Fort Ritchie Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic


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Fort Ritchie, Maryland
United States
Racine Multisports
75F / 24C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 43m 39s
Overall Rank = 3/48
Age Group = 35-39
Age Group Rank = 2/17
Pre-race routine:

I got up at 4:30, got dressed, ate an orange, an egg, and some oatmeal. I headed to the race site, put air in my bike tires, and hustled to transition. I managed to get the second spot in, and with my bike facing the right way. After setting up, I visited the bathroom and met up with Sam and Tony.
Event warmup:

No warm-up for this one other than a swift walk back to the car. I was running out of time before the pre-race meeting. I had forgotten to take my rings off and bring my banana down to transition, so I speed walked back after the pre-race meeting, ate the banana, and just barely got my wetsuit on and got back down to the water before my wave was going in. I hate cutting things close like that!
Swim
  • 30m 30s
  • 1640 yards
  • 01m 52s / 100 yards
Comments:

I was pretty pleased with my time on this swim. There was a lot of vegetation in the water. It was a little disconcerting at first, but I just figured if I pulled harder through it, maybe it would propel me forward more. I kept reminding myself to stay strong in the back part of my stroke and to try to be fast and high with my arms over the water. I really like the left turn course - I felt like I stayed a lot straighter and I was right on top of each buoy, so I think I took the shortest path possible.
What would you do differently?:

I still need to learn to relax more. I found myself to be pretty tense still towards the end and probably working harder than I needed to. Other than that, I just need to keep working on my swim strength and keep building speed.
Transition 1
  • 01m 17s
Comments:

My wetsuit came off really fast - I was very happy! 3rd fastest female, 2nd fastest AG (I was in the Open division, but I have just figured out overall female and AG rankings for the sake of my race report).
What would you do differently?:

I might have been able to hustle a little bit more, but everything went really smoothly. I still need to learn how to jump on my bike "flying squirrel" style and put my shoes on on the bike.
Bike
  • 1h 24m 34s
  • 24.8 miles
  • 17.60 mile/hr
Comments:

I think I ended up pacing myself a little more than I needed to for this one. The first climb right out of the fort really took the wind out of my sails and I think I was a little discouraged by how slow I started out. I flew down the hill to the valley and then really didn't push hard around the loop in the valley. My resp. was pretty low and my pace was definitely comfortable. I thought about pushing it up a bit, but I wasn't sure how hard the long climb would be and I REALLY wanted a sub-50 run, so I decided to keep it easy. When I hit the long climb, I dropped into my lowest gear and just tried to keep my cadence up in a hard but sustainable effort. I passed several guys near the top and felt strong coming home. I used my cherry drink, two dates (about an ounce) and one gel. I had another gel, but didn't use it. I felt like I was eating and drinking the whole time.
What would you do differently?:

I would probably try to find a happy medium and get a little more out of my bike leg without sacrificing too much on the run.
Transition 2
  • 00m 38s
Comments:

I was the fasted female for this transition. Everything went smoothly.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Run
  • 49m 39s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 07m  min/mile
Comments:

I just barely made my sub-50 goal. I felt pretty good starting out. I walked twice per loop on a couple of hills to try to recover a bit. I felt like I was able to keep a pretty quick cadence and I felt strong and consistent in my pace throughout. I carried some water and took a gel with me but didn't use it. I had a little kick to the finish but not much.
What would you do differently?:

Just keep incorporating speed work and bricks so that my triathlon runs are closer to the pace of my running races.
Post race
Warm down:

I went right to my transition area and started to pack up. I drank a coconut water and a lot of regular water. I picked up part of a banana from the race food, but opted for my turkey/hummus roll-up for more protein and nutrition.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

I may have been a little weaker mentally than usual on the bike, but I'm not sure I would change my pacing strategy too much, especially with a run goal in mind. In the past, I have not worried too much about pacing on the bike to save something for the run, but I think that is ultimately a good strategy and good prep for my HIM.

Event comments:

This race was really well done. It seems to attract a somewhat less experienced crowd than the SetUpEvents races, for example. But Ken does an excellent job and it was a great experience. It was very well organized. The Open division prizes were nice engraved plaques, and the post race food included pasta and sandwiches. I would definitely look forward to doing this one again.




Last updated: 2010-05-08 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:30:30 | 1640 yards | 01m 52s / 100yards
Age Group: 3/17
Overall: 5/48
Performance: Good
Suit: full Zoot wetsuit
Course: same 750m as the sprint race - lake swim, all left turns around bouys, then run across the beach, down the dock, jump back in and do it again
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 78F / 26C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting:
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 01:17
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Yes
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
01:24:34 | 24.8 miles | 17.60 mile/hr
Age Group: 3/17
Overall: 4/48
Performance: Good
avg HR - 137, max HR - 159
Wind: None
Course: Up and over the mountain, down into the valley, around a loop, and back up over the mountain for a good 5 mile climb before a WAY TOO FAST drop back into the fort
Road: Rough Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 00:38
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Average
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:49:39 | 06.21 miles | 07m  min/mile
Age Group: 3/17
Overall: 4/48
Performance: Good
avg HR - 146; max HR - 156; I felt like my HR should be much higher than it was. I felt like I was using up everything I had!
Course: two loop course through Ft. Ritchie; some hills but none of them were very long
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
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] 4