PrairieMan Sprint Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


View Member's Race Log View other race reports
Grand Prairie, Texas
United States
Ironhead Race Productions
68F / 20C
Precipitation
Total Time = 1h 31m 45s
Overall Rank = 29/
Age Group = M 20-24
Age Group Rank = 2/6
Pre-race routine:

Woke up @ 4 am for the race. It was raining slightly, so packed some plastic bags for transition. It was really dark and cold, wasn't really feeling enthusiastic about this one.
Event warmup:

I tried to find a dry spot to set up transition, but there was none to be found. Put my shoes in plastic bags and prayed that they would stay dry. The guy at the start of the race was waiting for Jack and held up our wave, our wave was supposed to go at 7:03 but we didn't start till 7:35. This meant we spent 30 minutes shivering our butts off in the cold rain.
Swim
  • 11m 40s
  • 547 yards
  • 02m 08s / 100 yards
Comments:

The water felt good and warm compared to the cold, wet rain. The swim start was fairly uneventful, I quickly found some room to swim in. I saw people doing breast stroke in the first 100m. One of the guys doing the breast stroke whacked me hard in the chest with his legs. I just kept my head down and tried to swim with the waves, overtook some of the people from the previous waves.
What would you do differently?:

Start out slightly faster, use legs more in the final portion of the swim.
Transition 1
  • 02m 10s
Comments:

By bike rack was right next to the bike out area. I ran all the way from the water to my rack. Took me a while to get my shoes out of the plastic bag, but I was happy with this transition given the harsh conditions.
What would you do differently?:

Ehh.. no rain.
Bike
  • 49m 18s
  • 16.78 miles
  • 20.42 mile/hr
Comments:

This was the first time I have biked in pouring rain. At first I was concerned with bike handling in the wet conditions, but after a while I was able to get in my comfort zone and push it. The cops did an outstanding job of handling traffic. This was definitely needed since the roads were only two lane in some portions of the course.

The wind was a non-factor throughout most of the bike leg but it really kicked up at the southern turnaround and it was really nasty on one of the bridges. One minute you were cruising at 20 mph and the next the wind hits you smack in the face. Given all that this was still my fastest bike split in a race.
What would you do differently?:

Be more aggressive, this was a fast course but I didn't push it as I was wary of the extremely wet conditions. But in the end, the rain didn't hamper my performance that much.
Transition 2
  • 01m 53s
Comments:

Long T2, my shoelaces came untied and I wasted some time fixing that.
Run
  • 26m 42s
  • 3.11 miles
  • 08m 35s  min/mile
Comments:

I started the run, really strong and overtook a bunch of people coming out of transition. I soon realized that I had forgotten to wear my watch, so I had no idea how fast or slow I was going. I just kept a steady pace and tried to do my best with the rain falling on my face. There were a couple of aid stations on the way but I chose not to stop since the conditions really precluded any need for water.
What would you do differently?:

Wear a watch!!
Post race
Warm down:

Tried to change out of my wet clothes. My transition area was soaked by now. Had some plums and pizza, and as soon as they said transition was open, I took my bike and got the hell out of there. 4 hours in the rain was enough for me.

Event comments:

This could have been a more enjoyable race had the weather been more cooperative. I had a friend doing the Half Iron distance but I didn't feel like waiting another 3 hours for him to finish. I checked the results and found out that I had medaled in my AG, sweet!!! Jack said he will mail the awards to the winners.




Last updated: 2009-05-01 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:11:40 | 547 yards | 02m 08s / 100yards
Age Group: 2/6
Overall: 0/
Performance: Average
Suit: Tri-Shorts
Course: Triangular, clockwise course.
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 80F / 27C Current: Medium
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Good Drafting:
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:10
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
00:49:18 | 16.78 miles | 20.42 mile/hr
Age Group: 2/6
Overall: 0/
Performance: Good
Wind: Some
Course: Out and back on Lakeridge parkway. There was some minor flooding in certain parts of the course.
Road: Rough Wet Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering:
Gear changes: Good Hills:
Race pace: Drinks:
T2
Time: 01:53
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Good
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
00:26:42 | 03.11 miles | 08m 35s  min/mile
Age Group: 5/6
Overall: 0/
Performance: Average
Course:
Keeping cool Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race?
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? No
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 3