CB&I Tri - The Woodlands - TriathlonSprint


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Woodlands, Texas
United States
The Woodlands Township Parks and Recreation Department
42F / 6C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 37m 14s
Overall Rank = 397/860
Age Group = 35-39M
Age Group Rank = 49/80
Pre-race routine:

I had done one super-sprint before, but this was my first "big-boy" triathlon.

I packed the night before, so I was ready to go. I woke up at 4:15, grabbed a bagel and cream cheese, mounted my bike and headed out the door
Event warmup:

Trying to stay warm mostly in the 42 degree air. There were no swim warmup allowed.

I didn't do any real warmup except walking around and few stretches. The race got delayed by 30 minutes because people arrived near the close of transition and the lines to get timing chip got long.

Forgot to do several minor things, like tear off my gel packet tops, drink my "prime Gatorade", and check the wind forecast. I need a pre-race to-do list, not just a to-bring list. I did eat a Honey Stinger.
Swim
  • 10m 53s
  • 500 meters
  • 02m 11s / 100 meters
Comments:

We started in the 2nd wave, only one minute after the pros. So we had one minute to get in the water and get our body and face used to the water temperature in one minute. There was no countdown or warning, just a horn, which caught many people off guard. I at least had my goggles on, but I forgot to start my watch. It wasn't on the right said, but I didn't try to fiddle with it. Later waves supposedly got at least one warning and 3-4 minutes.

I think the lack of warning did help to avoid a buildup of nerves. The swim went rather well. I found it easy enough to sight, because I just looking for a mass of people. I was only significantly off course once. The lake was so dark and muddy that it was impossible to find feet to draft off. Battling other swimmers was okay, in a way, fun, except when I got whacked which caused me to stop and look up once.

Two recent pool swims of 500m were 10:46 and 10:52, so my overall time was right in line. The advantage of the wetsuit was negated by not swimming in a straight line and the one quick stop.
What would you do differently?:

I would say just to start my watch early, but I had planned on doing that. We just got no warning.

I also plan on working on stroke cadence. If I can increase and maintain a higher arm turnover rate, I can shave close to a minute.
Transition 1
  • 04m 12s
Comments:

It was so cold, I was worried about the wind on my wet body when I started biking, so I took the time to put on a skull cap, bike jacket, and gloves. I then tried to start my watch, but it was on the wrong setting and then I was fiddling with it. I had also rolled up my socks so I could put them on easy, but I found myself unrolling one of them. wtf, Chris?
What would you do differently?:

Continue to practice transitions so everything is routine.
Bike
  • 53m 35s
  • 15 miles
  • 16.80 mile/hr
Comments:

I literally passed only one person on a mountain bike. I probably got passed by at least 50 people from all of the slower swimmers in my wave, and the fast folk from the waves behind me.

Despite my slow speed, I was happy to see some improvement. At the super sprint I did in March, I did 6.5 miles at 16.4 mph, so in 5 weeks of training, I improved to do over twice the distance at higher speed.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing but more training. I am going to look into lowering the handlebars on my road bike to improve aerodynamics a little.
Transition 2
  • 01m 59s
Comments:

My poor T1 time bothered me during the bike, so T2 was as efficient as I could be.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Run
  • 26m 34s
  • 3.11 miles
  • 08m 32s  min/mile
Comments:

I hit a PR on the run! I was faster than my standalone 5k from January. I was expecting to be slower.

I felt like I was running slow, but I knew from a previous bric that I was actually going faster. My watch was giving me some data that was in the 7 minute mile range, but I knew that wasn't true either.

My run time of 8:31/mile was only good enough for 62th percentile of my age group on the run, so that is an indication of the strength of the field. If you ran a 10 min/mile you were in the bottom 10%.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Post race
Warm down:

Not enough stretches, then some food, and socializing with some other triathletes that I am acquainted with.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

The cold weather which required extra gear to put on in transition. OCD with my watch.

The guy who finished in 48th place was 2 minutes faster than me, so even if I avoided the little errors, I still would have been in 49th place.

Event comments:

Overall the race was well done. There were lots of volunteers; the course was marked with lots of cones and distance markers; plenty of cops blocking intersections. A few suggestions:

1. More porta-potties
2. Have some time requirement other than close of transition to prevent people from getting there so late causing delay.
3. Allow a little bit of time for athletes to get in the water, especially if it is cold.






Last updated: 2013-04-03 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:10:53 | 500 meters | 02m 11s / 100meters
Age Group: 28/80
Overall: 209/860
Performance: Good
Suit: Sleeveless Xterra Vortex 3
Course: The swim begins at Northshore Park. Entrance is at the beach section. The course was a rectangle of 200m x 50m in Lake Woodlands, and the exit was at the boat ramp.
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 68F / 20C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Drafting:
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 04:12
Performance: Bad
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
00:53:35 | 15 miles | 16.80 mile/hr
Age Group: 66/80
Overall: 514/860
Performance: Average
Wind: Little
Course: A tour around the Woodlands - a very flat course.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:59
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
00:26:34 | 03.11 miles | 08m 32s  min/mile
Age Group: 50/80
Overall: 360/860
Performance: Good
Course: All in the Grogans Mill area of the Woodlands. Head east over the bridge on Lake Woodlands, down Grogan's Mill past my office, then past some rich houses on the East Shore, and then head back up the bridge. The finish line was on the downward slope of the bridge
Keeping cool Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
Good race? Yes
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] 5