Clear Lake International Triathlon - Sprint Course - TriathlonSprint


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League City, Texas
United States
Outloud! Productions
85F / 29C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 17m 18s
Overall Rank = /
Age Group = 30-34 M
Age Group Rank = 10/37
Pre-race routine:

Got up at 4:15, had a little oatmeal, and loaded up the car. Got to the race at about 5:50.

Got set up in transition then headed to get my timing chip.
Event warmup:

Not much time to warm-up since we were running a little late.
Swim
  • 17m 43s
  • 600 meters
  • 02m 57s / 100 meters
Comments:

First of all, the water was disgusting. The smell of diesel and sulfur was so strong while we were treading water as to be almost overpowering.

The swim was just OK. I never felt like I could get my breathing under control and get into a good groove.

Based on the leaders times, if you eliminate a few seconds for the ladder climb at the end and adjust the distance to 600 meters, my pace was probably closer to 2:30 which isn't terrible compared to past results but still lots of room for improvement.
What would you do differently?:

Continue to work on my swimming with more coaching sessions and OWS practice. Over the next year I expect to see some real improvement. This is definitely going to be a long term process.
Transition 1
  • 00m 50s
Comments:

Good transition and flying mount.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Bike
  • 42m 52s
  • 14.78 miles
  • 20.69 mile/hr
Comments:

Great bike leg, especially since this has been my focus for most of the summer.

Since the run had been shortened I knew that the bike leg was going to be the main event for the race so I started out much harder than I normally do. After the first 3 miles I actually felt like I was getting stronger, especially as I was passing people who had already passed me.

Around mile 6 I slowed a little as the course passed along the water and I picked up a little headwind but I picked it up again. Powered up the Kemah bridge and hit 34 mph on the other side. Miles 12-14 had a bit of headwind which slowed me down a little to 18-19 mph but I still felt good and really wanted to hammer.

What would you do differently?:

Not much. I felt like I performed at 100% of my current ability.
Transition 2
  • 00m 55s
Comments:

Time is just an estimate as I appeared to have some chip issues.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Run
  • 15m 4s
  • 2.1 miles
  • 07m 10s  min/mile
Comments:

Run was pretty tough, especially when we left the shade provided by the condos in the first half mile. The latter 1.5 miles were almost entirely in the sun which took its toll. I had been expecting a water station at the exit of transition but there was not one which seemed unusual. So my first water wasn't until the turnaround. Once I hit the track I picked up the pace for the last quarter mile and had a strong finish.
What would you do differently?:

Not much. Just a plain, hot run that I threw everything I had left into.
Post race
Warm down:

Walked along the marina hoping I would not vomit.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Really just the swim. 3 minutes faster would have put be in the middle of the pack and would have possibly put me in 8th place.

Event comments:

Not sure if I'll do this race again. I like the bike course a lot but having the run shortened due to an obnoxious homeowners association two weeks before the race is annoying. Hopefully that will get resolved by next year. The swim course was the most disgusting body of water I have ever swam in and would be enough to put me off doing it next year. Additionally, if you were in the transition/staging area, there was no way to hear the announcers at the end of the pier announcing the start of the swim - a few people missed their wave because they didn't know the race was even starting.

Also, if I decide to do it next year, I'm definitely doing the Olympic just so I don't have to wait around afterwards for transition to open. I had to hang out for 2 HOURS waiting for it to open - I actually spent more time waiting around afterward than I did actually racing.




Last updated: 2011-08-29 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:17:43 | 600 meters | 02m 57s / 100meters
Age Group: 30/37
Overall: 0/
Performance: Average
Suit:
Course: Out and back in the marina
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Below average
Breathing: Below average Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 00:50
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Yes
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
00:42:52 | 14.78 miles | 20.69 mile/hr
Age Group: 12/37
Overall: 0/
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course: Loop around Clear Lake including the Kemah bridge.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 00:55
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:15:04 | 02.1 miles | 07m 10s  min/mile
Age Group: 4/37
Overall: 0/
Performance: Average
Course: A zig zag out and back through the resort.
Keeping cool Below average Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5]
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] 3