The AVIA Austin Triathlon - Olympic Course - TriathlonOlympic


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Austin, Texas
United States
High Five Events
80F / 27C
Sunny
Total Time = 3h 31m 15s
Overall Rank = 235/285
Age Group = 45-49
Age Group Rank = 18/22
Pre-race routine:

Arrived at Jackie's house on Sunday around noon and we had a great time doing the expo, bike check-in, course scoping, etc. 3:30 am alarm on Monday morning, normal breakfast, picked up Jackie's daughter, and off we went. Arrived around 5:30, with plenty of time to get transition set up. Checked blood suger, and it was 398, ugh! Took 1 unit of insulin. Found the most wonderful volunteer who let me stash my pump by the swim out and said she would hand it to me as I exited the water. Watched the pros/open wave go off, and just felt really, really nervous this time. Jackie prayed for me on the spot, and I was so grateful for that.
Swim
  • 42m 25s
  • 1640 yards
  • 02m 35s / 100 yards
Comments:

Once I got in the water, I felt much more relaxed. I think the whole idea of having to tread water had me wigged out since I had not practiced it, but I mostly held onto the dock until we were off. Started towards the back of my wave, and my breathing was good from the get-go. Another gal and I bumped into each other, and we appoligized to each other. As it turned out, we swam most of the rest of the time side by side, which was oddly comforting. The 20-something guys wave was right behind us, and many of them caught us, but only a little contact. Finished without incident, and was not particularly tired, but was a little unsteady on my feet heading into T1.
What would you do differently?:

Be less timid. I stopped way too much to sight instead of taking quick looks. I need to have more confidence in my ability to just keep swimming and trust that the group is headed in the right direction. I also swam very easy, mainly just wanting to make sure I had enough gas to finish. Wasn't until the very end that I started to pull a bit harder.
Transition 1
  • 06m 55s
Comments:

Long run from swim out. I put my sandals on, but that was a bad idea, so I shucked them. Got to my bike, and my feet were covered in dirt and grass, so took some time to wipe them off. Sat down to do that and put bike shoes on. Tested BG, and it was 360, ugh! But knew I still had insulin working from previous bolus, so left it alone.
What would you do differently?:

Don't try the sandals. Really just need to move faster.
Bike
  • 1h 32m 39s
  • 24.85 miles
  • 16.09 mile/hr
Comments:

I'm very happy with this ride. It is the first time I have averaged over 16 mph in a race. Considering it was my first OLY and a somewhat hilly course, I am celebrating that. I also passed a number of people on the uphills (many of them caught me on the downhills), but that was also a new experience.
What would you do differently?:

Not much other than continue to work on my bike skills and endurance. Interesting that my HR was not all that high and went down on each loop. Perhaps I could have pushed it harder.
Transition 2
  • 04m 8s
Comments:

Did not test in transition, so my overall slogginess was the only factor slowing me down here.
What would you do differently?:

Run more w/ bike. I walked part of the way.
Run
  • 1h 05m 7s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 10m 29s  min/mile
Comments:

1st mile included a bathroom stop, so lost 1:20 there. By mid mile 3, my legs started to cramp. First top/inside of one knee, then the other. Then a couple different places on my calves. Walked a number of times to try and work that out...would ease up a bit, but the minute I stared running, they seized up again. Finally decided it was not going to kill me, and ran in the last mile with a minimum of walking.
What would you do differently?:

Need to do more bricks. I don't think my legs were as ready for going from bike to run as they could be. The cramps, while painful, I think scared me more than anything since this was a new experience (outside the water), and I think I could have run more and walked less. Legs were the limiter, not cardio.
Post race
Warm down:

Milling about at the post race party. Found Jackie and her daughter, and found out that Jackie got 3rd in her AG in the sprint. Yay!!! Tried to get a massage, but got in line too late. Went to the beer tent, but could only drink about 1/3 of a beer. Opted for some coconut water insted, which was really good. Got to see Jackie get her award, and then we headed back to her house for a quick shower. Drive home took about 4.5 hours due to holiday weekend traffic, but that included a stop in West for some Kolaches to bring home :).

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Since this was my first OLY, I was very conservative. Was really worried about the swim, and bike, and as it turns out, the run is what got me at least from a physical standpoint. In the swim, I need to swim harder in the OW, sight more efficiently and sight less. Definitely need to do more bike/run bricks in training.

Event comments:

Very well run race! Great job to the race director and volunteers! Swim was better supported than any race I have done. So nice to see all those kayaks out there. Volunteers were AWESOME. Wish I could properly thank the gal who handed me my bag w/ insulin pump in the swim out. Pre-race meetings were well done, and shirts, hats, finisher medals were awesome. Very glad that I got to do this one as my first OLY. Only suggestion would be at the bike split for more laps vs. final lap, to station the volunteers with the signs well before the cones. By the time I saw them, I was already to the right of the cones and had to go back through them to get back to the left and on the course.




Last updated: 2011-08-05 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:42:25 | 1640 yards | 02m 35s / 100yards
Age Group: 19/22
Overall: 0/285
Performance: Below average
Suit: Zoot Tri top and shorts
Course: Rectangle, very well marked, lots of kayaks on the water.
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 82F / 28C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Below average
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Average Navigation: Below average
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 06:55
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
01:32:39 | 24.85 miles | 16.09 mile/hr
Age Group: 16/22
Overall: 0/285
Performance: Good
Overall ride: Avg HR 160, Max HR 176 Loop 1: 16.7 mph, avg HR 166, 1 shot block Loop 2: 16.4 mph, avg HR 159, 1 shot block Loop 3: 16.4 mph, avg HR 157 Final portion headed back to transition: 11.1 mph
Wind: Strong with gusts
Course: Really neat course. Riding straight up to the capital building (X 3)was awesome. Most of the hills were gradual, only 1 steeper hill, but not very long. The place where you had the choice to go for another loop, or head to transition was a little confusing the first time. Volunteers telling the "through traffic" to go left came after I was already to the right of the cones, so on the first lap, had to cut back through the cones to get back to the left.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 04:08
Overall: Below average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Below average
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
01:05:07 | 06.21 miles | 10m 29s  min/mile
Age Group: 15/22
Overall: 0/285
Performance: Below average
Overall HR Avg 166, Max 181 1 - 9:50 (166/171) -- included a bathroom stop that cost me 1:20 -- tested and still high, so bolused another 1.5 units 2 - 10:02 (164/172) 3 - 10:34 (165/171) 4 - 10:58 (168/174), sports drink @ water stop 5 - 11:05 (166/173) 6 - 10:07 (171/176) 7 - 8:51 (179/181) Blood sugar after finish was 122, so that last bolus finally did the trick.
Course: 2 loops. Pretty flat, mixture of dirt, roads, and grass. Very dusty.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Too much
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Below average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
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? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5