LongHorn Triathlon Festival - Half Iron - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Austin, Texas
United States
EndorFUN SPORTS
75F / 24C
Overcast
Total Time = 5h 36m 47s
Overall Rank = 629/1991
Age Group = 30-34
Age Group Rank = 99/254
Pre-race routine:

Woke up around 4:15 and started eating. PB sandwich, banana, part of a PB Clif Bar and some pretzels, couldn't really stomach anymore!!
Event warmup:

Pretty much no warmup at all which was horrible, minus some stretching and jogging while in my wetsuit well before the start of my wave.
Swim
  • 47m 21s
  • 1931 meters
  • 02m 27s / 100 meters
Comments:

Definitely not my strong event! I've never actually swam this distance straight, I've come close in the ocean but not quite. It seemed very long. This was my first 70.3 and not knowing what the rest of the race would bring I definitely held back during the swim, not that my pace would have been blistering otherwise, but still better. Sighting went much better in this race than in previous races.
What would you do differently?:

Continue to work on stroke improvement, as well as speed an endurance. I can swim under 2:00's in the pool, it would be great to start doing that past 100m!
Transition 1
  • 06m 23s
Comments:

Definitely took my time here, I wanted to get a gel down before starting the bike. Realized my bike computer wasn't working (poor pre race checks on my part!) First 70.3, I didn't feel a need to rush through transitions.
What would you do differently?:

Pick up my pace some, get in and get out.
Bike
  • 2h 54m 21s
  • 56 miles
  • 19.27 mile/hr
Comments:

I was without a bike computer or my Garmin for the bike and was therefore completely clueless on my speed. I possibly pushed too hard on the bike, but even had I slowed down an mph I don't know that my run would have turned out significantly different. I stayed in aero a lot more than I typically do which was why my lower back was killing me the last 1/3 of the course. I'm looking forward to doing one of these races on my new bike once it is built. Had a bunch of other annoying things happen, my bottle cage broke (cheap aluminum), and the foam portion of the aero bottle cap came off while refilling, splashing me with delicious Gatorade Endurance!
What would you do differently?:

Not screw up my Garmin and check my bike computer before setting off! Replace all my bottle cages and check everything that can be tightened down before the race!
Transition 2
  • 04m 49s
Comments:

Could have been faster here, again my first 70.3 and was just trying to take my time. I always over think T2, thinking I'm forgetting something! Wasted too much time at the sunscreen station! :P
What would you do differently?:

Go faster, have my confidence that my legs won't freak out in T2.
Run
  • 1h 43m 52s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 07m 56s  min/mile
Comments:

This was the scariest part of the race for me, my best event but it was the biggest question mark for me. I skipped the Olympic distance event and honestly in my training I never had a bike/run brick where the run was any longer than 30 minutes. After the first loop my legs were heading towards a cramp, I had no idea how much I needed to take in nutritionally, if I had taken in enough to get me through, if I was already behind and wouldn't make it, if I could keep up. I really started to doubt my ability to finish without my legs blowing up. I found a cycle of taking in gels (only partials), chews, Gatorade on each lap that kept me going. I also didn't realize how crucial cooling myself would be, but learned quick and was able to manage that. Had the finish been .5 miles further away I'm convinced both legs were going to cramp, I felt like I was riding the line that close. I don't know if that is normal or not however, my guess is no!! Pace wise I wasn't thrilled with my run, but considering everything I did prior to the run I shouldn't be so down. In August I ran a straight half marathon in 1:36 (with cramping I might add), I was only 7 minutes slower here and put in 57.2 miles beforehand!!
What would you do differently?:

Longer bike/run bricks in the future, understanding the nutritional aspect of the bike/run better. Honestly, having faced this situation psychologically I think I'm better prepared already for next time. I can do it!
Post race
Warm down:

No real warm-down save for some brief stretching and walking around to collect items at T2 and bags.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

My swim will continue to bother me, I look forward to working on it during the winter. My lack of experience at this distance definitely hurt me, I enjoyed the training for this event, but I don't think I really thought through the race effectively. I decided to do this event on 3 months notice, pretty short for only my 2nd season of triathlons and never having done an Olympic distance.

Event comments:

A very awesome experience for my first 70.3. Thank you Austin, Ironman and my friend Tanya for hosting me!




Last updated: 2009-07-27 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:47:21 | 1931 meters | 02m 27s / 100meters
Age Group: 231/254
Overall: 1704/1991
Performance: Average
Suit: Xterra Vortex 3
Course: Triangle course, single loop, counter-clockwise
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 71F / 22C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Average
Breathing: Good Drafting: Below average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 06:23
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
02:54:21 | 56 miles | 19.27 mile/hr
Age Group: 129/254
Overall: 872/1991
Performance: Good
Wind: Some with gusts
Course: Single loop on mainly back roads, lots of rolling hills, almost non-stop, and many fairly sharp turns in the course.
Road: Rough Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 04:49
Overall: Below average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Average
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
01:43:52 | 13.1 miles | 07m 56s  min/mile
Age Group: 39/254
Overall: 240/1991
Performance: Good
Course: 3 loop course consisting of several smaller hills, started and finished in arena.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
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: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5