Clear Lake International Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic


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Clear Lake, Texas
United States
77F / 25C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 51m 34s
Overall Rank = 208/662
Age Group = 45-49
Age Group Rank = 14/22
Pre-race routine:

Two packets of grits 2 hours prior to race. Gatorade during transition set-up, gel 20 minutes before race start.
Event warmup:

1.25 mile easy run 30 minutes prior to start, light stretching, nice viewing of alligator ~50 meters from bridge, about 200 m from swim course...
Swim
  • 32h 18m
  • 1640 yards
  • 1h 58m 08s / 100 yards
Comments:

Good solid, steady swim. Breathing every stroke, right hand turns, HR was excellent. Drafted a bit for the first time, plenty of open water to pick a clear lane, just a bit of banging going on, not bad. Oyster beds 200 meters into swim tore me up, lacerations all over feet, hands, ribs.
What would you do differently?:

Could push it a bit more, do negative splits, because I was past the 500 m turn, I was into a good rhythm, good breathing and HR. The swim was really good for me, first race at this distance, and I found open water and stayed in a clear lane throughout, very little banging except for at the end--quite narrow swim exit.
Transition 1
  • 01m 19s
Comments:

T1 just OK, took time to put on a Halo sweat band prior to helmet to keep sweat out of my eyes, sat down to slip on shoes, etc. Wasn't terribly concerned with a few extra seconds.

Age group rank 7 out of 22
Bike
  • 1h 15m
  • 24.85 miles
  • 19.88 mile/hr
Comments:

Ride was pretty good for me, considering how little I've ridden the past month. I need to get in some longer training rides though.
Transition 2
  • 01m 31s
Comments:

Again, took a bit of extra time in T2, decided to wear a race fuel belt due to heat. Grabbed a sweat towel also.

Agre group rank 10 out of 22
What would you do differently?:

Nothing, wouldn't have made a difference overall anyway.
Run
  • 1h 01m 25s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 09m 53s  min/mile
Comments:

Good ~8:20 miles for the first two, then...nothing. Legs were dead, never recovered from the bike and the heat. Miserable run/walk the last 4 miles. People cramping up, walking, dragging ass the rest of the way--me among them. No shade on entire concrete course.
What would you do differently?:

Find a fall-winter-spring (anything but summer) triathlon.
Post race
Warm down:

Cold towel over the head, bottle of Gatorade, some orange slices, cold water over the cold towel on my head, light stretching, hot wings.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Heat, and lack of significant bike rides followed by 2-3 mile bricks.

Event comments:

Poorly organized.
1. Swim course unsafe due to unmarked underwater hazards and rock/oyster bed entry/exit. Gator nearby didn't come into play (thank goodness).
2. Transition exit/entrance for bike crossed over run couse, not safe.
3. Wrong time of year due to weather and water temp (high temps bring in jellyfish).


Profile Album


Last updated: 2009-08-24 12:00 AM
Swimming
32:18:00 | 1640 yards | 1h 58m 08s / 100yards
Age Group: 12/22
Overall: 0/662
Performance: Good
HR was great at finish, about 135, stayed well under control entire distance.
Suit: no
Course: Three-legged triangle course, 500m per side. VERY rocky entry/exit, oyster beds, even out to 200meters. Got quite cut up during swim portion. Swim entry was a cast-iron bitch, rocks too numerous to get over in the time between waves, ended up badly cut up. Also, a very nice feature was the unmarked rock groin about 200 m into course, covered by only 18" of water. I still have a nice scrape on my rib cage from that.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 90F / 32C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Good
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 01:19
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
01:15:00 | 24.85 miles | 19.88 mile/hr
Age Group: 17/22
Overall: 0/662
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course: Single loop course, decent paved roads except for miles 14-16, terribly rough, really ate into speed and put tremendous pressure on hands/forearms. Unguarded, or poorly controlled intersections made for some close encounters with vehicles. Heard reports of some bike-vehicle collisions, totally unacceptable.
Road: Rough Dry Cadence: 90
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:31
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Average
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
01:01:25 | 06.21 miles | 09m 53s  min/mile
Age Group: 12/22
Overall: 0/662
Performance: Bad
Course: Out and back, virtually no shade, fluid stops every mile
Keeping cool Below average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %5
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Ok
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? No
Events on-time? No
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 2