Swim
Comments: I didn't get a swim split time, so I don't know what my rank is. My watch showed 32:43 so I added 17 seconds to my "official" time to account for the run up the beach to the mat. I didn't hear the chip beep, but couldn't worry about it at the time. Here's the frustrating thing. In order to compete in my AG, I have to swim so much faster. Most of the finishers ahead of me were swimming 5-7 minutes faster. WTF??? I know I lost the pack at the beginning and didn't have the start I wanted - for some strange reason the entire race started much further down the beach than they ever had before. I chose to stay to the right and swim a straighter course (and stay out of the weeds - helluva sight to have people walking the shallows 1/4 of the way into the lake!) Anyway, I never really got anyone to draft off of. My navigation was pretty good, but I had to go it alone. Still, a fast time for me, but clearly, I have to be able to swim faster to compete. What would you do differently?: Stay with the pack and find a draft. Work to get stronger in the water. Do I need a weight training regimine? Keep the negative thoughts out of my head during the swim. They just don't help. Transition 1
Comments: I didn't get a T1 time due to the chip not working. I felt I was pretty fast once I got into transition. Shoes went on quickly, as did helmet and glasses. Learned a painful but valuable lesson for T1, though. Keep a water bottle handy to clean off the back of your heels. I thought the sprayers on the way from the beach had gotten it all - not. I felt the grit in my cycling shoes, but it didn't affect me until the run. What would you do differently?: clean my feet better. Bike
Comments: This was only my second ride on my new bike. It was fun! I felt like I was really flying, but in reality, I wasn't going all that much faster than on my old bike. Having a tri bike does make a difference, though. Hills were easier as were long stretches. It may need to be tweaked some, as my left hand and arm tingled a bit in the last 1/3 of the race. Also, I wasn't sure how hard to push my legs on this ride, since I just didn't know how they'd feel going into the run. I could have pushed certain areas harder and need to get better at eating, but overall, I really enjoyed this ride and was only passed (and couldn't catch) one person. She happened to be riding a sweet Cannondale *ahem* road bike, and after repeated passes of one another, I decided it wasn't worth chasing her down. She was strong - and at least 5 years younger. What would you do differently?: Obviously, ride my new bike more. I'm not "one" with the bike, yet. Transition 2
Comments: Since I now have tri-cycling shoes, I tried the feet out/shoes in pedals trick. I liked it, except for the tingling I had in my feet when I hit the pavement. I need to stand and stretch a bit before executing that move again, especially at Longhorn. Overall, I felt like this was a fast T2. Here's where the sandy heel played a role, though. What would you do differently?: If not done before the ride, make sure feet are clean. Run
Comments: I knew right away there was a problem with the sand on my heel, but decided to run through it and deal with the abrasion afterwards. I was trying to turn that sand into a pearl. All I got was a blister-type bloody heel. I learned that my shoes transfer moisture from the inside to the outside, as the bloodstain was much larger on the outside of my shoe than in the hot zone. I ran a decent run, 9s going up and 7s coming in for an average 8:20s or so. I know I can run faster, but haven't been doing any speed work, focusing on Longhorn's HIM. I think right after that, I'll get back to basics and work on increasing the speed. I need to make up lost swimming time on the run, too. What would you do differently?: push a bit harder on the outbound leg. Post race
Warm down: jumped in the lake for a cleanse. Ate pizza and drank what water was left. What limited your ability to perform faster: probably mental in the water, not knowing my bike too well yet and feeling restrained on the run. Perhaps staying out until 2 after soccer on Friday had a negative effect, too. Event comments: Chip malfunctions set them back and didn't get many of the swim/T1 splits. Also, they always seem to run out of refreshments for the olympic athletes. There was no vitamin water by the time I finished. Hats are getting boring. Give visors to the guys, too. I like Tom's humorous approach, but the schwag and post-race food and drink have dwindled from the high of Disco '07 where there was plenty. Last updated: 2008-06-10 12:00 AM
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United States
Dallas Athletes
69F / 21C
Sunny
Overall Rank = 93/162
Age Group = m40-44
Age Group Rank = 10/18
Just another early start. Ate 3 different types of bars (cliff, Cliff protien, and GoLean) along with a little coffee and sports beverage. Ben rode with me.
got there in plenty of time to warm up, but talked myself out of any meaningful warmup swim. I did get wet prior to starting, but not sure what that did for me.