Playtri Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Lavon Lake, Texas
United States
Play Tri
75F / 24C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 23m 2s
Overall Rank = 30/182
Age Group = M 30-34
Age Group Rank = 7/24
Pre-race routine:

Up at 5. Banana, Oatmeal Raisin Clif Bar. Showered. Loaded up. Nothing unusual. Left the house about 5:45. Sipped the big Red Powerade on the way, but left about half of it.

Legs didn't feel particularly strong, which I took as a good sign. Usually when my legs feel great, I don't do so well. When they feel a little iffy, I do well. Go figure.

Saw lightning to the east, but it was gone by the time we got to the lake. Had about a half mile walk from where we parked to the transition area. Got there about an hour before the start time. Plenty of time to get ready and relax. And put on more BodyGlide. Nice to not be rushed like we were at Iceman.
Event warmup:

Had plenty of time to do a short ride to get the bike in the right gear, and to take a couple (actually 3 this time) of trips to the Portajohn. We walked down the ramp to the water to see how cold it was. Not too bad thankfully. We were afraid it was going to be cold.

Saw David (davidb) in transition. He was doing to Olympic. Then saw Aaron (JeepFleeb) getting marked for the Olympic as well. Haley (Comet) and Shadow were taking it all in. Talked to her for a bit, then it was time to go. Our swim wave was first.
Swim
  • 10m 17s
  • 547 yards
  • 01m 53s / 100 yards
Comments:

Went out way to hard but managed to pull back after about a minute. Adrenaline rush got me, but nothing I couldn't recover from. Felt pretty good at the first buoy. Push hard after the turn, then relaxed on the way back in. Only had a couple of collisions the entire swim, which wasn't bad.

Worst part of the whole thing was that when I got to shore, I was about 10 feet to the right of the boat landing. When I tried to stand up, I sank about a foot and a half into suck mud. That was not cool. Thankfully my timing chip strap didn't come off my ankle.
What would you do differently?:

Felt nice and relaxed the whole time (other than the beginning sprint). Just needed to spot my exit a little better and avoid the suck mud. This was a good open water swim for me.
Transition 1
  • 01m 46s
Comments:

Saw David and Aaron as I came up the boat landing. Gave a little muscle flex and a grin.

Finally remembered to dry my feet off this time. No pruning today baby! Got my helmet, sunglasses, race belt, socks, and shoes on in no time and I was ready to roll.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Bike
  • 47m 49s
  • 15 miles
  • 18.82 mile/hr
Comments:

Super fast ride! Got up to speed quickly after turning on to the dam. Our swim wave was first, so it wasn't crowded the first lap. Got passed early by a couple of guys, then I started passing people. Experimented a little bit with cadence, trying to keep it in the big ring but in a lower gear. Wanted to save my legs a little for the run. Seemed to work.

The road was a bit rough, but the bad part was the amount of loose gravel on it. Every 20 seconds or so I would hit hit a pebble and hear it "ping" off the guardrails. Begged VIP for no flats. I got lucky to not have any.

Slowed way down at the first turn and expected to hit a strong headwind on the way back. Not much there. Cool. Saw one rider pulled over changing a flat. Not cool. Again begged VIP not to have one. Started playing tag with a guy on a Cervelo. I'd pass him, then he'd pass me. Shifted way down on the uphill and I slowed way down before the turnaround for the end of lap one. He didn't. He crashed about 15 feet in front of me, right on the timing mat. Managed to dodge him when I passed him but still crossed the mat. Felt sorry to pass him, but it had to be done. He was ok.

Lap 2 there were a lot more riders. The 39 and over men and the women were on the dam now. Lots of motivation to pull people in and pass them. Tried to keep my pace even and not go overboard when I was passing all the mountain bikes. That was tough. For some reason, "Good Night Ladies" was in my head. Guess that could be a sexist thing to do. Sue me. Saw two people pulled over with flats on the first half of lap 2. Still lucky.

On the way back on lap 2 I saw Shannon for the first time. She was riding as well as I'd ever seen her. The headwind had picked up a little bit on this lap, but it was still tolerable. On the way back on lap two I passed 2 Felts and 1 Cervelo. VIP was definitely kicking it.

The turn for lap 3 was nice and slow. Stayed with a high cadence the last lap. Lots of traffic on this lap. Had one girl riding in the left, but she scooted over. (Lots of first timers doing this one. I think they said 40 or so.) Saw Shannon again on her way back to finish lap one, still looking good.

The wind had definitely picked up on the way back in lap 3. Legs were screaming at me, so I relaxed on this segment. I figured anybody who passed me I would catch on the run. It was pretty slow (about 16mph), but I was still catching people, mainly mountain bikers. Surprisingly, nobody passed me. Saw a couple more people with flats (although I could have been seeing the same people over and over again). I thanked VIP for no flats.

Made the final turn and coasted down the hill to the transition area.
What would you do differently?:

Absolutely nothing. I was passing guys on Tri bikes for crying out loud! This was the fastest ride I've ever had.
Transition 2
  • 00m 40s
Comments:

Racked by bike by the brake levers instead of the seat. I didn't have the energy to lift it up. Helment and bike shoes off, running shoes on, race belt turned around. Let's fly!
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Run
  • 22m 26s
  • 3.11 miles
  • 07m 13s  min/mile
Comments:

What can I say about this run? It was awesome. Sure didn't feel like it when I started out. Legs were whiny but I made them hush. There was a little kid whose mom was working transition. He was having a good time. Got some skin from him when I went past. The I remembered my Accel gel. Slurped it out pretty quickly. Yummy. Saw Manny, the event photographer. Flashed him a Gig 'Em sign. It's posted below.

Felt very sluggish going up the first hill in the grass. The next stretch was some pretty good rolling hills. I like hills. I can catch people on them. I spotted a target about 100 yards up. Passed him. 2 more at the top of the next hill.

Finally saw Mom and Dad coming down the road pushing Drew and Houston in the stroller. They were just a bit late. Yelled hi to them as I passed. Houston saw me (which is surprising since he's not a year old for another week) and said "Da Da", but Drew missed me. Looked completely the wrong direction. Too much going on for a 4 year old I guess. Seeing them helped wake my legs up. I passed another runner at the aid station. Actually stopped for water at the aid station, which I never do. The chocolate Accel Gel wasn't bad, but I needed something to wash it down. Chugged half a cup of water and took off. That's better.

Missed the 1 mile marker so I had no idea what my pace was. Turns out the mark was painted on the ground. But I was always looking ahead for someone else to pass, so I didn't see it. Hit the turnaround point and checked my split. 11:28. "Not bad," I said to myself. "Now can you go faster?"

Yes, I can. Second half was easier. More on the downhill side. Passed 4 guys up, including one in my AG, before the aid station. Skipped the water this time. Then it was time to hit the hills. Passed 3 more people on the rollers. At that point there was nobody left in front of me that I could see. Relaxed when I hit the grass. It was all downhill from there. Mom and Dad and the boys were right before the finish line. Gave them a wave as I came in. Drew saw me this time.
What would you do differently?:

Stopping for water cost me a few seconds. Nothing major.

I had a negative split on the run! Can't complain there. Only 30 seconds from my 5K PR and 9th place run leg overall. Best tri run leg so far. Rock on!
Post race
Warm down:

Grabbed some water from my little high 5 friend from earlier. Then I walked up to play with the boys. Saw Shannon come in on the bike and we all cheered for her as she left to run.

Houston was starting to get fussy so I took him on my shoulders up the road to the dam to watch the Olympic bikers. Found Haley and John (jcagg90). Houston just about fell asleep on my shoulders, so after a few minutes we walked back.

Gave him to Dad and then took Drew up the road on my shoulders to see Shannon come in. Only got halfway up the hill when we saw her coming. Much earlier than I expected. She had a great run. Drew yelled "Go Mommy Go" about a dozen times. He had a good time.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Nothing.

Event comments:

This would be a 5 except for the conditions on the bike course. Way too many people got flats on it. Lots of DNFs on the Sprint, and I saw several on the Oly as well. Bad bull.

As for me, this was my best race ever. My swim was great, my bike was my fastest ride ever, and I top 10'd the run. Couldn't be happier.


Profile Album


Last updated: 2006-01-20 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:10:17 | 547 yards | 01m 53s / 100yards
Age Group: 12/24
Overall: 68/182
Performance: Good
Suit: Javelin Tri Top and Shorts
Course: Rectangular. Straight out to the first buoy, hung a left. Went to the next buoy and turned left to come back. Very easy to navigate with only two turns.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 70F / 21C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 01:46
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
00:47:49 | 15 miles | 18.82 mile/hr
Age Group: 12/24
Overall: 63/182
Performance:
Wind: Some
Course: 3 laps on the dam. Very flat and fast. Minor rollers at each end of the lap. Nothing bad.
Road: Rough Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering:
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 00:40
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:22:26 | 03.11 miles | 07m 13s  min/mile
Age Group: 3/24
Overall: 9/182
Performance: Good
Out : 11:28 Back : 10:58
Course: Hilly out and back. Some on grass, most on pavement. No shade. Water station about 3/4 of a mile out.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4