Katy Triathlon at Firethorne - Triathlon


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Katy, Texas
United States
Katy Rotary Club
80F / 27C
Overcast
Total Time = 1h 12m 36s
Overall Rank = 39/344
Age Group = 35-39
Age Group Rank = 6/35
Pre-race routine:

Toast with peanut butter and banana and a diet sports drink for breakfast.
Event warmup:

Stretched out prior to the swim, temperature was warm and pleasant, water was not cold. Drank a Gatorade Pre Race drink 15 mins before swim start.
Swim
  • 11m 58s
  • 500 meters
  • 02m 23s / 100 meters
Comments:

Swim start was frantic with people going off in all directions and I mean all directions. Had one person swim over me then promptly kick me the face once he was clear. This caused a slight panic as i had to fix my goggles. Once this issue was sorted it was simply a push to each buoy then back to the swim exit. Felt like i was pushing harder than i have been.
What would you do differently?:

Need to work on my stroke and use my legs to kick. Leg propulsion is almost non existent.
Transition 1
  • 01m 17s
Comments:

Good run from water into T1. Race number belt was twisted up so was not the easiest to put on. Run with bike to mount line felt quick. People had stopped at the mount line and made it difficult to pass them.
What would you do differently?:

Flying mount. Practice makes perfect.
Bike
  • 36m 36s
  • 13.7 miles
  • 22.46 mile/hr
Comments:

Pushing hard all the way, was passed by a relay in mile 2 but then passed him around a mile later and didn't see him again. Was then passed by a rider on a QR but again passed him and held him off until mile 12 when he passed me. Caught up with and passed him again just at the last turn into North Firethorne. Heart rate was high throughout, tried to bring it down by breathing but made no difference.
What would you do differently?:

Spin at a higher cadence, try to manage heart rate better.
Transition 2
  • 00m 57s
Comments:

Off bike and into T2 was not too bad, went to rack bike and found another bike in place of my own. Had to fight to get my bike into position, slowed me down. Pity there's no penalty for the person who racked incorrectly. Started to run out of T2 with my bike hat on, luckily only had made 2 or 3 paces before i remembered.
What would you do differently?:

Flying dismount, take off helmet immediately after racking.
Run
  • 21m 48s
  • 3 miles
  • 07m 16s  min/mile
Comments:

Started off around 7 min/mile but couldn't maintain it after pushing hard on the bike. Tried to average 7:15 and got a 7:20 which i'm happy with. Passed a couple of people in my age group and many others. Was passed by only one runner, unfortunately he was in my age group. It was not possible to catch him as he must have been at a 6:30. Hopes started to sink about getting on the podium.

On the lap around the lake, caught up with a girl who was walking, encouraged her to run with me which she did, she dropped off after around 0.5 miles. The last 200 meters resulted in a hard fight with another competitor as we raced to the finish line. He wasn't in my age group so the result didn't matter. Good fun though.
What would you do differently?:

RUN FASTER, TRAIN HARDER!
Post race
Warm down:

Bottle of water and a couple of beers, walked around the after race party and caught up with friends.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

The swim, if i could improve the swim it would give more of a competitive edge. Bike and run feel solid just now

Event comments:

Overall a well organized race, i have never seen so many volunteers on a race with the exception of an OnUrMark race. Excellent encouragement for everyone which raises spirits.

There were a couple of issues with the race that can be easily improved.

1. Swim caps! There were around 3 or 4 waves with yellow caps which caused confusion for many. Normally you expect to see one or two waves repeated with the same caps but not nearly them all.

2. Free racking!? You set up your area and give yourself just enough room to be considerate of others but sadly others don't return the same consideration. Individual racking spots by race number works well and prevents people taking up more space than is needed.

In all though, a good race and good fun.




Last updated: 2013-09-29 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:11:58 | 500 meters | 02m 23s / 100meters
Age Group: 16/35
Overall: 0/344
Performance: Average
Heart rate was around 175 after leaving the water
Suit: None
Course: Lake swim. Course was three sides of a rectangle, out to first buoy, turn left, swim to next buoy, turn left, swim to exit.
Start type: Wade Plus:
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 01:17
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed:
Biking
00:36:36 | 13.7 miles | 22.46 mile/hr
Age Group: 3/35
Overall: 0/344
Performance: Good
Initially heart rate rose to 183bpm before settling down to ~177bpm. Cadence was low at 82 but speed was consistent at a little over 22mph
Wind: Some
Course: Right turn only loop, fast in sections.Plenty of police and volunteers directing traffic / competitors
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 82
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 00:57
Overall: Below average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Below average
Shoe and helmet removal Below average
Running
00:21:48 | 03 miles | 07m 16s  min/mile
Age Group: 4/35
Overall: 0/344
Performance: Good
Heart rate in the high 170's, peaking to 195 during sprint at the finish, averaged at 182bpm. Cadence was around 89 spm average.
Course: Mix of paved path and grass (muddy in places).
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
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] 3