Swim
Comments: Had a really good swim considering I had to adjust my goggles twice because of water leaking. Reason I even chose this race was because it had an OWS and I wanted to practice with the wetsuit for my upcoming HIM. Course was kind of awkward but I sighted well and swam well overall. Probably one of my fastest ever swim times and I image a lot of that had to do with the suit. First race I have ever swam in a wetsuit. Not a lot of chance to do that in TX. What would you do differently?: Not much. Goggles seem to be very finicky. Once race they do great, another they leak a bit. This race they were leaky. It is always the left eye too. Transition 1
Comments: Since I had never worn a wetsuit in a race before I had never experienced the suit strippers...that was really cool. Just ran up to the mat by transition, laid on the ground for a second, then they pulled it all off for you. Took only a couple of seconds. Very nice. I was able to transition quickly and left good about it. What would you do differently?: Nothing. Went perfectly. Bike
Comments: Just an awesome bike. Roads were new cement, smooth, and as flat a course as I have ever ridden on. Kept hearing people (from the area) talk about one 'hill' on the course and it probably rose 15-20ft over 1/4mi! Ha, I loved it. I pushed hard until the last 1/4mi and felt really strong the entire time. Wish every race I did had a bike course this flat. This is really my strong suit...just hammering a steady pace. Wind was the only real factor, but nothing I wasn't used to. Really slowed everyone down on the way out but allowed us to hit 30+ on the way back. What would you do differently?: Not one thing. Sweet ride. I guess I did think of one thing, get my bike gears tuned up as I had 2 gearings that were making a lot of noise and not wanting to stay on the right cassette ring. Transition 2
Comments: Again, everything just went super good today. No issues at all. Dismount was perfect, bike rack was good, socks/shoes went right on, and then onto the run. What would you do differently?: Nothing. Run
Comments: Felt some pain between my big toe and the one next to it on my right foot almost immediately. Tried changing my foot position but nothing helped. Just knew I would have a big blister when it was over but nothing that would slow me down. Fought through a minor side stich and tired legs the first mile (which is normal for me) but still passed the first mile marker at an 8:20 pace, so I knew I was in for a good run. 2nd mi was also around an 8:20 but really picked it up the 3rd mi. Course was just awesomely flat and some nice scenery around the small lake and community. Some wind to deal with on the way out but the houses helped block a lot of the wind we had on the bike. AS I was coming withing a 1/4mi of the finish I began hearing people in the crowd yelling 'pass him'. I looked over my left shoulder and notice this guy right on my tail. I sped up and people kept yelling at this guy to pass me. My fight or flight took over and I fought. As I kept speeding up, so did he...I realized this would be a good battle. We turned the last corner with about 50y to the finish. I went into an all out sprint...something I had not done since high school!! My legs didn't know what I was asking of them but they kept pushing and fighting until the end. I ended up beating the guy by a second. He must've been known in the area as everyone was cheering him on, but I beat him to the line. I still don't know who he was, but after we crossed I looked back at him and we gave each other a good handshake for a tough battle. I had won! :) What would you do differently?: Figure out why I got this blister. Never had a blister here before, so not sure what caused it nor do I know what I could even do about it since it is between the toes. Maybe get those socks with toes would work but not sure how difficult they would be to get on in transition. Post race
Warm down: Sipped on a coke and had a breakfast burrito. Out of pure luck, I ran into a buddy from college before the race so we hung out and caught up. Waited around until they posted the race results. Once I realized I might get a medal I hung around. Ended up getting FIRST in the clyde division. I was kinda happy but knew there weren't a lot of us in that group, but I checked my age group I would have been in (35-39) and I would have come in first in that group as well. That made me very happy. I realize this is a new race and all but I had a good race and got my first ever podium finish, so I won't complain! What limited your ability to perform faster: Wind. But other than that the race went as smoothly as it could have. Event comments: This was just a great race, especially for a first time race. Course was just about perfect, plenty of volunteers, and the course was well marked and controlled by officers. Even though I had to drive 3hrs and pay for a hotel to do this race, I would absolutely do it again! I had a blast. And it benefited blind athletes! We even had one compete and finish this race. Just awesome. Last updated: 2012-02-20 12:00 AM
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United States
C Different
70F / 21C
Overcast
Overall Rank = 36/140
Age Group = Clydesdale
Age Group Rank = 1/9
This race was down near Houston so I drove down the day before and stayed at a hotel just 1mi from the start. Worked perfectly as I was up by 515, had some tea and a Clif bar, and then rode my bike over to the start
Jumped in the nice 71 degree water and did some swimming.