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City of Rockingham Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Rockingham, Western Australia
Australia
Trievents
19C / 66F
Overcast
Total Time = 1h 30m 44s
Overall Rank = 246/398
Age Group = 30 - 34
Age Group Rank = 9/29
Pre-race routine:

I drank enough for a small army on Fri night! didn't go to bed, got home at 8am and attempted to sleep of a horrendous hangover. Not really sure thats the pre race routine recommended by my coach, But hey thats what you do when you finish an Ironman isn't it?

I was up at 4.30 OUCH! having breakfast, loaded the bike and gear in my car, headed over to dads picked him up and trekked down to Rockingham. it was a shit morning, the weather was looking horrible. I felt as sick as a dog too, my voice was non existent, Really not sure why I was still doing it.
Event warmup:

I'd made sure we were there with plenty of time to spare, last year it was a mad rush and the registration line was ridiculous. this year with record numbers i wanted to be there way ahead of time. So we got there just as transition was opening my dad was super unimpressed at being there that early. Oh well I was happy!

I set up all my gear attempted to chat to my friends with my non existent voice. found the other cocktail party attendees and laughed about the events of the night.

wetsuit on and headed down to the beach to wait ages till my wave start. it was funny watching the Wafl boys sprint pretty much the entire swim.
Swim
  • 16m 10s
  • 750 meters
  • 02m 10s / 100 meters
Comments:

It was a run start and the water is really quite shallow for a good 200m's I was not really prepared to sprint, but took off and ran out with all the girls. it was tough and my heart rate skyrocketed (definitely wasn't healthy) I dolphined a few times and started swimming and realised I could not breath my chest was soo constricted and my heart rate too high and I had a coughing fit! Fabulous start to a swim. I calmed myself down stood up and had a few seconds breathing and then took off again.

finally settled down into a bit of a rythym, cough breathe cough breathe! then controlled the cough and got to the first buoy. rounded it and fought with a fair few people, this was a pretty violent swim. some girls just could not navigate. I htink because I'd stopped I was swimming with people a bit slower so kept catching up people ad having to either swim over or round them. I was a bit cranky so wasn't impressed with all these people getting in my way (ohh cranky princess today)

rounded that first buoy and looked up to spot the other buoy, only to find it halfway out to rottnest, (ok so not that far but it had drifted way off course) Oh well everyone else has to swim out there so I guess I have to as well and head down off I went.

I had settled the breathing down and only had occasional coughs, managed to find two really great people to draft off. I was swimming at hip height in the middle of them, great draft!]

rounded the second buoy and attempted to find the shore line, my goggles were soo fogged up I couldn't see it. Normally i'd just keep going but because we were off cousre I really needed to clear the goggles so I could see where I was going. so stopped cleared the goggles and off I went.

Once we were 200m's from the beach so many people started running, I've always been taught swim as far into the beach as you can, you are faster swimming in waist deep water then running through it. so I swam in alot further then everyone else and the dolphined t he rest of the way in. I think I passed about 20 people doing this!
What would you do differently?:

Not stop in a race, practice some beach starts (never had any in a race before) anti fog on goggles.

NOT do a race when you are clearly unfit/unhealthy. duh
Transition 1
  • 02m 21s
Comments:

My coach and a friend wereh anging over the fence yelling and asking questions when I went in. I yelled that I felt crap and it was all hard work. my coach said what harder then the Ironman, I said yep harder, but in my head I was thinking come on Mel you've done an Ironman this is a piece of cake stop whingeing and get on with it..

wetsuit off shoes on helmet and race belt on and off I went running otu of transition
What would you do differently?:

not chat to my coach :)
Bike
  • 41m 1s
  • 20 kms
  • 29.26 km/hr
Comments:

I settled down and just pedalled on the bike. thought I was going relatively ok, it was hard work heading out on to the course into a strong headwind, but I knw I'd be able to turn and fly back with a tailwind. so just sucked it up and got on with it. I tried really hard to get my speed up to over 30ks which I did hold for most of the bike.

unfortunately I had a swig of powerade and that set off another coughing fit. roughly 3k's into the bike course, so coughing an riding are tough to do together, I suddenly had that awful I'm gonna spew sensation and just spewed off the bike. never done that before and I'm so glad there wans't some poor person right behind me. GROSS!

I decided no more powerade for the rest of the bike as it was just going to set me off again.

I just settled down and did the best I could and I surprisingly had a bit more speed in the legs at times then I thought I did. I put in a few fast bursts when I could. Was glad to turn around the second time and head for home.
What would you do differently?:

Drink
ride faster
Transition 2
  • 01m 30s
Comments:

Struggled with my laces, as I haven't touched my shoes since the Ironman. grabbed my cap and ran off out onto the run course
What would you do differently?:

check my shoes before the race, make sure laces are ready to go.
Run
  • 31m 31s
  • 6.2 kms
  • 05m 05s  min/km
Comments:

I headed out onto the course and my body felt quite good, I knew I was running faster then I normally do in a short race, but my lungs were on fire. I sounded like an asthmatic wheezing away. I just had in my head, c'arn Mel you can do this you've done an Ironman this shoudl be easy as.

grabbed a water at the first drink station and struggled to get any down without choking, but I did get a sip and that helped.

I tried to just get into a comfortable pace but that didn't help so I just ran as fast as I could make myself go thinking its only 5k's you can just go fast and then it'll all be over.

I am actually surprised that my body let me push it they way I did. the run just seemed to take forever, I thought I was going faster then normal but it took longer then normal! (found out later that it was 1.2k's longer then it was sposed to be)

with aobut 500m's to go a girl that I was trying too hard to beat passed me, she said keep it up mel, I wheezed out that I oculdn't breathe, she said well slow down. Nuh uh not me I'm not slowing down I thought and just pushed it as hard as I could unfortunately I coudln't push it hard enough to get in front of her but I did pass a couple of people just close to the finish line.
What would you do differently?:

Not run with lungs on fire!
Run faster then I normally do because I don't think I push myself hard enough in races if I can run faster on a day like today.
Post race
Warm down:

I crossed the line and immediately doubled over trying to get some air back in my lungs, I felt soo unwell, a few mins later I'd managed to get some water down and was starting to feel a little human again. it was damn cold so headed to get my bags and change into some warm clothes

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Ironman 2 weeks ago, Alcohol, and chest infection :) Not being smart enough to know when not to do something andp robably when to pull out of something mid race!

Event comments:

This was still a fun race even though I felt like rubbish.
theres a pretty funny video on this website with some highlights from the race. my good friend is the one that says he was disadvantaged with short legs on the swim :)
http://www.trievents.com.au/media/media-triseries.html#RockinghamVi...




Last updated: 2007-12-10 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:16:10 | 750 meters | 02m 10s / 100meters
Age Group: 4/29
Overall: 130/398
Performance:
Suit: 2xu full sleeved wettie
Course: U shaped course. (until the buoy moved way out to sea)
Start type: Run Plus: Waves
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current: Medium
200M Perf. Bad Remainder: Below average
Breathing: Bad Drafting: Good
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:21
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
00:41:01 | 20 kms | 29.26 km/hr
Age Group: 15/29
Overall: 316/398
Performance: Average
Wind: Strong
Course: 2 laps of an out and back flat course
Road: Rough Dry Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks:
T2
Time: 01:30
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
00:31:31 | 06.2 kms | 05m 05s  min/km
Age Group: 16/29
Overall: 323/398
Performance: Average
Course: Kind of a loop. out and back one end of the transition and then an out and back the other end too. along the beach front.
Keeping cool Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
Good race? Ok
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 4

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2007-12-16 7:45 PM

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Veteran
1108
1000100
Perth, Oz
Subject: City of Rockingham Triathlon


2007-12-16 8:07 PM
in reply to: #1105147

Perth
Subject: RE: City of Rockingham Triathlon

Hi Mel...you are MAD!...(in a good way)...

Shoddy weather wasn't it, extra swimming and running didn't help, looking at your schedule, it doesn't look like you have much time to get over things.

Good rr...the guys swim was as rough as I have ever been in so it sounds like everyone had a bit of biffo in the swim today...

2007-12-16 9:53 PM
in reply to: #1105147

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Master
1548
100050025
Perth, Australia
Subject: RE: City of Rockingham Triathlon
Yeah, like mlowell said, you're crazy but in a good way ... I think??? Well done for getting out there and finishing!!! Now go to bed and get some rest!!! x o
2007-12-16 10:50 PM
in reply to: #1105147

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Member
141
10025
Australia
Subject: RE: City of Rockingham Triathlon
Well done!! I think you are insane - but I'm so impressed!!!
2007-12-17 12:38 AM
in reply to: #1105147

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Veteran
158
1002525
Brisbane
Subject: RE: City of Rockingham Triathlon

They certainly build them tough in WA, you are one motivated triathlete!!! 

I also think you're a bit hard on yourself Mel, I mean you did place 4th in the swim and then got a top 10 result overall.

2007-12-17 1:00 AM
in reply to: #1105147

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Extreme Veteran
462
1001001001002525
Brisbane QLD
Subject: RE: City of Rockingham Triathlon

good god that's a great way to cure a hangover! 

Anyway great race report as always.  Fantastic result despite the fact you felt like rubbish.  Well done! 



2007-12-17 7:08 PM
in reply to: #1105147

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Extreme Veteran
600
500100
Melbourne
Subject: RE: City of Rockingham Triathlon
I can't believed you raced on the back of an epic weekend.
You are an IRONMAN, without an iron stomach.
I laughed at your bike incident

But you pushed through and finished top 10 in your AG.
That's just awesome!

Edited by Casie 2007-12-17 7:09 PM
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