My pace problem

I was thinking about the upcoming NJ State Tri, and what finish time would I get. This will be my first Olympic distance, but the distance does not worry me, because I already jumped the gun and did a Half-Iron back in June. Call me crazy, but I prefer longer-distance races to the shorter ones. And it all comes down to my pacing, which in short, stinks!

In shorter races, I burn myself way too quickly, which then becomes a problem at the end of the competitions. This summer, my times for NYRR races have been slower than last year, and it probably has to do with me being placed on the same corral with the really good runners; in years past, NYRR did not have corrals, which allowed me to start a little behind the front, and pass the slower runners at my pace. This year, once the race starts I have found to my horror that I reach the mile-1 marker in 6:00ish; that is about 40 seconds faster than what I want it to be. This wrecks havoc for me in the middle miles, where I have been really struggling.

So I will attempt not to burn myself too quickly this time. Easier said than done! I will try to keep a strong but steady pace throughout, while concentrating on not wasting time in the transitions. I also need to remember to hydrate properly: it is going to be hot and humid.

I went swimming Thursday morning, and worked on sighting. I also concentrated on keeping my chin tucked in my chest, to bring my legs up, because there will be no wetsuit to help me with body position. My legs must not sink (Come to think of it, as a whole, I shall not sink. But I digress...)

After work, I went biking for an hour. After warming up, I picked up speed on a rolling hills course, for a little bit, but then just shifted to a high cadence workout. My legs feel loose and strong. Hopefully, this will remain the case at the tri.