Disco Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic


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Valley View, Texas
United States
Dallas Athletes
85F / 29C
Overcast
Total Time = 2h 54m 57s
Overall Rank = 223/283
Age Group = M30-34
Age Group Rank = 31/33
Pre-race routine:

Same as always: wake up, eat some ramen, pack up and head out the door.
Event warmup:

The usual: setup transition area, stretch, and make fun of Gary. Mostly make fun of Gary.
Swim
  • 28m 55s
  • 1500 yards
  • 01m 56s / 100 yards
Comments:

This was my first beach start ever, so I figured I'd avoid the washing machine and hang back at the back of the group. I let them throw elbows and beat each other up, I'll just swim on the outside. It worked pretty well, buoys notwithstanding. I tried to draft but neither I nor the people I was behind could swim a straight line to save ourselves so success was limited at best. Those were also the largest waves I've had to deal with on a swim, though I think I did alright against them, all things considered. I came out of the water and not 5 seconds behind me was Karen(who started 3 minutes behind me). That was the last time I was in front of her all day.

There's no way this was 1500 yards. I'm not cracking the 30 minute mark on 1500 yards when dealing with the waves & current like we were. Plus, the other two disciplines were short so I'd believe this one was short as well.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Transition 1
  • 03m 55s
Comments:

Strap, shirt, Garmin, Glide, shoes, helmet, glasses, & gone.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing, it went well given the distance from the swim to the transition area.
Bike
  • 1h 16m 50s
  • 23.33 miles
  • 18.22 mile/hr
Comments:

I went out on the ride with the goal of pushing, but only after I got my HR down some. I know with CapTex I pushed too hard and paid for it on the run, so I was trying to keep myself at ~75% instead of hammering. I didn't do that good of a job at that the first few miles, I found myself pushing more often than not. Finally I got myself at a HR that was reasonable(considering I was in a race) and stayed in that groove most of the rest of the way. I got passed by a few BTers - including one with a bell that would ring as he passed us...I made sure to give him a friendly one-finger salute when he came by after the turnaround :) - but focused on my race more than what anyone else was doing. I could tell I was sitting around 18-19mph most of the way, which was good given my HR and the intermittent sprinkles/rain. I think it being overcast and 85 instead of sunny & in the 90s did worlds for how I was able to push that speed.

I had the usual cat & mouse games on the ride, though this time it was with a girl around my age. She would pass me on the flats, but I'd catch her and pass her on the hills. That girl needs to work on hills; those hills really weren't that bad and she was struggling. Eventually I passed her on one hill and never saw her again. I guess she got tired of the back & forth, or maybe she never got her mojo back. Either way, screw her. I pwnd that girl! (Let me have this victory. When you're as slow as me, you don't get many.)

I spent the last ~8 minutes dropping down gears and trying to reduce my HR for the run and it helped some, though not a lot. Still, the fact that I didn't spend the last 10 minutes hammering is a victory for patience in and of itself.

Lap 1: 5.0 Miles Ave. : 18.0mph AHR: 166bpm
Lap 2: 5.0 Miles Ave. : 19.4mph AHR: 164bpm
Lap 3: 5.0 Miles Ave. : 18.2mph AHR: 163bpm
Lap 4: 5.0 Miles Ave. : 17.7mph AHR: 163bpm
Lap 5: 3.3 Miles Ave. : 17.8mph AHR: 161bpm
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. Oh, steal Gary's wheels. I wouldn't put them on my bike, I just need to finish ahead of one person I know and I think I could take him if he had no wheels. Probably.
Transition 2
  • 02m 16s
Comments:

I came into T2 with my feet already out of my shoes & jumped off the bike. Unfortunately, my right shoe came flying off when I got off the bike so I had to back up and pick it up. So much for the flying dismount. Other than that, the transition was solid if unspectacular.
What would you do differently?:

Shouldn't have sat down, but otherwise it was fine.
Run
  • 1h 02m 54s
  • 6 miles
  • 10m 29s  min/mile
Comments:

I got out on the run with the goal of not cramping up. Actually, I focused my bike nutrition with that goal in mind, and I overdid it so by the time I was 5 minutes into the run I felt water-logged. If it had been as hot as I was predicting I would have been right on target, I think. Or maybe not. Hell this whole nutrition thing is me just making guesses. I might even have a pizza delivered at an aid station during a race just to give it a shot. Anyway, I brought a Gu and an Endurolyte with me on the run and was going to pop the pill at 15 minutes and the Gu at around 30 minutes in. I get to the 15 minute mark, reach back for the pill, and I learned a handy lesson. Did you know Endurolytes dissolve in water? And by water, I mean any liquid...like, say, tri shorts that are soaked in water & sweat. I came out with a pill that looked like jello, so I did what any reasonable person does when confronted with an unfamiliar substance. I ate it, and not only did I eat it but also supplied an aid station worker with an amusing piece of advice about salt pills. What can I say, I'm a multi-tasker.

It was about this point where I saw Karen for the first time in awhile. She was 90 seconds ahead of me and told me I'd be catching her because she'd "slow down soon enough", as if I needed any more motivation to keep running. About half a mile further Aaron told me that she was "SO. CLOSE." and if I hauled ass down the next hill I'd catch her. Good idea, love the concept, but this body isn't going to blow it out with 5 miles left to go. I figured if I kept up my pace and she did her normal pace, I'd make up the 90 seconds eventually. Plus, if I hauled ass down the hill I'd have nothing left in the tank for the rest of the race. So I kept to my pace of sub-11, which was better than I expected. I did this for the first 3 miles and I could see Karen in the distance once we were on open road, but I couldn't tell if I was making much ground on her. We get to the turnaround and the time difference was....100 seconds. She had gained 10 seconds on me. *insert swearing here*

OK let's be fair here. I wasn't mad at her _at all_, it was more surprise than anything. She's always slower than me on the run and I was doing better than expected, so it would make sense that I'd be gaining on her. As soon as I saw she had gained time, I knew it was over. If I was going to make up ground it would have been early. She obviously wasn't slowing down and I sure as hell wasn't speeding up. So congrats to her, she was tearing it up. If anyone deserves it, it's her. She trains a lot harder than I ever could. I'm proud of her.

It's also worth mentioning that moving the aid station from the turnaround to the park entrance was a major improvement. DSU deserves recognition for making that adjustment, because last year's aid station locations(or lack thereof) were brutal.

Anyway, I got about 4.5 miles in before the first time I walked. Well, I walked at the park entrance aid station while I was drinking, but this is the first non-aid-station walk. I let myself walk for about a minute, and still tried to keep my pace above "ohgodthisistoohardigiveup" pace. In other words, I think I was doing about a 14 min pace on the walk. Besides that one spot, I ran the whole way and I got my second wind with about a mile left. I knocked out the last mile at a sub-9 pace if memory serves, and I looked strong at the finish line. Of course looking strong at the finish line isn't really my problem. I'm great at the start and the end of a run, it's the vast middle portion where I'm not so hot.

Mile 1: 10:18 AHR: 171
Mile 2: 10:24 AHR: 176
Mile 3: 10:19 AHR: 178
Mile 4: 11:13 AHR: 179
Mile 5: 11:46 AHR: 181
Mile 6: 08:54 AHR: 188
What would you do differently?:

Train more I guess, but I kept a good pace considering the distance.
Post race
Warm down:

I drank a lot of fluids. Since I changed up my nutrition plan I noticed I never want to eat at the end of a race, I just want to drink fluids. I don't know if that's a good or bad sign, but the last thing I want to see is food. I eventually ate a couple watermelon pieces, but other than that it was all water/gatorade.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

I don't have bionic legs.

Event comments:

I'm happy with my race time, but it sticks in my craw that all the distances were short. I was trying to make a good comparison to CapTex to see how I've progressed, but I can't if all the distances are off. It's a little OCD of me I know, but I'd like as close to the exact race specs as I can. I changed the distances on the RR to reflect what I actually got on my Garmin.

The race is decent and the aid stations were more well-placed than last year(trust me, I appreciate this improvement), but this is a long drive for an event. I'm not so sure I'm willing to make this trek again next year. Getting up at 3:45am sucks balls.


Profile Album


Last updated: 2008-05-29 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:28:55 | 1500 yards | 01m 56s / 100yards
Age Group: 27/33
Overall: 178/283
Performance: Good
Suit: None
Course: 1500* yard triangle *theoretically
Start type: Run Plus: Waves
Water temp: 75F / 24C Current: Medium
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Average Drafting: Below average
Waves: Average Navigation: Average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 03:55
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Yes
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
01:16:50 | 23.33 miles | 18.22 mile/hr
Age Group: 30/33
Overall: 212/283
Performance: Good
Wind: Some
Course: Open roads with some chipseal and rolling hills.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 95
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 02:16
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Below average
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
01:02:54 | 06 miles | 10m 29s  min/mile
Age Group: 31/33
Overall: 226/283
Performance: Average
Course: Some hills with a substantial amount of tree cover.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Too much
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
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] 3