice! That really helped me forget the pain and enjoy the last part of the race. Out of nowhere I got some sort of a kick, and I sprinted into the end of the race.
What would you do differently?:

Probably needed to eat more. And maybe drink a bit more.
I need to pace myself better the first few miles.

My run was unacceptable mostly because my overall pace was about 1 min slower per mile than my normal LSD pace. If I pace myself I should be able to hold at least a 9 min mile.
Post race
Warm down:

NOTHING. I could hardly walk.
I stood in the shade with Glenn until Dave finished. I drank a bottle of water and somehow ate a small piece of hoagie. I was not impressed with the post race food at this race. I have had better food after a sprint!

I should have walked to the transition area to get my endurox that I had prepared but I was too lazy.

I took my shoes off to see why my foot was hurting so bad, I had a HUGE blood blister on my foot!

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Pacing pacing pacing pacing pacing :)

Otherwise I am very happy with my first half IM performance! 5 mins faster than my goal of 5:40. My swim and bike were both faster, and my run was only 11 mins off. Next time I want to get that run under 2:00 like it should be.

Event comments:

Good race overall. The race was well organized, except for the crappy post race food. The bike course is really nice. The run course is nice in that it is on mostly trail dirt (good for the joints), but it pretty boring with little or no shade.

After the race I walked over to transition area. It was so weird. I just touched the bike rack and suddenly BOOM, my front tube exploded! I am so glad that happened after the race instead of during. It was sort of warm outside so maybe this was the reason why.




Last updated: 2006-06-28 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:32:10 | 2112 yards | 01m 31s / 100yards
Age Group: 1/14
Overall: 23/367
Performance: Good
Swim time included the 1/4 mile run to T1 and the mini-transition area where I took off my wetsuit and put my shoes on. HR for swim: 152/171 (swim time ~29:30) HR for run to T1: 165/176
Suit: Wetsuit
Course: Out and back around some buoys in a lake.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 74F / 23C Current: Low
200M Perf. Below average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Good Drafting: Good
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding:
T1
Time: 01:33
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
02:47:54 | 56 miles | 20.01 mile/hr
Age Group: 4/14
Overall: 148/367
Performance: Average
Avg HR 159/ Max 176
Wind: Some
Course: Some windy parts, especially on the way back. Only hills were over one bridge, out and back.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 95
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Too hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 02:40
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
02:11:28 | 13.1 miles | 10m 02s  min/mile
Age Group: 7/14
Overall: 209/367
Performance: Below average
Mile 1 8:28 163/166 Mile 2 8:30 164/167 Mile 3 9:40 166/168 Mile 4 9:59 165/171 Mile 5 10:13 166/169 Mile 6 10:20 164/167 Rest of it 10:30 pace 161/171
Course: Out and back after a loop in the campground along the C&D canal.
Keeping cool Below average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Below average
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
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: Below average
Race evaluation [1-5] 3

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2006-09-12 7:14 AM

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Elite
2844
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Reston VA
Subject: Delaware DIAMONDMAN® TRIATHLON


2006-09-12 7:36 AM
in reply to: #537405

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Pro
4481
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Reston
Subject: RE: Delaware DIAMONDMAN® TRIATHLON
Great race! You're fast in the water!
2006-09-12 7:56 AM
in reply to: #537405

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Veteran
219
100100
Centreville, MD
Subject: RE: Delaware DIAMONDMAN® TRIATHLON

Congratulations on such a fantastic day, Shelly.  You really had a great race!  5:35 for your first HIM!  

I'm looking forward to racing together again - it made for a fun day having you and Glenn to hang out with before and after the race.

2006-09-12 8:07 AM
in reply to: #537469

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Champion
5615
5000500100
Subject: RE: Delaware DIAMONDMAN® TRIATHLON

Great race.

It sounds like everyone had the same double "9" hallucination.

Thanks for the comments out on the run.  It certainly picked my spirits up.

2006-09-12 9:09 AM
in reply to: #537405

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Expert
623
500100
Wye Mills, MD
Subject: RE: Delaware DIAMONDMAN® TRIATHLON

What a super race, Shelly! Awesome time for your first HIM! I'm a bit surprised at your race report because you really looked strong at the end of the run.

Now I know where those warm pockets of water came from Tongue out. I second Dave's comment - it was great spending time with you two both before and after the race. Once again - fantastic performance!

2006-09-12 11:50 AM
in reply to: #537405

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Expert
1166
10001002525
Northern VA
Subject: RE: Delaware DIAMONDMAN® TRIATHLON

Great race! All of that training paid off. 5:35 is an incredible time and this was your first HIM!

The heat on the run was a surprise. It did not seem that hot out, but it felt brutal along that canal.

Congratulations!

Bill



2006-09-12 12:00 PM
in reply to: #537405

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Extreme Veteran
492
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Home port
Subject: RE: Delaware DIAMONDMAN® TRIATHLON
I am very impressed with your overall performance/time.  I onlymanaged a 6:38 last year.
2006-09-12 3:35 PM
in reply to: #537405

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Regular
99
252525
Vienna, VA
Subject: RE: Delaware DIAMONDMAN® TRIATHLON

Great Job!  Really!  I hammered on my Oly this past weekend too and suffered on the run, so I know what you're talking about!  Guess we learn for next time!

 

2006-09-12 7:52 PM
in reply to: #537405

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Master
1686
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Royersford, PA
Subject: RE: Delaware DIAMONDMAN® TRIATHLON
Great job!! I had a rotten time on that run as well. I would have gladly traded a few hills for some shade! Great race for your first HIM. What are you plans for an encore?
2006-09-12 10:48 PM
in reply to: #537405

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Member
38
25
Subject: RE: Delaware DIAMONDMAN® TRIATHLON
Nice job -- especially for your first. All of the ups/downs/bumps/blisters are just part of the lessons we learn.

You'll kick butt at Eagleman!!

2006-09-13 10:53 AM
in reply to: #537405

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Regular
92
252525
Middletown, DE
Subject: RE: Delaware DIAMONDMAN® TRIATHLON
Great job and thank you for your message in my DDT post.

Hey, is that a picture of a Cav. King Charles Spaniel? I have one as well (Rocky). Looking to get my kids another Cav for Christmas too.

It looks like we are both doing IM Lake Placid in '07. Best of luck with your training for that.



2006-09-13 11:00 AM
in reply to: #537405

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Not a Coach
11473
5000500010001001001001002525
Media, PA
Subject: RE: Delaware DIAMONDMAN® TRIATHLON

Great job!  I didn't realize how strong a swimmer you are!

Your run sounds a lot like mine there from last year--it's tough there on a suny day, but you got thropugh it well.  I agree about the post-race food.  You'd think they could do a little better for a HIM than a box lunch.

And that must've been something when your tire blew after the race!  Good thing it held out until then.

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