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Capital of Texas Triathlon - Olympic Distance - TriathlonOlympic


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Austin, Texas
United States
Capital of TexasTriathlon
85F / 29C
Overcast
Total Time = 3h 17m 4s
Overall Rank = 1009/1438
Age Group = M30-34
Age Group Rank = 136/178
Pre-race routine:

Woke up, ate a bagel & peanut butter, then put my stuff together and drove to the site.
Event warmup:

I stretched some, but it was largely wasted thanks to having to wait over an hour for my swim wave. The RD decided to make it 5 minutes between waves instead of 3, then when my wave got ready to go they put us through a 15 minute delay to 'clear out' the course...which wasn't crowded. I know they wanted to give the women in front of us some time to get out on the course, but 15 minutes? If our guys can catch a girl in 1500m with a 15 minute head-start, she's got bigger problems than guys catching her. So we sat there and baked in our wetsuits for what seemed like forever. I didn't need to get in any warm-up swim, I was loose just from standing there in the heat in my wetsuit. The first wave left about 7:10, ours left about 8:30...and there were several waves left to go. I think Aaron was 15-20 minutes behind me and the relays were behind him. It was pretty ridiculous. On the bright side, I got to grope, I mean help, ATXTri into her wetsuit. She said it was the most action she's gotten in awhile, which is really sad. That girl is hot, you single BTers are really slacking.
Swim
  • 36m 5s
  • 1640 yards
  • 02m 12s / 100 yards
Comments:

I was pretty happy with this swim in that I didn't freak out in the water at all. I was comfortable pretty much the whole time. I guess that's a good part of having to wait so f*cking long, I got over my nerves. I need more practice in my wetsuit though, my form was off and I didn't compensate properly. I also can't sight for crap, I probably swam an extra couple hundred yards zig-zagging all over the course. But I was happy with the swim because I was calm the whole time. The only time I got a little freaked out is when I could actually see the bottom of the lake. My brain was thinking "OMG GO AWAY I WANT TO GO BACK TO NOTHINGNESS".
What would you do differently?:

Maybe push a little harder a little earlier, but overall it was good. I might consider a sleeveless wetsuit in the future to reduce arm fatigue.
Transition 1
  • 05m 51s
Comments:

I'm writing this before I get the results and I can tell you this transition was probably really bad. I had a hard time getting the wetsuit open and I ran off with my bike before realizing I hadn't put my chip back on. The run out to the bike mount was also way longer than I had expected. I'm not losing any sleep over it though, I expected a bad time given how little I've used my wetsuit.
What would you do differently?:

Get the wetsuit off more quickly, put the chip on the first time.
Bike
  • 1h 22m 28s
  • 24.85 miles
  • 18.08 mile/hr
Comments:

I tried not to eat the paste, I really did. I dabbled in the paste a little though, the long downhill sections were too tempting. The important part is that by the end of the 1st loop I had my HR in a pretty good spot and was able to keep it there for pretty much the rest of the ride. I didn't see Aaron until the 2nd loop, so I decided to try to hold off The Inevitable Aaron Pass as long as possible. I made it to the end of the 3rd loop before he passed me, which I took as a minor victory. I know I had a massive headstart, but let me have this. Aaron was probably setting up a picnic on his aero bars while I'm pondering why my knees hurt and if this is what butt cancer feels like, but I'm laying claim to this moment. Other than that I just tried to keep a consistent HR & cadence. Oh and I was the impromptu bike shorts integrity checker. I say that because in the last lap there was a sprint guy who had an enormous run in his shorts right where his crack is. I caught him on a hill and tried to tell him as nicely as possible, but he wasn't really getting it so I was reduced to telling him that if he farted I could probably tell him what he had for dinner last night. That got the point across.
What would you do differently?:

Not much. I may need to get a refitting to see if everything's in the right spot, but the pain went away after a couple loops so I may have just been sitting in the wrong spot or something.
Transition 2
  • 03m 26s
Comments:

I thought this transition was quicker than the time says, but I'll have to check my Garmin when I get home.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing, it was pretty good.
Run
  • 1h 09m 12s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 11m 08s  min/mile
Comments:

I came into the run being somewhat tired, but all things considered I didn't feel that bad. It quickly became apparent that my HR was way too high and wasn't dropping. It was solidly in the upper 170s, flirting with 180s. That's right in zone 5 for me. I wasn't pushing hard, it just wouldn't drop. So I decided I'd walk the aid stations, make sure I got plenty of fluids, and use ice & water to keep cool as best I could. After the first mile, I knew hitting my 11 min/mile pace was going to be tough bordering on unlikely so I focused on trying to keep cool. It was just so effing hot that I really wasn't going to be able to do that well. Of course it was a few degrees cooler about 90 minutes earlier. You know, when I would have been running if I hadn't sat around waiting for my wave for 90 minutes. I only walked once when not at an aid station, and it was only for 10-15 seconds. Otherwise I just chugged along at an 11-12 minute pace, trying to zone out and not think about how obscenely hot & muggy it was outside. That didn't work. I was near the end of the first lap when Craig yelled some words of encouragement. All I responded with was "Aaron can't lap me on the run". Aaron, I'm not stalking you I swear. OK, maybe a little. I'm harmless though; ask Karen. I may start stalking the guys with the water hoses though; running through those streams of ice cold water felt like heaven. I don't like having wet shoes, but it was so hot that I didn't really care. They could have been secretly taping some sort of H2O bukkake film and I really wouldn't mind at that point, I just wanted the hose down.
What would you do differently?:

I'm not sure what I could have done differently during the race, it's just a matter of getting in more training in the heat.
Post race
Warm down:

I drank a lot of fluids. A LOT of fluids. I was definitely hurting. I just grabbed a couple bottles of gatorade & water and looked for some shade.

But more importantly: I broke the Olympic distance curse! The third attempt is the charm apparently...or maybe I wasn't the curse after all. You know, Gary wasn't there and there was no rain. Hmmm....

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Lack of training in the heat.

Event comments:

Bad:
1) The packet pick-up was chaos.
2) The swim wave timing was a debacle.
3) The runs out of each transition area were way too long.
4) The amount of cyclists on the loops - specifically the speed differences between packs of riders - was bordering on insanity at times.

Good:
1) Plenty of aid stations with plenty of ice.
2) Volunteers were very friendly.
  • ..and that's about it.

  • I don't blame these guys for last year's rain-out, they can't help that. But given that they were trying to basically make amends, the increased price, suggestion that we body mark ourselves, and the swim wave disorganization, I doubt I'll be coming back for a 3rd attempt. It just seems like a very poor way to try to improve an event.




    Last updated: 2008-01-23 12:00 AM
    Swimming
    00:36:05 | 1640 yards | 02m 12s / 100yards
    Age Group: 0/178
    Overall: 879/1438
    Performance: Good
    Suit: Blueseventy Reaction
    Course: It was pretty much out & back, not the loop they were showing on the maps. Yet another of the last minute changes that mystified me.
    Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
    Water temp: 75F / 24C Current: Low
    200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
    Breathing: Average Drafting:
    Waves: Good Navigation: Bad
    Rounding: Average
    T1
    Time: 05:51
    Performance: Average
    Cap removal: Below average Helmet on/
    Suit off:
    No
    Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
    Jump on bike: No
    Getting up to speed: Good
    Biking
    01:22:28 | 24.85 miles | 18.08 mile/hr
    Age Group: 0/178
    Overall: 1041/1438
    Performance: Good
    Lap 1: 5.0 miles - 17:13 - 17.4mph - Ave. HR 166bpm; Lap 2: 5.0 miles - 17:35 - 17.0mph - Ave. HR 161bpm; Lap 3: 5.0 miles - 17:24 - 17.2mph - Ave. HR 161bpm; Lap 4: 5.0 miles - 17:25 - 17.2mph - Ave. HR 162bpm; Lap 5: 3.85 miles - 12:40 - 18.2mph - Ave. HR 163bpm
    Wind: Strong with gusts
    Course: 4 loops around a ~6 mile course with a solid amount of hills.
    Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 95
    Turns: Average Cornering: Good
    Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
    Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
    T2
    Time: 03:26
    Overall: Good
    Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
    Jumping off bike
    Running with bike Average
    Racking bike Average
    Shoe and helmet removal Good
    Running
    01:09:12 | 06.21 miles | 11m 08s  min/mile
    Age Group: 0/178
    Overall: 1033/1438
    Performance: Below average
    Lap 1: 1 mile - 10:19 - Ave. HR 176bpm; Lap 2: 1 mile - 11:11 - Ave. HR 180bpm; Lap 3: 1 mile - 11:00 - Ave. HR 181bpm; Lap 4: 1 mile - 11:39 - Ave. HR 182bpm; Lap 5: 1 mile - 12:01 - Ave. HR 182bpm; Lap 6: 1 mile - 10:34 - Ave. HR 187bpm; Lap 7: .28 mile - 2:27 - Ave. HR 195bpm
    Course: 2 loop course with mild inclines and a severe lack of shade
    Keeping cool Bad Drinking Too much
    Post race
    Weight change: %
    Overall: Good
    Mental exertion [1-5] 4
    Physical exertion [1-5] 4
    Good race? Yes
    Evaluation
    Course challenge Just right
    Organized? Yes
    Events on-time? No
    Lots of volunteers? Yes
    Plenty of drinks? Yes
    Post race activities: Below average
    Race evaluation [1-5] 2

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    2008-05-26 1:00 PM

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    Pro
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    Texas
    Subject: Capital of Texas Triathlon - Olympic Distance


    2008-05-26 2:37 PM
    in reply to: #1424575

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    Expert
    739
    50010010025
    Flower Mound, TX
    Subject: RE: Capital of Texas Triathlon - Olympic Distance

    Awesome race, Jonny!  You nailed it all on the 3 accounts.  You beat or meat you goals in all 3 sports.  You should be really happy. 

    Awesome bike split! 

    2008-05-26 4:04 PM
    in reply to: #1424575

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    Champion
    8540
    50002000100050025
    the colony texas
    Subject: RE: Capital of Texas Triathlon - Olympic Distance

    bring the rain baby !!!! where was the rain??? where was the magic fish that propelled you to the course record last year?? 

    You had to body mark your self... could you have gone around bodymarking people on your own and just make up numbers???  

    anyway.. that was a great bike time.. being out there dodging all those people can't be easy. Nice swim time also plus a bit of the heat to get you ready for Longhorn this year.. 

    2008-05-26 6:12 PM
    in reply to: #1424575

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    Champion
    7704
    50002000500100100
    Williamston, Michigan
    Subject: RE: Capital of Texas Triathlon - Olympic Distance
    Great Job Johnny!! I ate some paste this weekend too..it was GOOD Hoep you ahd a great time The swim wave thing sounds stoopid.  NEVER do a disney race...
    2008-05-26 9:30 PM
    in reply to: #1424575

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    Expert
    944
    50010010010010025
    Waller County, TX
    Subject: RE: Capital of Texas Triathlon - Olympic Distance
    Great race, especially considering the training you've missed out on the last couple of weeks.

    The Olympic distance is a bit tricky; too long to sprint, and too short to pace yourself. You did just fine.
    2008-05-26 9:33 PM
    in reply to: #1424575

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    Extreme Veteran
    378
    100100100252525
    Dallas, TX
    Subject: RE: Capital of Texas Triathlon - Olympic Distance

    Nice job out there!  Not quite as eventful as last year's race (per your '07 RR), but not at all bad.  I agree with all your race observations - I think everyone should have gotten a default draft penalty on the bike... I wonder if it'd be physically/mathematically possible for anyone to ride USAT legal on that course.  It was more like a slalom at times than a road course.  I've never heard so many "on your right" callouts in my life - purely out of lack of room to go anywhere else!

    Regardless, well done! 

     



    2008-05-26 11:21 PM
    in reply to: #1424575

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    Expert
    902
    500100100100100
    Wylie, TX
    Subject: RE: Capital of Texas Triathlon - Olympic Distance
    Congrats on breaking the Olympic Curse and having a good race. Like I told you, you looked very chic-like snazzy in the matching mantard and sunglasses. 
    2008-05-27 8:21 AM
    in reply to: #1425225

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    Pro
    4311
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    Texas
    Subject: RE: Capital of Texas Triathlon - Olympic Distance
    docshock1964 - 2008-05-26 11:21 PM

    Congrats on breaking the Olympic Curse and having a good race. Like I told you, you looked very chic-like snazzy in the matching mantard and sunglasses.


    The technical term is 'duo-dry streamlined mooseknuckle maximizer', thank you very much.
    2008-05-27 9:58 AM
    in reply to: #1424575

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    Champion
    10471
    500050001001001001002525
    Dallas, TX
    Subject: RE: Capital of Texas Triathlon - Olympic Distance
    Great job on your first REAL Olympic distance! WOO-HOO! Finally!

    Now on to the HIM distance. From the sounds of it... per our conversation... this distance put just the right amount of fear into you... that will help you get all of your HIM training in.
    2008-05-27 2:19 PM
    in reply to: #1424575

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    Veteran
    117
    100
    Austin, Texas
    Subject: RE: Capital of Texas Triathlon - Olympic Distance
    I have a new hero! He wears a giant JB on his mantard.

    Now get your AZZZ in gear for Longhorn....
    2008-05-27 3:11 PM
    in reply to: #1424575

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    Pro
    3894
    20001000500100100100252525
    Austin, Tejas
    Subject: RE: Capital of Texas Triathlon - Olympic Distance
    HAHa. Thanks for the shout out. Maybe I'll get some action finally.

    Anyone looking for a place to stay for Austin 70.3? Oh yea. Giggity giggity.


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