Holliston Lions Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Holliston, Massachusetts
United States
FIRM Racing
85F / 29C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 00m 50s
Overall Rank = 153/203
Age Group = F 40-44
Age Group Rank = 6/7
Pre-race routine:

Had a good night's sleep, which is unusual for me on a race night. Had typical cheerios, blueberries and coffee before heading out @ 6:30.
Event warmup:

Got to the race site @ 7:20. Packet pick-up, transition area set-up and porto-potty visits all smooth. About 15 minutes before race time I ate a Gu. Put on wetsuit and swam around 5-10 minutes to get acclimated with the water. Temp was fine, but pond was pretty shallow and had lots of stuff growing from the bottom. Some of these plants were thick -- not your run of the mill pond weeds.
Swim
  • 20m 6s
  • 880 yards
  • 02m 17s / 100 yards
Comments:

ok - my swim sucked. The underwater "forest" was a bit disconserting and I occasionally got caught up in the weeds. When swimming, I usually breathe bilaterally every third stroke -- when racing I sometimes swim every other stroke breathing on my left. Today, with the bouys on the right, I opted for breathing on the right to aid with siting. However, my left arm gets all gimpy when I breathe to the right (poor catch and pull). All the women were in wave #3. Wave #4 (all men over 30, I think) was 3 minutes behind us. Needless to say, I got swum over a bit as they came from behind -- nothing violent though. I did see something that bothered me -- in the a man in the wave before me (and that we had caught up to) turned around in the middle of the swim out and joined the rest of his wave on the return to shore.
What would you do differently?:

In hindsight, I should have either tried to swim bilaterally or breathe on the left once I settled in.
Transition 1
  • 00m
Comments:

No "official" time for transition -- it was around 3:24 according to my watch. I always have a hard time getting wetsuit off (big calves), but I moved deliberately.
Bike
  • 51m 38s
  • 15 miles
  • 17.43 mile/hr
Comments:

bike time included T1 - Real average speed was 18.8 mph -- which is fast for me. I went all out on the bike, to see how I would do. It was hot and sunny, so I made sure I kept drinking. About 3/4 through the bike, I realized I really needed something more than water. A gu was waiting for me for T2, but I think I should have ingested another one before the bike -- or had something else to drink besides water.
What would you do differently?:

Rethink nutrition plan.
Transition 2
  • 00m
Comments:

I needed to walk a couple of steps before breaking into a jog after dismount. Ate gu, put on running shoes, and off I went. Est. time 2:12
Run
  • 49m 6s
  • 5 miles
  • 09m 49s  min/mile
Comments:

5 mile run in opposite direction of bike course. That nice downhill on the bike I described early became a 2/3 mile long slog uphill within the first 1.3 miles of the race. Arghh! Settled into a pace that was pushing it a bit, but felt doable for 5 miles. I walked through the 3 water stops. It was hot and sunny, but thankfully a good portion of the course was on shady residential streets.
What would you do differently?:

I
Post race
Warm down:

stretched and munched and drank. Watched other finishers, including a tri-team mate I had passed on the bike course, and the Hoyts, who usually do this race every year.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

I think I needed more nutrition for the bike leg. I definitely felt it on the run

Event comments:

I like this race because it's only 45 minutes from my house and is small, with 200-250 participants. The course length is a bit funky -- running 5 miles after swimming and biking is very different than running 3. As I review the results, my age group is very competetive. I came in nearly 10 minutes after the woman in 5th place. Had I been racing in the F 35-39 year-olds, I would have been 5 of 12, instead of 6 of 7.




Last updated: 2007-07-04 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:20:06 | 880 yards | 02m 17s / 100yards
Age Group: 7/7
Overall: 160/203
Performance: Below average
Suit:
Course: straight out and back, with the bouys on the right
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 74F / 23C Current:
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Below average
Breathing: Average Drafting:
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 00:00
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
00:51:38 | 15 miles | 17.43 mile/hr
Age Group: 7/7
Overall: 145/203
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course: 3 5-mile loops, some rolling hills with a nice downhill portion
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Average Hills: Average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 00:00
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
00:49:06 | 05 miles | 09m 49s  min/mile
Age Group: 6/7
Overall: 153/203
Performance: Average
Included T2 time -- according to my watch run was 47:54.
Course:
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Below average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race? Ok
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] 3