HITS Triathlon Series: Marble Falls - Olympic Course - TriathlonOlympic


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Marble Falls, Texas
United States
HITS Triathlon Series
65F / 18C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 53m 50s
Overall Rank = 58/204
Age Group = 40-44
Age Group Rank = 14/29
Pre-race routine:

Wake up at 4:30, eat oatmeal, banana, and some greek yogurt. Headed over to race and set up my transition area. Great bike rack / bin system at this event.
Event warmup:

Not much warmup. Swim a little, tread water before start.
Swim
  • 36m 19s
  • 1500 meters
  • 02m 25s / 100 meters
Comments:

I had a lousy swim. I couldn't get into a rhythm or get my breathing under control. My sighting wasn't very good, although I never got way off course. The flap that covers the zipper inside my wetsuit pulled off to one side, and I had some bad neck abrasion while I was swimming.
What would you do differently?:

I need more open water swim practice, but living in dry, nasty west Texas makes that very difficult. I am 3+ hrs drive from any lakes, and the ones nearby are all chocked full of rednecks "tearing it up" in ski boats and jet skis.
Transition 1
  • 03m 36s
Comments:

After a terrible swim, I was trying to get myself together. I walked most of the way to my bike. Wetsuit came off easily enough. I put on socks and shoes before the bike, drank some gatorade, then headed out.
What would you do differently?:

Run out of the water. Maybe try clipping my shoes into the pedals beforehand and going without socks.
Bike
  • 1h 21m 39s
  • 24.85 miles
  • 18.26 mile/hr
Comments:

The weather was beautiful, and after a bad swim I pretty much passed people the entire bike leg, which put me in a better mood. The bike course starts with some stout climbing over the first 4.5mi. Chip seal and rough, crappy roads are the norm where I train, so I felt right at home. "Race tires" are a foreign concept to me as I always need some heavy, durable Gatorskins. I heard a few guys with their race wheels on say they flatted during the bike.
What would you do differently?:

This was the one leg I was the happiest with. I didn't stick to my nutrition plan exactly, and that might have left me gassed at the beginning of the run a little. It's hard to eat when you're busting a$$ on the bike.
Transition 2
  • 02m 26s
Run
  • 49m 49s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 08m 01s  min/mile
Comments:

Still making up for a lousy swim, I pass people the entire run.
What would you do differently?:

Maybe I went too hard on the bike? It took my legs longer to get going than usual. Maybe it was just the giant hill at the start of the run...
Post race
Warm down:

Walked around the finish line area. They had water and sports drinks and various 'recovery' food items.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

First tri, so it was all learning curve for me.

Event comments:

I heard a lot of complaining about the 2012 event here, so I was worried that this would not be a good race. From my experience, the local police and fire dept had all the busy intersections under control, everything started on time and seemed to be well organized, there were plenty of aid stations along the route, and most everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Mark, the RD, was everywhere and a very positive, friendly guy who asked me how my race was. I would definitely do this race again!




Last updated: 2013-04-30 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:36:19 | 1500 meters | 02m 25s / 100meters
Age Group: 0/29
Overall: 153/204
Performance: Below average
Suit: Sleeveless wetsuit
Course: 2 lap rectangle
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Shot
Water temp: 65F / 18C Current: Low
200M Perf. Below average Remainder: Below average
Breathing: Below average Drafting: Bad
Waves: Navigation: Below average
Rounding: Below average
T1
Time: 03:36
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Below average
Biking
01:21:39 | 24.85 miles | 18.26 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/29
Overall: 0/204
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course: This is a hilly course, out and back, that climbs all the way to the turnaround. Sweet, so it's downhill all the way back, right? Wrong! There are several steep climbs on the way back, too. How'd they do that?
Road: Rough Dry Cadence: 90
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 02:26
Overall:
Riding w/ feet on shoes Below average
Jumping off bike Average
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Below average
Running
00:49:49 | 06.21 miles | 08m 01s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/29
Overall: 31/204
Performance: Average
Course: Out and back course, it's uphill to the turnaround. The first 2 miles are rough, and I walked through the water stations. Slower pace than I had planned to do at the beginning, but miles 3-6 got faster.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
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