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 Swim
Comments: I had a good feeling when I first saw the swim venue on Saturday. If any open water course plays to my strengths, it is smooth water in a river. I am so much more comfortable when I can see a shoreline when I breathe. The river also wasn't too wide, which meant that the segments with no shoreline would be fairly short. There also wasn't much current, although I could see that I would be swimming against it on the long straightaway heading toward the Congress Avenue bridge. I started slowly, making sure my breathing was under control. I felt comfortable. The water was cool but not cold, there was no chop, and I felt smooth. I made my way past the first set of buoys and felt like I was getting the day off to a good start. I made the first turn feeling good. Although the course was somewhat crowded, I wasn't making much contact as I was taking a line away from the crowds. On the backside I started noticing some different colored swim caps. Since I was in the last wave of the Olympic distance, this meant that I was actually passing some people from previous waves. A rarity, but thrilling. I was swimming even better than I had thought. On the back straight, I got off course a few times and bumped into some other people. I always stopped to apologize and make sure they were okay before continuing. I never checked the time, figuring that I was swimming smoothly and didn't want to cause unneeded stress by focusing on the clock. As I approached Congress Ave. bridge, I took special care not to let any water in my mouth. I had visions of all of the bat droppings that hit that water on a nightly basis. I generally don't get squeamish, but that kind of did it. I also wasn't aware, but apparently the event had some concerns about the general water quality for the event and had made the swim 'optional'. I didn't find out until I checked e-mail later in the day. Better not to know, I suppose. I should find out within the next few days if the concerns were legitimate. I made it around the last set of turn buoys and made my way back to the ramp. I checked my time and was happy with 33 minutes. I had gotten off to a great start, and aside from banging my foot against the bottom of the ramp while getting out, things could not have started any better. What would you do differently?: Be more careful getting out of the water.  Transition 1
Comments: Kind of a slow transition. I was checking my foot from the collision with the ramp, and took additional time to put on sunscreen and gloves for the bike ride.  Bike
Comments: I knew I would be tentative on the bike course for a variety of reasons. I was on unfamiliar roads, on a bike I had only ridden for about 10 minutes, in a position I wasn't used to. Add in the fact that it was a very large event, which would lead to a lot of congestion with a lot of less experienced and slower riders around and I thought it was wise to be somewhat conservative. Since the only speed indicator I would have was on my wrist, I wouldn't have instant means to gauge speed, so I decided to just keep my eyes on the road and go by feel - however the splits turned out, it would be okay - just stay safe. The first loop I used to assess the course. It was fairly flat with a little bit of an uphill coming toward the Capitol building and another short, steep hill coming back toward downtown from campus (I nicknamed this one PITA hill, and knew that I would see it three more times - Yay...) The roads coming back through downtown moved quickly, but the turns required extra care because with the nature of the course, I was always in the process of trying to make passes. The out and back along the river was straight and pretty flat, although coming back across the bridge to the turnaround was a little dicey, with a 180 degree turn, as well as people both entering and exiting the course. Laps two and three were the fastest, since I now knew the course and was getting a little better feel for the bike. I still stayed conservative, but knew where I could open things up a little. I checked my lap time after each and saw that I was keeping a pretty good pace. I finally started lap four and knew it would be the last time at each area and turnaround. I took it pretty easy and took a little extra time to drink fluids, as the sun had emerged, it was heating up, and I was about to start what could be a long segment on the run. I made my way through the rest of the course, and heaved a big sigh of relief after getting off the bike. It's a little scary using a rental. I wanted to make sure I returned it (and myself) in good condition and the risk of having an accident was now over. Transition 2
Comments: Slow transition - very large transition area to navigate. Took additional extra time to re-apply sunscreen.  Run
Comments: The run would be the big wild card of the day. I didn't know what to expect from my knee and was just going to take the day as it came. I didn't have any time goals. If I was able to run, great; if I had to walk and take two hours, so be it. I would be covering six miles, and the longest run I had done since Krispy Kreme in February was 2 1/2 miles, so I didn't expect to be able to run much more than half, even if I was having a good day. I did make myself two promises, though. First, I promised myself that if my knee was really bothering me, I would shut it down and walk it. On the reverse side, if my knee wasn't really bothering me, I wouldn't let myself use it as an excuse to walk only because I was tired. I set off at a very slow jog with small steps to minimize the impact with each stride. Let's see how this goes. The first half mile went by and I was feeling okay. I felt some soreness in my knee, but not outright pain - this is good. I am okay. Just keep going. I glanced occasionally at the watch and saw that I was maintaining a pace between 10 and 11 minute miles. Not fast, but not altogether slow either. The aid stations were set up less than a mile apart, so I took each opportunity to take in fluids and walk a few steps. Other than the aid stations, though, I was able to consistently run. Before I knew it, I was coming back over the Congress Ave. bridge and about to finish the first loop. I had passed the 2 1/2 mile barrier and felt good enough to continue what I was doing. I started the second lap, and even though the heat and fatigue were setting in, I knew I was okay enough to keep running. Miles four and five dragged on, but aside from a 30 second or so break into a walk on an uphill, I was able to keep going. I finally passed the five mile mark, and knew I only had about a mile to go. When the heat begins to get to you and the fatigue sets in, the mind starts playing tricks on you. You've run five miles, that's good enough for today on an injured leg. It's hot - you probably need to slow down. You're getting dehydrated - walk and take in fluids. Sometimes I let these voices get the best of me. Sometimes, though, I am able to quiet them. As each negative thought entered my mind, I countered with a different one. You didn't come all the way to Texas to fold. Give it your best shot. Your knee isn't going to get any worse by finishing this off. Don't let one lousy mile ruin what has been a great race. You are fine - Finish.This. I bolstered myself and kept running toward the finish. I crossed the finish and even though I have had much faster days, I felt like I had accomplished something really special. I didn't have the legs and fitness that I had in Havasu back in November, but I really felt that I had gotten the absolute most I could have out of the day. I had silenced the gremlins that tried to convince me to let myself off the hook and had one of the better mental efforts I have been able to muster. I collected my medal and water bottle, turned in my timing chip and set off to return the bike to the shop. I checked the results later and found that I had an even better race than I had thought. I came in 4th place overall in my division, which exceeded all my expectations. I had the second best bike split in the division (and in the top third of the overall field), on a rented bike and a conservative strategy. I came in 4th in the swim, which is an absolute rarity. And I was in the upper half for the run, despite the injury and inability to push any pace whatsoever. It was a good day overall. Post race
Warm down: Took the bike back to the shop and walked the mile back to the hotel. After getting some rest, I went and picked up Steak Tejas, macaroni and cheese, and mashed potatoes from Threadgill's, an Austin institution. I rested the remainder of the evening, satisfied with a great event and a great trip. Event comments: I really enjoyed my time in Austin. The town has a great spirit and the people were friendly, helpful, and kind. There are a lot of things to see and do, and the race venue and host hotel made things very convenient, even without a car. Lifetime fitness got most things right as a race organizer. There are a lot of moving parts to this event with various distances and a huge number of athletes. Kind of appropriate that in Texas we felt a lot of times like we were cattle being herded. The packet pickup/expo was very chaotic, and entry/exit to and from transition was confusing and inconvenient before and after the event. That said, I felt that all other aspects were done right. The course was really cool and captured the essence of Austin, the roads were all closed and there were safety personnel at every intersection doing their best to keep traffic and pedestrians off the course. There were numerous aid stations on the run course, and the volunteers were enthusiastic and helpful. The race shirt and finisher's medal were of good quality as well. I recommend the event, especially for folks who would like to see and experience Austin for the first time. Last updated: 2013-01-07 12:00 AM
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Overall Rank = 687/1093
Age Group = Clydesdales 40+
Age Group Rank = 4/19
I flew into Austin solo on Saturday afternoon (J stayed behind to look after the pups) and took a cab to the hotel (I had just missed the city bus and didn't want to wait a half hour for the next one). After getting checked into the hotel, I took a cab to the University of Texas campus and started a walking tour of downtown Austin. I saw the campus, the Capitol building, the 6th Street district, the Warehouse district, and stopped by Mellow Johnny's Bike Shop (owned by Lance Armstrong, an Austin native) before making my way back across the river. The walk was good since I got to get a feel for the layout of the city and see a lot of the roads I would be riding and running on Monday. The downside was that it was ungodly hot and humid. I think I was sweating from the time the plane touched down in Austin until I landed back in Phoenix on Tuesday morning. It didn't help that I had chosen not to rent a car and would spend the whole trip as a pedestrian. I spent the entire three days worshiping at the church of summertime in Texas - Our Lady of Perpetual Moisture. I walked down to the shop where I was renting a bike for the event and picked up dinner at Green Mesquite BBQ before heading back to the hotel. I probably walked about five miles.
On Sunday morning, I walked back to Bicycle Sport Austin to pick up the Specialized Shiv that I would be riding in the event. I was riding back to the Palmer Events Center where event check in and bike drop off would be when I got a call from the bike shop. They had initially called home and talked to J - she gave them my mobile number. They had let me go without getting all of the paperwork together, so I had to go back. Having to go back to the shop worked out well, since it forced me to spend a little extra time getting used to the bike. I was a little skittish on it since the position was a lot lower than I was used to. After getting back to the events center, I waited in the long, long lines to pick up packets, timing chips, and t-shirts. I finally dropped off the bike and had the rest of the afternoon to walk the South Congress district. I probably walked about five miles on Sunday, too. A lot of walking over the two days, but I didn't feel like I was overdoing it.
The Hyatt Regency where I stayed was in a great location, not only for the event but also for proximity to the areas I wanted to see while I was there. Being the host hotel, there were a ton of other participants staying there. Generally, I like to keep my distance from the fray and stress of the other competitors, but CapTex was also hosting the Paratriathlete Championships. Seeing all of the paratriathletes was inspiring and humbling. How can I complain about my minor injuries when these athletes overcome so much more on a daily basis than I do? It really put my torn meniscus in perspective, and reminded me how fortunate I am.
On Sunday night, I went down to the Congress Ave. bridge. It is known for housing the largest urban bat colony in North America, and every evening during the warm months, the bats take flight at dusk to hunt for food. Not only was the bridge right outside the hotel, but the run course would travel across it as well. I waited around for 30-40 minutes and finally gave up. No bats to be seen, but there were hundreds of other people out hoping to see them. I needed to get some rest with the race being the next morning.
Went to transition early and got set up. I had another two hours before my wave started, so I went back to the hotel for a bit. When it was time, I went back down to the river and waited until it was time. There was no opportunity for a warm up, so as soon as I got in the water, I let water into the wetsuit to acclimate to the temperature and took some deep breaths. When the gun sounded, I felt comfortable.