Stonebridge Ranch - TriathlonOlympic


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McKinney, Texas
United States
Playtri
85F / 29C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 59m 8s
Overall Rank = 110/265
Age Group = M30-34
Age Group Rank = 18/25
Pre-race routine:

Ate some ramen & a banana, then packed up for the site.
Event warmup:

Some stretching & a lot of sitting around since the olympic started an hour after the sprint.
Swim
  • 31m 26s
  • 1640 yards
  • 01m 55s / 100 yards
Comments:

The swim course at this race really blows. Well, let me rephrase: it really blows when it's sunny. You can't see sh*t for 1/2 of the lap because the sun is directly in your face. I was 15 yards from the exit and had no idea because the sun was blinding me. I also got some pond water in my left goggle which irritated my eye pretty badly. It got to the point where most of the 2nd lap I was swimming w/ my eyes closed. Every 8 strokes or so I'd peek out of my right eye to see if I could spot a buoy or another swimmer, but with the sun in my face that became near impossible. I just kept going in the general direction I thought was right and tried not to open my left eye at all. I almost got hit by a kayak too, like it was close enough he even said "sorry" when I came up for breath. He wasn't coming for me, he just decided to cross I guess.

Oh and I got in the washing machine a few times; I got kicked in the junk once and bear hugged a couple other times. I also swallowed more pond water than I care to recall. If that course was on a cloudy day, it would be great. But man, that sun is a killer.
What would you do differently?:

Blot out the sun?
Transition 1
  • 04m 10s
Comments:

This transition is epically long. You run out of the water, over a hill, down the other hill, through a parking lot, then through some tennis courts before you actually get to T1. It's kinda crazy. Given how far you have to run just to get to your sh!t, my T1 time was great. I know they have limited options for where they can setup transition, but that's a long way to go. Did I mention the hill you go down is steep enough to slide down?
What would you do differently?:

Move transition closer.
Bike
  • 1h 19m 15s
  • 24 miles
  • 18.17 mile/hr
Comments:

This course was harder than advertised. You leave T1 and go straight into a hill that turns right and goes up another hill. Add in the wind and I was lucky to be doing 15-16mph on the first half. Of course, once I turned into the tailwind section I was cruising at a steady 24-25mph most of the time. I used the tailwind section to get my HR down into Z1/Z2 as much as possible, but really it was more Z2/Z3. I did better at getting into the right HR on this race than my last oly, but I still need to improve. I can't eat the paste at Longhorn or I'll pay. I had some severe shin & ankle pain for most of the first 3 laps of this 4-lap course, I'm guessing I was pedaling w/ bad form or something because it eventually went away. It was excruciating for awhile, I thought I was going to have to stop at a couple of points. I need to figure out what I was doing that made things hurt so badly so I don't do it again at Longhorn.

If I have a south wind like that at the US Open, I'm going to crush that bike course.

p.s. I negative-split every 5 mile chunk on this course. Go me.

5 mile lap 1: 17:48, 16.9mph
5 mile lap 2: 17:32, 17.1mph
5 mile lap 3: 17:23, 17.3mph
5 mile lap 4: 16:58, 17.7mph
5 mile lap 5: 9:01, 20.1mph(this was ~3 miles)
What would you do differently?:

Figure out how to ride without bothering my shins/ankles, stick to my HR plan better.
Transition 2
  • 03m 1s
Comments:

T2 was a lot shorter on account of the bike coming in right at the transition area. I would have come out of here in 2 minutes or less had I not hit the port-a-john to, uhh, take care of some business.
What would you do differently?:

Colostomy bag?
Run
  • 1h 01m 14s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 09m 52s  min/mile
Comments:

This course was harder than advertised as well. There were very few flat sections, you were either going uphill or downhill probably 90% of the time. Sometimes the hills were gradual, a lot of times they weren't. I walked the aid stations - like I've taken to doing at any longer races these days - and I think that helps extend the amount of time I can run. I didn't walk at all outside of those aid stations. I slowed down each mile for the first 5 where I bottomed out at 10:33, then sped up for the last ~1.25 miles.

Oh, and I passed a guy with an IM tat about 1.5 miles before the end. I think that guy was in my AG too. He had cracked and was walking the last couple of miles. I guess I'm not that surprised, a lot of people were walking at that point. I think I moved up a few spots purely out of attrition.
What would you do differently?:

I'm not sure, it went pretty well all things considered.
Post race
Warm down:

Sat in the shade, ate food & drank water.

Event comments:

They have some very nice aspects - lanes were closed off & cops directing traffic, decent post-race food - and overall it's a good race. There were a couple of issues I had that I mentioned - the crazy long T1, the swim course setup - that I'm not sure they can do much about at the current venue. The one thing I wish they'd work on is the aid stations on the run; it could have used a little more cold water. Some stations were fine, others not so much.

It's a good race & Playtri did a pretty good job overall, but there's a ceiling on how well they can do with that venue.




Last updated: 2009-09-04 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:31:26 | 1640 yards | 01m 55s / 100yards
Age Group: 14/25
Overall: 77/265
Performance: Average
Suit: Tim's 2XU
Course: 2 loop swim course.
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 74F / 23C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Below average Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Below average
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 04:10
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Yes
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Below average
Biking
01:19:15 | 24 miles | 18.17 mile/hr
Age Group: 22/25
Overall: 141/265
Performance: Average
Wind: Strong
Course: 4 loop course w/ strong south wind
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 85
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Average Hills: Below average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 03:01
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
01:01:14 | 06.21 miles | 09m 52s  min/mile
Age Group: 17/25
Overall: 101/265
Performance: Good
Course: Hills, hills, & more hills. Oh, and not a ton of shade.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Too much
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? No
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4