TexasMan Olympic - TriathlonOlympic


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Valley View, Texas
United States
Dallas Athletes
69F / 21C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 39m 8s
Overall Rank = 93/162
Age Group = m40-44
Age Group Rank = 10/18
Pre-race routine:

Just another early start. Ate 3 different types of bars (cliff, Cliff protien, and GoLean) along with a little coffee and sports beverage. Ben rode with me.
Event warmup:

got there in plenty of time to warm up, but talked myself out of any meaningful warmup swim. I did get wet prior to starting, but not sure what that did for me.
Swim
  • 33m
  • 1472 meters
  • 02m 14s / 100 meters
Comments:

I didn't get a swim split time, so I don't know what my rank is. My watch showed 32:43 so I added 17 seconds to my "official" time to account for the run up the beach to the mat. I didn't hear the chip beep, but couldn't worry about it at the time.
Here's the frustrating thing. In order to compete in my AG, I have to swim so much faster. Most of the finishers ahead of me were swimming 5-7 minutes faster. WTF??? I know I lost the pack at the beginning and didn't have the start I wanted - for some strange reason the entire race started much further down the beach than they ever had before. I chose to stay to the right and swim a straighter course (and stay out of the weeds - helluva sight to have people walking the shallows 1/4 of the way into the lake!) Anyway, I never really got anyone to draft off of. My navigation was pretty good, but I had to go it alone. Still, a fast time for me, but clearly, I have to be able to swim faster to compete.
What would you do differently?:

Stay with the pack and find a draft. Work to get stronger in the water. Do I need a weight training regimine? Keep the negative thoughts out of my head during the swim. They just don't help.
Transition 1
  • 00m
Comments:

I didn't get a T1 time due to the chip not working. I felt I was pretty fast once I got into transition. Shoes went on quickly, as did helmet and glasses.
Learned a painful but valuable lesson for T1, though. Keep a water bottle handy to clean off the back of your heels. I thought the sprayers on the way from the beach had gotten it all - not. I felt the grit in my cycling shoes, but it didn't affect me until the run.
What would you do differently?:

clean my feet better.
Bike
  • 1h 10m 38s
  • 23 miles
  • 19.54 mile/hr
Comments:

This was only my second ride on my new bike. It was fun! I felt like I was really flying, but in reality, I wasn't going all that much faster than on my old bike. Having a tri bike does make a difference, though. Hills were easier as were long stretches. It may need to be tweaked some, as my left hand and arm tingled a bit in the last 1/3 of the race. Also, I wasn't sure how hard to push my legs on this ride, since I just didn't know how they'd feel going into the run. I could have pushed certain areas harder and need to get better at eating, but overall, I really enjoyed this ride and was only passed (and couldn't catch) one person. She happened to be riding a sweet Cannondale *ahem* road bike, and after repeated passes of one another, I decided it wasn't worth chasing her down. She was strong - and at least 5 years younger.
What would you do differently?:

Obviously, ride my new bike more. I'm not "one" with the bike, yet.
Transition 2
  • 01m 13s
Comments:

Since I now have tri-cycling shoes, I tried the feet out/shoes in pedals trick. I liked it, except for the tingling I had in my feet when I hit the pavement. I need to stand and stretch a bit before executing that move again, especially at Longhorn.
Overall, I felt like this was a fast T2. Here's where the sandy heel played a role, though.
What would you do differently?:

If not done before the ride, make sure feet are clean.
Run
  • 52m 4s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 08m 23s  min/mile
Comments:

I knew right away there was a problem with the sand on my heel, but decided to run through it and deal with the abrasion afterwards. I was trying to turn that sand into a pearl. All I got was a blister-type bloody heel. I learned that my shoes transfer moisture from the inside to the outside, as the bloodstain was much larger on the outside of my shoe than in the hot zone.
I ran a decent run, 9s going up and 7s coming in for an average 8:20s or so. I know I can run faster, but haven't been doing any speed work, focusing on Longhorn's HIM. I think right after that, I'll get back to basics and work on increasing the speed. I need to make up lost swimming time on the run, too.
What would you do differently?:

push a bit harder on the outbound leg.
Post race
Warm down:

jumped in the lake for a cleanse. Ate pizza and drank what water was left.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

probably mental in the water, not knowing my bike too well yet and feeling restrained on the run. Perhaps staying out until 2 after soccer on Friday had a negative effect, too.

Event comments:

Chip malfunctions set them back and didn't get many of the swim/T1 splits. Also, they always seem to run out of refreshments for the olympic athletes. There was no vitamin water by the time I finished. Hats are getting boring. Give visors to the guys, too. I like Tom's humorous approach, but the schwag and post-race food and drink have dwindled from the high of Disco '07 where there was plenty.




Last updated: 2008-06-10 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:33:00 | 1472 meters | 02m 14s / 100meters
Age Group: 0/18
Overall: 0/162
Performance: Average
Suit: regular tri suit
Course: triangle. Long first leg, then back toward home.
Start type: Run Plus: Waves
Water temp: 72F / 22C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Average
Breathing: Good Drafting: Bad
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 00:00
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed:
Biking
01:10:38 | 23 miles | 19.54 mile/hr
Age Group: 9/18
Overall: 59/162
Performance: Average
Garmin says avg. 116, max. 141. Not sure what to believe as in the last 1/3 of the ride, after going uphill, HR was reading below 100. Can the new bike make that much difference? Surely not.
Wind: Some
Course: I like this course except for the really bumpy stretch in the last 1/3.
Road: Rough Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:13
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Average
Jumping off bike Below average
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:52:04 | 06.21 miles | 08m 23s  min/mile
Age Group: 9/18
Overall: 82/162
Performance: Average
avg. 152; max. 169. These are more in line with what I expected to see.
Course: I like this course better and better, except for the part on the highway. That just sucks to be out there on the chipseal and gravel.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race? Ok
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] 3