Memorial Hermann Kemah Triathlon - Olympic Course - TriathlonOlympic


View Member's Race Log View other race reports
Kemah, Texas
United States
Onurmark Productions
76F / 24C
Overcast
Total Time = 2h 52m 51s
Overall Rank = 200/574
Age Group = 30-34
Age Group Rank = 30/62
Pre-race routine:

Got up around 3:15 as my friend was picking up the wife and I to head down to Kemah. The boat was leaving at 6:00am and we had to have transition situated before hand. Woke up and washed up, ate some oatmeal and had a tall black coffee to get the system moving.
Event warmup:

Once transition was set-up I put on the running shoes and did a light jog around the outside of transition. Went through the stretch routine and hit the head prior to heading towards the boat. No swim warm-up as we were jumping into the ocean from the boat for the swim to shore.
Swim
  • 34m 42s
  • 1640 yards
  • 02m 07s / 100 yards
Comments:

Bouys were difficult to sight with the rising swells. Was a real treat to jump off a boat a mile from shore and having to swim in. Straight swim in which was nice. Ran into the Sprint waves closer to shore which made things interesting and congested. Especially trying to enter the ramp to exit the water. Salt water was not delicious!
What would you do differently?:

Need to work on swimming in ocean swells. Made for interrupted breathing. Was real tough to get into a long rhythm. The swim was full of short spans with different rhythms due to the swells and congestion. I felt strong coming in and improved on my weakness. Small victory here.
Transition 1
  • 02m 38s
Comments:

Long run to T1 out of the water with wetsuit strippers in the middle.

Overall Rank: 62 overall out of 1700 racers.
What would you do differently?:

Had the worst side stitch as soon as I got into a jog once I got my wetsuit removed. I have no idea where it came from but it stayed with me all through the bike and through the first 2 miles of the run. Quickly got into shoes (sockless) and attached helmet, put on sunglasses and grabbed bike and took off.
Bike
  • 1h 22m 5s
  • 24.85 miles
  • 18.16 mile/hr
Comments:

Side-stitch would not go away. I tried to hydrate but The cramp hung with me. I tried to breath very deeply to try and stretch my side but it didn't do much for me. Headwinds were some of the strongest I have ever rode in. Was stuck in a large group being yelled at by a ref early out (miles 2-7). No one was able to break away due to the headwinds. Once we reached the first bridge it separated the group. I believe many were awarded penalties for drafting in this group, fortunately I was not. Speed was knocked down to 14/15mph into the wind. Rode tailwind North up 146 around 24/25mph.
What would you do differently?:

Train in more open road windy rides. The headwind crushed my momentum and struggled to keep up with stronger riders. The wind separated the strong from the weak.
Transition 2
  • 01m 11s
Comments:

The new Pearl Izumi ISO Transition shoes came in awesome here. Had unstrapped the shoes coming into T2 and once I was at the rack and racked my bike. It was simply sliding my feet out of my bike shoes into the Pearls. Grabbed my race belt and visor and ran out of T2 with them in hand putting them on once I was out of the transition area.
What would you do differently?:

nothing

Overall Rank: 52/1700
Run
  • 52m 13s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 08m 25s  min/mile
Comments:

Run was a struggle as I felt I was going to vomit the entire run. The side-stitch went away and was followed by a terrible nauseous feeling. I have never experienced such a feeling while training and am happy with my results considering how terrible I felt.
What would you do differently?:

Not sure. Could not ever really get into a good rhythm running. Compared to previous races this was a better pace but I felt I could have done better. Keep training and keep learning. Proud of pushing through and not walking, or succumbing to the nauseousness and vomiting.
Post race
Warm down:

Finish area was packed. Tried to strecth a little while waiting for friends to finish.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Maybe hydration. Maybe nutrition prior to race start. All the sickness could have been from inhaling all the sea water in the swim.


Profile Album


Last updated: 2012-03-28 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:34:42 | 1640 yards | 02m 07s / 100yards
Age Group: 36/62
Overall: 0/574
Performance: Good
Suit: Sleeveless Wetsuit
Course: Straight swim into shore. Swam from directly out from Kemah boardwalk into shore.
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 75F / 24C Current: High
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Average Drafting: Below average
Waves: Good Navigation: Bad
Rounding:
T1
Time: 02:38
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
01:22:05 | 24.85 miles | 18.16 mile/hr
Age Group: 38/62
Overall: 0/574
Performance: Average
Wind: Headwind
Course: Up and down 146 with a short 6 mile (3 out and back) turn off.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 82
Turns: Good Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Average Hills: Below average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:11
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:52:13 | 06.21 miles | 08m 25s  min/mile
Age Group: 26/62
Overall: 0/574
Performance: Below average
Course: Winding course through the neighborhood of Kemah, boardwalk area with roller-coaster and ferris wheel, and then over and back the Kemah bridge.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
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] 5