Tejas Triathlon - TriathlonSprint

We were the 3rd wave and it was men 45 & up; 84 guys altogether. A little crowded, but not too bad. Started towards the back and concentrated on a steady stroke and breathing rhythym.

Got the usual amount of kicks and knocks. Had a real close call with a heel to the cheek. Another inch over and I would have taken a bad one.

Felt like I couldn't get full enough breaths and I was breathing almost every stroke. Just focused on relaxing and thinking positive thoughts. I knew I wasn't swimming fast, but I wanted to be consistent.

About 200 yards to go and me and another slow guy keep bumping into each other. A whole damn lake and he's drawn to me like a magnet. At one point, I slowed down, went behind him and got on his left side. Then he promptly starts heading into my right side. Funny how that works.

Finally the lake edge and we're done. I beat him out of the water. A small swim victory.

No issues during this race, just slower than usual. Still rebuilding to being just slow instead of ultra-slow. Taking 6 months off hurt my swim, that's for sure.

A bit of a run from the water to TA, but I hit it hard and never took it easy from there on.

Like an ugly girl at the dance; there was my bike all by itself on the AG rack.

Another great T1; 2nd in AG, only missed 1st by 1 second.

Today promised to be a fast bike with a flat, smooth road, and because we were in the early wave, no wind.

Mounted cleanly. It always fascinates me how folks will stop right at the TA exit to mount and create a traffic jam. It's so easy to run another 10 feet and get clear.

This is the part of the race where I make up for my poor swimming. Pushed hard and kept the hammer down. I was content to breath hard and make the legs hurt some. There were a few turns and corners, and I would stand up on the pedals and sprint hard coming out of them. Felt like I was one of the boys in the Giro. ;)

I passed a bunch of guys from our wave and 7 were my AG. Several young guys from the wave behind us passed me, so I wasn't the only one having a fast ride.

The police did a good job with traffic control, but one cop almost directed a car to turn in front of me. I saw it shaping up and was on the brakes. At the last second the car stopped. Dang that was close. Lost some speed there.

Other than that; a perfect ride under perfect conditions. Drank about 10 ozs of G-ade from the Bud Lite aero bottle. (That thing works great.)

Got out of the shoes before the last turn into TA.

Nothing. Rode as hard as I could, made no errors.

Came in like a pro on 1 pedal and hit the ground running at the dismount line.

1st in AG, 2nd place was 8 seconds slower.

Nothing, smoked it perfectly.

4 years of doing this; I got my technique down and everything.

A volunteer hollered at me as I was leaving that I needed my race number. "GOT IT", as I passed her. (She didn't know I already had it in my shorts.)

Came out T2 determined to keep the intensity level up. Disregarded the grass in the shoes, the tender toe with its new toenail, the crampy legs, and the side stitch.

The legs smoothed out and the stitch went away once the breathing stabilized into my typical pattern.

From then on, not much to discuss; it was just a matter of pounding away. Passed 2 more guys from my AG early on and could find no others in striking distance. Just concentrated on racing the clock and keeping the pace up.

With no rabbit to chase, I started to fade a little at the 2-1/2 mile point, but was able to kick the last 1/4 mile to finish strong.

Nothing, ran as hard as I could.

Today's run was pretty much my standard race pace.

The usual: Walked around, ate some pizza, drank some drinks, talked with a guy I've been seeing for 4 years now at these local races.

I know there were newish BT'ers here, but I don't know who they are or what they look like. All sweaty triathletes look pretty much the same.

Packed my stuff and left.


My bike, run, and transitions were solid as usual, slow swimming will always hinder me. You can't spot the competition 4-5 minutes at the start and be near the podium.

My fitness has leveled out and this is my typical sprint race performance.


This was my 4th year to do this race. It's always well-run, the venue is great, and the field is very competitive. No complaints about anything. Saw the RD and his wife as I was leaving and complimented them on another outstanding event.

I love this race because the RD is a triathlete in my AG and he always takes care of us old guys with an early swim wave and a well placed TA rack.

The only reason I rated it a "4" was no post-race music or beer, but those are minor issues.