Capital of Texas Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Austin, Texas
United States
RunTex
80+F / 27C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 29m 6s
Overall Rank = 223/683
Age Group = 40-44
Age Group Rank = 17/50
Pre-race routine:

Small Coffee, 2 cinnamon toasts, eLoad. Snacked on Shot Blocks while in transition (worked very well).
Event warmup:

None
Swim
  • 18m 37s
  • 750 meters
  • 02m 29s / 100 meters
Comments:

The swim beat me in my first and only previous attempt 2 years ago. I signed up for this event 8 days ago, attended an open water swim clinic Saturday and just went for it. I really think NOT training for (read obsessing over) this event kept me relaxed and able to get through the swim. Lots of little things, I was so intent on NOT worrying about the swim start that I nearly missed my wave. I now know I tend to stray to the right on the swim, I sight well though and corrected before going way off course. I nearly fell back into the water when a swim exit volunteer grabbed my zipper and tugged! Gratefull for the assistance, just didn't expect that one!
What would you do differently?:

Now that I have proven to myself that I can swim, I can train to swim faster. I intentionally stayed well inside my comfort zone and now have plenty of room for improvement.
Transition 1
  • 04m 25s
Comments:

Since I did not train for this event and did not complete the swim previously, this was my first transition. I'll be laying out things a little different in the future. I was so pumped at just completing the swim I forgot to take any gel or drink during T1 and nearly left without sunglasses. Easily a good minute to take off here.
What would you do differently?:

Practice transitions and get a better layout.
Bike
  • 38m 42s
  • 12.43 miles
  • 19.27 mile/hr
Comments:

The ride was pure JOY! I was still high from completing the swim, talking to riders that I knew and spectators that I recognized. I had thought I could average around 22mph and was a little disapointed with 19.24. A little bike training ought to fix that. Probably 3-5 minutes to gain here with some training effort on the bike.
What would you do differently?:

Train on the bike. I rode slower than expected and used up a lot more energy than I should have which cost me on the run.
Transition 2
  • 02m 54s
Comments:

Again, not having trained for the event, I was just winging it here. Sunglasses were tangled up in helmet straps and I nearly left without my bib for the run.
What would you do differently?:

Put a little more thought into my layout and practice transitions.
Run
  • 24m 26s
  • 3.11 miles
  • 07m 52s  min/mile
Comments:

Since I was in the last wave of the day, it was blazing by the time a got into the run. The biggest problem was not having looked at the course I had trouble figuring out how fast to go. I am capable of running 6:50s and did not really have any problems getting off the bike but just couldn't mentally push myself. Another 2 minutes to pick up here in the future.
What would you do differently?:

Inspect the course and get off to a quicker start. I finished with a 6:30 mile so the first mile had to have been 8:40 or something. Maybe thow in a few brick workouts before the next event?
Post race
Warm down:

Found the family, they were HOT and the little one was getting grumpy so we hugged, got a pic or two and I headed back to get my stuff.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Not training for the event.

Event comments:

2006 has been a good year so far. I qualified for Boston and my Pikes Peak training is going well. But getting over the mental block of the swim in this race may be the biggest acheivement. I can now look at the triathlon as another event to work on and push the envelope. Who knows, maybe an Ironman is out there somewhere with my name on it!


Profile Album


Last updated: 2006-05-16 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:18:37 | 750 meters | 02m 29s / 100meters
Age Group: 31/50
Overall: 428/683
Performance: Good
Suit: Yes
Course: 1 loop upstream leg first, all right hand turns.
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 73F / 23C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting:
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 04:25
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
00:38:42 | 12.43 miles | 19.27 mile/hr
Age Group: 24/50
Overall: 210/683
Performance:
Wind: Some with gusts
Course: 2 lap course with 2 dead end turn arounds per lap, a couple of modest climbs and a good long screaming descent down Congress Ave. I was upset at getting passed on the climbs (since I didn't train on the bike at all) but I still have the road racer mentality and screamed down the the hills, took all turns at full speed passing dozens of riders.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 95
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 02:54
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
00:24:26 | 03.11 miles | 07m 52s  min/mile
Age Group: 9/50
Overall: 114/683
Performance: Below average
Course: Pretty flat single loop course.
Keeping cool Below average 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 Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4