Cactus Challenge Triathlon - Olympic - TriathlonOlympic


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Austin, Texas
United States
3D Racing
80F / 27C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 45m 34s
Overall Rank = 17/90
Age Group = 25-29
Age Group Rank = 5/14
Pre-race routine:

Drove down to Austin. Swam in Barton Spring the day before (Love that place!). Big pasta meal the night before with my sister, husband and friend. Went back to hotel, laid out my stuff and got a great nights sleep. Usually I'm too nervous to sleep but I was great this time. Woke up before the alarm went off. Put on my gear and packed my transition. I had dropped off my bike the night before so it was nice to not have to worry about that. We were there right when transition opened. Set up my stuff, walked down to the water to check out the course. Hit the restroom (portapotty) and finished setting up my transition. Meal consisted of the usualy, banana, bread with peanut butter, oj and lots of water. It works.
Event warmup:

Didn't warm-up this time, just walked, stretched, and got in the water.
Swim
  • 22m 49s
  • 1640 yards
  • 01m 23s / 100 yards
Comments:

I had a blast on the swim. It was so much fun! I could go forever with a wetsuit! I got off course at the beggining because I was watching the swimmer in front of me. Once she messed up and got us both off course, I stuck with my own spotting. I did wear blue lense goggles. They were great for the sun but color blocked the orange of the bouys so I could only see their shape and not their color. I'll get some smoke goggles next time.
What would you do differently?:

Stay on my own course and spot for myself. I had a blast!
Transition 1
  • 02m 49s
Comments:

I love transistions because I get into my own little zone. I used a foot bath which helped after the long run up the hill to transition from the water. My shoes went on perfectly, I grabbed my sunglasses and helmet and was off. My timing chip did get pulled off while getting off my wetsuit, but it was no problem getting back on. Like in the past I didn't use socks.
What would you do differently?:

After the run, I may consider putting on socks at T1 in the future for this length of race.
Bike
  • 1h 22m 2s
  • 26 miles
  • 19.02 mile/hr
Comments:

The first lap was tough because you didn't know what was coming. All of the men that I passed in the water were getting out while I started my second lap and they were hungry to pass me and other people. But once I knew what was coming, the laps seemed to get easier and go faster. I suck at hills because I don't have any to train with, so shifting and climbing was difficult. I had a blast though on the bike and felt like I was going at a great pace for me. Took two gels on the course, lap 2 and lap 4 and felt like they helped.
What would you do differently?:

Find some hills and train on them!
Transition 2
  • 01m 8s
Comments:

I love transitions because they give me a chance to catch-up. I put on my shoes (no socks), grabbed my number belt, hat and a change of sunglasses which I put on while I was running. Grabbed a water on the way out. The no socks will be a bad decision in about two miles.
What would you do differently?:

Put on socks at some point.
Run
  • 56m 47s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 09m 08s  min/mile
Comments:

This was tough for me. I felt great going out to the run, no rubber legs (thanks brick days), and had a low heartrate 159. The first part was shaded running along the outside of the park. I was happy. Then you round the corner and they have this stupid, run up a slight grade and back. It's just runners running in a single file with no shade. I still felt okay running down the grade, mile one down. Then back through the shaded area, and I see running making their way to the finish and I think, wow that was quick. But I'm sadly mistaken, the course goes way back into the park and down a hill, then you have to climb this nasty hill at the very end. It was right around mile three that I started to get some nasty blisters and my feet felt like they were on fire. My heart rate was fine though and my body was still able to go. I finished 3.1 and started on the second half. This was ugly! Side cramps, heat, and blisters started to take over. I had to walk twice to take a breath and let the cramps subside. I just kept pushing and saw my goal time of 2:30 go away.
What would you do differently?:

Socks! I think that when you get tired your mind starts to look for reasons to slow down. I tried to ignore them and run through them, but next time I will not give myself a "reason" to slow down. My heart rate never climbed too high so I knew I had it in myself.
I will also train on hills so that I can deal with them better.
Post race
Warm down:

Had to get on the road right away to get home. Tried stretch a bit, but couldn't go much else. Will pay for it in the coming days.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Mental tiredness, blisters, heat.

Event comments:

It was a really fun race! Announcer was great, organized with lots of volunteers and cold water and Gatorade. Swim was great. Austin is such an intense Tri-community, it's a little intimating to come into from Kansas, but I learned so much! 3D racing did a very nice job despite the late start; they took care of the situation and kept safety in mind. I had a really nice time and would defiantly do this race again!




Last updated: 2006-02-05 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:22:49 | 1640 yards | 01m 23s / 100yards
Age Group: 1/14
Overall: 2/90
Performance: Good
Suit: Tri-suit and Xterra wetsuit
Course: Lake course, with large orange bouys set in a triangle pattern. Went out to the right and always kept the bouys on my left side.
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 68F / 20C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:49
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Yes
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
01:22:02 | 26 miles | 19.02 mile/hr
Age Group: 5/14
Overall: 0/90
Performance:
Wind: Little
Course: Hilly course with great straigh-aways, then short rides and wide turns. Gravel to watch for throughout the course. A lot more hills than I'm used to in Kansas! Four laps for the Olympic distance.
Road: Rough Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Below average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:08
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:56:47 | 06.21 miles | 09m 08s  min/mile
Age Group: 8/14
Overall: 0/90
Performance: Below average
Course: Grass cross country trail run. Some slight hills on the first 1.5 miles, then a nice smooth run, which you think only loops around slightly when you see runners coming towards you, but you are sadly mistaken. The course then goes way back into the back of the park down a gradual hill, then the crazy race directors think will be funny to put a long steady climb for the last mile. It is horrible! Olympic had to do that trail twice.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %4%
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? No
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 4