A Tri in the Buff - Sprint Course - Triathlon


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Irving, New York
United States
Score-This
77F / 25C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 41m 23s
Overall Rank = 151/202
Age Group = 35-39
Age Group Rank = 10/14
Pre-race routine:

Had breakfast at home around 4:30am; corn bagel with coconut oil spread & almond butter plus OJ. Brought coffee with me on the drive up to the event.

Arrived at Evangola State Park around 6:45am. Picked up my packet and got set up in transition.
Event warmup:

Got in the water about 15 minutes prior to my wave starting. Water temp was 71 but it felt cold, glad I chose to bring my wet suit. Went under to get water into suit and swam around a bit; breast stroke and freestyle. I felt confident and ready to go.
Swim
  • 19m 21s
  • 750 yards
  • 02m 35s / 100 yards
Comments:

Started off feeling good and swimming freestyle until the first buoy. The waves were decent sized and I kept swallowing water each time I went to breathe. Switched to breaststroke from buoy 2-3. Swam a bit of freestyle after the 3rd buoy but returned to breaststroke the remained of the way.
What would you do differently?:

Swim more freestyle! I definitely need to do more endurance swims in the pool plus also get out into open water more. The waves definitely threw my swimming off.
Transition 1
  • 03m 13s
Comments:

It was quite far from the water to the transition area. I would guess that about 2 minutes of my swim time is the distance from lake to T1. I walked half of it because it was beach and I wanted to save some energy. I had unzipped my wet suit and took off my cap and goggles on the way.

My feet were very wet and sandy and the towel I had didn't help very much. It was a pain to put my socks on plus my bike shoes have laces that need tied! I had no trouble with my helmet or glasses.

Ate a GU Jet Blackberry energy gel on my way out of T1. My bike gloves were also a PITA to put on due to my wet hands.


What would you do differently?:

I need to practice T1 more! I may ditch the socks and gloves in the future, I think struggling with both added at least a minute to my time.
Bike
  • 48m 13s
  • 12.5 miles
  • 15.37 mile/hr
Comments:

I felt good on the bike. I had a good pace going and my goal was to finish the bike in about 45-50 minutes.

I was passed by several triathletes from the Olympic distance, they were flying! I passed many people myself. I always like to pick out people ahead of me to try to catch and pass.
What would you do differently?:

Definitely work on T1, decide if I really need socks and gloves.

I should work on speed for the bike portion and shifting.

Overall though, I was happiest with the bike portion of this particular triathlon.
Transition 2
  • 01m 15s
Comments:

T2 was much better than T1! I had my Zoot triathlon shoes, so no laces! I whipped off my bike shoes, didn't bother untying or velcro-ing. Took off my helmet & gloves, grabbed another GU, sucked it down and off I went.
What would you do differently?:

Not much, this transition went fairly smoothly.
Run
  • 29m 21s
  • 3.11 miles
  • 09m 29s  min/mile
Comments:

The run portion was very crowded! On the course were Olympic distance, Sprint distance, Try a Tri distance and duathlon!

I felt good on the run, no issues with jelly legs after the run at all. My knee gave me no issues for the duration of the triathlon, which was awesome!

I didn't really like that there were SO many people on the beginning portion of the run but once I hit the loop for the sprint/Oly distances, the crowd seemed to thin out a bit.

The aid stations could have been spread out a bit more, there was too many at the beginning. I did grab water at each station to pour on my head or down my back though which felt nice. There was very little shade on the run and by this time of day, it was hot out! Plus with all the recent rain, the grass portions were pretty soft and muddy.

The whole run I just kept thinking, "keep running!", which I did, at a fairly good pace too I think.
What would you do differently?:

Try to run a bit faster. I probably could have run closer to 9 min/miles, but overall I was happy with the run portion.
Post race
Warm down:

Nothing special. Grabbed a water at the finish, walked around a bit, stayed in the shade.

Went to the chiropractic tent and had them do ART and sciatic nerve adjustment.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

The swim portion definitely was my weakest for today's triathlon.

The heat and humidity certainly played a part as well, but wasn't too bad.

Event comments:

Overall, it was a great experience!




Last updated: 2013-05-15 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:19:21 | 750 yards | 02m 35s / 100yards
Age Group: 12/14
Overall: 0/202
Performance: Below average
Suit: Synergy
Course: Square clockwise course around buoys.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 71F / 22C Current: Medium
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Below average
Breathing: Average Drafting:
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 03:13
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed:
Biking
00:48:13 | 12.5 miles | 15.37 mile/hr
Age Group: 9/14
Overall: 0/202
Performance: Good
Wind: Headwind
Course: This was advertised as a "flat and fast" course. I would have to agree that it was a relatively easy course compared to other triathlons that I've done. It wasn't completely flat however! There was quite a long gradual climb in the middle portion of the course. It was a scenic course, went through some small neighborhoods and parts of the park. The uphill portion was on a 4 lane highway however and that was kind of intimidating!
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:15
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Below average
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
00:29:21 | 03.11 miles | 09m 29s  min/mile
Age Group: 8/14
Overall: 0/202
Performance: Average
Course: The run portion was set up very oddly in my opinion. It was out and back and then there was an added loop for the sprint and Olympic distances. 3 out of 4 aid stations were in the first mile! The course was grass, pavement and trail.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
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: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4