Philly Spring Tri RR

[Kimmyt]

(doh, thats supposed to say SPRINT tri!!)

OK, so there it is. All that time training and now what do I do?

Here's my trip report. I don't really know what to feel. Happy, that I did it, that I met most of my goals. Unhappy because I feel like my times just weren't good enough.

Well, enough moaning, here is the report. All told things went fairly well.

Pre-Race

Things were pretty well, the water temps were 75 and the swim was on despite a recent rainfall. Got my bike racked up without a problem, set up my transition. I hadn't practiced transitions at all, so this was all new and left me feeling faintly unsettled. I wandered around for awhile looking for friends/family, checking out the transition layout and then it was time to start...

Swim

Water temps were warm, much warmer than the air. Good, because I wasn't using a westuit and was just swimming in tri shorts and a bra. At the start of the swim I felt immediately uncomfortable. I sighted for the first short distance, and that tired me out. I should have just swam and then sighted periodically. Lots of people grouped together here, not much pushing or kicking, but the occasional. I didn't feel comfortable, which was odd. I'm a strong swimmer and was hoping for an under-20 minute time, but the incredibly low visibility of the water (you literally couldn't see the person's feet right in front of you) combined with trying to establish a rhythm while sighting on the buoys and trying to avoid the occasional interloper on my personal space all caused me to swim sloiwer than usual. I even backstroked for a few strokes, just to calm myself down. Went through the bridge to the turnaround bouy and really didn't like it. Small stringy seaweeds and the sun casting a shadow causing reeeeally dark water all served to make me feel more uncomfortable. After the turnaround I felt alot better. Decided it was easier to sight by stoping to tread for a second instead of swimming. The riverwater in my mouth was also causing me to be a bit loopy. Really, the story here was that I was uncomfortable. And very slow. But I did catch some of the (really slow) guys from the wave in front of me. Which is not saying much.

Swim time: 00:21:55 for 900m

T1

Out of the water there were rocks in the banks. I thought I twisted my ankle fumbling out over them. Then running over sand and through the transition area. Again, not happy, but at lest I was done with the swim. Got to transition and put my cleats on, attempted to put my jersey with bib number on over my wet body. Didn't go so well. Finally got it on with some struggle and put my helmet on and ran out. The thing with the transitions were that they were long runs in and out. Or at least out.

T1 Time: 00:02:31 (not bad, considering the struggle)

Bike

I felt good here. Happy, the instant I got on my bike. The first lap was slower than the second, but I passed plenty of people and didn't seem to get passed by many other than those on tri bikes. Turns out my speeds werent as high as I thought, but I guess they could have been worse. Passed one of the girls I wanted to beat at the end of the bike, but she had done enough better than me on the swim to gain quite a bit of distance on the bike and I barely passed her.

Bike Time: 00:54:54, 16.1 mph for 24k (15mi)... after seeing those numbers I'm really unhappy. My times should have been much higher. There weren't that many hills. I'm rather pissed at myself, actually. Maybe I should look into getting a computer so I can monitor this in the future.

T2

This one was better. Everything went smoothly. Almost forgot to take off my bike helmet.

T2 time: 00:02:13

Run

The run felt slow. Immediately I was passed by the girl I'd really wanted to beat. I accepted it and ran for myself. My legs felt like lead. Saw some of the other folks I'd signed up with, but we were in different waves so I couldn't tell their times. About mile 1.5 I thought I could finish. Before that, it was iffy. I think i sped up the last mile, felt much better. I had to pee really bad though, so maybe that was pushing me faster.

Run Time: 00:28:25, 09:10/mile

Overall time: 01:49:59, 335/708 (96th female overall)
Not bad, I had aimed for under 2. But not good enough, either. I was very happy with my run, that was a faster time than I usually run by almost 30 seconds/mile. The bike was my big disappointment. I should have been much stronger on the bike. And the swim. I was very unhappy with that, since I had been thinking that the swim would be pretty easy what with my bi-weekly Masters class and how strong I felt swimming in the past few weeks. I did beat all the folks I signed up with except the one girl I really wanted to beat. I beat The Boy by about 5 minutes, the other long-legged cycle maniac by 4 seconds, another girl by almost 10 minutes, and only lost to the one gal by 2 minutes.

Sigh.

Well, the good and the bad. I suppose now I just have more specific goals to work on.

A few pictures:


gatorade after swim...yummm, now if only i could get my legs to feel solid


the run... blurry cameras make me look FAAAAAST

[rocknrollgirl]

Yo,
Stop beating yourself up. It was your first race and you did great. Take what you have learned and use it for the next one. Great job!


Ruth

[Tri Girl]

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

Ditto what Ruth said! It was your first race- cut yourself some slack. Even with all the training and preparation- that first race is all about figuring out the ins and outs of the race. You did a fantastic job out there today!!!!!! With the next one you'll take what you learned and things will go more smoothly. Don't worry- you now have a PR to beat (and that's always fun to chase down).

Congrats on a great first race- you should be VERY proud of yourself!!!!

[btchance]

You did a great job! It's pretty natural to feel uncomfortable swimming in yucky waters, especially when you're just starting out at tris (even if you normally are comfortable in the water). The times you put in for the bike and run were both good. As you get better at pacing, your time on the bike will improve, I promise. Again, great job!

[colby]

It's really easy to get caught up in your expectations, but if you take a step back, you really did awesome, especially for your first tri. Great job, keep it up!!

[alpinerabbit]

That was so much better than you think you are! And it's your first!

Look at your swim time. Now look at mine. Now smile. You are also smiling on the run which shows you were still going strong!

You absolutely need to have that bike computer. It really helps and you deserve a new toy.

[Momof5]

Hi. I just finished my first tri this weekend and struggled with some of the same things. I waited at the back of the pack for the swim when that is my strongest sport. I was immediately frustrated because I couldn't pass anybody. The transition was not so great because I forgot my towel! The biking was somewhat chilly with wet socks and clothes which were supposed to dry fast. I started the run and a 1/2 mile into it I pulled my achilles tendon and had to walk the remainder. I almost walked off the course but it was the other participants that made me stay with their encouraging remarks. tri people are really nice. It was kind of comical though because I couldn't even walk briskly so I didn't even break of sweat. The volunteers at the finish line were looking at me with a bewildered look given I wasn't sweaty and huffing and puffing. I would love advice if anyone has any about transitioning from the bike to the run. I have been having major problems with my calves, achilles, whatever getting pulled. I'm wondering if I'm not stretching enough or I need to do strengthening exercises. Thanks. Liz

[Wahine]

First off, Kimmy you did great for a first race and you had a very respectable time. You beat the Boy and only got beat by one buddy and by 2 min. That, if I remember rightly, means you met most of your goals. So look at your acheivements and be very proud, you did great.

Now, the first race is a learning experience so....

I hadn't practiced transitions at all, so this was all new and left me feeling faintly unsettled.

Practice transitions. You can make up a ton of "free" time doing this and it really only takes a couple of practice sessions of about 30 min to make a huge difference. You can drop a couple of min. That would have put you right there with the other girl, without any actual effort of training.

Swim

At the start of the swim I felt immediately uncomfortable. I sighted for the first short distance, and that tired me out. I should have just swam and then sighted periodically.

Yes. I agree with this. Especially if you're in the crowd, you won't go far off course when you're surrounded by people.

I even backstroked for a few strokes, just to calm myself down.

Very smart. You lose a lot of energy fighting anxiety in the swim. You did well to change things up and relax as much as possible.

Decided it was easier to sight by stoping to tread for a second instead of swimming.

With more practice you'll be able to sight while swimming the crawl. I bilateral breath and sight off my right breath cycle, that means every sixth stroke. That keeps me going really straight and saves a tremendous amout of distance.

Swim time: 00:21:55 for 900m

Good swim I'd say.

.....attempted to put my jersey with bib number on over my wet body. Didn't go so well.

This can be greatly simplified by wearing what you plan to ride in. That may not have been possible since you did not wear a wetsuit, (jersey pockets drag),. The number thing is best handled with a number belt.

T1 Time: 00:02:31 (not bad, considering the struggle)

Very respectable.

Bike Time: 00:54:54, 16.1 mph for 24k (15mi)... after seeing those numbers I'm really unhappy. My times should have been much higher. There weren't that many hills. I'm rather pissed at myself, actually. Maybe I should look into getting a computer so I can monitor this in the future.

Definitely get a bike computer. You need the feedback, especially since you're body doesn't feel normal since you just finished swimming.

The run felt slow. Immediately I was passed by the girl I'd really wanted to beat. I accepted it and ran for myself. My legs felt like lead.

THis is totally normal and I hate to say it, but it never goes away, you just get better at running faster in spite of the sensation.

Overall time: 01:49:59, 335/708 (96th female overall)
Not bad, I had aimed for under 2..... I did beat all the folks I signed up with except the one girl I really wanted to beat. I beat The Boy by about 5 minutes, the other long-legged cycle maniac by 4 seconds, another girl by almost 10 minutes, and only lost to the one gal by 2 minutes.

That's awesome. Pat yourself on the back and have an extra beer.

[HappyAnika]

Great finish! Don't be so hard on yourself. You didn't have any control over the yucky water, you did the best you could. As for the bike, you said you passed a lot of people and didn't get passed by many others. Was it windy? Did you have "invisible" up hills to contend with? It's really hard to compare bike averages even on the same route from day to day with different weather conditions. It sounds like you did well relative to the others and that's what counts, not the absolute average. But definitely get a computer, I can't imagine not having one. Your run time was great. Overall it sounds like you did fantastic for your first race, congratulations!