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Houston Oaks Tru Tri Sprint Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Hockley, Texas
United States
Tru Tri Sports
75F / 24C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 32m 53s
Overall Rank = 201/222
Age Group = M40-44
Age Group Rank = 30/31
Pre-race routine:

2 months ago I got pulled out of town at the last minute, then I was sick for about 2 months, and I've been insanely busy at work the last 3 weeks. Translation: I haven't been training anywhere near what I should have.

My wife was suppose to do this race as well, but she has been fighting a sinus issue and had to pull out at the last minute. So I packed up just my stuff the night before.

I got up around 4 and just made coffee with the individual pot since no one else would be drinking any till 10. Got my waters and just took some prepackaged breakfast items and headed out.

I got to the race about 5:30, right when transition opened, but it was a mile walk to transition from the parking area.

On Friday/Saturday a cool front rolled in and it was in the 60s prior to the race. But it has been sweltering here for the last few months so the water was warm and the air cool. You really couldn't ask for better weather.

It was really dark and we couldn't see much on the walk so I choose not to ride my bike over to transition. Once I got there I set up, and then realized that I forgot my bug spray and sunscreen (combined) in the car, but i had plenty of time so I returned for it.
Event warmup:

I brisk walk back and forth to my car was most of the warmup I got. There were supposedly some portapotties, but I ended up going to the restroom near the pool. Unfortunately it only had one stall so there was a wait.

Still I had time to dip into the lake and wait for the the start of the race.
Swim
  • 13m 55s
  • 547 yards
  • 02m 33s / 100 yards
Comments:

This was probably my best technical performance on a swim ever. I was not pushing the pace insanely, but I was feeling my lack of training in my arms by the end.

There was quite a bit of contact, but no hard hits, to the first bouy, after rounding that I tickled some feet once or twice while drafting but no more contact.

I say it was the best technical swim because:
I held a steady pace for most of the swim.
I rounded all 3 bouys almost perfectly even rubbing the third one.
I only had one time the entire swim where I sighed and was off path.
That was the only time I came close to stopping the entire swim, and there I basically missed a stroke and went right back into it.
I actually managed to draft on some fast feet for a few minutes.
What would you do differently?:

Normal comment - train more. Technically it was perfect.
Transition 1
  • 02m 34s
Comments:

Coming out of the water I staggered a little, pretty typical. We had to go up some steps to the timing mat. The transition wasn't far away.

We were told to wear our race number on the bike so I had my race belt on the handlebars and put that on after my helmet and glasses.

I didn't move fast but I didn't have any major missteps either
What would you do differently?:

Hussel a little more. I got passed by a few people from the water in T1. On the other hand they just would have passed me on the bike anyway.
Bike
  • 1h 12m 19s
  • 21 miles
  • 17.42 mile/hr
Comments:

I am a better swimmer than I am a cyclist. Not to say I'm a good swimmer, but I'm closer to MOP, and if I actually worked at could not suck in my AG.

I was also, for the first time ever, in the first wave.

This means that those who came out of the water in front of me were likely better athletes in general, and this held true as I didn't pass anyone on the bike. Ok, I passed 2 guys, shortly after they passed me, and I think they passed me again a few minutes later around mile 17 or so.

In general I wasn't feeling that strong today. I couldn't hold aero as much as I wanted, I had some mild chafing, and I was out of breath for the first 5 miles or so.

I took a gel that I had meant to take on the swim shortly after i got on the bike, and I messed with my polar a bit since it gave me an error message. So my data is a bit messed up, but in general the ride was ok, I was just getting passed a lot along the way.

I came out of aero for all the turns. I really need to work on being more comfortable turning in aero.
What would you do differently?:

The usual. I also need to ride more hills, I'm not really good at knowing when to change the front gear and adjust the rear one.
Transition 2
  • 03m 3s
Comments:

Dismount, while not super fast, was uneventful. racked my bike the wrong way then remembered the issues prerace and reverted it. Took some time to move my stuff around and drink some water.

After I got out on the course I realized I still had my bike tools in my jersey pocket bouncing around. Moved them to my shorts.
What would you do differently?:

There really wasn't any reason for this to take me 3 minutes. I was probably just avoiding the run.
Run
  • 1h 01m 1s
  • 4.97 miles
  • 12m 17s  min/mile
Comments:

As always my run was a sufferefest. I believe I ran more than I walked, but I walked more than the rest of the racers that I saw.

Saw lots of CyTri folks out there and had the opportunity to run with them for a minute before they left me behind.

I developed some shin pain early on and my knee bothered me at one point. Nothing too extreeme.
What would you do differently?:

Bottom line, I need to run more.
Post race
Warm down:

Wandered around and got some grub. They had breakfast buritos and fruit.

Hung out for the awards and won some cycling gloves in the door prizes.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Training.

Event comments:

This was a first year race and very well done without any of the negatives of Shadow Creek last year.

The bike was an open course but the roads are rural so it wasn't a big deal. There were cops on most of the intersections but my only real compaint is there was not a cop or volunteer at the last turn back on to Haegar. There was a 3 way stop there and traffic when I went through.

The run was well stocked, they ran out of cups at one of the aid stations, but they had bottled water for us. It was the perfect solution.

Of course, they had great weather due to the cold front, but I think the shade also really helped with the day.




Last updated: 2012-08-12 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:13:55 | 547 yards | 02m 33s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/31
Overall: 130/222
Performance: Good
Suit: Desoto 4 pocket shorts and Zoot top
Course: The Lake is kind of a dog leg shape so we swam a 500 meter course going out along the shore then turning left and going out toward the far shore where it is not visible from the beach. Then round a bouy, come back along the other shore and circle around the fountain
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 90F / 32C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Good
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:34
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: No
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
01:12:19 | 21 miles | 17.42 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/31
Overall: 162/222
Performance: Average
Wind: Some
Course: An open course on the roads around the area. This is mostly rural area. There are some hills on this course and absolutely no U-Turns. There were however a lot of right (and a few left) turns. Cops were on most major intersections, with the only exception being the last one (but probably the busiest). The roads were largely smooth, a little chipseal, but in pretty good condition.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Below average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Average Hills: Average
Race pace: Too hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 03:03
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Below average
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
01:01:01 | 04.97 miles | 12m 17s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/31
Overall: 213/222
Performance: Below average
Course: A run through the country club starting neart the pool and doing two loops on the "family nine" and then down one of the roads and back. Decent amount of shade, and a TON of water and aid stations. I think you passed an aid station 5 times each loop.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Too much
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
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: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4

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2012-09-10 10:51 AM

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Subject: Houston Oaks Tru Tri Sprint Triathlon
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