Texas Man (Half) - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

To be honest, I thought I had an average swim. But looking at the results, clearly I tore up the course. To finish second in my age group and 19 overall is a terrific accomplishment. I'm sure the wet suit made me faster, but this was the highlight of the race. I had some trouble sighting off the buoys, but I would follow swimmers ahead of me. Once I found my mark on the beach after rounding the final buoy, I took off. I found the strippers (giggle) and got the suit off quickly.

The only issue from the swim was some vertigo coming out of the water. Oh, and that f***ing trudge uphill to the transition area was "fun," too.

I might actually push myself harder. I also need to test out wearing ear wax or plugs so I don't feel so disoriented coming out of the water.

I took my time during this transition. I wasn't going to medal or anything so I calmly got all my stuff together. I also had to deal with regaining some balance from the swim. This was my first race in more than a year and I did feel rusty and little slow.



Practice transitions. No so much to improve my speed but to make the process smoother.

My goal was to average 16 MPH or so. Unfortunately, I go caught up in the moment and took off with the crowd. The course consisted of two 28 mile loops. My first loops was darn good, averaging in the 18 mphs. But my energy dropped during the second loop, my average dropped, and people started passing me.

Pacing, pacing, pacing. Make a plan and stick to it. I believe I needed to spend more time training for the bike. The fact that my quads got tight tells me I have work to do.

I absolutely had to answer the call of nature during this transition. I figured better to waste the time in T2 rather than have a disaster during the run. Man on man did those minutes tick away.

But

Other than the obvious, I simply need to practice this.

Without a doubt, this was the worst experience I've had as a runner. Even before hitting the first mile, I could feel my quads starting to cramp. I was hoping I could run through them once my "running legs" kicked in. Not so much. I had to stop and try to to loosen them up. Now that my best case scenario was moot, I regrouped and began a walk one minute/run as long as a could (minimum of two minutes) for the remainder of the run. It worked. But my quads and shins repeatedly cramped up. I think I did okay keeping hydrated and cool (lots of ice in my hat), but the real battle was mentally. There were two or three times when I seriously wanted to quit.

While there are several learning points from this disastrous leg, I believe there are three main areas to focus on: 1) Train in the heat. I traditionally am not a good hot weather runner. I need to allow by body to adapt to performing in the heat while I figure out a hydration and fuel strategy to support it; 2) Don't expend too much energy on the bike leg. The cramps in my quads towards the finish of the bike leg were my first hint of something wicked this way coming; And 3) Do whatever it takes to stay injury free. Going into this race I couldn't run for two weeks due to a strained calf muscle. Ironically, my calves held up just fine today. I need to do a better job of incorporating stretching, flexibility, and strength exercises into my training routine.

None. I did get a massage. The one advantage to finishing so far back is that there was no wait for a massage. My goal for future races is to have to wait!


See above for more specifics. Overall, I will take my next race more seriously. Don't misunderstand me--I took this race seriously. But I need to be more diligent in planning and following through, and at the same time having back up training options when I can't follow my main plan.

There's plenty to learn from this experience and I can't wait to figure it all out and try this distance again.


I thoroughly enjoyed my Texas Man experience. Yes, I suffered quite a bit today, but I did it with a smile on my face. The venue is lovely, the course is challenging, and the weather...well, it was too damn hot frankly, but you can't control that. The volunteers worked their butts off keeping the athletes hydrated and cool. And the downhill finish? Priceless.

I really didn't notice the post-race activities since I was getting a massage and cooling down. I was ready to leave and eat something other than gel, salt tabs, and electrolyte drinks. I recommend this race for anybody. Pick your distance and enjoy yourself!