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Black Bear Triathlon - Olympic Course - Triathlon


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Lehighton, Pennsylvania
United States
CGI Racing
57F / 14C
Precipitation
Total Time = 2h 32m 53s
Overall Rank = 35/221
Age Group = M45-49
Age Group Rank = 4/21
Pre-race routine:

Got up around 0300, for the almost two hour drive to the site. Had a banana, glazed donut and decaf coffee on the drive up. Took care of business once I got to the site. Ate a but too much the night before (need to eat less, and more carbs)
Event warmup:

No real warm up.
Swim
  • 26m 46s
  • 1640 yards
  • 01m 38s / 100 yards
Comments:

Started out OK, if a little cold. I had tried out a new wetsuiit the day prior, in warmer water, and figured I could go sleeveless. The reported temp was 64, but I think that was a little optimistic. Everything was going OK until the right goggle started leaking, and was getting worse. WTF? I swam a mile the day before with the new goggles, with no issues, but now it's leaking. Stopped several times to drain and re-seat. Arms started getting kind of tired about 2/3 in, probably swam too much the day before.
What would you do differently?:

Swim less the day before. But the OWS practice was very valuable.
Transition 1
  • 02m 37s
Comments:

A little dizzy coming out of the water. Had to pee, again. Decided to really become a triathlete, and let it fly right in T1, while the wetsuit was coming off. Since it was raining, I figured it would all rinse off eventually anyway. Something I hadn't thought of too much, was wet weather, and how that can complicate getting shoes on. Since T1 had a long run on the grass, that pretty well sealed the deal on socks (went sockless) and pre-clipping, since I don't want to run in Look cleats.
What would you do differently?:

Not much. I mostly need to get better organized, and get a "system" set up.
Bike
  • 1h 15m 47s
  • 24 miles
  • 19.00 mile/hr
Comments:

Getting started took a bit, to get both feet in the shoes. Wet shoes/feet don't slide well. Shifting went well, finally have the front derailleur working so it doesn't pop off the big chain ring. Still need to work on the flying mount. Should not have taken water, as I really didn't need it, and it just added weight. Tried an Allen Lim rice cake on the bike; need to work on wrapping material. Maybe make them smaller so I can pop a whole one in, instead of chowing down on it like a cheeseburger. Had a peanut butter Gu also.
What would you do differently?:

Not take water
Transition 2
  • 02m 11s
Comments:

Popped off the shoes a bit early, ended up pedaling for quite a bit before turning back to T2. Got stuck in no passing zone behind a slow rider. Got a huge applause crossing the volleyball court sand, that was fun.
What would you do differently?:

Not much
Run
  • 45m 31s
  • 6.2 miles
  • 08m 10s  min/mile
Comments:

Did the run without stopping for anything, as I took a bit of extra water on the bike. Started out feeling a little gassed, trying to keep up with someone who I knew was in my AG, and ahead. Just couldn't keep up, though later in the run started feeling a little stronger. 1st mile was 7:35, with each lap getting a little faster. Except for the dam climb. By the end no one in site in front or behind, so I had to remind myself about penalties, and that you never know what's going on up front; someone could get a time penalty, DQ, DNF, anything, that could improve your position.
Post race
Warm down:

Didn't get a chance to really stretch too much, and need to bring a foam roller/stick

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Not much, other than rain, and training.

Event comments:

The post race food was frankly pretty weak, compared with other races. Maybe it's that I've done more HIM length races, so there's more food for longer distances, but the setup was for a single-pass (they mark your wristband). A small container of pasta salad, one cookie, and one mini muffin. I think there was some fruit also, and water. There was also some kind of yogurt parfait. Understanding they can't predict weather, but something hot would have been nice also.

There was also some issue with timing, a lot of run splits were AFU, but the overall times seemed to be OK. I thought I had trophied for a bit, coming in 4th in my AG, however 1 and 2 in AG were 2 and 3 overall, so that would have moved me up to 2nd in AG. At least for a little while. Then the results updated, and my AG winner dropped to 6 or 7. Guess I need to train harder, this was a fast field!

Overall, it was about what I figured I could do, given my training level and the conditions. And not crashing on the bike was good as well, as I heard from some friends that there were some wrecks.




Last updated: 2013-04-09 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:26:46 | 1640 yards | 01m 38s / 100yards
Age Group: 4/21
Overall: 55/221
Performance: Good
Suit: sleeveless
Course: Rectangle, right turns, out and sort of back
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 62F / 17C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:37
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
01:15:47 | 24 miles | 19.00 mile/hr
Age Group: 4/21
Overall: 30/221
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course: The hills were about what I ride at home, so it didn't seem that bad. I tried to not burn up the climbs to hard, and kept the power down on the descents. "This race will be won during the run" was what the announcer kept saying. Bah. The bike is my stronger segment, so I figured I better take advantage of it where I could. While it never really rained the whole day, it was misting, and the roads were wet the entire time. Signage was excellent, though a couple signs were tough to tell which way to go until you got close. This was looking through wet glasses, on a dreary day, so all things considered it was still marked very well.
Road: Rough Wet Cadence: 87
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Too much
T2
Time: 02:11
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Average
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:45:31 | 06.2 miles | 08m 10s  min/mile
Age Group: 4/21
Overall: 63/221
Performance: Good
Course: Some rolling gravel path, almost trail running, through the woods. Then across some open areas on fire roads, leading to a dam, and a descent below the dam. Then the big hill coming up the dam. Next a run out across the dam, then back, and back through the wooded trails and fire roads, to finish.
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? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Below average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4

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2013-05-21 3:10 PM

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Extreme Veteran
645
50010025
Media, PA
Subject: Black Bear Triathlon - Olympic Course


2013-05-24 9:14 AM
in reply to: #4751820

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Not a Coach
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5000500010001001001001002525
Media, PA
Subject: RE: Black Bear Triathlon - Olympic Course
Solid race! I agree that either the 64deg announced was a little optimistic or that the colder air temp made it feel worse.

They did have some nice warm pizza at the end of the HIM, so you could consider going longer next time.


BTW (and, sorry, I may have asked before but forgot), where do you swim? I use the Rocky Run Y in the mornings.
2013-05-27 12:00 PM
in reply to: JohnnyKay

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Extreme Veteran
645
50010025
Media, PA
Subject: RE: Black Bear Triathlon - Olympic Course
Springfield Healthplex. Rocky Runs pool is a little nicer, but the Healthplex location and hours work for me much better in the mornings.

And yeah, I heard about the pizza, well deserved after a HIM on that day. I'm getting ready for Eagleman, so I didn't want to do the long course.
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