NEW JERSEY DEVILMANTM HALF & SPRINT TRIATHLON - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Cumberland County, New Jersey
United States
Pirahna Sports
Sunny
Total Time = 5h 52m 29s
Overall Rank = 156/205
Age Group = F30-34
Age Group Rank = 12/14
Pre-race routine:

Got there early this time, took my time getting all my stuff organized. I stayed in full clothing because it was freakin' COLD. It was overcast and chilly and I was not looking forward to my (wetsuit-less) swim in the murky lake. I had a peanut butter English muffin and drank some water...
Event warmup:

Not much, just a little stretching and a light and quick jog to the porta potty.
Swim
  • 38m 37s
  • 2113 yards
  • 01m 50s / 100 yards
Comments:

It was...foul to say the least. Feet sank about a foot into algae at the bottom, which, after the start, got kicked up by a few hundred people kicking and swimming. Lovely. It was cold, but I warmed up fast. I was super happy to get out of there, though. The toughest part was at the top, I just could not catch my breath, I thought I was hyperventilating. That was frustrating because I had planned to sort of go hard at the top and then settle into my pace. Turned out I did that the other way around. You know, panicked at the top, then settled into a solid pace. I think it was just nerves and the cold...
What would you do differently?:

The start...but I'm not sure what exactly. Will get back to you on that. It's not like I was surprised by the frenzy at the top, since that's sort of standard at most races anyway. Maybe just commit to ducking my head down and going?

Oh. And maybe invest in a wetsuit.
Transition 1
  • 03m 33s
Comments:

The run to the transition area was ridiculously long, but it was good to get out of the water and loosen up the legs for the bike. Dumped an entire bottle of water over my head to get rid of the green gooeyness (ew).
What would you do differently?:

Nada, I was happy with the transition.
Bike
  • 3h 07m 37s
  • 56 miles
  • 17.91 mile/hr
Comments:

So, I decided to "not eat the paste" at the top, and kept myself at a "I could be going harder" speed for the first loop. There was some significant headwind on the latter part of the loop, which just near killed me the second time around. But I kept going. I drank often, alternating between watered down Gatorade and water, even when I was pretty sure I wasn't "thirsty"...which I thought was incredibly sensible of me. :) I also ate a full power bar within the first two hours, which is something I haven't done in training (I know, bad idea, trying something new on race day). But it worked out really well, kept my energy up and the hunger at bay. After hour two, I switched to GU gels and water.

I finished about 24 minutes faster than I had expected. Came in smiling. :)
What would you do differently?:

I need to get my bike fit adjusted. Or rather, my bike fit done, as I've never even had an official first fitting. Around the second loop, I had major neck pain, which has happened to me on the few "longer" rides I've gone on. It's no good and I think it has to do with the bike fit.
Transition 2
  • 02m 20s
Comments:

Just a standard switcheroo to the run, though my toes were super numb (er, huh? Maybe need to get the clip position looked at? I couldn't decide if that was because the water had darn near frozen my toes off or if it was from pressure or maybe both??).
What would you do differently?:

Nada, pretty happy with this one, too. Although after the race, I did realize I forgot to slap on some extra deodorant because it wasn't lying in front of me on my towel. D'oh.
Run
  • 2h 00m 24s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 09m 11s  min/mile
Comments:

So, the run...that's my event. Or that's what I like to tell myself. I can't swim well, I'm not a fabulous cyclist, but I LOVE to run. So I always expect more from myself on this event. Of course, I've been nursing my stupid post-tib tendonitis for the past month, and haven't been able to do significant miles in training. So I knew I had to keep my expectations low. I went out sorta soft on the first 3 miles, letting my legs loosen up. But then I settled into my pace. What felt so great was at mile 9, I knew I had enough juice in me to step up the pace for the last 4 miles. Which I did. Even had time for a super quick pee break. I drank water at every station I passed, then water plus Gatorade towards the last few, plus two GU gels, plus dumping leftover water over my head to cool down. I think that was pretty effective.
What would you do differently?:

Meh, I'm a little disappointed I couldn't pull in under 2 hours, but I'm not gonna beat myself up over it, because of the injury. Still...grrrrr.
Post race
Warm down:

Stretching, stretching, stretching. And had a sandwich. :) And water.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Foot injury slowed me down on the run. Otherwise, I don't really have an excuse. :-P

Event comments:

Good race for a first HIM, because it's flat and "easy"...Well organized, though the post race activities were a tad dull. Yay, I did my first HIM ever!!

P.S. Just as a note--the temps were at around 55F in the morning when I got there, overcast, dreary and COLD. By the first half hour of the bike, sun broke through. And I mean BROKE THROUGH. Super sunny, no clouds, and like 73F the rest of the bike, I think it bumped up much higher by the end of the run. Weather report couldn't have been more wrong. Which only sucked because I didn't have my sunblock in my transition bag (left it in the car when I saw the weather report and the chilly grey skies...d'oh!!) and now I've got a nice sunburn going--my race number is actually tattoed onto my skin. LOL.





Last updated: 2008-05-05 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:38:37 | 2113 yards | 01m 50s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/14
Overall: 183/205
Performance: Good
Suit: NO!
Course: Three laps around four buoys in the lake.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 64F / 18C Current: Low
200M Perf. Below average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Below average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 03:33
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
03:07:37 | 56 miles | 17.91 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/14
Overall: 175/205
Performance: Good
Wind: Some
Course: Two loops around the surrounding area. Stunning, beautiful, and F.L.A.T.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 02:20
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
02:00:24 | 13.1 miles | 09m 11s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/14
Overall: 119/205
Performance: Good
Course: Weird Y-shaped course, out and back. Flat. Sunny.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
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? No
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4