Jersey Genesis Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Port Republic, New Jersey
United States
Port Republic Recreation District
85F / 29C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 49m 36s
Overall Rank = 92/217
Age Group = 35-39 M
Age Group Rank = 18/31
Pre-race routine:

Got up at 5:45, grabbed a bagel and drank a bottle of Gatorade on the ride. Long ride to Port Republic,arriving about 90 minute before the start. Dropped off my bike, checked in, got my stuff and set up my transition. Asked one of the officals about the water temps and he said it was hot. Wetsuits were allowed (not a USAT sponsored event), but he thought it was too warm. So I ditched the wetsuit and changed into my speedo for the second start race. Applied the sunscreen and set off to test the water.
Event warmup:

Swam out to the second buoy and back, testing the finish approach. Then went over to the start and repeated the swim, testing the start. Then i just floated in the warm water and waited for the pre race meeting and start. Met up with Johnny Kay and OceanAnnie prior to the start. Cool folks. They announced it was 85 degrees prior to the start and emphasized the importance of taking water at each stop.
Swim
  • 13m 30s
  • 880 yards
  • 01m 32s / 100 yards
Comments:

I tried to get to the far right and square off the first corner, but a bunch of folks got in front and outside of me. As a result it was a very physical swim. I bumped and banged for most of the first turn but once I got settled in I started getting into a nice groove and things space out. I was still bracketed by a couple of folks who would let me know they were there regularly. I got out of the bracket and round the turn well and settled into a 4-6 stroke rhythm, then I sitted and found myself headed straight into oncoming traffic. After than I when well to the inside and stayed out of trouble. Minor victory, only 1 white cap (Wave behind me) caught me in the water (two more got out of the water with me, but only one passed me!!). Good swim, and warm water. Glad I ditched the wetsuit,cause it would have be way too warm.

The swim ranking were for swim plus T1 times. Lesson Learned a poor T1 can waste a good swim.
What would you do differently?:

Keep working on my siting and work the start better and stay out of the blender.
Transition 1
  • 03m 14s
Comments:

Got to my bike quickly, but went very slow and had trouble getting the bike shorts on and my South Park Jersey. Took my time but was frustratingly slow. Trouble clipping in (took a couple trys)
What would you do differently?:

Got to work on these transitions, I am giving away alot of time in these short races.
Bike
  • 1h 00m 14s
  • 20 miles
  • 19.92 mile/hr
Comments:

Once I got going I got up to speed pretty quick. The disadvantage on being in the first wave is you tend to get demoralized cause you only can pass folks from your wave (who are normally match up pretty well with my ability level after the swim) but you have to deal with all the speedsters from the waves behind you. On one hand it sucks , to have people blasting past you, but on the other hand being able to hold the dudes with the disk wheels for 18 miles is fun. I did pretty well drinking Gatorade every 10 minutes or so and had a gel after the turnaround. I tried to hold some back on the way out and reached the turn at 30 min, then tried to push especially near the end. Basically even splits. Just missed my goal of 20 mph by 14 seconds, but a good ride. Got a lot of positive comments on my South Park Jersey. I was worried that Carmen's "Oh Man you guys really suck!" would rub folks the wrong way, but fortunately it didn't.

The bike rankings were bike plus T2 times.
What would you do differently?:

Lost focus on the long Stretches where I was riding alllll alone, and probably eased up and lost time. But I actually felt like I was makng ground and my legs still felt good on the run, so as they say slow is fast.
Transition 2
  • 01m 41s
Comments:

Ok transtion. Very delibrate and had a false start as I forgot my hat, but had only gone a few steps.
What would you do differently?:

Keep working on transitions.
Run
  • 30m 54s
  • 4 miles
  • 07m 43s  min/mile
Comments:

Great run, especially considering I blew up on a similarly hot day just two weeks ago. Started off easy, and let a few people pass me as my legs came in. The third or fourth place woman passed me just as my legs came back so I picked it up and went with her. A little bit later I passed her. She asked what pace I was running and I told her 8:00/mile. We had another short conversation, but I dropped her soon after. I slowly picked up the effort as we went along, and I caught a bunch of people including most of the people who got me early on. Really the only people who got me were 3 women, one who was doing a relay, and the Bike Chick Jersey chick who had a nice comment about my South Park jersey. Finished strong, but I didn't feel like passing that last guy at the line and ruining the picture (that and he was weaving and I would have thought he was blocking if he wasn't so dead). Ran 8:01,7:54, 7:48, and 7:10. Considering how hot it was by the time we reached the run and how little speedwork I've done, that was a really good run. After looking at the results, I'd have to say that was even better than I had thought. I actually had a faster split than JohnnyKay!!! (Of course Johnny did crush me by about 10 minutes overall and was coming off a 23-24 MPH ride, but you gota take a small victory whenever you can.)
What would you do differently?:

Not much, maybe push a bit earlier, but I can't complain. Relative to the field I'm pretty sure that was my best run ever in a tri (top 30%).
Post race
Warm down:

Drank a lot of water, got changed out of my wet clothes, put my bike in the car, went to the post race. Ate some watermellon, cantaloupe, a muffin, cake, water ice, and a hot dog. Talked with Johnny Kay and his wife for a bit and headed home.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

It was reaalllly hot, and my transitions still need alot of work, but I still beat last year's time by over 2 minutes. Considering most of the people I talked to were slower due to the heat (weather was nearly perfect last year), I would have to say I did pretty good today.

Event comments:

This is the 3rd year I have done this race. It is a small race, no fancy chip timing, or huge goody bag, but I have been very impressed each year. Well organized, lots of volunteers, very friendly, and a really nice course. The other thing that has stuck me is the quality field that the race has attracted each year. Good time, met a bunch of BTers, and good race. I'll be back again next year.




Last updated: 2006-06-13 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:13:30 | 880 yards | 01m 32s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/31
Overall: 124/217
Performance: Good
Suit: Speedo
Course: Out and back 6 Large Orange bouys. Course does a quick turn the goes up stream. Little bit of a current and it was low tide (Brachish Water)
Start type: Run Plus: Waves
Water temp: 77F / 25C Current: Low
200M Perf. Below average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting:
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 03:14
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Below average Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Below average
Biking
01:00:14 | 20 miles | 19.92 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/31
Overall: 99/217
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course: Long mostly straight out and back. Few small rollers, but mostly flat.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 85
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Average Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:41
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Average
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
00:30:54 | 04 miles | 07m 43s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/31
Overall: 64/217
Performance: Good
Course: Single loop around the park and water. Decent amount of shade and 4 water stops and serval very cool folks with hoses.
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