Women's Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Perth, Western Australia
Australia
Tri Events
28C / 82F
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 51m 16s
Overall Rank = 238/276
Age Group = 45-49
Age Group Rank = 21/25
Pre-race routine:

A whole week of sleepless nights and when I did sleep, had nightmares about disgruntled women all waiting for me to get off the bike course so they could go home! My preparation had been interrupted by my little boy falling sick and my husband going on a business trip. I'd had a horror of a swim in a tri 3 weeks beforehand and was seriously considering pulling my registration but knew it would haunt me if I didn't have a go.

Up at 4.45am to give my guts plenty of time to sort themselves out before loading up the car and driving the 30mins north. Struck me that this was the first time I'd had to drive to a tri, the other 3 local ones I'd been able to cycle to. Wanted to get early to the venue so that I could get parked close by and have plenty of time to chill before hand, well chill as much as I could with my nerves. I was really worried about how I'd cope with the heat. Had an Up&Go and a banana when I got there and racked my bike. We'd had to register the afternoon before and all our spots were marked so no jockeying for rack position which was very civilised. I was racked next to Ruth from my club and saw some other gals I knew so it was friendly and chatty. Went to the briefing and tried to replace every negative thought with a positive one. My mate Mel was there with her boyfriend (handily a bike mecho) so we chatted and watched the shorter events start and hung about until our swim wave, the last of 15.
Event warmup:

Bit of a jog up and down the sand and then a swim to steady the nerves.
Swim
  • 22m 32s
  • 750 meters
  • 03m / 100 meters
Comments:

the water was calm until about 200m from shore when it started getting really choppy as we got out of the shelter from the wind. Rounding the buoy was fun as it was bouncing about all over the place. Once parallel to the shore it was really hard to breathe as the water was just hitting me in the face. Didn't matter which side I tried to breathe on, I got a mouthful. Looked up and everybody in front of me was breast stroking. Luckily, this was the short part of the rectangular course and things improved around the next buoy. Could breathe fine but it was a really bizzare feeling being lifted by the waves. My arms would be stroking in the air as I ended up on the top of waves. Seemed a very long way back to shore but was able to freestyle the rest of the way in and even managed to overtake a few people.

I was thrilled with my swim after my disaster of a few weeks ago when a dark, dark lake had scared the willies out of me and I couldn't put my face in the water.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing, swam as well as I was able in the circumstances
Transition 1
  • 01m 50s
Comments:

Was really chuffed to see how many bikes were still in the transition area. Smooth and easy transition.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Bike
  • 57m 47s
  • 21 kms
  • 21.80 km/hr
Comments:

the bike leg was really really windy and the heat coming of the asphalt, even at 9am was a bit fierce. The gusty winds caught us on the downhills and I had to steer at about 30 degrees and couldn't get a decent speed up at all. Happily, there was a nice tailwind to help me up the hills but I was really fighting the bike at times. The wind was hot too but after the first lap of 3, I could relax a bit, knowing where the gusty spots were and really started to enjoy the ride. The first lap, I really felt my lack of cycling in the past few weeks with sore glutes and calves but that quickly eased. My u-turns at the turnarounds were spot-on every time.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Transition 2
  • 01m 35s
Comments:

No problems, plenty of space on the rack
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Run
  • 30m 55s
  • 5 kms
  • 06m 11s  min/km
Comments:

It felt really hot by the time I was out on the run and the wind was blasting sand at my legs in spots. Was, as ever, after the bike ride, desperate for a pee so stopped off and soaked my hat under the tap to keep my head cool. It seemed like forever until the first aid station appeared and I was trying to magic up just the tiniest amout of moisture in my parched mouth for what felt like miles. I was determined not to walk at any point, even if I was just doing a very slow jog and was thrilled to manage it. I'm really surprised that I went as fast as I did because it felt as if I was plodding along. Managed to pass a few people and there were a gratifying number of women still coming towards me on the way back. It was a real case of gritted teeth to get through it, mainly because of the heat, but also because the course was mind-numbingly boring and I was ecstatic when I heard the PA and saw the park approaching. Mel and Gavin cheered me on the last little bit and it felt so wonderful to come through the finish chute and get me medal.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Post race
Warm down:

Very bad girl, did no stretches, just drank loads and chatted to people. Stayed on for the presentations but didn't win the spot prize of the $2000 bike. The Women's tri always has a brilliant atomosphere; there's a mini tri and a short course too so there is an incredible range of ages, abilities, shapes and sizes. Some ladies sitting nearby were tucking into strawberries and Moet. This year's charity, the Esther Foundation, helps young women suffering addiction, family problems, domestic violence and self harm. They had fielded a large number of participants and a few of them told us their stories and how training for the tri had helped them. It was very moving and a great organisation for the event to support.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

My head has been in the wrong place since my poor swim in my last tri and was undermining my psyche. Family stuff over the last few weeks didn't help. The heat and the wind were just energy-sapping.

Event comments:

The race really meant a lot to me; I did my first ever mini tri at this event in 2006 when it was still small enough to be held at the river near my house. I had only learned to freestyle six weeks before and I was 25lbs heavier than I am now. I remember looking at the women doing the sprint distance and thinking how amazing they were and that the distances involved seemed huge. The event is now much bigger but has retained the wonderfully suppportive atomosphere so it was a good place for my first sprint distance. The conditions were horrible but I got through it so I have come away with renewed enthusiasm and motivation for the future.

The feeling of achievement is awesome; I am not naturally athletic and spent a lot of my childhood being described as "you know, the middle Crawford girl, the short fat one with the wonky leg". I'm still vertically challenged and the left knee still bends awkwardly but no longer am I fat and I've left the feeling of being a nameless member of a family of girls far behind.

And to think I almost dropped out, shame on me.


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Last updated: 2010-01-19 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:22:32 | 750 meters | 03m / 100meters
Age Group: 0/25
Overall: 0/276
Performance: Good
Suit: No
Course: 300m out to a buoy, right turn, 150m parallel to the shore, another right turn and back in
Start type: Run Plus: Waves
Water temp: 23C / 73F Current: High
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Average Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Below average
T1
Time: 01:50
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed:
Biking
00:57:47 | 21 kms | 21.80 km/hr
Age Group: 0/25
Overall: 0/276
Performance: Good
Wind: Strong with gusts
Course: 3 x 7km laps on closed public roads, hilly with some nice big swoopy turns.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Too much
T2
Time: 01:35
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
00:30:55 | 05 kms | 06m 11s  min/km
Age Group: 0/25
Overall: 0/276
Performance: Good
Course: Out and back along the cycle track through the sand dunes.
Keeping cool Below average Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
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: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5