Lone Star Triathlon Festival - Quarter - TriathlonOlympic

Started the swim in the middle to the front of the group, which was the right place as I didn't pass too many in my AG and didn't get passed by too many either. Earache from the previous day was gone for the most part but swam with earplugs. Today's pace was what I expected compared to my pace during the sprint (a 9 second differential per 100m), so I think the sprint distance was a little off.

Nothing.

Transition time was the same as the sprint the day before. Ran from water taking off cap/goggles, tucking cap goggles into tri-top, and letting the wet suit strippers do their job. Put on helmet/glasses, sat down to put on socks/shoes and take a drink. Ran out of transition and clipped in pretty easily.

First off, I should have brought the towel & shammy that I had the day before. Other than that, there were several things I could have done to be quicker, none of which I've practiced or felt comfortable doing (riding sockless or putting shoes on while clipped to the bike). Need to remember to take cap and goggles out of tri-top. Not sure how I didn't notice it for the entire 28-mile ride and through T2. I was .5 miles into the run before I noticed it...threw away the cap and kept the goggles in the back of my shorts...not sure if I'll ever wear'em again!!

Good bike course, except for the one road with speed bumps that leads to the seawall. Pushed alot harder today than yesterday. Was passed alot more today than yesterday, which helped to keep me motivated and to keep pushing. Averaged about 19mph on the first half of the course and was somewhere between 22-23mph most of the second half.

I'm riding on a used Trek 2000SL road bike that's about 6 years old that I paid $300 for so I'm pleased in that it's working for me. Most everybody that passed me was on a tri-bike with a few road bikes w/ aerobars. Wondering if a tri-bike (or even clip-on aerobars) would make a significant difference but not ready to commit to the purchase since this is only my second tri.

Only bad point was that my bike shoes/socks were soaking wet. I put on my race belt/bib first today so I wouldn't forget it like I did in the sprint the day before (oops!). I sat down changed socks before putting on running shoes. In the sprint I ran in the Zoots but today in my lace-up adidas, which added some time.

How about use the yankz I purchased 2 months ago or run in the Zoots? I imagine I could have cut a full minute off T2 if I would have done things differently. How about looking in your shirt to make sure there aren't any goggles or cap stuffed inside. Wake Up Mark!!! I was a full minute quicker during the sprint the prior day.

Quads were tight the entire time and they didn't loosen up like I hoped. By the time I started running the sun was high in the sky and it got warm pretty quick. Was glad I only had two loops whereas the half-IM'ers had four laps and probably wouldn't hit the run course for another hour or so when it was even hotter. Glad I put on sunscreen before the race and was wearing a run hat.

Do some more bricks with higher intensity or longer bike rides. I haven't had tightness in my quads like that since my first brick a couple of months ago.

Waited for some friends to finish, hung out, ate some food and drank a beer. Was tired and hamstrings were tight. I headed back to the hotel and showered. Looking forward to a day...or two...or three off from training.


I think I should have taken more fluids (split b/t Endurox R4 and Gatorade) during the bike to prevent the quad cramping during the run. I thought I drank enough water after the race, but had a headache about two hours after the race was over (I'm guessing the beer may have contributed also). I should have spent more time on the bike. I've only been on a handful of rides over 30 miles and only one over 50 miles, though lots of 1.5-2 hour spinning sessions. I think the goal of doing a half-IM by the end of the season may be a bit much unless I can ramp up the training (not sure I have the time though). It was nice having the family at the race during the sprint and wish they could have been there for this race too, though it would have been too hot and too long for a two- and four-year old to sit happily and wait for their dad to cross the line. Though when I did get home my oldest loved the finisher's medal. Lastly, at 6' and 190+ lbs, I'm at a bit of a disadvantage to some of the faster guys out there...if I drop 10+ pounds maybe my run/bike might get quicker.


Great race. Friendly/helpful staff and volunteers. Keith and crew did a great job of making sure people are informed of everything going on with the race in the weeks and days leading up to the race. Good swag.