General Discussion Race Reports! » Miami Man International Aqua Bike Rss Feed  
Moderators: k9car363, alicefoeller Reply

Miami Man International Aqua Bike - Aquabike


View Member's Race Log View other race reports
Miami, Florida
United States
Overcast
Total Time = 1h 48m 54s
Overall Rank = 30/38
Age Group = Athena >39
Age Group Rank = 1/2
Pre-race routine:

Pop Tarts in the car on the way over, as well as coffee. We arrived at the Zoo at our designated parking time, and looked for awhile to find a spot. Then it was quite a long walk to transition. As I entered transition, there was an announcement saying that transition would close in ten minutes. Yikes! That did not sit well with my Type A self. It had rained the night before, so I had wanted to have plenty of time to dry off my bike, maybe relube, etc. Instead, I had time to pump my tires and lay out my spot, and mostly dry off my bike before they started kicking people out. There were people who had a designated arrival time for parking that was later than mine, so how could they have had enough time to prep transition?
Then it was over to the Team Z tent for the waiting. I had about two hours. It felt like quite a hectic morning. I barely got to see Jen and wish her luck, and it felt like everyone was just rushing around. The team tent cleared out once the half athletes started, since far fewer of us were doing the international distance. At that point I doubled down on the sunscreen, made sure the sleeves of my onesie were pulled up tight into my armpits, etc. I had never swam in anything with sleeves before, so I had loads of aquaphor in my pits to avoid chafing. Worked a charm.
Event warmup:

Like the aquathlon the day before, it was a longish walk over to the start, so that was my warm up. I had major gator anxiety, so only dipped my feet in during the swim warmup. I noticed a girl who was one number from me and said hello. I figured she might be in the 0-39 Athena group like me. Heading into the race I thought there were maybe only two of us, and I had no idea what to expect.
Swim
  • 25m 51s
  • 1000 meters
  • 02m 35s / 100 meters
Comments:

A much better swim than yesterday. I swam long and strong for the entire first half, only had a bit of gator phobia during the back third, and even then managed to push it to the outside of my mind. I caught several people from the wave before, got caught by a lot of people from the wave behind, and came out of the water the same time as the fasties from the wave two behind. Not bad!
What would you do differently?:

Again, knowledge is power, and knowing more about how alligators behave around large groups of people would have helped me feel more calm in the water.
Transition 1
  • 04m 20s
Comments:

It was rocky coming out of the water, and then just a light trot to get to my bike. Wiping off feet, getting helmet and shoes situated, and then it was time to grab my bike and head to the mount line. Once there, a girl lost control and went sideways across the course into a parked car. I got myself clipped in on the second try (yay!) and then waited for about a minute for her to get going, checked behind me, and then set off.
What would you do differently?:

I was pretty happy with my hustle in transition, but I could stand to be faster at the mount line, just to get clear of everything.
Bike
  • 1h 18m 43s
  • 19 miles
  • 14.48 mile/hr
Comments:

22 miles? Yeah right. This was somewhere between 18 and 19 miles, and if I'd realized that I might have paced differently. It was more like a long sprint than an international distance.
I kept everything at a pushing but not uncomfortable pace until the turnaround, and then tried to push my hardest for the return. There were some packs of drafting, but I did see some motos on the course and heard of some penalties being handed out. Volunteers were great, especially since there were several 90 degree turns, u-turns, and points where the international athletes were trying to get up to speed while the half athletes were hammering back home from a straightaway and joining up.
The headwind on the way back was rough. It had been a crosswind on the way out, so no help. I was getting passed like I was standing still by half athletes heading home, which was a bit disheartening, but most had words of encouragement. At the turnaround I saw the girl who I thought was my competition, and she wasn't too far behind. In my mind I decided she was a strong cyclist, so I was racing like I was being chased.
Time stops at the pad outside transition, so I dismounted and hustled back as well as I could on the bumpy grass. Once in transition I racked my bike, tidied my hair, and ran barefoot through the finish chute. Yay!
What would you do differently?:

I think I did as well as I could. I'm so glad I had a few rough and windy training rides on the eastern shore, because I felt mentally prepared for it.
Due to the wind I didn't let go of my handlebars, which means no nutrition or hydration. Fortunately it was a short course, so I was okay, but it wasn't ideal.
Post race
Warm down:

My mom met me at the end of the finisher chute with my flip flops, and I chugged back some salt and water. As things wound down, we realized that there were two of us in the 0-39 Athena group, and I had come in first. But it was two hours until the awards ceremony. :(
I felt bad for my family, after coming in so early, to have to wait so far into the afternoon, but they wanted to see me on the podium. I wasn't sure of how the awards were going to go, whether or not Athena athletes were shuffled back in, or if we were considered National Champs.
In the end, I wound up both 3rd in F 35-39, and 1st in Athena 0-39, with that also being the 2019 National Champion. For the second time in as many days, I stood on a podium. It was surreal.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

My injury in September limited my training for the final two months before the big dance.

Event comments:

MultiRace is awesome, and I would happily recommend their races. There was some confusion with cap colors, and I wish there had been more time to set up transition. There was also some kerfuffle with awards, but it all got worked out in the end.
The post race events and food were top notch, security was tight, and overall it was a pretty perfect couple of days spent racing. And no gators!




Last updated: 2019-10-01 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:25:51 | 1000 meters | 02m 35s / 100meters
Age Group: 1/2
Overall: 2/38
Performance: Average
Suit:
Course:
Start type: Plus:
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current:
200M Perf. Remainder:
Breathing: Drafting:
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 04:20
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
01:18:43 | 19 miles | 14.48 mile/hr
Age Group: 1/2
Overall: 2/38
Performance:
Wind:
Course:
Road:   Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks:
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
Good race?
Evaluation
Course challenge
Organized?
Events on-time?
Lots of volunteers?
Plenty of drinks?
Post race activities:
Race evaluation [1-5]

{postbutton}
2019-11-20 10:39 AM

User image

Master
2429
200010010010010025
Falls Church, Virginia
Subject: Miami Man International Aqua Bike


2019-11-21 11:07 AM
in reply to: #5264242

User image

Pennsylvania
Subject: RE: Miami Man International Aqua Bike

A second podium, YAY!!!  This is so wonderful.  Congratulations on a solid weekend of racing!

2019-11-21 2:38 PM
in reply to: melbo55

User image

Master
9705
500020002000500100100
Raleigh, NC area
Subject: RE: Miami Man International Aqua Bike

Congratulations!

2019-11-22 12:55 PM
in reply to: jmkizer

User image

Member
2098
2000252525
Simsbury, Connecticut
Subject: RE: Miami Man International Aqua Bike
NO WAY! Awesome!!

CONGRATS!
2019-11-22 1:17 PM
in reply to: #5264242

User image

Master
7712
50002000500100100
Orlando
Subject: RE: Miami Man International Aqua Bike

Congratulations on the double podium day! I've always enjoyed the multirace events, so am glad to see you thought highly of them too! And, gators in Florida -that's just crazy talk

General Discussion-> Race Reports!
{postbutton}
General Discussion Race Reports! » Miami Man International Aqua Bike Rss Feed  
RELATED POSTS

Miami Man Aquathlon

Started by Atlantia
Views: 516 Posts: 7

2019-11-22 1:25 PM amd723

Life Time Tri Minneapolis - International Course

Started by rpaulson7
Views: 927 Posts: 2

2019-07-26 12:55 PM jmhpsu93

Diamond in the Rough Triathlon - International Course

Started by haight2
Views: 526 Posts: 1

2019-07-13 1:33 PM haight2

Swim Miami - 1 Mile

Started by Mimir98
Views: 585 Posts: 1

2019-05-07 10:53 AM Mimir98

Sacramento International Triathlon

Started by goran007
Views: 1284 Posts: 3

2019-09-26 8:54 AM goran007