Tri-Benbrook Sprint - TriathlonSprint


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Benbrook, Texas
United States
Ironhead Race Productions
54F / 12C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 14m 33s
Overall Rank = 64/368
Age Group = M 40-44
Age Group Rank = 7/26
Pre-race routine:

As this race was only 20 minutes away, got up at 5:10 and left by 5:40. Nothing out of the ordinary.
Event warmup:

none.
Swim
  • 06m 27s
  • 274 meters
  • 02m 21s / 100 meters
Comments:

Best. Swim. Ever. Good start, good turns and good breathing. I didn't think much while in the water except to strategize a pass or what to do when being passed. Even pulled up to a breaststroke a couple of times to allow for some separation when being passed and to avoid a kick in the face. I know I tired in the middle, and really thought I was swimming in the 7s. But, it did feel fast and I thought I might have missed a lane. I got a glance at my watch during the run to T1 but didn't really look at my time until on the bike. I was pumped when I saw it.
What would you do differently?:

Figure out what I did right and work to improve it. I've got to go even lower if I ever want a shot at top 5.
Transition 1
  • 01m 34s
Comments:

I took nearly a minute off of last year's time. Going sockless helped alot. I passed a lot of people just running out of T1.
What would you do differently?:

Not sure; maybe learn to get into my shoes on the bike.
Bike
  • 41m 29s
  • 13.8 miles
  • 19.96 mile/hr
Comments:

There was more rough road than smooth out there, but you could find a groove. My legs did feel a bit tired for most of the race as I went out strong and never really backed off. My goal was to improve on last year's pace, but it being a 19.5, I knew I didn't have much room to work with. Made it, though and improved my time by nearly a minute. I was never passed, either.
What would you do differently?:

No more accelerade on the bike - even watered down. That stuff is just too thick. I spent a bit of time hacking out the nastiness and trying to get my throat clear without hurling. That's the last time I use this product during an event. Happened at Play-tri on the run and at soccer after drinking some at half-time.
Transition 2
  • 01m 3s
Comments:

First bike back so there was plenty of room to rack it up. Shoes and feet were already "body glided" so it made for quick work. Tossed it all in a pile quickly and was gone. Again, an improvement of :20 over last year.
What would you do differently?:

I'm not sure what else I can do, exept maybe learn to dismount while leaving the shoes on the bike.
Run
  • 23m 56s
  • 3.11 miles
  • 07m 42s  min/mile
Comments:

I knew I didn't have too much room for improvement over last year (24:31/7:53), but I managed to beat those times, too, by just over :30, dropping my pace to a 7:40. I slowed just a bit at the last water stop (garmin said 8:10) before kicking it in for the final push around the last cone and up the hill. I started accelerating in the final flat with a hard push to the finish. I was only passed by one 20 something dude. I briefly thought about trying to hang and pass him back, but decided to run my own race, not his. He was a good runner and pulled away so I'm glad I didn't chase him.
What would you do differently?:

Not much, except for try to keep the HR lower and get the breathing deeper, if possible. I ran the race I'd been anticipating. Knowing the course really helps. Knee held up beautifully.
Post race
Warm down:

bananas, oranges, gatorade, hung with Jill and Tuttles to watch Angela finish and Ben and Loftin go out and then come home. It was a beautiful morning and I was thoroughly pleased with my performance. Jill did great, too so we had that to share.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

training, HR and breathing. No wind or humidity to blame and no reason to, either.
Personal Best. Race. Ever.

Event comments:

Despite his hard-headed reputation, Jack puts on a good event at Benbrook. Could have used more portajohns and TP, but when alerted, more paper was provided. You just have to be used to the bare-bones post race food, although bagels would have been nice.




Last updated: 2008-04-30 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:06:27 | 274 meters | 02m 21s / 100meters
Age Group: 20/26
Overall: 201/368
Performance: Good
Suit: tri shorts and tri top
Course: serpentine pool swim; some pretty heavy congestion in the middle lanes made for interesting situations.
Start type: Inside Pool Plus:
Water temp: 80F / 27C Current:
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Good
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 01:34
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed:
Biking
00:41:29 | 13.8 miles | 19.96 mile/hr
Age Group: 6/26
Overall: 48/368
Performance: Good
HR ran high. 150s-160s (my Z4-Z5). I couldn't get the HR down. This was a concern throughout the ride, but since it was a sprint, I decided to be aware, but to just make the best of it and push.
Wind: Little
Course: I like this course and with new road surfaces in some areas, it got even better. I personally like "Nice Hill" right in the middle. It does seem to separate the field. Interesting to have to plow through the 2-3 inches of water in the low water crossing, though. I slowed down for that.
Road: Rough Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:03
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:23:56 | 03.11 miles | 07m 42s  min/mile
Age Group: 10/26
Overall: 86/368
Performance: Good
Again, HR was too high. I was running at 160-163 (my Z4) and couldn't get it down. Also, couldn't get deep breaths, meaning I was breathing pretty heavily in the top part of my lungs. I tried some deep breathing but the body wasn't having any of that. Like the bike, I figured it's a sprint and I'm trying to improve with a small margin for improvement, so I was aware, but pushed hard.
Course: multiple little out and backs (which are confusing if you hadn't done it before) inside of the overall large out and back. Unfortunately, there's not much more room out there so they do the best they can with the space they've got. Final uphill to the flat finish can be a crusher.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
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: Below average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4