Oktoberfest Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Fulshear, Texas
United States
i Tri Event Productions
65F / 18C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 25m 24s
Overall Rank = 72/269
Age Group = 40-44
Age Group Rank = 9/18
Pre-race routine:

Slept past alarm, thankfully my friend Shane woke me up @ 4:40 a.m. Blood sugar was high, took nearly a full bolus, ate a breakfast bar and a Rocktane. Got to the race right as transition opened.
Event warmup:

Jogged about 3/4 of a mile about an hour before the race started.
Swim
  • 09m 49s
  • 400 meters
  • 02m 27s / 100 meters
Comments:

Tried to relax at beginning and swim slowly and smoothly. Felt good for first 100m or so, but as usual I ran out of air and had to start doing breast stroke and fundamental backstroke to keep going. Wetsuit helped tremendously. Shocked by final ranking and had no idea I was in the front of my age group during the race.
What would you do differently?:

Train more - haven't really swum in months.
Transition 1
  • 02m
Comments:

Thought I'd save a few seconds by putting shoes on in T1 but cinching down the straps on the bike. Mild mistake, but it didn't cost much time. Won't be doing that again. Got out of wetsuit relatively easily compared to previous tri's. Had no issues connecting to insulin pump.

Time is estimated, btw, as many of us obtained no T1 time.
What would you do differently?:

Eat more (see T2 notes).
Bike
  • 45m 32s
  • 14.7 miles
  • 19.37 mile/hr
Comments:

I was probably 8th on the bike but reported 10th b/c 8 and 9 had separate transition times but I didn't. Bike positioning didn't feel very good as I felt really stretched out and weird - I felt like I didn't have a good angle over my pedals (I recently lowered my bars to be more aero but that contributed to the poor overall body positioning, methinks). Had a good split, nonetheless.
What would you do differently?:

Don't stop pressing, carry sports drink on the bike (and drink it).
Transition 2
  • 02m 31s
Comments:

Did a blood sugar test and reading of 100 freaked me out b/c of pre-race high blood sugars (~240-280). Ate two gu's and dug into the race bag for a third to carry on the run.
What would you do differently?:

Use sports drink on ride.
Run
  • 26m 9s
  • 3.1 miles
  • 08m 26s  min/mile
Comments:

Felt rough coming off the bike (what's new?). Took about the usual mile to get the breathing and heart rate under control. Worried a bit about the blood sugar but it all worked out fine. Pleased with the pace - can't really expect much more at this point.
What would you do differently?:

Should have stretched more before the race - calves felt really tight at the beginning of the run.
Post race
Warm down:

Not much - drank water and put a cool towel over my head and waited for Shane and Hal.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Blood sugar issues and overall conditioning.

Event comments:

I thoroughly enjoyed this race. The only real nitpick was the lack of water pre-race. Once the race started, however, I thought things went great, the course was excellent and the conditions really couldn't be beaten. The course was well marked and easy to follow. I was a bit nervous about it b/c the website wasn't very good and there were a few mild course changes at the last minute, but again they were well marked and easy to follow. The volunteers and the police did a great job controlling and directing traffic, as I had no issue bouncing out of and back into the neighborhood across traffic.




Last updated: 2011-10-24 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:09:49 | 400 meters | 02m 27s / 100meters
Age Group: 2/18
Overall: 0/269
Performance: Good
Time includes ~ 40 seconds of running between shore and entrance to T1 (where timing mat was placed)
Suit: Sleeveless
Course: Fish hook from small pavilion out to buoy, straight line to shore. Not at all sure if distance was accurate (it looked long, but the time suggests it was pretty close, I dunno).
Start type: Run Plus: Waves
Water temp: 75F / 24C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Below average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:00
Performance:
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
00:45:32 | 14.7 miles | 19.37 mile/hr
Age Group: 10/18
Overall: 0/269
Performance: Good
Time is estimated b/c official time combined T1 and bike splits.
Wind: Little
Course: Flat clockwise loop in rural Fulshear/Katy area. Cones were a little tight, leaving just enough room for 2 wide in many portions. Some of the curves were coned off more tightly than I would have liked, as I came very close to going off the course a few times trying to fly around corners.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Average Hills:
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 02:31
Overall: Bad
Riding w/ feet on shoes Bad
Jumping off bike Bad
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
00:26:09 | 03.1 miles | 08m 26s  min/mile
Age Group: 10/18
Overall: 0/269
Performance: Good
Course: Nice relatively flat course through the neigborhood streets and hike & bike paths. Water station at bridge was probably nearer to mile 1.7 or 1.8 than the advertised 1.5 (which was fine b/c it meant I was doing better than my watch and math suggested). That may not sound like much but .3 miles can be a 2-3 minute difference.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: 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? No
Plenty of drinks? No
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4