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 Swim
Comments: Water was a bit cold at first. The lake water was 73 degrees and we thought that was like a hot tub as we had been swimming in 68 degree water for several weeks beforehand. Just a side note - 73 degree water is still a bit chilly. All of us male First Tri'ers jumped off the end of a short dock like lemmings with day-glo swim caps. The deep water start did aid in the warm-up as treading water and jockeying for the last position in the wave for a couple of minutes helped get warmed up for the swim. What would you do differently?: I thought my stroke, while slow, was very short; but, I was able to continue with freestyle the entire way without having to tread water or do breast stroke. Next Tri, I will complete my swim stroke and make my body long in the water.  Transition 1
Comments: My "corral" was set up perfectly. Had everything laid out on a towel in a specific order to put on. I was able to find my bike easily enough as I had picked a spot at the end of a row. It was a few extra steps, but I figued those 10-12 seconds wouldn't affect my chances of winning (and they really didn't affect my chance at superstardom, either). I had a Carbboom (forgot what flavor) and of course that made my hands all sticky. I did have a hard time getting socks on and had to tie (ugh) my shoes (another 10-12 seconds that kept me from the winner's circle). Got my helmet and sunglasses on just fine. What would you do differently?: Next Tri, I'm gonna find an old piece of carpet to put down in my "corral" (just a small touch of home I suppose). Seriously, I think the carpet will help keep my feet clean after the swim. I need to figure out my sock situation. I either need to roll the tops down further, douse them in even more baby powder (suggestion from my wife) or do both. For my bike shoes, I got some of those little deally bobs that clamp down on your shoelaces so that you don't have to tie them. Now I just have to figure out what to do with the extra 6 inches of shoe lace.  Bike
Comments: I thought I had a good bike segment. A couple of short steep hills that didn't really pose any problem. After I got a bit warmed up (it takes me a few minutes for my legs to feel really strong), after the two hills, I was able to stay in the big ring on the front for most of the ride. When I took my first sip of water, I didn't have the water bottle in the cage all the way and of course it fell out and I ran over it with my back tire. I thought I had run over a fellow competitor, but I realized I would have to catch up with a fellow competitor first before I could run over them. Finished in top half in the 1st Tri group. I had two water bottles - one with water and one with PowerBar Endurance drink. What would you do differently?: Attack the hills harder and get a road/tri bike. My mountain bike with slick tires isn't the best bike for a triathlon, btw. Transition 2
Comments: After I got off the bike, I ran a few steps then just had to walk quite a ways to get back to my "corral". I just couldn't run enough with my bike. Again, I was able to find my spot just fine. It was one of the few spots without a bike in it. Got my bike shoes off and running (I should say walking) shoes on ok. Downed another Carbboom (forget which flavor) and headed out. What would you do differently?: Run with bike all the way and not put my number belt on until after I start moving out of transition. I'll also need to figure out when to have the second Carbboom as you will see shortly.  Run
Comments: Had to walk quite a bit at first because the T2 Carbboom did not sit well at all. Not sure what was up with that. After the stomach cramps stopped and I waved at some people I knew walking in the park next to the course, I actually did start running/jogging/fast walking. I had planned to running 10 minutes, walking 3, running 10, etc. I think after I started running, I ran for well over 10 minutes ignoring the interval timer alarm on my watch. Eventually I walked a bit after the halfway point. The course was great because I knew exactly where the finish line was and I could see it from quite a ways away. I think that's what kept me running the rest of the course. I couldn't very well walk within a 1/4 mile of the finish, now could I? What would you do differently?: Find my form coming out of the transition area and either ignore the stomach cramp from the second Carbboom, or puke and get it out of my system. Post race
Warm down: It was already a hot day, so we stayed plenty warm the rest of the day. The warm down consisted of getting our bikes and all our gear and our six year old son (who had come to the Tri with his Aunt and grandparents, but somehow he got to ride home with the exhausted Tri'ers). Next time I will stretch my tired aching muscles a bit before I get in the Xterra. Oh, and I won't lose the visor off my bike helmet. Now I look like a bit of a dork without my visor. What limited your ability to perform faster: This was my first Tri, so I was just in a survival mode. If I weighed less, swam faster, biked harder and ran quicker, I could have reached superstar status (except for those 10-12 seconds that I had to tie my bike shoes). Event comments: A great race for my first Tri! I will continue to compete in the Cap Tex Tri as long as I can... hopefully not in the First Tri category. Yea, 2019 will be my 13th First Tri, yippee! Last updated: 2006-06-07 12:00 AM
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RunTex
75F / 24C
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Overall Rank = 180/210
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Age Group Rank = 0/
First Triathlon - what routine?
OK, I thought I'd elaborate a bit on this. How can something be a routine when you only do it once, oh well. This event was great. Since we live 10 miles from the venue, the commute took all of 20 minutes - parking and all. Were able to park right across the street - sweet! My start time wasn't until 9:30 or so, so I was able to eat a bowl of cereal and down a bagel before I left the house. As we had backed all our bags the night before, we just ate and rolled out.
First Triathlon - what warmup? Just standing around outside in Austin, Texas is a warmup. Seriously, we got to Transition around 7 and since my wave wasn't until after 9, I just stood around for a couple of hours people watching. After getting my "corral" all set up, it was just a lot of standing, walking around, standing, walking around, watching the Oly distance swimmers come in (that will be me in '08). I kept waiting to get nervous before the start of the swim, but it never really came. I guess I was too concerned about drowning to get nervous. I really wasn't concerned about drowning as I had swam the distance in somewhat open water in Barton Springs Pool the weeks before the Tri. BTW, Barton Springs Pool water is 68 degrees.