TexasMan Sprint Triathlon - Triathlon


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Valley View, Texas
United States
Dallas Athletes Racing
65F / 18C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 48m 2s
Overall Rank = 121/184
Age Group = M 60-64
Age Group Rank = 8/12
Pre-race routine:

Parents were unexpectedly in town so TSW stayed behind as host as I got up at 4am and left at 5am. NOTE for future...although 5am was sufficient, it couldn't hurt to get out five or so minutes earlier to offset the time spent in line at the park to both get in and get parked. Even with the delay, though, got a good transition spot and had plenty of time to get up.
Event warmup:

Got into the water and did some swimming, probably 25-50 yards, just to get acclimated (and, I'll admit, to pee).
Swim
  • 13m 45s
  • 500 yards
  • 02m 45s / 100 yards
Comments:

Was disappointed with the swim even though, at 2:42/100, it was in line with expectations. Perceived exertion is what bothered me. Got close to gasping early on and never really got over that. Swam according to plan by sighting every 11-12 strokes, but I'd intended to alternate quick looks with breathing looks (taking 4-5 deep breaths); instead, all I did were breathing looks and they were for more like 9-10 breaths because of the gasping effect I got into. Bottom line is, although time was fine, I don't feel like it was a very good swim for me, technically.
What would you do differently?:

Stay more focused on calm, smooth swimming and exhaling underwater. I'm guessing the coldness - which seems to exacerbate my lack of exhale - caused me problems here such that when I turned to breathe I wasn't getting good breaths and that eventually led to gasping. An open water phenomenon.
Transition 1
  • 03m 28s
Comments:

Love having wetsuit strippers. I'm always afraid getting on the ground for them to rip off the suit will slow me down but it probably leads to a faster T1. I jogged all the way in, despite being out of breath (again, an impact of my gasping during the swim), but i kept it going by just slowing down. Ended up with a better T1 than last year.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing for transition. Had a good one, with length mostly due to the distance from water's edge to transition entrance. Also due to being out of breathe from swim, which led to an out of breath slow jog.
Bike
  • 56m 58s
  • 16.5 miles
  • 17.38 mile/hr
Comments:

Felt comfortable overall on the bike, ended up a couple minutes slower than last year, which surprised me. Handled the hills well enough, trying not to overdo it and burn too much energy. Butt really got sore on the saddle after about 12 miles, which is worrisome. Have to confess I didn't notice my surroundings too much as I was fairly zoned in. Got passed a few times and passed a few myself. Played leapfrog with Number 74 a bit, with her passing me going uphill and gravity contributing to my passing her on the downs. Very pleasant day for a ride but the road was really rough.
What would you do differently?:

Maybe take in a little more energy...only ate one Clif Block. Drank plenty, though. Aside from that, nothing. Good ride for me.
Transition 2
  • 02m
Comments:

Good T2. Got all the bike stuff off pretty quick, racked easily; none of the folks around me had returned yet. Struggled a little with right shoe, as always. Guess I should practice on that one. Maybe took a little more time to put on my belt.
What would you do differently?:

Practice right shoe entrance. Run while putting on hat and belt.
Run
  • 31m 51s
  • 3.1 miles
  • 10m 16s  min/mile
Comments:

Pretty typical run for me these days. Overall effort level pretty good. Did walk briefly through the water stops and, I think, one other occasion but for no more than 30 seconds or so. That's probably what cost me a sub-10 minute mile. Gotta remember that. But at the finish I was pretty blown so it's not like I took a dive.
What would you do differently?:

I'd love to get through one without any walking breaks at all, save for maybe brief ones at the water stops.
Post race
Warm down:

Walked around until I got my breath back, watched some early results and checked out race times.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Gasping during the swim might've slowed me down a little. Run training, although I felt like I made a good effort on the run overall.

Event comments:

Great job, again, by Dallas Athletes Racing. I think I will forever associate triathlon with the voice of Tom Ryan, who does the pre-race shtick and the finish line announcing at DAR races, and does it with flair and gusto.




Last updated: 2019-04-23 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:13:45 | 500 yards | 02m 45s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/12
Overall: 156/184
Performance: Average
Suit: Z3 Aspire Full
Course: Clockwise square just off the beach.
Start type: Run Plus: Waves
Water temp: 70F / 21C Current: Low
200M Perf. Below average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Bad
Waves: Average Navigation: Good
Rounding: Below average
T1
Time: 03:28
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Yes
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed:
Biking
00:56:58 | 16.5 miles | 17.38 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/12
Overall: 91/184
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course: Out from the park into ranching country and back, with some decently sized hills.
Road: Rough Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 02:00
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Average
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
00:31:51 | 03.1 miles | 10m 16s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/12
Overall: 128/184
Performance: Below average
Course: Out and back from transition on paved trails through wooded areas along the lake. Lots of shade.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Ok
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5