Shadow Creek Ranch Triathlon - Triathlon

This was a bad swim for me. For the same distance I did 9:51 in my last tri two months prior. I only swam about 4500 yards in the last 2 months., but even in a recent pool swim, I managed 10:50. The field was was pretty crowded with both my AG and 45-49M starting, so there was quite a bit of contact with other swimmers. There was also about 75 ft from the swim exit to the timing mat.

Get back in the pool more.

The bike was average for me. I'm usually averaging 18-19mph when riding, but the turns or waiting to pass people can slow you down. Since it is a double loop course, on the 2nd loop, you catch all the first-timers on mountain bikes. I also wasn't in the mood to try to risk crashing by passing someone ahead of a turn.

Spending more time in the saddle is what I need. Okay, what I really need is a new bike.

I started off in the low 9 minute/mile, but the sun and heat was brutal. There was no shade to hide from. Part of it was a mental battle which I wasn't winning. There was a lot of people walking so it took all my strength not to join them. I did walk the aid stations (a first) becuase I wanted to stay hydrated. I couldn't take in enough water by just grabbing a small dixie cup. They could have used more drink stations with bigger cups. There was no point in risking injury at this point. Towards the end another friend of mine passed me and motivated me to run fast for the last 1/4 mile.

Bring my own water bottle if I'm doing a race in Houston in the summer.

They had nice ice cold towels to give out but actually it would have been better if it was given out during the run. Found a place to sit for a few minutes and take in water. Then walked around and talked to people I knew


Motivation and the heat. I entered race thinking it would be a "C" race (a harder training day) and it met expectations.


The parking was a fiasco and they could have used more water stations or other cooling options (people with hoses, wet towels, etc).