CapTexTri - Race Report
The day started, as most of my other races, when I woke up at 2:00 a.m. for a bottle of Boost. Anxiety was high an so I had a very restless night sleep. I probably got four quality hours and four hours of twisting and turning and looking at the ceiling. After the Boost, I slept great until 4:30 a.m. A yogurt, an Emergen-C and some coffee and it was time to get dressed and go through the gear one last time. I got out the door at 6:15 a.m., as the transition area and body marking was taking place at seven. The Olympic participants gathered an hour and a half earlier for the same routine.
1555 on two wrists, two upper arms, two thighs and age on the calf and I was ready to wait. I parked my things on the grass and talked to a few other Spinters who had gathered. We were kidding around with the folks out of town, advising them to watch out for the nutria in the lake. One guy said, "Yeah, they'll take a man down like a barricuda. The officials won't know your gone until long after the race is over." I knew we had him hooked when he asked how big. Not to overly do it, the arms spread about two feet wide; just enough for the out-of-towner's eyes to grow a bit.
Transition opened and the Sprinters made their way to their bikes. I didn't have a lot of room. Basically, under the bike and in front of it was as much as I was given. No more was needed though. I learned to get the bike checked in early so you can get an end spot on the rack. Those guys had plenty of room. I added a little more tape to the Profile aerobar bottle.
As I was in the first group of Sprinters to take off, I put on the wetsuit and walked over to the starting dock. It started to sprinkle but wasn't a worry as I was going to get in the water anyway. What would've been a problem were wet roads or muddy grounds. The race organizer went over a few rules and we made our way to the end of the dock. The LCRA river authority had shut down the dam at midnight last night, not only raising the water level two feet but also stopping the current. The Colorado River had become a lake.
I fell to the back of the pack and towards the shore, where it was advised not to get kicked in the face. The water temperature of 73 degrees was perfect. Not cold enough to bring on chills, and not warm enough to make one sweat in a wetsuit. We treaded water for what seemed like an eternity and finally I just turned on my back and took it easy. The wetsuit wasn't fitting correctly in the arms. Somehow, I hadn't given myself enough sleeve room which limited the reach. I tried to adjust it when the horn blew. Show time!
The swim leg was going pretty well for 100 meters or so then the limited reach of the wetsuit's arms started to annoy me. This disrupted my breathing and I stopped to figure out what to do. I decided to flip and do some backstroke for awhile. It felt much better and stretched out the arms a little. Past the first buoy and across the lake. Past another buoy and it was home from there. At this point a got a kick or arm that threw a bunch of lake water into my mouth. Not bad tasting but unexpected at that point. Onward. Somehow, I missed the last buoy and went to the right. All I remember is peeking up to get my bearings on the last buoy and not seeing it. What I did see was an official in a red shirt pointing over my back to the lost buoy. Argh!
Should I take a penalty or move onward?
Maybe they really didn't see me.
Cheater
I swam back for the buoy and did it the correct way, feeling spent at this point. As I made it around the buoy, the second wave of fish were cutting through our wave. They were fast, at least faster than me. I got to the ramp and plenty of volunteers reached out hands to pull me up. They had three sets of people. The first group pulled people out, then a second group reached over, grabbed our hands and pulled us up some more. The third group pulled even more and then there was a lady in charge of pulling the rip cord on the wetsuit as we went by. A cool job.
Swim time: 21.45. My target was 20.0
OK, one mental mistake on the buoy but no more. I was very light headed and ran towards the transition area. I went in and down to my bike. No bike. Crap. I looked around and noticed everyone in the area at that time was of another gender and age. Crap, where am I. Crap, I'm in the Olympic transition area. Mental mistake number two. I ran out and over to my area. I had planned on two-minute transitions and that was out the window with mental mistake number two.
It was really ok to go mental as my only goal for this race was to have fun and I was having a blast. Swim gear transition to bike gear and I was out of T1. I was glad I'd changed the shoes and pedals two weeks ago as I could move much faster with my new shoes. They felt ok with no socks, a tip to save time in the T1.
T1 time: 5.26. My target was 2.0
"Cross the blue line and get on your bike," said the volunteer. I felt some energy come back to by body and I mounted the bike. I was off. Quickly I found another person at about the pace I wanted to go. I stayed three bike lengths back and wanted to go easy on the first loop of the bike course. I was wearing my heart rate monitor and it was in the low 160s. I eased back, followed the pacer and let the speedy bees go by. Tehre were still slow people riding to the left which I found difficult to believe as the one thing I heard over and over and which is the rule of the road, was slow riders to the right. Right is right, like three feet from the curb right to me. However, others thought the middle stripe must have been right.
Five miles into the first loop I decided to ditch the pacer. She was having too fun a ride and started to slow and talk to the volunteers more than ride. This was ok, but I already had two mental mistakes and needed to make up some time. I increased the cadence and got ready for the second loop.
Bike Loop One time: 22.33. My target time for this loop was 20.0.
The second loop went much better. I knew I could make up some time on a few downhills and my climbing was better today than in the time trial a couple of weeks ago. I surprisingly had enough energy in the legs to climb. Cool. Just when I started my descent I hit a bump in the road. This was a bumpt that had cost many a rider their water bottle or other gear, as the road was littered with debris. Bam! There went my bike computer. No fifteen seconds later a motorcycle pulled up next to me. An APD officer asked if I'd lost it and I said yes. As we both were moving, he handed it off to me. I said thanks and thanks again. How cool was that that he'd pick it up and drive it to me while I raced? I popped it back on and pedaled onward.
So many of the penalties were to come from drafting rules enforced by the officials or so they said at the breifings and in the clinics or in the rule book. I used the first loop to get a feel for the amount of traffic and distances between riders and and their aggresiveness. Now it was time to make up some time and find the 11t cog. I passed wuite a few slow, middle-of-the-roaders at this point and cranked it up to 28 mph down Congress. My legs were feeling good so I kept the cadence up and passed and passed and occasionally got passed.
Bike Loop Two time: 19.53. My target time was 20.0.
Back to transition and nothing mental went on during the bike. That gave me some confidence and I had a much better T2. It helps when you run into the correct area.
T2 time: 3.48. My target time was 2.00.
If any of the three segments was going to be my best, it was going to be the run. I was still in the 160s, heart rate wise, but felt good, although my calves were very, very stiff. I hadn't done any brick workouts to get the body used to this transition. As I advanced past the timing mat and onto the road, people were stopping. Some must have been spent their energy reserves. I had saved enough on the swim and on the bike that I was ready to run. I started in about a 10-minute/mile pace and thought I'd pick it up in the last mile. The humidity was brutal at this point. The clouds had parted to reveal the sun and it was starting to scorch the runners. At every water stop I grabbed two glasses. One to drink and the other to pour over my head. Each time my heart rate dropped into the 150s, but quickly rose back into the 160s a hundred yards later. Even when the cheerleaders with their water guns blasted me, my HR sank only about five beats. Psychologically, it felt like more. I got over the hills and was determined to run the entire length. No pain and the stiffness had let go in the calves. Just a comfortable stride until the end with just a hint of a kick.
Run time: 29.05. My target was 27.
I had completed my first triathlon. I had been diverted off this course in the mid-eighties due to work changes, life changes. Diverted off the path in the early nineties due to marriage, a baby and work. Now, the day had come where I crossed the finish line of a triathlon and I was having the time of my life. What a great day. Who cares about the two mental mistakes I thought. It was close enough and I hadn't been eaten by a flesh-eating nutria, hadn't been pulled out of the water by the Red Cross, hadn't eaten concrete on one of the hair-pin turns, had proven that the PSB bike was enough for the race, and most important of all, that I could participate in one of the great events Austin has to offer, meet new friends and have a blast. I'll be back again next year.
Thanks to all the volunteers who were so helpful in my first attempt at a triathlon. Also, thanks go to the sponsors for all the great food, beverage, and swag, which was exceptional. And thanks to the Austin Police Department for the retrieval of my bike computer and for making a safe course.
Total time: 1:42.32. My target was 1:30.
Average heart rate: 161
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home