New England Season Opener - TriathlonSprint


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Hopkinton, Massachusetts
United States
Max Performance
65F / 18C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 25m 46s
Overall Rank = 98/347
Age Group = Athena
Age Group Rank = 1/7
Event warmup:

Short jog, no ride, and no swim because of the wind and chill on the water. The race ended up delayed by almost an hour as the swim buoys blew off-mark. Officials ended up cutting the swim by more than half to just about 200 yds. Gusts continued to create lots of chop and some whitecaps.
Swim
  • 06m 23s
  • 220 yards
  • 02m 54s / 100 yards
Comments:

This was so far from my ideal swim. It was a "survival fest" more than a swim, and given the shortened course and large wave of swimmers (60+?), I couldn't have done it much differently. Maybe I should've tried to get to the front before the gun went off, but being in the middle was a mess, so I went out wider to the left on the return in order to get a few open water strokes. The rest was all chop and messy.
Transition 1
  • 02m 6s
What would you do differently?:

I should've run faster up the beach and passed a few people when I had the chance, but the "run carpet" was narrow and I didn't want to be rude or run off of it and risk a foot injury.
Bike
  • 51m 32s
  • 15 miles
  • 17.46 mile/hr
Comments:

I felt mostly confident, not too nervous, but there were some scary moments. Several corners came with competitors right on my hip. I couldn't trust their cornering so had to go extra-tight to stay safe. Also, many racers forgot the "keep to the right unless passing" rule. This forced me across double-yellow lines several times to pass them, and that always freaks me out. Several other riders blocked passing lanes and put me into drafting blockades that could have resulted in penalties at a better enforced USAT race. In the end, I just wished the volunteers and course monitoring staff would remind people of the "keep right" rule. Regardless, I rode hard and was happy with my time given the conditions.
Transition 2
  • 01m 5s
Comments:

I think I flew through T2; felt great to have the pieces well-organized and ready/easy to put together.
Run
  • 24m 41s
  • 3 miles
  • 08m 14s  min/mile
Comments:

The course was hilly as I remembered it, and kinda strange to include the "lot loop", but at least it kept us out of the wind. The last mile was along the high wall and directly in the cross-wind, so it felt like we had to push sideways to stay upright. I did hold my pace pretty well throughout, but it wasn't until the last half-mile that I got passed a few times, so I wonder if I slowed down? Maybe a little. In any case, I was happy with my time and able to fend off my competition.
Post race
What limited your ability to perform faster:

I had a bruised L-quad that is still on the mend. As it heals I hope it can be stretched back to a flexible and strong length as it felt really tight during the early part of the run. It did loosen up during the run, thankfully.

Event comments:

Max Performance did another great race in spite of the wind and delays. I had a timing chip mis-read or dud, so I'm not 100% confidence in the S/B/R/T1/T2 split times, but they seem about right. Bay State racing systems staff quickly found my finish time in the back-up sheets. I commend them for doing this on the fly when my timing chip was found to be a dud. I just don't know how the splits were calculated by them unless the chip data was found and restored somehow. Anyway...the magic of computer timing and near-instant results still impresses me! Good race, all!




Last updated: 2009-05-11 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:06:23 | 220 yards | 02m 54s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/7
Overall: 221/347
Performance: Below average
Suit: orca full
Course: Modified triangle with messy waves, drifting kayaks on the course, and lots of arms/legs/feet in the way!
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 62F / 17C Current: High
200M Perf. Average Remainder:
Breathing: Good Drafting: Below average
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 02:06
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed:
Biking
00:51:32 | 15 miles | 17.46 mile/hr
Age Group: 2/7
Overall: 86/347
Performance: Good
Wind: Strong with gusts
Course: Tough day for riding in winds gusting up to 30mph. Because of the circular course, we didn't have to ride into headwind for long, but there was a lot of crosswind and leaves blowing around here and there.
Road:   Cadence: 86
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:05
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:24:41 | 03 miles | 08m 14s  min/mile
Age Group: 1/7
Overall: 145/347
Performance: Good
Course: What a scenic and odd run! Similar to last year's, but now with a "parking lot" loop at the base of the reservoir wall.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
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: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4