LongHorn Triathlon Festival - Half Iron - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Austin, Texas
United States
EndorFUN SPORTS
80F / 27C
Overcast
Total Time = 5h 02m 1s
Overall Rank = 179/1929
Age Group = 35-39
Age Group Rank = 31/306
Pre-race routine:

John picked me up Saturday morning and we headed out of Dallas around 8:00am. Got checked into the hotel, headed downstairs for packet pickup. Waited in line a bit, but was pretty efficient once you got up to the tables. Decided we needed lunch (Quiznos) before heading out to the park to prep the bikes, brief test ride, and check them in.

Finally, back to the hotel to clean up and check out the expo. Nothing overly exciting there for me. While John headed out to Romeo's for the BT dinner, I joined the Negative Split Racing group at Carrabbas.

We'd learned on the drive that morning that the race would, to everyone's surprise, be wetsuit legal. Of course, despite planning to bring it anyway, I'd managed to forget mine. However, I had managed to call Gerald (who was coming from Dallas to spectate) in time for him to pack some of his and bring them. After dinner, I went back to the hotel room and tried to squeeze into and, even harder, to peel myself out of a couple of dry wetsuits. (that was exhausting) Final verdict, I'll just borrow the SpeedSuit, and forego a full wetsuit.

Got to bed reasonably early, so was decently refreshed come race morning. Breakfast of oatmeal and a plain bagel w/ PB. Packed the last bit, checked out of the hotel, and headed to the race site. We arrived just at 5am and had no problem getting into the park, parking, or getting on a shuttle, although we could see the lines forming behind us. A stop at the empty porta-johns before heading into transition to finish setting up.
Event warmup:

After a final bathroom break, did a brief jog down to the water, back to the road and out just a little bit. Then headed down to swim start. Considered a swim warmup, but the chilly air dissuaded me, and I decided to stay dry.
Swim
  • 29m 20s
  • 1931 meters
  • 01m 31s / 100 meters
Comments:

Everyone agrees the swim was short, probably 200-300m. Too bad, because I was feeling pretty good. My navigation was off just a bit on the first wave, and I found myself to the right of the main line of swimmers. However, I joined back up to take advantage of the 'current' they were creating. Had a few OK draft, but often I was just going faster than most of the people I came up on, so I ended up passing them.

Started fairly moderately - it was crowded, so I swam a pretty defensive catch-up style right at the start - but I tried to keep building throughout. Not all the way to an all-out pace, but a strong effort by the last leg. I'm pretty happy with my swim, especially considering I wasn't in a wetsuit and many were.
What would you do differently?:

I couldl probably push the swim a little harder. (But there's a lot of race left afterwards, though.) Need to figure out how to identify better draft targets *while swimming*.
Transition 1
  • 02m 51s
Comments:

40th in AG; 318 overall.

This felt like a pretty good T1 (considering I put on socks). Had goggles and cap off before I even made it out of the water. Jogged up the transition ramp at a decent pace, nearly hurdling people who were stopping to take off their wetsuits *in the chute* (grrr.) Someone cut me off heading to my rack, but fortunately, someone near the end had already headed out on the bike, so I ducked *under* the empty spot on the rack. :)

I did take a few seconds to rinse my feet before putting on socks. It was dirt we were running across, so it was caked on and I didn't want my socks/shoes full of it. Had to grab the second bottle from my transition bag to finish. Helmet and glasses went on very smoothly. Grabbed bike and ran out of transition, passing some folks on the way.
What would you do differently?:

Not much. My rack spot left me with a long run in/out with my bike. I plan to work on thte shoes-on-bike thing for next year, though I'm not sure I would have done it for this race, given the dirt in transition.
Bike
  • 2h 44m 28s
  • 56 miles
  • 20.43 mile/hr
Comments:

With that many people on the course, you were never alone. However, after about the first 10 miles, it was the same group of 10-15 people passing/being passed by each other.

This was a pretty solid ride. I was focused on keeping the pace above the IM pace I've been training for so much of the year. I pushed enough that I could feel it in the legs, but not enough that I thought I was going to be hurting going into the run. Never stood out of the saddle, and just spun up the hills

Originally thought I'd try doing extra nutrition on the bike, and then nothing but water for the run. However, I ended up experimenting with less nutrition instead. Only did about 1/2 of the 3-hour Perpetuem bottle, plus 300 cal of Clif Blocks. Only 3 SaltStick tablet total, too. Stayed hydrated though, and felt pretty good throughout. (Though Saltstick may be too concentrated. They still made me burp.)
What would you do differently?:

Continue working on power/weight for next year. Need some more time on the new H3 front wheel; it's more twitchy/responsive to the road. I felt better as the race went on, but there were definitely times I had to counter the drift from the cross-breeze.
Transition 2
  • 01m 7s
Comments:

1st in AG; 30th overall!

Because there is a final uphill into the dismount area, I didn't get my feet out very early. However, I did get them out in time, and my dismount was excellent. Some people were slowing to go over the log from the road to the transition area, but I just hopped and kept running. Was able to get helmet off with one hand while still running with bike.

Fastest T2 in age group by 2 seconds.
What would you do differently?:

Wished I didn't have a race spot so far from bike in/out.
Run
  • 1h 44m 13s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 07m 58s  min/mile
Comments:

Felt good starting the run; my bike pacing had been solid. Mentally broke it up into 'loops around the Nautatorim' (a 5k loop I often run). Found my pace effort and tried to hold it steady; focused on picking off people especially ones in my age group. (Although I found it rewarding even passing those in 30-34, too.) I really managed to stay focused this race, and not let myself be distracted.

Nutritionally, my plan was to take only water from the aid stations. I wasn't going to touch Gatorade, but I did leave tranistion with a small Ozarka bottle I'd filled w/ Accelerade. Approaching an aid station, I'd take a sip of the Accelerade, then take some water to wash it down. That worked great. I finally finished the Accelerade ditched the bottle at the mile 12 aid station.

Never even touched the sponges or towels. The overcast skies kept it cool enough, and I didn't have to worry about water in my shoes. The wind was enough that you noticed in coming back from the 'energy lab' on Decker Ln., so I picked up the pace a smidge when someone passed me and drafted behind him for a ways.

Noticed a blister in the middle of my foot during the first run up Quadzilla. Decided just to ignore it. Really most noticable on that uphill b/c of the uneven footing (and slower pace).

The second loop, it was a little harder to maintain the focus on 'loops around the Nautatorium', but I continued picking people off. I realized at some point that many might still be on their first loop, so it wasn't gaining me any places, but it still helped me stay focused. I managed to keep jogging even the second Quadzilla loop. It wasn't a fast run, but I kept running and never stopped to walk, which was a mental boost once I hit the top.
What would you do differently?:

Not much, this was a great run! Some extra strength workouts might have been useful for Quadzilla. I think the recent added frequency (even of only a couple 5k runs each week) really helped.
Post race
Warm down:

Sat down for just a minute right after the finish, but then felt OK. Headed straightaway to the massage tent, where they took great care of me. Really worked out some IT band and adductor tightness that would almost certainly have given me cramps. After that, headed over to Amy's Ice Cream to get some free recovery dairy/protein. :)

Cheered on Melissa and Brittany at their finish before heading over to the BT tent. Fantastic setup there; tons of food and drinks. Great talking with all the BTers.

Event comments:

As always Endorfun put on an excellent event. They handled the size/scale of the race fantastically. (grown from 900 people last year to 2000 this year). Volunteer and course support was awesome, including all the comstumed/themed aid stations. Lots of little details were covered that just made the race great for the athletes -- extra sand for swim start, very well marked bike routes and hazards, traffic control, sponges and wet towels, fully stocked aid stations, the tailgating along the course, ...

(Swag note: long-sleeve technical shirt and a running hat)

They did an amazing job making the race spectator-friendly, too. Vendors selling food, covered tents with tables to keep people out of the sun, bounce house and video game stations for kids. The tailgating area along the run course was awesome; there were probably 15-20 tents set up with different groups cheering for their teammates/friends.

The BT tent was awesome, with more food and drink than we could consume (who would have thought *that* was possible.) Kudos to Mike for the BBQ!




Last updated: 2008-02-11 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:29:20 | 1931 meters | 01m 31s / 100meters
Age Group: 113/306
Overall: 592/1929
Performance: Good
Suit: BlueSeventy SpeedSuit
Course: Single loop, triangular, counterclockwise
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 78F / 26C Current:
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:51
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Yes
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
02:44:28 | 56 miles | 20.43 mile/hr
Age Group: 74/306
Overall: 389/1929
Performance: Good
AvgHR: 132
Wind: Some
Course: Single loop on primarily country roads. Rolling hills throughout, with a few larger, especially at the very end. Wind was 10-15, with more tailwind for second half. Great course control, 4 aid stations. We got lucky with some fantastic, mostly overcast conditions.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 91
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:07
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
01:44:13 | 13.1 miles | 07m 58s  min/mile
Age Group: 14/306
Overall: 131/1929
Performance: Good
AvgHR: 161 MaxHR: 176
Course: Two loops. First half of each loop was pavement, second half was off-road (fire trails). Rolling hills throughout, with a big downhill/uphill between miles 4 and 5. Lots of aid stations, fully stocked, many with themes. Live bands scattered throughout also. Announcers at halfway/finish and also at top of Quadzilla.
Keeping cool Good 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 Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5