Memorial Hermann Ironman Texas - Triathlon


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The Woodlands, Texas
United States
World Triathlon Corporation
93F / 34C
Sunny
Total Time = 12h 56m 4s
Overall Rank = 755/2900
Age Group = 25-29
Age Group Rank = 64/176
Pre-race routine:

I got to the special needs drop off early, turned in my bags, got body marked, went to transition and found my front tire was flat. Did my fastest tube swap ever and even got recorded while doing so. I made the award lunch banquet video! haha. I'm glad I got to transition early as it filled up quick and was getting kind of hectic in there. Put my cold drinks on my bike and headed over to the swim start. I did some arm circles and stretched just a tad to loosen up and calm down. Got in the water with 15 to go, sat on a dock, watched the pros, went out to about 2/3rds back and treaded water for about 5 min before the start.
Event warmup:

This was my first triathlon.
Swim
  • 1h 48m 59s
  • 3862 meters
  • 02m 49s / 100 meters
Comments:

This was my first mass start, first open water swim, and first time a had really swam with a swim cap on. The mass start really messed me up. Goggles came loose and I couldn't find a rhythm and would stop swimming when bumping into someone. Initially I wore the swim cap over my ears which didn't help my equilibrium and I started to feel dizzy from that and swimming in the murky water. I moved it above my ears and that helped a lot. I finally got a good rhythm down after the second turn and just kept my head down and swam.
What would you do differently?:

I wouldn't have been so polite about bumping into people. Nobody else was. I should have just kept my head down and swam through it. I would also not have worn my cap over my ears. I've been so used to hearing the water splashing with my head rotation that it threw me off.
Transition 1
  • 07m 25s
Comments:

T1 was pretty smooth. I didn't wear a top on the swim so I had to put it on and it was a bit tricky cuz I was still a bit wet. Other than that I felt it was a smooth transition. I wasn't trying to blaze through because I wanted to be sure I had everything set up right.
What would you do differently?:

I would wear a tri suit or a tri top next time. Putting it on after the swim wasn't the best idea. I should have at least asked a volunteer to help me pull it down.
Bike
  • 5h 49m 16s
  • 112 miles
  • 19.21 mile/hr
Comments:

I loved the bike leg. Having roads blocked off for you and blowing through intersections, the aid stations, the cheer sections, leap frogging from passing one person after another... It was great. I loved every minute of it except for the heat and the sun beating down.
What would you do differently?:

I wouldn't have done a double rear hydration set up. The aid stations were only ~10 miles apart and that's too close to drink 3 bottles of liquid. I would have done my aero torpedo bottle, and one in the rear. I was basically carrying one extra drink about half the race before I realized it was dead weight and tossed it.
Transition 2
  • 08m 40s
Comments:

T2 had bike wranglers so that was awesome. Our bags were left in the sun all day so my body glide melted and exploded over my bag contents. I asked a volunteer for a towel and cleaned up, changed into my running gear and shoes and was off.
What would you do differently?:

Not pack body glide. Get out of shoes while on the bike. Dismount the bike while moving. Just worn the tri shorts for the run instead of changing. I went for maximum comfort.
Run
  • 5h 01m 44s
  • 26.2 miles
  • 11m 29s  min/mile
Comments:

My brick workouts really paid off and I was able to hit my training pace for the first full lap. Then the heat kicked in and it got up to about 93 degrees. This really wiped me out energy wise and I was forced to shuffle. I ran between the aid stations and walked while taking in the nutrients.
What would you do differently?:

Do a different Ironman? I'm not sure what I could have done. It wasn't hot in Texas until race weekend so I couldn't have trained in the heat anyways. It was just a brutal gut check.
Post race
Warm down:

Walked around a bit. Didn't need the med tent.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

The swim, lack of ows practice, mass start exp, and familiarity with swim cap. The bike, not much. I hit a faster average pace than I averaged in training. The run? The heat...

Event comments:

I loved this race. It was my first Ironman and I had a blast. The heat was terrible but I expected no less. I am considering doing this one again next year or St. Louis. I would recommend this race to others. The venue was great, the volunteers were incredible, and the crowds were awesome.


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Last updated: 2013-05-20 12:00 AM
Swimming
01:48:59 | 3862 meters | 02m 49s / 100meters
Age Group: 142/176
Overall: 755/2900
Performance: Bad
Suit: none
Course: Three legs, first two out and back, murky water, shallow lake, last third is shallow enough to touch the bottom.
Start type: Wade Plus: Shot
Water temp: 82F / 28C Current: Medium
200M Perf. Bad Remainder: Below average
Breathing: Good Drafting: Below average
Waves: Navigation: Below average
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 07:25
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed:
Biking
05:49:16 | 112 miles | 19.21 mile/hr
Age Group: 80/176
Overall: 1035/2900
Performance: Good
Wind: Strong
Course: The course was mostly rollers with some flat sections. There was a 6 mile section of chip seal just past the halfway point and it sucked but wasn't the worst I've ridden on. The headwinds on the home stretch weren't too bad but others complained a lot. The heat was the worst part. 95% of the course was in the sun.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 92
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 08:40
Overall: Below average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Bad
Jumping off bike Bad
Running with bike Average
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
05:01:44 | 26.2 miles | 11m 29s  min/mile
Age Group: 64/176
Overall: 755/2900
Performance: Average
Course: 3 loop course around the woodlands shopping center area. It was mainly flat with about 30% shaded sections. Lots of support throughout and the aid stations were spaced nicely. It's a beautiful run course and the three loops make it easy to keep the course packed with fans.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %-9lbs
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
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: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5