DQ Triathlon at Kings Grant
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DQ Triathlon at Kings Grant - TriathlonSprint
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Swim
Comments: Not bad considering I haven't swam for literally two months. I went into this completely cold. My body was thrilled to be back in water, though - even nasty brackish water. I was too close to the buoy at the turnaround and my legs got a little tangled in the rope, but it didn't slow me down too much. I went out pretty quick - I wanted to get ahead of that thrashing pack - and on the way back I really felt the out-of-shapeness. But it wasn't anything I couldn't work through - my shoulders were just unused to the effort. I swam into shore until my hand touched bottom, then got up and trotted dizzily to the transition area. What would you do differently?: Train! Other than that, I feel it was excellent. I just need to find a pool around here . . . and I don't want to pay for it :P Transition 1
Comments: I wanted to take this fast, but I really wasn't up for it. I was a bit dizzy after the swim, so I had to slow it down a bit so I wouldn't forget anything. I threw some sport beans in my mouth as I left, and that was a good move, because I think that energy helped me on the bike. What would you do differently?: I'd arrange my transition area better. I decided I wanted some Gatorade, which I'd thrown inside my bag, so I had to spend a little time searching for that. It should have been out. Also, there was no rhyme or reason to how I put everything else on. I think that some of it I could have done while running with my bike. But this was my first ever real, serious T1 (barring a tropical storm and a du, which is certainly not the same). Since I didn't really spend any time planning it out, I suppose it went pretty well. Bike
Comments: Well, I was definitely better prepared for this than I'd been for my last race. But my psyche is still so fragile on the bike. My swim is so much better than my bike that I spend most of the course getting passed by people, and I really let it get me down (especially when those people are on cruddy bikes like mine). I get frustrated and depressed and it impacts my performance. I noticed this most clearly toward the end of the last loop, when a group of women passed me who I felt I could keep up with. The last one was passing me very slowly and I decided that enough was enough, so I kicked it up a gear and pulled away from her. It was the first time I've ever done that - usually people just zip on by me. My mental attitude changed instantly and I started gunning for the next girl, who I passed as well. The bike is so mental for me. And, in that race situation, I can't seem to reason myself out of it. This must be worked on, because it definitely drags me down. What would you do differently?: Work on that mental attitude and stop being such a head-case. TRAIN the bike heavily in the off-season. And buy a real road bike so I have a better chance of keeping up. Perhaps the second two are more likely to be fixed than the first . . . Transition 2
Comments: Pretty good. I once again didn't bother racking the bike - I just used the kickstand. I found myself wanting things I hadn't put out again, which needs to be remedied. But I think I got out of it pretty well. What would you do differently?: Keep everything I need out in the open! I once again found myself fumbling through my bag for Gatorade (why had I put it back in there?!?!). Also, I tossed the rest of the sport beans in my mouth as I started running, and nearly choked on them. While it was a good pick-me-up, I should remember to not take so many at once. It's hard to breathe heavily and chew at the same time. Run
Comments: My legs felt really terrible for the first half. I have not done a brick in ages, so I'm not used to that. It really took a while to get them back under me. And even then I felt like the run was pretty weak. There was a couple ahead of me that I was trying to pass for most of the first half, and I just couldn't gain much on them. Finally, at the midpoint, they stopped for water and began walking, so I blew past them and never saw them again. Again with my fragile psyche . . . once I passed them, I felt better, my gait improved and I really had a nice run on the way back. Once we got back on the roads, I kicked it up a bit, and managed to sprint much of the last 1/8 of a mile to the end, passing a few people. I felt it was a really strong finish, given how much training I've been doing (not much). What would you do differently?: On the course, I think it went pretty well. I just need to train more bricks to prepare my legs for that feeling, because that was holding me back for the first portion of the run. I probably should have been a bit more aggressive sooner, too. Post race
Warm down: Walked around with Jeff, ate some pretzels and cookies (not as much as usual . . . I felt too queasy to eat much, especially right away). Watched the awards and talked to a surprising number of Georgetown alums (note to self: always wear Gtown shirts to races). What limited your ability to perform faster: The fact that I've been training for a week and a half, after a five week hiatus. But most of that couldn't be helped - you only get married once, after all :) Event comments: I was very happy with this race. I felt it was well thought out, there seemed to be plenty of volunteers, and everything ran smoothly. I will definitely do it again. Last updated: 2007-06-05 12:00 AM
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2007-08-13 7:48 AM |
General Discussion-> Race Reports! |
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United States
70F / 21C
Sunny
Overall Rank = 183/222
Age Group = 25-29
Age Group Rank = 12/16
Ate a Clif bar and had some Gatorade. Listened to my psyche-up mix in the car on the way, freaking Jeff out with my energy level at 5:30 am . . .
I actually warmed up (a bit). I biked a few doughnuts around the parking lot before we left, mostly to check out my bike (since I haven't actually used it in months now). After I set up my transition area, I ran a very short bit, then I went into the lake and swam maybe 100 meters. I was really glad I did that because I haven't swam in so long - it felt good and that reassured me. I also stretched, although probably not as much as I should have.