Buffalo Springs Lake Ironman - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Lubbock, Texas
United States
70F / 21C
Sunny
Total Time = 6h 32m 9s
Overall Rank = 671/
Age Group = 30-34
Age Group Rank = 97/
Pre-race routine:

Woke up at 3:30 AM. Ate a Clif Bar and drank water & gatorade. Mixed up perpetuum. Watched the weather to see if the stroms would hit us.

There was a fair amount of wind and stormy looking weather before the race. I took my time setting up, in case the storms hit.
Event warmup:

Hiked down the hill to the Transition area. Yes, I do consider this a warm up! Swam about 50M in the cove before the start.
Swim
  • 31m 9s
  • 2112 yards
  • 01m 28s / 100 yards
Comments:

This was the swim of my life! Everything just clicked. The start was a bit crazy: lots of bumping. I did catch a foot to the face one time but managed to recover and keep going. After the 3rd turn, I looked up and found myself in the middle of the previous wave. I didn't get a good look at my watch until I was out of the canyon on the bike. I knew at that point I had a really good swim.
What would you do differently?:

Maybe try to start closer to the front of the pack. I think most of the Olympian swimmers would pull away quickly and it would be easier to find a draft or open water more quickly without needing to swim around the whole pack.
Transition 1
  • 03m 9s
Comments:

Not a bad transition. It was nice to have carpet all the way down to the transition.
What would you do differently?:

Maybe practice with the wetsuit to see if I could get back one minute or so.
Bike
  • 3h 17m 35s
  • 56 miles
  • 17.01 mile/hr
Comments:

Hills. Wow, I underestimated this bike course. I have never completed anything that difficult. The hills and flats in the first 15 miles were not a problem. By the time we got to the winding climbs I was starting to get pretty tired. One guy in transition told me that I should concentrate on hydration, so that's what I did. It helped me get through this course.

My gearing has been acting up ever since I got my bike back from the LBS. It just won't shift right. I spent a lot of time screwing with the gears during the ride - an annoyance and it probably cost me some time but, I made it through fine.

This course had everything. Hills, flats, wind. It was really beautiful. Mile 40 the wind started and so did the cussing. :-) It felt great to finish this bike. I felt really good about my speed considering the difficulty.
What would you do differently?:

Train on hills. I think this race gave me some confidence to go out and find some hilly training grounds.
Transition 2
  • 04m 9s
Comments:

My feet were toast after the ride. Not sure why, but they just really ached. It felt really good to be off the bike.
What would you do differently?:

I need to work on getting out of the shoes on the bike and running in my bare feet.
Run
  • 2h 36m 6s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 11m 55s  min/mile
Comments:

The run course was beautiful as well. I think the first 3 miles (around the lake) were a reward for finishing the bike. I met up with a cool guy for about a mile or so and we talked about the bike course. His pace was a little faster than mine and he took off after a few minutes of nice conversation.

I decided to take a cautious approach on the run. My first goal was to finish and if I failed it would have been on the run. I walked through each aid station and only ran 3/4 of each hill. I was really worried about my back acting up or getting dehydrated on the course. I would guess I gave up at least 17 - 20 minutes in walking time during the run.

The turnaround was a great moment for me. Mentally I knew I would finish. That was such a boost after the long flat in the baking sun. Did anyone else hear the buzzing powerlines overhead??!?

The aid station at mile 4 / 9 was the best on the course. I really liked climbing the hill after mile 9 and the descent into the canyon afterward. At the bottom of the hill you could hear the announcer at the finish and there was a great reward lap around the lake to bring you home. The shade was a welcome relief from the sun.
What would you do differently?:

I think I could have gone much harder on the run. Looking back I probably should have modified my plan to walk at every other aid station. This would have given me a sub 6:30 finish.
Post race
Warm down:

I walked around a little, tried to get a massage, packed up and left for the hotel.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Fear. Turns out I was pretty afraid of the distance- especially the run. I think I was too conservative on the run and next time I will go much harder.

Event comments:

This was an amazing experience for me. I'll definately do this race again.




Last updated: 2005-12-30 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:31:09 | 2112 yards | 01m 28s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 274/
Performance: Good
Suit: Wetsuit
Course: 1.2 mile open water lake swim. Wave starts (approximately 100 per wave), rectangular course counter clockwise, entry at beach area and exit on cement boat dock area, within 20 yards of the transition area.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Good
Waves: Good Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 03:09
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
03:17:35 | 56 miles | 17.01 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 611/
Performance: Average
Wind: Some with gusts
Course: 56 miles, modified out and back, out of town farm to market roads, limited traffic, flat with 8 challenging hills, ranging from 2.9% - 8.9% grade and a quarter of a mile to 1.2 miles in length. These are good asphalt roads with some shoulders.
Road: Rough Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Average Hills: Below average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 04:09
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Below average
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
02:36:06 | 13.1 miles | 11m 55s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 640/
Performance: Below average
Course: 13.1 miles, asphalt, flat with 3 challenging hills, ranging from 6.4% - 7.6%(not the same hills as found on the bike course) grade. The hills are approximately 300 yards to 880 yards in length. Partially shaded, tough, scenic course.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Too hard
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4