Patriots Half - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


View Member's Race Log View other race reports
Williamsburg, Virginia
United States
Setup Events
84F / 29C
Total Time = 5h 24m 5s
Overall Rank = 71/491
Age Group = 35-39
Age Group Rank = 13/61
Pre-race routine:

Arrived in Williamsburg Friday night and got equipment ready. Got up about 5AM, had a bagel and loaded up.
Swim
  • 39m 32s
  • 2112 yards
  • 01m 52s / 100 yards
Comments:

Swim was in the James River at the ferry landing near the Jamestown settlement. The water was flat and calm- no issues. I was in the 2nd wave and started toward the back. Only minor bumping during the start and throughout the race.

Overall it was a pretty standard swim- felt pretty good but wasn't very successful finding feet to draft on. My time was a little slow, but I think everyone's was.. I believe the swim time included the run to transition.
Transition 1
  • 06m 43s
Comments:

Another slow transition.. probably lost about 2 minutes here.. just need to practice this.
Bike
  • 2h 47m 11s
  • 56 miles
  • 20.10 mile/hr
Comments:

I was very pleased with my bike time- this exceeded my expectations by far. I've been trying to focus on improving my biking throughout last year's off-season and this year, but this was my first race since last May.

I have been averaging 17-ish on training rides, though they have primarily been on trails with a lot of starting and stopping. So I didn't know exactly what to expect.. I was hoping for an 18-mph average.

Conditions were pretty ideal- light winds and mild temps. It was a fast course- some rolling portions and a couple of minor climbs, but mostly flat. Most of the course was on smooth country roads, though there were a couple of bumpy sections.

I was surprised to be 20+ during my first 10 miles and wanted to hold it as long as I could. Fortunately I kept feeling good during the ride and was able to stick with it. Nutrition was good, though I started to get a little hungry during the last 15-20 miles.. probably needed to add another gel or two during the ride (took three total).

I think the distance was a little long.. my 305 had 57 miles, and a 20.4 ave mph.

10: 29:40 (20.2)
20: 30:14 (19.8)
30: 29:33 (20.3)
40: 28:51 (20.8)
50: 28:51 (20.8)
57: 18:53 (20.9)
What would you do differently?:

Fitness was good, but my neck and upper back were pretty sore during the last 10-15 miles, so I needed to come out of the bars and stretch more than I would have liked. Also may need to tweak my seat height. Might be worth a re-fitting and experimentation with some different saddles.

And hey, maybe I can justify race wheels for the next race..
Transition 2
  • 03m 1s
Comments:

Was OK.. probably lost about 45 sec here, but not as crap-tastic as my typical transition.
Run
  • 1h 47m 41s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 08m 13s  min/mile
Comments:

The run course was interesting- lots of turnarounds and switchbacks.. but I liked it, especially the 3-4 miles on a gravel trail through the woods. The course was very flat, with only a couple of small inclines throughout.

I started out way too fast- I really had to force myself to settle down. After the first mile, I got into a rhythm through about mile 8. At that point I was starting to hurt (a little bit of GI issue) and thought I might need to walk for a few minutes.. fortunately I was able to push through it.. started feeling better by mile 10 or so and was able to bring it home pretty comfortably after that.

I did start feeling twinges of hamstring cramps at about mile 11 and had a lot of salt on my shorts- same thing as Lake Placid. I need to do some experimenting with the salt tabs in prep for the Nov. IM.

Overall, though, I was happy with the run, especially after pushing it on the bike.

1: 7:40
2: 8:17
3: 8:04
4: 8:07
5: 8:05
6: 8:11
7: 7:57
8: 8:14
9: 8:38
10: 8:38
11: 8:25
12: 8:12
13: 8:00


What would you do differently?:

Start out slower.
Post race
Event comments:

Overall this was a good confidence builder going into the peak period for IMAZ..

I would definitely do this race again- setup did a terrific job with the race execution, especially since they had to make a late change to the run course for reasons beyond their control.




Last updated: 2009-03-07 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:39:32 | 2112 yards | 01m 52s / 100yards
Age Group: 16/61
Overall: 0/491
Performance: Average
Suit: Full
Course:
Start type: Plus:
Water temp: 74F / 23C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Drafting:
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 06:43
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Below average Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
02:47:11 | 56 miles | 20.10 mile/hr
Age Group: 26/61
Overall: 0/491
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course: Mostly flat on country roads outside of Williamsburg
Road:   Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks:
T2
Time: 03:01
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
01:47:41 | 13.1 miles | 08m 13s  min/mile
Age Group: 10/61
Overall: 0/491
Performance: Good
Course:
Keeping cool Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
Good race?
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