The inaugural Austin Triathlon was held yesterday, September 3rd in the heart of Austin, Texas, and from the perspective of this middle-of-the-pack Age Grouper, it was a resounding success. Austin is home to some excellent triathlon specific shops, and one of them, Jack & Adams, ( http://www.jackandadams.com/ ) was the title host of the event. Of course, quality local shops translate into numerous quality triathletes. And there were plenty. Probably the deepest field I have ever seen in my very brief "career".
Upwards of 1,000 registrants signed up for the Olympic Distance event (1500M/40K/10K), and the organization, from expo to bike check to pre-race, race and post race was first rate.
A quick word about my "performance". The swim was a loop swim in Lady Bird Lake (formerly Town Lake). Let's see, how to described my performance? One word. I suck at swimming. So that's four words. You get the point.
My swim conditioning was fine. It wasn't that I got overly winded. It is my technique that needs to be overhauled. If I had worn a GPS, I bet I probably covered 2,000 meters of water by the time you count all the zig zags and corrections. By the time I was able to self-correct and swim in a somewhat straight line, I was at the last buoy before the final turn marker. I think I need (a) a swim coach and (b) much more time in open water vs. pool.
Total Swim time = 37 minutes (about 2 1/2 minutes per 100M).
We had to cover some pretty good distance from the swim exit to the bike rack, but it was probably beneficial to get my legs back under me. Although T1 went smoothly, I still burned 5 minutes, primarily because I made it all the way to the exit area without my blankety-blank helmet! So I had to lay my bike down and sprint back and get it.
The 3-loop bike course was a delight. Just enough uphill to be a challenge, but not debilitating, and some excellent, long steady descents at 33+ mph. There were three "hairpin" turns, so there was some slowing and turning, but all in all, I was very pleased with my bike ride, although in retrospect I feel like I probably could have squeezed a little more out of it. Regardless, I was enjoying the ride so much, I was a little sad when it ended.
Bike average 20.0 mph on the dot.
T2 was a little faster than T1, but still I lolly gagged around for 4 minutes. Gotta work on that.
Crossed the mat for the run and made a prompt stop at the Porta Can to let out some of the fluids I had been sucking down. It was VERY muggy. That was 20 seconds that I didn't mind wasting.
The run was a mostly flat 2-loop run through a very fan-friendly route, with ample water/Accelerade at every mile. Being the plodder that I am, I was pleased with my pace. Didn't set any land-speed records, but kept my usual 8:45/mile pace without overly pushing myself.
Run Time = around 54 minutes (8:45 pace).
FINISH = 60 / 100 in the M40-44 agee group. (Remember, I said it was a deep field!!!!)
Lessons learned:
If I've got an Ironman in me, I've got some serious work to do. But with as little experience as I have, I seem to learn a ton with each event. The three things that come to mind immediately are:
1. More open water swim workouts;
2. Add at least one intense speed wokout per week during run training; and
3. Don't take Bike for granted; Work to maintain staus quo.
With the Houston Marathon coming up in mid-January, I'll get an opportunity to work on #2 immediately. And although I've scouted out a perfect location for #1, it is going to take some serious dedication to actually do it. So that's where I count on you guys for help/moral support. I truly love riding the bike, so #3 shouldn't be a problem.
Thanks for reading and hope everyone had a great summer season.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
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