Fairfield Triathlon - Triathlon


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Houston, Texas
United States
75F / 24C
Precipitation
Total Time = 1h 13m 42s
Overall Rank = /
Age Group = Clydes
Age Group Rank = 3/10
Pre-race routine:

oatmeal with raisin, water, banana.....THEN PANCAKES - see below

The rank by age group is actually how I placed in the Clydesdale group.
Event warmup:

We got to the race and it was raining with occasional lightning strikes. The RD kept putting the race off as we started the 30 min countdown several times to wait out any further lightning activity. This put the race behind at least an hour if not more. At this point most thought the race would be cancelled and they started getting rid of the post-race food. I scarfed down some excellent pancakes from Denny’s who was a race donor.

Suddenly, they declared the race was ‘on’ and rushed everyone to the pool and started swimming with no warmup.
Swim
  • 05m 51s
  • 300 meters
  • 01m 57s / 100 meters
Comments:

This was my worst swim of the year. I've had a few small but annoying health issues and waning motivation here at the end of the season. So, I went into it out of shape and over weight. It was the first race all year that I passed only about 1 person. I was passed by two or three. Some guy passed me with 100 m to go only to not go ANY faster. So I walked a portion as he was completely in the way.
What would you do differently?:

Keep in shape!
Transition 1
  • 01m 43s
Comments:

It took me a bit to get into my shoes. The road was wet and it was raining so I was a bit tentative on reaching down to tighten up my shoe straps. I did it, but it wasn't as smooth or efficient as I would have liked.
Bike
  • 33m 25s
  • 10 miles
  • 17.96 mile/hr
Comments:

The first few miles of the bike were miserable. It took me until about 3 miles in get the feel for the extra weight/resistance of the water on the tires and wheels.
What would you do differently?:

nada - it turned out to be a decent bike after I got my second wind and adjusted to the extra resistance.
Transition 2
  • 02m 10s
Comments:

I thought it was a 12 mile bike so I wasn't prepared when then dismount 'jumped up in front of me.' I didn't coast in on top of my shoes and do a flying dismount. It was the first time since my first tri last year that I walked into transition with my bike shoes on my feet.
What would you do differently?:

Read the tri description of how long the bike distance was ;-)
Run
  • 30m 31s
  • 3.2 miles
  • 09m 32s  min/mile
Comments:

It was down to a light rain at this point. It wasn't too bad and for anyone who's run in these conditions you know that it can be pleasant as it helps keep you cool. I don't feel like it helped or hindered me in any way at this point.

I did take a wrong turn once on the run course and got corrected quickly by a volunteer. It didn't add but 10 seconds to my time.
What would you do differently?:

besides the one mishap of taking a wrong turn it went fairly well. I finished the race strong at about a 9:30 pace on my last mile, which for me is pretty good.
Post race
Warm down:

walk and take pictures with friends and family

What limited your ability to perform faster:

THE RAIN and being out of shape at the end of the season

Event comments:

I did this race last year where it went smoothly so I don’t want to cast too many stones since the weather played a HUGE role in how this race went.
1) The race had a lot of great volunteers. They were real troopers to stick it out like they did in the rain.
2) The location is great. Fairfield is a nice subdivision with beautiful man-made ponds and lots of shaded sidewalks. The fitness center is a good location with a heated outdoor pool.
3) There were a lot of sponsors and donors for prizes.
4) The RD while a very nice person needs to delegate. The post-race awards and drawings took FOREVER. They were very disorganized. It seemed everything had to go through the RD for decision making and it created a lot of delays.
5) The race itself should have been cancelled. Most of the volunteers told the RD so. Allegedly the USAT official said as much. But the RD pressed on. A lot of people left without racing. Probably about 60% of the original participants raced. It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out in terms of whether they get the same sponsors and volunteers next year.





Last updated: 2013-08-24 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:05:51 | 300 meters | 01m 57s / 100meters
Age Group: 0/10
Overall: 0/
Performance: Below average
Suit:
Course: Time Trial start ever 10 seconds. The pool was heated and very comfortable.
Start type: Plus:
Water temp: 75F / 24C Current:
200M Perf. Below average Remainder: Below average
Breathing: Drafting:
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 01:43
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Below average
Biking
00:33:25 | 10 miles | 17.96 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/10
Overall: 0/
Performance: Average
Wind: Some
Course: around the Fairfield subdivision. The roads were in good shape as they are only a few years old. So, considering the miserable wet conditions, they actually weren't half bad.
Road: Smooth Wet Cadence:
Turns: Below average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills:
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 02:10
Overall: Below average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Bad
Jumping off bike Bad
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:30:31 | 03.2 miles | 09m 32s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/10
Overall: 0/
Performance: Good
Course: nice run course through the sidewalks and ponds in the Fairfield subdivision.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Bad
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? No
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Below average
Race evaluation [1-5] 3