St. Anthony's Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic


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St. Petersburg, Florida
United States
75F / 24C
Sunny
Total Time = 3h 08m 45s
Overall Rank = 2059/
Age Group = 30-34
Age Group Rank = 88/157
Pre-race routine:

Alarm went off at 5AM. Got dressed and ate my breakfast which consisted of a Clifbar, banana w/ peanut butter and some water. I was surprised of how calm I felt before the race. I thought I would be a nervous reck!
My roommate and I got to the transition area by 6AM and got our body markings done. While standing in line, it registered finally that I was going to participate in a triathlon for the first time in my life. I was pumped! I took my time setting all my gear in order at the transition area. Since I had practiced laying out my stuff a couple of times before the race, I felt pretty organized.
Event warmup:

I saw my sister and brother waiting for me at the swim start (Spa Beach). Unfortunately, we missed the pros go off at 7:00, but we saw the rest of the waves go off before my wave time at 8:30. It was the coolest thing to see the older male age group (65-69)go off. Many were in great shape! I went in the water to warm-up and feel the water. The water felt colder than the day before but I had my wetsuit on so it wasn't bad. My sister said a little prayer for me before my start which helped me tremendously to focus and ward of the fear of unknown.
Swim
  • 39m 50s
  • 1500 meters
  • 02m 40s / 100 meters
Comments:

Stayed behind towards the end of line at the start. Apparently, the water conditions were so bad the night before and the day of that they almost cancelled the swim. Alas, for some reason, I wasn't too nervous about the waves since the waves the day before seemed worse to me. I think I was mentally prepared to take on the worst condition possible. The hardest part of the swim was the segment parallel to the shore. By then, I was being passed by a lot of the people in the wave after ours and the water around the turn buoys was getting crowded. I got kicked a couple of times and almost lost my goggles. Yikes!
What would you do differently?:

Practice breathing and sighting more. I was breathing with every stroke throughout the swim on one side. Normally in the pool, I breathe once every three strokes bilaterally.
Also, apply more bodyglide. Got a big wetsuit welt mark right below my left armpits.
Transition 1
  • 04m 22s
Comments:

I think I consciously took time on this transition. I was afraid of forgetting something so I made sure to double-check. Ate a couple of Clif blocks.
What would you do differently?:

Take less time and be confident.
Bike
  • 1h 23m 50s
  • 24.85 miles
  • 17.79 mile/hr
Comments:

I loved the bike segment! It felt so good to be in the wind and I was having fun passing lots of people along the way. At one point, there was this lady who clearly didn't know the USAT rules. She was literally hogging the left side of the road for well over 15 seconds. I tried to pass her a couple of times and yelled out, "On your left!" but she didn't hear me and kept riding on the left. Finally, I was able to pass her but I got pretty nervous that I would be penalized for staying too close behind another rider. Thank God I didn't.
What would you do differently?:

Pay more attention at the end.
At the very end of the course, I got distracted by the cheering crowd and the energy I was feeling from it all. I remember hearing my sister and getting overly excited and happy. I lost track of where I was for a moment and the next thing I knew, I took an extra turn to the left and went outside of the cones where the course was marked off along with the girl in front of me. For a moment, I was in a shock at what I had done and so scared that I would be disqualified! I pulled myself together and kept going telling myself that it was okay.
Transition 2
  • 02m 17s
Comments:

Much better time on this transition. Need to learn to be more efficient.
What would you do differently?:

Run in and run out.
Run
  • 58m 28s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 09m 25s  min/mile
Comments:

My legs felt okay and didn't feel like jelly. I felt pretty good starting off although my pace was a little slower than what I wanted in the beginning. I stayed in a comfortable pace for a good bit. I tried to push my pace after the five mile mark but by then, it was hard to get myself motivated. Then I started hearing this girl behind me on Team In Training calling out, "Go Team!" to every (I mean every purple & green person) she passed by on the other side of the course. That got me motivated and after she passed me, I started picking up my pace. When I saw the TNT teammates cheering for me near the finish line, I somehow managed to gather up last bit of energy left in me and sprinted to the finish line like a mad girl.
What would you do differently?:

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!!!!
Also, I wish that I could've picked up the pace more!

Post race
Warm down:

Took the cold towl and congratulated some of my teammates. Had lots of Gatorade and water.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Not hydrating enough and feeling tired.

Event comments:

After the race, i started getting a headache and I knew that it was due to dehydration and heat exhuastion. The headache grew worse after lunch and by the time I got back to the hotel, I was in PAIN and my head was about to explode! We had plans to go out for a celebration that night but my siblings and friends had to go w/out me b/c I was puking and needed to sleep off the headache. Oh well, here's a lesson learned.




Last updated: 2006-04-23 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:39:50 | 1500 meters | 02m 40s / 100meters
Age Group: 131/157
Overall: 0/
Performance:
Suit: sleeveless
Course: 1/3 out, 1/3 parallel to the shore, 1/3 back
Start type: Plus:
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current: High
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average Drafting:
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 04:22
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Below average Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: No
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
01:23:50 | 24.85 miles | 17.79 mile/hr
Age Group: 88/157
Overall: 0/
Performance:
Wind: Headwind
Course: The course was relatively flat and had many turns. It was very scenic at some points. Towards the end, there was a stretch of roads with cobblestones.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Average Hills:
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 02:17
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Bad
Running with bike
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
00:58:28 | 06.21 miles | 09m 25s  min/mile
Age Group: 71/157
Overall: 0/
Performance: Average
Course: The course was flat again and the temperatures felt good. There was even a breeze.
Keeping cool Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
Good race?
Evaluation
Course challenge
Organized?
Events on-time?
Lots of volunteers?
Plenty of drinks?
Post race activities:
Race evaluation [1-5]