LongHorn Triathlon Festival - Half Iron - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Austin, Texas
United States
EndorFUN SPORTS
Total Time = 5h 52m 34s
Overall Rank = 180/695
Age Group = M 30-34
Age Group Rank = 37/78
Pre-race routine:

Woke up at 3:30 and had a banana. Layed back down until 4:30. Didn't get very much sleep at all. Got up, had 1/2 packet of oatmeal and a maltodextrin/protein shake. I would have liked to have eaten more but I was really nervous and wasn't very hungry. Left the hotel at 5:30 with my mother and fiancee. My dad and sister left the hotel about 45 minutes later. Setup transition area and hung out with my friend who was also doing the race.
Event warmup:

Nothing much...just tried to loosen the arms up and not puke. I was pretty nervous.
Swim
  • 36m 4s
  • 2112 yards
  • 01m 43s / 100 yards
Comments:

I made sure to start out easy to warm up. Everything felt really good and I had started out to the left so there was minimal contact. Once I hit the first bouy, I tried to find a pair of legs to draft off of and was pretty successful for the most part. This allowed me a nice long break from sighting so I could relax and concentrate on breathing. About 2/3 of the way through I came up on some traffic from the two waves before me but it wasn't a problem getting through. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the swim and felt like I could have done another lap.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. All I wanted to do was establish a fairly easy pace and control my breathing...mission accomplished
Transition 1
  • 05m 38s
Comments:

I was in no hurry in the transitions and man, does it reflect that in my times. I had already decided that a couple extra minutes wasn't worth missing something or being uncomfortable. I toweled off my feet, applied some body butter and took a quick inventory of all the things I needed. I might as well have made a sandwich for the amount of time I took.
What would you do differently?:

Realize a little sense of urgency.
Bike
  • 3h 04m 17s
  • 56.7 miles
  • 18.46 mile/hr
Comments:

The bike is my weak link so I was just making sure I survived. The first 20 or so miles felt really good and it got progressivly harder from there. I tried to make sure I wasn't pushing too hard so that I would have something left for the run (which I would need with that run). There was one downhill that I hit 41 mph and thoroughly enjoyed it. That's a new top speed for me...not many hills in Houston to fly down. The last 10 miles or so were geting tough as the sun was coming out and it felt like the hills were growing. The whole ride I was worrying about the last two hills. I had worked them up to mythical proportions in my head by the time I got to them, but they turned out to be better than I had imagined. It felt really nice getting off that bike back at the park.
What would you do differently?:

Just more time in the saddle. I think this would be a fun course to train on.
Transition 2
  • 04m 55s
Comments:

Again, I wasn't in much of a hurry...obviously. I took off the tri top and put on my Nike Dry fit t-shirt. Slapped on a new pair of socks, the running shoes, race belt and hat and started running.
What would you do differently?:

Hurry up!
Run
  • 2h 01m 37s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 09m 17s  min/mile
Comments:

Started out and felt surprisingly good. The first 4 miles went really well and I was averaging 8:00 min/mile. Got back to the transition area to start on the off road portion of the loop. The now infamous hill on the backside that runs along the road broke me. I actually ran the whole way up but after that, everything changed. I had to walk portions of the rest of the uphills. Pace dropped to about 10:00 min/mile and I kept calculating the time remaining to see if I could break 6 hours. The resat of the run was a little bit of a blur and I just tried to make sure to run the downhills and flats and do the best I could on the uphills. My sister joined me once I got back to the transition area on the second loop. I only had about 2.5 - 3 miles left at that point but I was really struggling. Having her next to me definately helped. That last two miles was the hardest thing I've done in my life. All I wanted to do was walk but I knew I would be disappointed if I had and then didn't break 6 hours...I was so close! There are only a few things in life that have looked as good as mile marker 13. Checked my watch one last time and brought it home in 5:52:34. I had planned on finishing in 6:30 so it goes without saying that I was very pleased. I actually started to get a little emotional right after I finished...that was one hell of an adventure! I know I gave every last ounce of energy I had.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. I couldn't have asked for more for my first half ironamn
Post race
Warm down:

Sat down and relaxed!

Event comments:

Endorfun puts on one hell of a race. I can't imagine the amount of time and planning that was put into this but everything was awesome from the start. I don't see how you could run a race any better!




Last updated: 2007-10-09 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:36:04 | 2112 yards | 01m 43s / 100yards
Age Group: 15/78
Overall: 0/695
Performance: Good
Suit: PI tri shorts and LG top
Course:
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 85F / 29C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Good
Waves: Good Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 05:38
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed:
Biking
03:04:17 | 56.7 miles | 18.46 mile/hr
Age Group: 63/78
Overall: 0/695
Performance: Average
Wind: None
Course:
Road:   Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Average Hills: Below average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 04:55
Overall: Below average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
02:01:37 | 13.1 miles | 09m 17s  min/mile
Age Group: 19/78
Overall: 0/695
Performance: Good
Course: two loops
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5