Race Result

Racer:	Gwen Corley
Race:	Lums Pond Triathlon
Date:	Sunday, August 13, 2006
Location:	Bear, DE
Race Type:	Triathlon - Sprint
Age Group:	Female 45 - 49
Time:	1:36:50
Overall Place:	133 / 478
Age Group Place:	1 / 7
Comment:	Redemption!

Race Report:

Lums Pond 2006

This race was all about getting back in the saddle. After an abysmal bonk at Diamond in the Rough, I was really in need of a race that would come together for me. My race at DiTR was such a disappointment that it was well over a week before I could speak about it without wantin' to bawl. In fact it is only just now that I am able to look at those race results and examine what went wrong.
DiTR Stats:
Run: 19:37 2005 swim-24:00
T1:1:04 2005 with wetsuit-1:38
Bike: 1:41:01 2005- 1:22:52
T2: :52 2005 :55
Run: 48:17 2005- 41:41
Final time: 2:50:50 2005- 2:31:04
Overall: 301/374 2005- 199/668
Age group: 4/6 2005- 6/23
Women's overall: 63/97 2005- 30/199

Wallowing in my self-pity I scheduled a massage for the next week and reached out to friends to help lift my spirits. I sent an S.O.S. E-mail to Dave Cascio for some input on my current training schedule. Cascio trains more intensely that most athletes I know so I knew he'd be a good one to help me get off the pity pot. Sure enough, his remark, “Getting back on the track will do you some good.” Which I did that Wednesday.
This race report will really be two races put together as I examine the mistakes I made at DiTR and contrast the success at Lums Pond so grab a cup of Joe and get comfy.

High levels of bacteria in the water at DiTR forced race officials to change the race format to a duathlon. A 5K run replaced the mile swim. This put me at a disadvantage from the start, as running is not my forte. I ran this first leg as fast as I could(mistake #1). Thinking I could spin easy in the first part of the bike to recover.
My legs were pretty spent when I got to the bike, I dorked around with my computer leaving the park(mistake #2) only to have it pop off . Luckily I was able to retrieve it without causing a bike wreck. I cursed myself and jammed the computer into my jersey pocket. I tried to get the bike going while at the same time recovering my heart rate. The bike just didn't want to cooperate. It wasn't until about halfway through the bike when I dropped my chain (mistake #3) that I realized that the front brake pad was sticking to the wheel (mistake #4 Which really should be #1 because I didn't check my bike thoroughly enough before the race). I was finally able to get some speed going on the second half of the course. Coming out of T2 my stomach started to cramp, I slowed some, stretched some. Pain got worse. I had to walk...I wanted to cry. I saw Linda Kennedy heading back into the park looking strong, she was having the race I was supposed to have. I sucked it up and jog/walked the next two miles. Finally felt normal around mile 4 and was able to put some effort into the last mile. My son greeted me at the finish line saying, “Gosh Mom, that was really slow.” Even an eleven year old could state the obvious. While packing up my gear I ran into Amanda S. and tried to act like the “tough athlete” while reviewing my race with her. With my tail between my legs I left the park and didn't stay for the awards ceremony. Bad sportsmanship, please forgive me.

Now to Lums Pond....
After discussion with my coach, Melissa Dalio, who is also one to not let me stay in self-pity mode, she suggested that I take Gas-X before the race so as to avoid any tummy trouble. One more confession here—as I prepared for Lums Pond, God reminded me that He had promised “bone deep confidence” after my Ironman. And He revealed to me that I had been acting with “cocky stupidity” instead. Triathlon at any distance, is not a race that can be entered into lightly. My pre-race Egg McMuffin sandwich, was probably another culprit to the stomach pain I experienced coming out of T-2 in my last 2 races. I quickly repented and paid closer attention to my training and race set-up. So I was back to my pre-race meal of bagel with cream cheese, power bar, coffee, and some gatorade. Only this time, I faced the reality of growing older(which is why I can't eat like I used to) and took 1 Gas-X tablet after eating and another one about an hour before the race.

The morning was brisk and it would be a perfect day for a race. I got to the race site early, in order to avoid the traffic pile up of last year. Got checked in, helmet and bike inspected, body marked, no waiting in that pre-dawn hour. Took the bike for a test ride around the parking lot. Mooched a bike pump from fellow athlete, triple checked the brake pads, set-up transition area. Went for a jog for about 15 min. to get warmed up. Chatted with newbie in transition area while looking at my set up. Mentally rehearsed transitions. Headed to swim with one gel, cap and goggles. No wetsuit, water was a toasty 80degrees. Took the gel about 10min prior to start, retrieved spent gel package after the race.
Swim:
I lined up on the right, it was a beach start so I dolphined out until it got too deep. Got a little water in the goggles, quickly adjusted and settled into race pace. After reading the latest RATS posts I was curious to see how I'd do if I didn't “red line” the swim and bike. I went hard but not too. My timing chip felt loose on my ankle so I stopped to check it to make sure it wasn't going to fall off. This was annoying and also caused me to be more conservative on the swim. Sighting was easy, counter clockwise, only three big buoys to look for. When I exited the swim I looked at my watch and realized I had pushed the wrong button, it still read: 00:00:00. I started my watch at this point. In hindsight this was pretty dumb because I didn't look at last year's times and I didn't have any real time goals. But what the heck, that's what triathletes are supposed to do, right?
Bike:
The bike was great. This course is false flats and fast! I safely negotiated the first right and then left turns. On the second right turn, other bikers are coming from the other direction on a fast straight away. I was contemplating passing the chick ahead of me, but decided to wait until after the turn. She took the turn wide and was met by a male biker who was trying to pass a pack and had crossed the center line. Somehow the female biker managed to stay upright and unscathed. The unfortunate male rider, went down hard, he was conscious but clearly not getting up anytime soon. Luckily, police were stationed at that corner, they would have help to him quickly. Slightly distracted I scurried on my way, praising God and my guardian angels that I wasn't involved in the crash and praying for a speedy recovery for the fallen athlete. I learned later that there was at least one other bike crash that day. I raced hard and calmed down a little as I came back into the park.

T2 was a little slow. I should have put my race hat on my race belt and not my shoes. This way I would have been more focused on putting shoes on and grabbing hat and belt simultaneously while exiting.

Run: Fasted 10K I have ever run! Hallelujah! * insert singing angels here* This course has always been fast for me. It's flat, in the shade, out and back, really simple. I felt really strong as I approached the finish and actually passed one woman in a younger age bracket. It always feels good to pass the youngsters.

Final Stats:
Swim: 15:48 2005- 14:28
T1: 1:16 2005- 1:10
Bike: 56:35 2005- 54:17
T2: 1:06 2005- :54
Run: 22:06 2005- 24:0
Total time: 1:36:50 2005-1:34:47
Overall place: 133/478 2005- 111/597
Age group: 1/7 2005- 7/27
Women's standings: 23/147 2005- 14/188

Final Analysis: I have done these races three time each. It is interesting to see how the times turn out. This is my fifth year racing and I still have a lot to learn. #1 lesson, don't take anything for granted. If I really wanted to over analyze these races I'd pull last years training schedule and compare it to this year's. But enough is enough. These were my big “A” races this year. Now the last two races will just be for grins and giggles.
Thanks for reading.