New Jersey Devilman Triathlon - Half Lite 50 Course - TriathlonOther


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Cedarville, New Jersey
United States
Piranha Sports
Overcast
Total Time = 4h 20m 14s
Overall Rank = 199/274
Age Group = M40-44
Age Group Rank = 36/42
Pre-race routine:

Had a couple of pieces of wheat bread with peanut butter. Was eaten alive by gnats while waiting in line at the registration tent and setting up transition. I was pretty nervous with this being my first triathlon.
Swim
  • 39m 59s
  • 1408 yards
  • 02m 50s / 100 yards
Comments:

Wow. Because of some things out of my control in the weeks leading up to this race I wasn't able to get in an OWS beforehand. I was nervous because of this but nothing could have prepared me for the feeling I had about 200 yards into the swim. I started okay but a short time before the first turn someone ran into me. I couldn't see a thing, took on some water and started to panic. At first I didn't understand what was happening. I couldn't understand why I couldn't catch my breath. A couple seconds later I realized I was hyperventilating. I started questioning what I was even doing there in the race. I called a lifeguard over and grabbed the rescue buoy to get my bearings. He asked if I was okay and I told him that I was out of breath but trying to regain my composure. He asked if I was doing one lap (sprint) or two (half -lite). When I told him two, he said "I don't know if you're gonna make it." ?!?! At this point I had started to regain my composure somewhat. I thanked him for the peptalk and told him that I was feeling better and was going to continue. It was slightly less sketchy after that and after quite some time I finally finished. My sighting was also awful. My garmin says I added 0.1 mile to the swim. I could make the arguement that it was more than that! Whatever the case I couldn't have been happier to get to the swim exit.
What would you do differently?:

Lots. Obviously I need to work on acclimating to open water swimming and sighting as well. I had read that these things would be difficult for a first timer but I had no idea it would be this rough.
Transition 1
  • 02m 44s
Comments:

T1 was uneventful. I'm going to say it was a little slower than it needed to be because I was getting things under control mentally after the debacle in the water.
Bike
  • 2h 19m 46s
  • 40.3 miles
  • 17.30 mile/hr
Comments:

I started riding and was feeling rough. I was passed by a few people and I was thinking to myself that the crazy swim must have really done me in. I didn't feel like my speed was matching my effort. After about 10 or 15 mins I pulled over, dismounted and checked my tires. My front brake was rubbing hard against the wheel. WTF?! I would swear that I had checked both front and rear before the race. I adjusted it quickly and got back on and felt right again. I continued on and was able to stay in aero for a large portion of the ride. I drank and ate exactly what I had planned. I felt that I could have pushed harder but was holding back some at this point trying to ensure that I got to the run strong. After the less than stellar start I wanted to make sure that the cloud at the end of the race had a silver lining.
What would you do differently?:

Check the bike thoroughly beforehand. Push harder on the ride.
Transition 2
  • 01m 41s
Comments:

T2 was good. Ran into transition, racked bike. The rack was a little full at this point :) Helmet off, bike shoes off, slipped into run shoes, run out of transition.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing...or maybe get here earlier so that I don't have to move a bike over to make room to rack mine.
Run
  • 1h 16m 2s
  • 8.8 miles
  • 08m 38s  min/mile
Comments:

Had to take a quick pee break at the port-a-johns just out of transition. According to the watch it cost me just under 2 minutes so maybe not that "quick". I had to pee for about 90 minutes of the bike leg and I simply couldn't wait another minute. The run felt great. I passed a fair number of people and was just trying to take in the experience at this point. Everyone was pleasant and supportive. This was a great way to end the race.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing except possibly push a little harder.
Post race
What limited your ability to perform faster:

The swim was just awful. I will be training in open water a bunch over the next month or so to try to get my act together. Otherwise I will try to push harder on the bike and work to improve my pace.

Event comments:

This was my first triathlon so I don't have much of a barometer with which to gauge but I thought that the race was very well organized. I never wondered where I should be going (except in the water a couple times!) All of the volunteers and the fire/police folks directing traffic were great. I made sure to thank each of them as I passed.




Last updated: 2012-05-07 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:39:59 | 1408 yards | 02m 50s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/42
Overall: 0/274
Performance: Bad
Suit:
Course: 2 laps around a rectangle marked by inflatable buoys.
Start type: Wade Plus:
Water temp: 68F / 20C Current:
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Bad
Breathing: Bad Drafting:
Waves: Navigation: Bad
Rounding: Bad
T1
Time: 02:44
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
02:19:46 | 40.3 miles | 17.30 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/42
Overall: 204/274
Performance: Average
Wind: Some
Course:
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 93
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Average Hills:
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:41
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
01:16:02 | 08.8 miles | 08m 38s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/42
Overall: 102/274
Performance: Good
Course: Out and back. Flat and fast.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
Good race?
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