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Danskin Women's Triathlon Series - Austin - TriathlonSprint


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Austin, Texas
United States
Danskin
90F / 32C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 39m 42s
Overall Rank = 234/2592
Age Group = 40-44
Age Group Rank = 34/341
Pre-race routine:

Woke up around 4:40 when I heard the girls next door getting ready to leave. There were 8 of us in two rooms and all of us but one were signed up to do the danskin. Unfortunately one of our friends that was signed up decided not to do it at the last minute. She has done the event several times before and does great, but the swim just sends her into a panic. Got dressed, filled up water bottles and headed to the car. Ate a banana with peanut butter and a bagel in the car. Really wished I would have had some caffeine, but forgot to get a diet coke or coffeee until it was too late.
Event warmup:

Put my gear in transition and went for a quick run around the park. I was really surprised not to see but one other person warming up at an event with over 2500 people!
Swim
  • 23m 43s
  • 820 yards
  • 02m 53s / 100 yards
Comments:

Once again, I have not been swimming or doing any type of training for the swim. I just got in the lake and started going. I did try to start on the left hand side since I am a right side breather and I was told this would help with navigation. There were an AMAZING amount of slow swimmers and trying to wind your way through them was tough. I was in wave #9 and was shocked at the amount of women struggling on the swim. While I was swimming I kept thinking about how far I had come in this sport (not in the swimming, but in everything else) and I was reflecting back on my first time doing a triathlon. I signed up for this race with a group of friends and we did this race last year. When I was packing to leave for Austin, I couldn't find my garmin HR strap and so I didn't wear my Garmin at all during the race. I also sometimes find it hard to really get into "race" mode when I am with a big group of people and there are so many other details involved in getting to an event. So, with that said I didn't really feel the urge to push it on the swim. At one point in the race there was a woman with a silver swim cap on (I didn't ever even see a wave with silver swim caps so I wasn't sure if she was a swim angel or what). She was crying hysterically and hanging onto a noodle. I stopped and asked if she was OK and if she needed help. She kept telling me she was fine and after the third time of asking her, I motioned to a kayaker and told her that she could hang on the kayak and get help. There were several other people REALLY struggling on the course and I stopped to give them a word of encouragement. It really made me realize how challenging this sport is and what an accomplishment it is just to finish an event like this.
What would you do differently?:

Once again, if I trained on the swimming it would help. I wouldn't change the fact that I stopped to check on people along the way as the danskin is such a supportive race for women and I wanted to be supportive to others who were struggling.
Transition 1
  • 02m 54s
Comments:

One of my goals for this event was to improve my transition times. There is a pretty good run from the lake to the transition area which I felt good for since I hadn't really pushed it on the swim. Saw a friend who cheered for me as I ran by and started thinking about my transition plan. As soon as I sat down I realized that I was going to need to pour some water on my feet to get all the dirt off. Grabbed my water bottle, squirted my feet and got to work getting socks and bike shoes on. I had already decided to skip my camelback this time (this was my first triathlon without it!)and I didn't have my Garmin to put on and I didn't wear bike gloves. I think all of these things really helped me cut off a couple of minutes from last year's T1.
What would you do differently?:

Be better prepared to rinse feet off
Bike
  • 40m 20s
  • 12 miles
  • 17.85 mile/hr
Comments:

This is definitely my favorite event of the three and the one I do the best in. The bad news is that I didn't air up my tires before leaving Ft. Worth and I was planning to do it when I got to Austin, well I never did. I just get overwhelmed by all the things that have to be done and they seemed like they weren't too low. Well, as soon as I got on the bike, I regretted that decision as I could tell they were not aired up as much as I like. Other than that I felt good on the bike. I had a fun ride and passed lots of people. I only got passed about 3 or 4 times and enjoyed the ride except for the fact that when you have over 2500 people doing a race the course is very crowded and I ended up going outside the orange cones to pass as there were many people not riding on the right side. I know that there are lots of newbie bikers on the course so it is just hard to get around people. The winds were strong at times and one turn into a headwind caused a major slow down. I was very excited about my overall rank on the bike as I felt like I had a strong bike, but 17.8 mph doesn't sound very fast. I guess the winds affected everyone.
What would you do differently?:

Air up my tires
Transition 2
  • 01m 42s
Comments:

I did run from the dismount to my area, but I never do a moving dismount. For one thing, there were way too many people in this event to try to do something like that. I need to practice it. I forgot to put on my race number for the run and I think that saved me a bit of time. I was pleased that my time was faster than last year, but I could definitely still use some work on transitions.
What would you do differently?:

Practice a moving dismount. Maybe try yankz?
Run
  • 31m 1s
  • 3.1 miles
  • 10m 01s  min/mile
Comments:

I felt like I was really dragging on the run, but only walked up the biggest hill at the end. The sun was out in full force by that point and I was HOT! I kept trying to speed up my cadence, my just counldn't motivate in the heat and the hills were tough.
What would you do differently?:

Keep practicing with more hills
Post race
Warm down:

After I finished I spent about 30 minutes walking up and down and trying to find other folks from my group. I never saw any of them finish and finally found Paige. Then we waited for other friends to finish and cheered people on.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

I think I could have done a little better with being more organized and prepared for the race. However, this was really just a training race for me and the danskin is all about supporting other women and not necessarily about "racing".

Event comments:

The Danskin is the biggest tri that I ever compete in and it is definitely hard to "race" with that many people. I find the event to be very inspiring and fun and plan to continue to sign up in the future. Plus our women trips to Austin and our regular stops at the outlet mall make it an added bonus. The triathlon on this trip is almost secondary!




Last updated: 2008-04-03 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:23:43 | 820 yards | 02m 53s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/341
Overall: 795/2592
Performance: Average
Suit:
Course: The course was in Decker Lake and was a semi circle out and around a buoy and back.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average Drafting:
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 02:54
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
00:40:20 | 12 miles | 17.85 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/341
Overall: 105/2592
Performance: Good
Wind: Strong
Course: The danskin course in VERY hilly throughout most of the course
Road:   Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Hills: Good
Race pace: Drinks:
T2
Time: 01:42
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Good
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
00:31:01 | 03.1 miles | 10m 01s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/341
Overall: 465/2592
Performance: Good
Course: The course is a dirt path and very hilly for most of the way.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
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: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5

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2008-06-09 11:32 AM

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Expert
853
5001001001002525
Fort Worth, Texas
Subject: Danskin Women's Triathlon Series - Austin


2008-06-09 4:11 PM
in reply to: #1454165

Member
58
2525
Albuquerque, NM
Subject: RE: Danskin Women's Triathlon Series - Austin
Great job! I was there too, for my first race ever. You did great on the bike...I probably saw you fly past me, as I struggled on the bike to recover from my crazy swim. That's a lot of women!

keep up the good work. Maybe we BT women can all try to meet up next year.

Julia
2008-06-09 4:57 PM
in reply to: #1454165

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Extreme Veteran
461
1001001001002525
Cedar Park, Texas
Subject: RE: Danskin Women's Triathlon Series - Austin
Way to go! Yeah...there were a lot of folks struggling on the swim - the winds and the choppy water made it hard on everyone! Kudos to you for being so strong all the way through. I'll see you back here next year if not sooner!
2008-06-09 8:18 PM
in reply to: #1454165

Regular
213
100100
Fort Worth, Texas
Subject: RE: Danskin Women's Triathlon Series - Austin
WOOHOO!  Great Job, Jill!  The winds were tough and you did fabulous!  This is such a fun girly weekend.  I'm looking forward to many more to come! 
2008-06-09 9:02 PM
in reply to: #1454165

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Veteran
234
10010025
Round Rock, TX
Subject: RE: Danskin Women's Triathlon Series - Austin
Great job Jill! It's always a crowded course but the excitement is so much fun!
2008-06-09 9:25 PM
in reply to: #1454165

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Veteran
172
1002525
San Antonio
Subject: RE: Danskin Women's Triathlon Series - Austin

Hi Jill,

Thanks!  You were wicked fast on the bike! (That was my wave's special word We had a fun girl's weekend too. How sweet of you to stop and help on the swim. That is the best part of Danskin, people (like you) are so supportive and caring.

Lesley 



2008-06-12 4:44 PM
in reply to: #1454165

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Expert
902
500100100100100
Wylie, TX
Subject: RE: Danskin Women's Triathlon Series - Austin
I did not realize that race was so big. Top 10% overall and in your AG is awesome.
2008-06-12 10:59 PM
in reply to: #1454165

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Master
1779
1000500100100252525
Subject: RE: Danskin Women's Triathlon Series - Austin

Great race! Nice AG place! You did really well on the swim! Especially for someone who hasn't been swimming a lot. I'm jealous!

Danskin is going to give me a medical roll-over for this year. At least I didn't lose any money by missing the race. So, if we don't meet up at a race this season there is always Danskin next year.

2008-06-12 11:44 PM
in reply to: #1454165

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Champion
19812
50005000500020002000500100100100
MA
Subject: RE: Danskin Women's Triathlon Series - Austin

Fun race and glad you were there to encourage and support those struggling on the swim.

Way to kick it up on the bike and great split on the run.

Crowded courses make it hard to pass folks on the bike..but you did it

Congrats! 

2008-06-13 1:10 PM
in reply to: #1454165

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Expert
739
50010010025
Flower Mound, TX
Subject: RE: Danskin Women's Triathlon Series - Austin
Awesome race, Jill!  Top 10% is quite impressive in a race this size!  And ~18 mph is pretty fast in any kind of wind.  Nice job!
2008-06-13 1:18 PM
in reply to: #1454165

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Champion
5575
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Butler
Subject: RE: Danskin Women's Triathlon Series - Austin
Great race.  Top 10% is awesome.


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