Race Result

Racer:	Amanda Shuman
Race:	Diamond In The Rough
Date:	Saturday, July 8, 2006
Location:	Perryville, MD
Race Type:	Triathlon - International Distance
Age Group:	Female 25 - 29
Time:	2:20:26
Overall Place:	7 / 97
Age Group Place:	2 / 20
Comment:	Changed to a duathlon: 2.5 mi/ 27 mi / 5 mi

Race Report:

2.5 mi: 17:29 7:00
T1: 1:01
27 mi: 1:23:42 19.4
T2: 0:50
5 mi: 37:26 7:30
total: 2:20:26 2/20 F25-29 7/97 F
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A good day for me to race, I could feel myself peaking mid-way through the week during a run workout. I was disappointed they cancelled the swim since I would like to know how my swim training has been going. On the other hand, I always do better in duathlon, so I wasn't *that* disappointed.

The first run I decided to try something new and it worked: going out fast for the first .25 miles to get ahead of the crowd. I kept 3-4 women in front of me.

Oh, it was my first race where I borrow the cycling team's specialized tri-spokes. Never tried race wheels before but I think they added something mentally. I "felt" fast. No women passed me on the bike.

As I neared T2, I looked down at my water bottles on the bike. I still had a bottle full and the other bottle was nearly half way full. Ugh. Time to start chugging. In T2, I got lost between racks briefly and then I couldn't find my towel. Oops.

The last 5 miles my quads started cramping. I didn't take enough fluids on the bike and all I'd been drinking was gatorade (d'oh!). Luckily, since I was peaking, I still ran 7:30 miles with quads cramping. Yes, it hurt, but it just goes to show what my body is capable of when it is peaking. Maybe I should try working on that more often.

Lessons learned:
- in duathlon, start the run out fast, maybe first 400-800m, and then settle into a good pace.
- on the bike, remember being at the Wakefield rides, where I always work really hard to keep up and my heart rate soars. If I can make it through 16-25 miles of that hammerfest, this is no problem.
- pay more attention to nutrition on the bike and try to find something nutritionally better than gatorade, switch to perpetum or add gels to water?
- work on scheduling races, training, and RECOVERY to peak at specific times. In my case, I think I didn't have enough recovery (particularly mentally) before the Columbia tri. I need to remember that while training and racing are important, so is some time AWAY from both.

All in all, it was a good race to end my few years with the RATs. My next race is scheduled for Santa Cruz, CA on Sept 24. I will be in China until around the time I move (after Sept 1). Thanks to everyone for the socials, rides, and race day fun. :) Good luck to Keith, Kevin, et al, for the future of RATs!

~Amanda