Ironhead Dallas Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic


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Grand Prairie, Texas
United States
Ironhead Race Productions
85F / 29C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 36m 19s
Overall Rank = 78/390
Age Group = M45-49
Age Group Rank = 8/37
Pre-race routine:

Awake at 0400. Ate the usual breakfast - pancakes, Ensure, milk, OJ, coffee. Headed out the door at 0445. Drank a bottle of GU2O on the way to the race site.
Event warmup:

Jogged about half a mile. Then swam for about 10 minutes before we had to get out of the wate for the pre race meeting.

This race was a "C" race in my training plan for Tri 101. I didn't train at the specfic distances and intensities for an Oly and didn't peak and taper for this race. I treated it as a fun trianing day.
Swim
  • 31m 33s
  • 1500 meters
  • 02m 06s / 100 meters
Comments:

I rated this swim 'below average' because of the slow pace. I'm not sure why I was so slow. Maybe the course was long (even though Jack insisted the course had been GPS'd). It was a good swim in the sense that I felt comfortable swimming. Navigation was decent. I did pull to the right some. After the first turn bouy, I started catching some of the slow swimmers in the previous waves. Getting around these swimmers cost me some time. My AHR was 156 which is quite high so I was working hard. Just wasn't fast.
What would you do differently?:

Not sure. I know I need more open water swim practice.
Transition 1
  • 01m 38s
Comments:

Good transition. I didn't have my shoes clipped onto the bike. I put them on in transition and ran. After my BSLT experience with torn up feet I was a bit leary of trying the shoes on the bike again.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Bike
  • 1h 10m 8s
  • 26.2 miles
  • 22.41 mile/hr
Comments:

My plan was to gradually raise my HR to LTHR (166) by the half way point of the bike ride. The first couple of miles I concentrated on getting my HR and breathing under control and transitioning my legs to the bike ride. This worked well and after a couple miles I was ready to ride. I kept an eye on my HR and increased the effort to just below LTHR. An average of 156 (just into z4) means I did a pretty good job of staying just under LTHR. My average cadence was 93; a good number. I kept the cadence high even on the small rises on the course.

I was consistently passing people and was passed by several of the really fast guys.

The ride really was pretty uneventful. I just maintained focus and rode.

The only issue was my spare tubular. I hadn't taped it up well enough and it was dangling over my rear wheel. I could see it's shadow. I prayed it wouldn't fall off. You might ask why bring a spare on a short race like this. I figured if I got a flat changing it under race conditions would be good practice.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. Other than train specifically for this distance.
Transition 2
  • 01m 13s
Comments:

I did the 'feet out of the shoes flying dismount'. Worked well. Ran to the rack. Socks on, shoes on. Off running.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Run
  • 51m 45s
  • 6.2 miles
  • 08m 21s  min/mile
Comments:

I headed out on the run and got my legs under me quickly. I think my high cadence on the bike helped with my quick transition to the run. At the first mile I checked my pace and HR. On track. Time to gradually kick it up. At mile 4 I felt a slap on the back. It was Aaron. I knew he would be coming up behind me at some point either on the bike or the run (he started in the swim wave behind me). I made a big mistake here - I tried to talk. The conversation went something like this: "Hey there you are. I was wondering when you would fly by me. Looking good Aaron". That was way too many words. My diaphragm immediately started to cramp. I had to slow down on mile 4 and work out the cramp. Also took an espresso GU here. Then continued running. I saw Karen at some point on the course. She was running well. By the time I reached the finish I was pretty well spent. Overall a good run.
What would you do differently?:

Don't try to talk when I'm running full out. Train for this distance. I probably could have brought my HR up to LTHR sooner. That kind of decision comes with race experience.
Post race
Warm down:

Walked around. Walked back to my tranisition area and got my bottle of Recoverite. Drank that. Then went to find the food.

I have volunteered to be a USA Triathlon Ambassador. The USAT rep trained several of us this weekend. We had a table we had to 'work' at the race as part of our training. So I did that after cooling down. Then talked to Aaron and Karen for a while. And petted Shiner on his head.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Not training for this distance. Did not taper.

Event comments:

This was a very good race, well organized and safe. Jack puts on some excellent races.




Last updated: 2007-03-11 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:31:33 | 1500 meters | 02m 06s / 100meters
Age Group: 9/37
Overall: 114/390
Performance: Below average
Avg HR: 156
Suit: None
Course: Triangular course in a lake.
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 78F / 26C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Good Drafting: Below average
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 01:38
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
01:10:08 | 26.2 miles | 22.41 mile/hr
Age Group: 8/37
Overall: 66/390
Performance: Good
Avg HR: 156
Wind: Little
Course: Two loop course on 4 lane road. The 4 lane road had a lane coned off for the bikes. The park roads were closed to traffic. Really nice bike course.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 93
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Average Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:13
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Below average
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:51:45 | 06.2 miles | 08m 21s  min/mile
Age Group: 11/37
Overall: 113/390
Performance: Good
Mile, Pace, AHR. 1, 8:36, 155; 2, 8:17, 160; 3, 8:12, 162; 4, 8:42, 161; 5, 8:11, 166; 6, 8:10, 168; 6.2, 1:38, 170.
Course: Out and back course that went up onto the dam.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race? Ok
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