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Niantic Bay Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Niantic, Connecticut
United States
Hartford Marathon Foundation
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 09m 2s
Overall Rank = 18/385
Age Group = M3034
Age Group Rank = 3/16
Pre-race routine:

There was some miscommunication about who set the alarm the previous night and it was not set. I woke up one hour late, at 6:30, shot out of bed, threw on my clothes, loaded my bike while Danielle made me a bagel and was on the road by 6:38. I made record time down to Niantic and arrived on site by 7:15. Jogged my bike from the parking lot to packet pickup and got my number. No time to get my t-shirt and swag bag, so I'll call HMF later to see if I can still get it. I need my Niantic Bay shirt to keep my collection intact! I quickly set up my 6"x12" transition area and got my wetsuit on and headed down to the beach.
Event warmup:

All the running around getting ready was more of a warm up than usual. I did a few quick strokes in the water to get my suit wet. The first wave was sent through the corral and we stood on the beach waiting to start. And we waited more. Several minutes pass and I hear someone announce they are waiting for some bolt cutters and so people get into the water to cool off. At about 7:50, the race actually starts. Later at the awards, the director explained that they could not unlock one of the gates leading to the road, and they didn't want to start until they were unlocked.
Swim
  • 13m 5s
  • 880 yards
  • 01m 29s / 100 yards
Comments:

I tried to draft some people, but I was not feeling much of an effect. I swam hard most of the way, and it looks like I finished with the lead pack from my wave.
What would you do differently?:

I'd say not cut the course, but since I was following the leaders and everyone else cut it too, nothing.
Transition 1
  • 02m 48s
Comments:

This was my first attempt of the mounting the bike with the shoes attached and putting the shoes in while moving in a race. I had practiced earlier in the week, and thought I had it figured out. Doing it on an incline was another matter. I couldn't get enough momentum with the one foot on top of the shoe and I had to stop and then one of my shoes fell off the pedal. Stopped and got it, put it on and got going. It cost me a bit of time and the pack of racers I left the water with was gone.
What would you do differently?:

Practice the shoes on bike thing more and do it on an incline to see if that is even possible.
Bike
  • 31m 19s
  • 12 miles
  • 22.99 mile/hr
Comments:

Since the mounting issues I had were counted on this leg, my bike was pretty damn fast. If I had mounted well, I could have kept up with the pack I was in and improved my placing.
What would you do differently?:

See T1. The rest of the bike was good.
Transition 2
  • 01m 13s
Comments:

The flying dismount didn't go to well. It was downhill, so I had to hit the brakes hard to stop and then as I jumped off, I sqeezed the front brakes too hard and the bike flipped up and I lost a shoe again. A volunteer picked it up for me and later put it in my transition spot with the other shoe. I ran to transition, racked my bike, put on my socks and shoes, ripped my Garmin off my bike and off I went.
What would you do differently?:

Practice dismounting more.
Run
  • 20m 40s
  • 3.15 miles
  • 06m 34s  min/mile
Comments:

The run was going fine, I counted myself as tenth after the turn around. One guy passed me after the turn around, just before the bluff path. At the end of the path, I stepped on a curb and turned my right ankle. I ran easy over the sand to the finish, feeling a little pain in my foot, but not too bad.
What would you do differently?:

Watch my step better. I thought after the path I was free and clear, but the curbs and ledges on the sidewalk are just as trecherous.
Post race
Warm down:

I walked around and started feeling around my foot, seeing what hurt. It was tender on the top of the foot and after I has looked for my lost bike shoe and packed up I put a bag of ice on it. Got a nice little sailboat trophy for my 3rd place AG finish and then went home. I had a 5.5 hour bike ride scheduled, but my foot was hurting and I decided to be conservative and not risk further damage. It still hurts that day after, but I am hopefull it will heal in a couple of days.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Lack of speed work. Training for an Ironman doesn't translate to good sprint times.

Event comments:

There were a few snafus this year with the late start and some timing problems that caused a delay of the awards. This is unusual for this race and this race management company, hopefully it is just bad luck for that day.
The food after was good, and the beach area is a very nice atmosphere for the post-race.




Last updated: 2007-07-12 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:13:05 | 880 yards | 01m 29s / 100yards
Age Group: 3/16
Overall: 20/385
Performance: Good
Suit: Blueseventy Reaction
Course: Out from the beach by the lower parking lot, left turn and into hole in the wall beach. All but 20 swimmers cut the course short and missed a bouy. Since so many people did, the race directors decided to pretend it didn't happen. I think the problem was due to bad instructions by the official that told us in the first wave where to go and everyone probably followed the leader.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:48
Performance: Bad
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Bad
Biking
00:31:19 | 12 miles | 22.99 mile/hr
Age Group: 3/16
Overall: 22/385
Performance: Good
Wind: None
Course: Flat to rolling hills with one longish steady climb in the middle. Fast downhills with sharp turns at the bottom.
Road: Smooth  Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:13
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Below average
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:20:40 | 03.15 miles | 06m 34s  min/mile
Age Group: 3/16
Overall: 28/385
Performance: Average
Course: Loops around neighborhood roads, a path on a bluff and then run on the sand to finish. They say it is 3.5 miles, but my Garmin said 3.15.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? No
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 4

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2007-08-06 10:43 AM

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Member
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Middletown, CT
Subject: Niantic Bay Triathlon


2007-08-06 1:07 PM
in reply to: #914712

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Pro
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Nutmeg State
Subject: RE: Niantic Bay Triathlon
The swim was wicked confusing (in the second wave a bunch of us took an early left and then were directed back onto the "correct" course).  Despite the technical show issues, nice race.
2007-08-20 9:09 PM
in reply to: #914712

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Expert
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Lafayette, CA
Subject: RE: Niantic Bay Triathlon

Nice race.  You did much better with the mount & dismount than I do.  I think if I tried this during the event I would "splat" my bike on the course.

 Smokin' fast bike ride. Excellent speed.

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