Race Report: Pine Barrens Sprint Triathlon 2010

The race weekend went pretty well, and much better than last year. They moved the date to Sunday so we were able to drive down on Saturday afternoon, get settled in the hotel and go out for a nice pasta dinner. My throat had starting getting a little sore in the afternoon but I tried to just ignore it...

We were back at the hotel by 9 and lights out by 10pm. I slept okay for the combination of being in a hotel and a race night. The weather forecast for Sunday morning was "unsettled." It had rained some overnight and there were heavy clouds in the sky. The hourly forecast showed some showers in the 10 o'clock hour (about 1 hour into the race) but luckily it didn't turn into much.

Registration opened at 7:30 and we got to the site at about 7:15. We walked around a bit and inspected the beach.  

This is a very small race (only 38 people this year!) so transition area is very casual. We set up our stuff and watched the other racers trickle in.

Nearly everyone had tri bikes at this race! Honestly, I think that maybe 50% were tri bikes and 30% had clip on arrow bars! It is a long, flat bike course so being in the aero position is a big advantage here.

Before we knew it they were calling the race meeting and then it was time to head down to the water. The water here is cold but it didn't feel nearly as cold as last year. I don't know if this reality or just my own expectations. Since it was such a small race everyone started the swim at the same time.

The times in parentheses are my times from last year.

Swim: .5 miles, 14:43 (16:40); 7/38

The horn blew and we were off swimming. It felt like the water was much warmer than last year and I was able to put my head down and just swim. I sighted on every or every other breath and stayed on course well. I spent most of the swim with one or two guys near me which probably helped me stay on track. When I rounded the buoy and was heading back I got a little messed up because when I was sighting I realized that the swim caps and the buoys were the same color so the people that were still swimming in the opposite direction were confusing me. After I figured that out I spent a little less time sighting and just tried to stay straight until the other swimmers were gone. I kept looking around for any other green caps (women) but didn't see anyone.

I thought I was the first female out of the water but it turns out there was one other woman in front of me. I cut about 2 minutes off my time from last year. I think a lot of this was just being more comfortable in the water and knowing to position myself at the front of the pack.

Transition 1: 2:20 (4:18), 26/38
Transition 1 was uneventful. I tore off my wetsuit, tried to get some sand off my feet (you have to run up a sandy beach to transition) and got my shoes. When I left transition I noticed had taken me about 2 minutes. I remember that last year it took me four. What the hell was I doing for four minutes last year?!

Bike: 24 miles, 1:26:16 (1:26:42), 34/38
The bike felt pretty good but I was a bit disappointed with my time. Only a 30 second improvement from last year. There was definitely more of a headwind this year, however it was that big of a deal. I felt like I was keeping good mental focus and trying to keep up a decent average. The last four miles felt sooo long and I just wanted to be done with the bike. I'm hoping that I can put in some serious bike time this summer and try to make some improvements in this area.

Transition 2: 1:05 (2:18), 21/38
Twice as fast as last year! This is what I like to see. I forgot to grab my belt with my race number but I don't think anyone noticed (or cared).

Run: 4 miles, 36:58 (43:23), 32/38
The run was hard but it was awesome! I am so, so proud of my improvements here! I cut more than six minutes off my time from last year. My first mile split was 8:59, followed by 9:17, 9:18 and 9:24 for an average of 9:15. I really pushed in the first mile and tried to get into a fast group. The run is on a trail through the woods so it has a lot of uneven terrain and a ton of sand. I would estimate that a quarter of the run is through sand. With about a mile to go I saw another woman through the trees who I estimated to be about a minute behind me and she looked to be in my age group. I really, really did not want her to pass me so I picked it up another notch and gave it everything I had. It turns out she was in my age group but she never passed me. I finished about a minute and a half ahead of her.

Sam grabbed my camera and took a few pictures of me coming out of the woods.

 

Overall Results
2:17:55 (2:26:42)

29th of 38 total participants

5th of 9 females

1st of 2 females age 25-29

Swim: .5 miles, 14:43 (16:40)

T1: 2:20 (4:18)

Bike: 24 miles, 1:26:16 (1:26:42)

T2: 1:05 (2:18)

Run: 4 miles, 36:58 (43:23)

Final: 2:17:55 (2:26:42)

It was just starting to rain as I was finishing the run. We quickly headed back to transition and packed up our gear. Then it was time for awards. The nice thing about such a small race is that nearly everyone gets hardware!

Sam improved 15 minutes on his time from last year and won 3rd place in his age group.

I won first place in my age group. Even though there were only two of us I was still so excited to earn a metal!!

Next up is the Tolland Summer Solstice Sprint Triathlon on June 19th. This is another repeat race so it is another chance to compare improvements over last year!