Philly Triathlon - Results!

As promised, here are the results of the Philadelphia Insurance Sprint Triathlon for females 30-34, specifically, me! I came in 37th of 68 women with an official finish time of 1:58:46. For my first race, I would consider that pretty good, especially when you consider I didn't run (much). If you go by my previous blog where I considered the race over after the bike, I came in 10th. Here's the breakdown.
Swim .9 K


Time: 16:08
Rank in group: 4th
Well, I'm going to chalk up my mediocre swim performance to nerves. I hopped into the water as soon as my group was allowed and then just tread(ed?) water until 8:14am. I didn't warm up. I went out way too fast and was near dead before I reached the bridge. I managed to calm down on the way back but I had already killed any type of pacing. It was also very cloudy in the river and I needed more energy in order to swim with my head up, which I didn't have. It was nice to catch members of the groups 7 and 14 minutes ahead of me. I was tied for third coming to the finish, but I stumbled getting to the bank and was officially fourth. I am also slightly convinced that either the course was too long or the timer started us late (8:16 by my watch) because that time is really slow based on my normal moderate pacing.
What I did right: 25 years of training
What I did wrong: Out too fast, didn't set a good pace
How to improve: Go out slower. I am a distance swimmer by build; I can always catch people later when they tire.
Time that I can make up on Aug 3rd: 1 minute with a better race

T1

Time: 3:07
Rank in group: 32nd
I figure, not bad for my first transition ever (no practicing either!). I didn't run my bike out, so that surely added quite a bit of time.
What I did right/wrong: Beats me; never done it.
How to improve: RUN! My legs felt fine after the swim, so I know I can do it if I try.
Time that I can improve by: maybe 1 minute with practice and an ability to run.

Bike 24K (bike computer read 16.26mi)

Time: 54:10, 17.4mph avg
Rank in group: 25th
This is the part I am most proud of. I passed people with $7000 super-duper tri bikes on my $500 beloved road bike. I essentially learned how to ride a bike 2 months ago, so I figure that's pretty good. I'm also very happy with my average speed, considering the hills on the course. I had trouble with my front derailleur (again!) going up Strawberry Mansion ramp on my second time around, so I had to power up in medium gear. I think I did pretty well on the flat sections, usually holding around 20mph.
What I did right: pedaled my pants off
What I did wrong: Not enough training in yet.
How to improve: 1) more training 2) hit the weights and build up those quads 3) suck it up and switch to clip in shoes; I really needed more power on the hills 4) get new derailleurs (budget permitting)
Time that I can improve by: with more training and clips, I'll give myself 5 minutes
T2
Time: 2:37
Rank in group: 44th
Again, I can't run. So I walked my bike to the rack, took off the helmet, grabbed a shirt, and walked to the run out.
What I did right/wrong: duh
How to improve: see T1
Time that I can improve by: I don't know, 1 minute?
Run 5K

Time: 42:43
Rank in group: 65! that means I beat someone!
This was the most painful part for me, mentally way more than physically. I actually felt pretty good after T2 and really, really wanted to take off. But I didn't. I was a good patient and watched the entire field that I had crushed all day pass me by. It was made a little better by another girl that I talked to for most of the 5K. She was tired and felt bad for me so we just talked about how much fun our first triathlons were (she is also doing SheRox). Near the end, I looked at my watch and noticed that if I jogged, I could break 2 hours, so I left my new friend behind and jogged the last 1/4 mile. Well, that was so much fun, I sprinted the last 1/10 mile and finished in 1:58!
What I did right/wrong: Got shin splints, then a stress reaction, then didn't rest appropriately.
How to improve: Keep up the rehab, then when the pain is gone, get my butt back on the trail in my new shoes.
Time to improve: 17-18 minutes if I can run my usual 8 min miles
Overall time that I can drop: 26 minutes with a perfect race, meaning 1:32 and a top five in this race.
On a side note (Oscar acceptance speech!), thanks to my family and friends for supporting me on this, especially my awesome husband Darren, who was at nearly every leg of the race (wearing yellow so I could find him) cheering me on. I can't wait to do it again. The training has made me so much happier and calmer, and helped me drop from 150lbs at Christmas to 135 this morning, which I am so so proud of. Now I just have to continue to train, lay off the junk food I love so much, and get ready for August 3rd.