The Austin Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic


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Austin, Texas
United States
77F / 25C
Total Time = 2h 33m 21s
Overall Rank = 113/695
Age Group = M25-29
Age Group Rank = 13/52
Pre-race routine:

Got to the race site WAY early, like I always do (510am), set up my transition, and ate breakfast (banana, two PB&J sandwiches, and a power bar).
Event warmup:

Maybe five minutes of light barefoot jogging on the grass, barely even got my heart rate up. Only the open-water people were allowed to warm-up in the water, unfortunately.
Swim
  • 34m 51s
  • 1500 meters
  • 02m 19s / 100 meters
Comments:

This sucked some serious ass. My wetsuit seemed significantly tighter than I remember (last time I wore it was at Lone Star in March, maybe due to my now bulging pecs, heh heh), so I was having a hard time breathing comfortably. After 200m, breast stroked it pretty much to the far end. Crawled most of the way back. Halfway back, someone from two waves back (green cap) literally swam right over me, pushing me a few feet under water and causing me to sputter a bit. Oh well - get used to it, right? Later, someone whacked my right calf and it immediately cramped up into a tight ball. So I'm laying on my back cursing loudly and I see one of the kayaker support people start to come over and I think "No way am I giving up now - I'm not gonna let this guy try to pull me out of the water". So, I turn back over and just keep on swimming without any kick at all. Amazingly, by the time I got out of the water, it had loosened up enough that I could run normally again.

Fastest time OA: 19:25 (1:18 / 100m)
Fastest time in AG: 24:25 (1:38 / 100m)
Slowest time in AG: 49:07 (3:16 / 100m)
What would you do differently?:

I guess I need to do more open-water swims in practice. Twin Lakes is nearby - should check that out. Was even thinking of getting some people from my tri club together so we can practice drafting and getting used to being kicked and swum over.
Transition 1
  • 02m 52s
Comments:

Longest distance from the swim exit to transition area ever, but still happy with my time. Just got my suit stuck on my right heel, but it probably only cost me 5 seconds.

AG Range: 2:12 - 7:51
What would you do differently?:

Run a little faster straight out of the water.
Bike
  • 1h 09m
  • 24.85 miles
  • 21.61 mile/hr
Comments:

This was the most fun part of the whole race. Got up to 33 mph on many of the downhills and the uphills were never so bad that I had to shift down into the granny chainring. Had borrowed my friend's Bento Box for nutrition, but didn't mount it right, so was swinging over left side and spilling gel all over my bike and leg. Ate a ClifBar right after I got on the bike, one gel near the end, and a bottle of Acclerade during the ride. New saddle position felt MUCH better, no hamstring or butt pain =)

Fastest time OA: 59:08 (25.2 mph)
Fastest time in AG: 1:03:47 (23.3 mph)
Slowest time in AG: 1:34:32 (15.7 mph)

What would you do differently?:

No more clifbars during races, that's for sure! Stick to sports drinks and the occasional gel.
Transition 2
  • 01m 16s
Comments:

Overall very happy with my T2. Legs felt great transitioning to running. Only thing slowing me down was the other people in front of me at the dismount line - there was like 10-15 of us all trying to stop at the same time. My sister was there cheering for me at the dismount, which was really nice.

AG Range: 1:10 - 3:46
What would you do differently?:

Not a thing =)
Run
  • 45m 22s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 07m 19s  min/mile
Comments:

Great improvement over IronHead, especially given that I had no idea what pace I was running (and actually thought I was going a lot slower). But at this race, it was a lot cooler too, so that might have had something to do with it as well.

Had some GI issues from a ClifBar I ate right at the beginning of the bike, kept getting reflux in the back of my mouth. Yuck.

Fastest time OA: 30:57 ( 4:59 pace)
Fastest time in AG: 37:05 ( 5:58 pace)
Slowest time in AG: 1:20:10 (12:56 pace)
What would you do differently?:

Given training volume and no speedwork to speak of, nothing. But next season will definitely have to work in some proper tempo runs and intervals.
Post race
Warm down:

Stood around with some friends, cheered for people who hadn't come in yet. Drank lots of water and ate a banana.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Clearly the swim is my weakest link. I need to spend more time doing long swims (1600+ meters) both in and out of the pool. Mixing in some intervals (50-200m) at a harder pace would be helpful as well, especially to help teach me pacing in the water. Should also try a longer warmup running to get my HR up if they don't allow me to swim beforehand.

Event comments:

For an inaugural race, this race was incredibly well organized with a big turnout (695 finishers!) Adam calling out everyone's name super-enthusiastically when they were coming in, lots of crowd support, and volunteers. Couldn't have been happier.

Jack & Adam must have some sort of voodoo too, because they managed to keep the rain away for the entire duration of the race!




Last updated: 2007-07-18 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:34:51 | 1500 meters | 02m 19s / 100meters
Age Group: 28/52
Overall: 415/695
Performance: Average
Suit: 2XU Longjohn
Course: Simple out-and-back. Started at Auditorium Shores, went upstream Town Lake to just past Lamar Bridge and then back downstream.
Start type: Deep Water Plus:
Water temp: 77F / 25C Current: Low
200M Perf. Bad Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Below average
Waves: Navigation: Below average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:52
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
01:09:00 | 24.85 miles | 21.61 mile/hr
Age Group: 13/52
Overall: 94/695
Performance: Good
Wind: None
Course: Three loops, down and up Congress Avenue, then out West along Cesar Chavez and back. Mostly hilly, though nothing crazy.
Road: Smooth Wet Cadence: 85
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:16
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:45:22 | 06.21 miles | 07m 19s  min/mile
Age Group: 11/52
Overall: 105/695
Performance: Average
Course: Two loop course, 5K each. Sadly, no mile markers.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
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] 4