Bassman Spring Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Tuckerton, New Jersey
United States
Citytri
50F / 10C
Precipitation
Total Time = 2h 21m 28s
Overall Rank = 85/280
Age Group = M30-34
Age Group Rank = 13/34
Pre-race routine:

Woke up at 5am and had an English muffin with PB and a banana as well as some Endurox and water. My friends got to the house by 5:15 and we packed up the truck and headed out by 5:30am. It was raining for most of the ride there and it put a damper on things as we weren’t sure if the race would take place. A quick bathroom stop and missing an exit while we were busy talking caused us to arrive later than we wanted to. However, on a good note, by the time we arrived it had stopped raining but it was still cold.
Event warmup:

After checking in, getting body marked and setting up my transition area there wasn’t any time to stretch and warm up due to the late arrival. I put my wetsuit on and headed down near the water for race instructions and then the first wave went off. I was in the second wave which started 3 minutes later.
Swim
  • 17m 37s
  • 1056 yards
  • 01m 40s / 100 yards
Comments:

Swim went really well. Time was right where I expected it to be. It was definitely a little crowded at the start and for most of the 1st half of the swim which caused me to stop periodically and breast stroke. The 2nd half of the swim cleared out and allowed me to get into a groove for the way back in. Overall, felt fresh coming out of the water which gives me some confidence for Eagleman in 6 weeks. Also, this was my first time using a wetsuit and it definitely made a difference.
What would you do differently?:

Not much. Just try to relax more at the start and get into a groove quicker.
Transition 1
  • 02m 10s
Comments:

Spent some extra time in T1 as I had to put on a long sleeve under armour shirt under my race jersey because of the cold weather and also had a ton of wet sand on my feet that I tried to wipe off because I didn’t want to get a blister on the bike since I go sockless. As a result, time was a little slower than I had hoped for but understandable considering the circumstances.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Bike
  • 1h 25m 32s
  • 29 miles
  • 20.34 mile/hr
Comments:

This was my best bike in the 5 triathlons that I have done so far dating back to last summer and also the longest. New equipment on my road bike included aero bars - first time used in a race, Michelin Pro Race 3 tires and the Profile Design aero drink bottle. As a result, I averaged just over 21 mph when you exclude roughly 3-4 minutes from my bike time for the 100-150 yard runs through the sand on the way out to the bike mount and also on the way back in to T2. As far as nutrition, I had one gel towards the latter part of the bike and drank all of the aero drink bottle or roughly 18 ounces. One minor issue at the start of the bike was when my helmet became unbuckled which forced me to stop and click out for about 15 seconds. Really pushed the bike though in this race and felt it when I got to Transition 2. My butt and the area around my lower calves were really sore which caused a difficult first mile on the run.
What would you do differently?:

My plan was to push the bike and I was very happy with the results. Some key takeaways from this race are 1.) I feel like I need to be more consistent on my nutrition plan and 2.) I need to work on pacing. I will focus on this over the next 6 weeks.
Transition 2
  • 01m 22s
Comments:

Transition 2 went pretty well despite trying to head out of the bike entrance and having to reverse course to the run exit. Got the biked racked, bike shoes off and run shoes on pretty quickly.
What would you do differently?:

Pay more attention during pre race instructions and focus on where the bike and run entrances and exits are.
Run
  • 34m 48s
  • 4.2 miles
  • 08m 17s  min/mile
Comments:

As I said before, the run was painful for the first mile or 2. Legs and butt were pretty sore due to hammering the bike but I ran through it and began to feel a little better. Also, I had issues with my toes coming off the bike. They were completely numb when I started the run. I actually stopped briefly to take my shoe off because I thought I had a rock in it from the transition area but it was just my toes causing the pain. Had one gel near the halfway point of the run to give myself a boost and it seemed to work as I picked up the pace over the last 2 miles or so. Run could have been better but this time was expected as I really pushed the bike. Will definitely need to pace myself better and follow a better/more consistent nutrition plan on the bike at Eagleman in order to have a more enjoyable ½ Marathon.
What would you do differently?:

Additional training and specifically more bricks to continue to get legs feeling better coming off the bike to avoid the pain and slow starts on the run. Fitness felt fine as I ran the last 2 miles much quicker than the first 2.
Post race
Warm down:

Saw my wife and kids at the finish which was great and we all hung around with my friends families until they came in. Congratulated my friends when they finished and then we all hung around and talked for a while. We then headed to the transiton area to pack up our stuff. Took my wetsuit to the water to wash it out as it was full of sand then went to grab something to eat. We stayed briefly for the awards ceremony then decided to head out as we were tired and it was getting colder.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Nothing. Just need to keep training and building the volume. This was the longest race of the 5 Triathlons that I have completed so far.

Event comments:

Overall, this was a great race and I would definitely recommend it. It's a nice course and was well run. One recommendation is to move the transition area out of the sand to avoid the mess and also to avoid the long runs with the bike through the sand. I was also very satisfied with my times and am looking forward to training hard over the next 6 weeks to get prepared for Eagleman.




Last updated: 2007-11-20 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:17:37 | 1056 yards | 01m 40s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/34
Overall: 162/280
Performance: Good
Suit: Xterra Vortex
Course: Triangular shaped course in a calm lake.
Start type: Plus:
Water temp: 63F / 17C Current: Low
200M Perf. Remainder:
Breathing: Drafting:
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 02:10
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
01:25:32 | 29 miles | 20.34 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/34
Overall: 73/280
Performance: Good
Wind: Some
Course: Roads are a little rough at times but it is a fast and primarily flat course with wide shoulders.
Road:   Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks:
T2
Time: 01:22
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
00:34:48 | 04.2 miles | 08m 17s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/34
Overall: 115/280
Performance: Below average
Course: Figure 8 run course with some trail running.
Keeping cool Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time?
Lots of volunteers?
Plenty of drinks?
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 4