CB&I Tri - The Woodlands - TriathlonSprint


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Woodlands, Texas
United States
The Community Associations of The Woodlands
75F / 24C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 22m 45s
Overall Rank = 215/900
Age Group = Male 30-34
Age Group Rank = 23/59
Pre-race routine:

Ate my usual breakfast of a banana and a bowl of cereal. We had packed the car the night before so it was a relatively stress-free morning getting ready and heading over to the race site. Took my time getting ready but I still forgot the pads for my aerobars so I had to run back to the car to get them and I made it back with about five minutes to spare before transition closed.
Event warmup:

Walking and stretching. Nothing special here.
Swim
  • 10m 33s
  • 547 yards
  • 01m 56s / 100 yards
Comments:

We had swam the course the weekend before so I knew what to expect from a sighting and directional perspective but holy crap, was that a violent swim! I've never seen so much aggression in the water; these guys were out for blood! I like to start off on the side of the group around the middle of the pack, this way everyone tires themselves out in the first couple hundred yards while they all sprint like mad-men and then I can work my way by them as they all tire out. Not this time. The swim start was running parallel to the shore and it was so close to shore that people were standing up in waist-high water waiting to start. I was stuck in the back of the pack and I had a really hard time getting though people. Maybe it was too crowded and I'm not used to it but it felt like everyone was really aggressive. It wasn't until around the first turn that I was really able to start getting around people and after that the swim went a lot better.
What would you do differently?:

I would have started with the front of the pack. I usually don't like doing that because it's a pet peeve of mine when people start up front and then move slow and clog up the course but it was so chaotic in there I don't think I would be worried about that next time.
Transition 1
  • 03m 4s
Comments:

In the past this transition has been a little slow for me due to being disoriented when exiting the water. So during swim practices I have been taking periodic breaks where I immediately jump out of the pool and walk a lap around the pool to help me get used to the feeling my body has when it goes from being horizontal while swimming for 10 to 20 minutes to upright and trying to jog. I think it all paid off because I was a lot more "with it" as I exited the water and my transition time was one to two minutes faster than it was at Lonestar, which was around five week earlier.

Oh, I also grabbed one of the waters from the aid station coming out from the water and dumped it over my head. I never thought I would be hot after a swim in a lake but it felt good. The cool water on my head probably helped me get my bearings and focus as well.
What would you do differently?:

Everything went really smooth this time. I wouldn't change a thing.
Bike
  • 42m 58s
  • 15 miles
  • 20.95 mile/hr
Comments:

Wow, I felt awesome on the bike. I was able to hammer it and keep a good, comfortable speed and cadence going. I was with two other guys in my age group heading out from the transition and we played leap frog for the first ten or so miles. The good news is that I was keeping a consistent speed and it seemed like they were not happy that someone in their age group was passing them so they kept speeding up to pass me again. But once we turned onto Lake Woodlands I passed them both and I never saw them again until transition. I'm guessing they wore themselves out trying to keep up with my awesome speed skills(Says the guy that was 20 out of 59 in his age group on the bike :-D )!
What would you do differently?:

Absolutely nothing. If I could feel that good and that strong on every bike portion of every triathlon I do from here on out I would be on cloud nine.
Transition 2
  • 01m 48s
Comments:

I know they say to try nothing new on race day but I was having such an awesome ride that I had to top it all off with a moving dismount. Luckily I've been doing them for years on other bikes so this one went smoothly. What a way to top off the ride! My legs were a little wobbly coming into transition so I had a little drunk jog going on but it wasn't that bad. I had no problems switching from my bike to my run gear and I was headed out on the run. I saw the two guys in my age group that I had passed earlier head out just before me and I followed them out.
What would you do differently?:

Not a thing. Another great transition and I managed to drop more time off of my T2 time from Lonestar.
Run
  • 24m 20s
  • 3.11 miles
  • 07m 49s  min/mile
Comments:

I headed out with the two guys in my age group on the run and followed them. They had a good pace going so I figured I would stay with them. I thought it would be funny to get right behind one of them and "draft" them like they do in the 5k charity run on "The Office" but they probably wouldn't have appreciated it. They might even have thought it tacky. So around mile 1 one of the guys is starting to do walk breaks and we lose him. I stay with the other guy, who is running with a buddy and they're just chatting it up. Around mile 2 the second guy from my group starts to hurt a little bit and they pull their pace back so I end up passing them and go about my business. I took water from every aid station to pour on my head to cool down and I think that made a world of difference. In the future I'm always going to do that as I felt very good during the run. I was very impressed with my time as well. I wasn't expecting to break 8 minute/miles but I'm not complaining either.
What would you do differently?:

Train more is the only thing. I probably have the biggest potential for growth in the run, so I'll have to see how that develops.
Post race
Warm down:

I saw Erin start her run when I finished so I had some time to kill so I walked anywhere from half a mile to a mile after the race to keep my legs loose. I also did a lot of stretching during this time to help my body relax.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Training and equipment. I imagine I could go faster with a nicer bike but that's not happening anytime soon. So I'll have to focus on the training portion. I'm hoping doing some more track workouts and Hammerfests on the bike will improve my times at the couple's triathlon in Austin in July.

Event comments:

There were too many people at the start of the swim. It was only one age group, but I wonder if they could move the start further away from shore to reduce crowding.

Other than that I had an excellent race and am very pleased with how well I did.




Last updated: 2008-05-07 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:10:33 | 547 yards | 01m 56s / 100yards
Age Group: 15/59
Overall: 216/900
Performance: Average
Suit: None
Course: Triangle course leaving from next to the boat ramp which paralleled the shoreline, then made hard left turn out into the middle of the lake and then another left turn to come back in at the boat ramp.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 76F / 24C Current: Low
200M Perf. Below average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Average Drafting:
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 03:04
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed:
Biking
00:42:58 | 15 miles | 20.95 mile/hr
Age Group: 20/59
Overall: 167/900
Performance: Good
Wind: Some with gusts
Course: We exited the park and turned left on Lake Woodlands, turned right on Gosling, turned right on Six Pines, turned right on Timberloch, turned left on Grogan's Mill, turned right on Woodlands Parkway, turned right on Lake Woodlands and back to the race site.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 95
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills:
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:48
Overall:
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Average
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:24:20 | 03.11 miles | 07m 49s  min/mile
Age Group: 34/59
Overall: 256/900
Performance: Good
Course: We exited the transition are and turned right on Lake Woodlands, right on Grogan's Mill, then right into the new development along the lake and zig-zagged through there, then left onto Grogan's Mill and left on Lake Woodlands to the finish line which was just over the bridge.
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: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4