Disco Triathlon - Duathlon

Started out just behind Aaron, who was carrying his flag on this first leg. Actually had the same pace, though I passed him on the return. Didn't let my HR get too high, though I was hoping to see a little more speed for HR I had.

Little crowded on the exit, so I had to run past the line a smidge before mounting, but I had a good jumping mount. Still a good T1 - 8th fastest overall.

Still haven't practiced having shoes already clipped in pedals.

Pretty happy with the ride. Very glad I tweaked my derailleur yesterday. I found myself making plenty of small gear changes to adjust to the rollers.

Plenty of Sprint racers were already on the course, which made for a crowded first half of the race until the split.

Fortunately there was a nice longer downhill after the Olympic course split off. Gave me a chance for some 'relief', as I was making sure to drink plenty.

(minor: Need to replace the valve cover flap on my disk. It has been used several times and is losing its stickiness. It's starting to work loose and was flapping a bit.)

Great running dismount right at the line. Just a smidge of trouble getting bike turned around and reracked, but still a good T2. 3rd fastest overall.

This was a rough run. Legs felt ok coming off the bike, and it took the normal time (~1 mile) to get the legs completely adapted. I had made it to the park road when Steve (doughboy) came in on the bike and yelled that I only had ~10 or so folks ahead of me. That was really surprising/encouraging, as I expected a lot more folks ahead of me. Just after turning onto the highway, I was passed by two guys in my age group, though. They were running strong and kept pulling ahead.

The humidity was really oppressive! My splits were all at least a minute/mile longer than I had envisioned in my mind. (I talked with lots of folks afterwards, and this seemed a consistent theme.) Ended up walking aid stations 3 & 4. (Station 3 had ice in the cups, which I just poured into both hands and then chewed on for the next half mile. Nice.)

Gerald, was about a mile back at the turnaround but caught and passed me in the last mile and was going strong. He called out encouragement, but with < 1/2 mile left, my HR was peaked and chest tightened. I had to walk for just a bit, which was frustrating that close to the finish. I was able to make a strong sprint to the end after that.

With the out and back format, I saw plenty of BT folks on the course. Aaron (JeepFleeb) was a bit ahead of me approaching the turnaround, but we were both too focused (or out of breath?) to say anything. Saw Craig (docshock1964) and Andy (apw0397) too while still out on the highway. Said hi to Sue (sportysue), Marcie (dodgersmon), Teri (teri), and Steve (doughboy) again on the trails. Caught up to Laurie (tri_it_cajun_style) and Shannon (swatson) just after the last aid station. They were still decked out in the costumes and hats. :)

I later heard that even lot of athletes more experienced than me (i.e. the normal AG winners - Tracy Harrison, Darlene Jones, etc.) ended up walking parts of the run due to the humidity, so I don't feel as guilty about that. (Of course, they were probably walking after having done a lot faster splits, but I'll ignore that little fact.) I did take in water at the aid station, so I think it is just some improved conditioning.

Downed several glasses of water, a Vitamin Water, and watermelon. Tried to find some place with a breeze. A very little bit of stretching to fend off some impending calf cramps. Eventually, I had one small slice of pizza, but decided against any nachos.

The various tents were in a fairly compact area, so people were milling about. Talked with lots of folks, including all the BTers. John (jcagg90) had come out to the race to jockstrap, and I got to meet his new friend (girlfriend?).

Since it was Beth's birthday today, I didn't linger around too long today.


Humidity


This was my first year at this event. With the recent weather forcing the switch to a duathlon, my mind wasn't fully into the event when I arrived. However, I still put in a strong effort and was happy with how I performed.

I can only give Dallas Athletes an 'Average' for this race. I know the weather is beyond their control, so I can't fault them for it becoming a Du. But between the HIM getting canceled and several other instances of delayed email responses, I was frustrated with poor race communications. (Plus, the swag was really pretty weak. Cheap t-shirt, and not even a clif bar sample.)

As to the event itself:
Pre-race was a bit disorganized, with no water set up for filling bottles at first. Racking is completely open - first-come, first-serve everywhere. Makes it a bit more chaotic to me. Disappointed to see that non-athletes over 12 (i.e. spectators) were being charged $5 admission since it was a state park. There definitely weren't enough porta-potties for the size of the field (though some of them were rather nice, I was told -- little sinks w/ water inside), to the point where they had to delay the start b/c so many athletes were still in line.

Race also started 15~20min late, and then the Sprint started very soon afterwards (not the expected 1/2 hour) making for crowded first run and bike courses. Course was pretty good, with some fast, rolling sections. Roads were mostly asphalt -- nothing great, but acceptable. My butt was glad we weren't riding a HIM bike on them, though. There were police monitoring all the major intersections/turns, though I wish someone had swept gravel from the corners.

Run course was a little convoluted, but mostly becuase people weren't following directions to "run on the left". So there was a lot of crossing paths when racers were supposed to be making a couple of left hand turns. Another issue was that the Olympic portion of the course could have used another aid station, especially given how shadeless the park road/highway was.

There was plenty of food and drink after the event for a variety of tastes, it seamed. There were plenty of BTers, which made it fun. Not as many people (athletes or volunteers) dressed up for the race as I'd expected, but I have to admire those that did in today's humidity. So all things considered... an Average rating.