TOYOTA US OPEN TRIATHLON
Yesterday I completed my second Olympic distance triathlon. The Toyota US Open in Dallas which began at Joe Pool Lake and ended downtown at the American Airlines Center.
I finished in 2:39:31...more than five minutes faster than my first triathlon and with transition areas that were about ten times bigger.
514 people completed the Olympic distance (a Sprint tri was run at the same time). I finished 224th of that group. Nine men from my age group finished ahead of me...17 finished behind me.
Registration was at the Hilton Anatole on Saturday. I showed up around 1 PM and was directed to a conference room for a "mandatory race briefing." It took about thirty minutes for a race organizer to explain to about 250 people all the logistics of the race...where to check your bike in, what shuttles were running at what times from and to what places, etc....
The race was a point-to-point race meaning you start at one place and finish at another. This creates some planning nightmares trying to get all the gear left at the first place to the finish line. I guess that's why a race briefing was "mandatory."
After the meeting a lonely volunteer placed a stamp on my hand so I could get my numbers and goodie bag.
I sat in the back of the meeting and was the first one out and the first one to the registration table. I got my numbers, shot down the table to get my shirt, hat, huge cookie and other coupons in a small green bag and was on my way.
Mom was waiting outside and we headed down to the lake to check my bike in and check out the open water clinic for morons who haven't ever done an open water swim - or who have and had a nightmare of an experience because they were freezing and had a parachute on their back (see post on Buffman & Squeaky).
We paid the five bucks to get into the state park and followed the cones to the transition area. It was absolutely huge. Rack after rack after rack...more than 1600 participants.
I put my number (488) on my bike and was allowed into T1...as it's known. I was pretty close to the exit of T1 which is good. The bad part of that is I had to run barefoot across the semi-gravel parking lot surface a long way go get to my bike.
I left my bike on the rack and headed over to the swim entrance for the open water clinic. About fifty people signed up for the "class." Twenty of them actually got in the water and practiced swimming, floating, sighting and breathing. Some of folks looked like they had just learned how to swim.
I just stood on the dock and listened. The only valuable piece of information I received was the correct way to sight...which means how to look where you're going so you can stay on track without losing too much speed.
I didn't stick around for the free open water swim...I did, however, forget to check out, which was a necessity so they knew who was gone safely and who might still be in the water dead and bloated.
They called my cell phone at about 6 PM, and I assured them that I had just forgotten to sign out and was not in fact answering my phone from the bottom of the lake having been rescued by lake mermaids.
This brings us to Sunday...
Woke up at around 3:45 AM. I had trouble getting to sleep which didn't happen until around 11:30 PM. I know this because of the forty wind-up clocks in my parents' house. They let you know about every fifteen minutes if you're still awake...and if you're just dozing off, they'll wake you up anyway to let you know that you weren't quite all the way asleep.
I had a quick, hot shower to wake up, a cup of coffee and filled up my water bottles with water and my custom made sport drink mix...breakfast was oatmeal, MonaVie and a banana.
Mom, Jenn and I headed to the AAC at 4:40 AM. This was the site for T2, or the place where you finish the bike and get ready for the run. I set up my shoes, sport drink and sunglasses, met Mom and Jenn and we hopped on the shuttle for Joe Pool Lake.
We arrived around 5:20 AM. Again, I was the first one off the bus so the first one to the body marking folks. They put a 488 on my right shoulder and a 27 on my right calf then pointed me to the Champion Chip pick-up. This is the electronic device you strap to your ankle for two reasons: to see how fast you go and to make sure you don't cheat.
I took my bike pump into T1, aired up my tires and set up my area. I put down a towel, placed my bike shoes on it, put my sport drink bottle in the shoe, placed my helmet on my handlebars, put my sunglasses and two gel packs in my helmet, and looped my race belt with my number (488) around my aero bars.
That was about 6 AM so I had about 2 hours to kill before race time. I warmed up a little, went over my race strategy in my head and tried to get off my feet.
At around 6:50 AM I went into T1, went over the checklist in my head one more time and put my wetsuit half-way on...up to my waist.
The race started at 7:30 AM with some professionals and elite amateurs. I didn't get started until around 8:09 AM because after those guys started they would let four people start from the different age classes every ten seconds. The 30-34 men went first...then the 35-59 men...then the 29 and under, which - obviously - was my group since I am a 27 year old male.
The water felt great and I was able to get into a really good zone for the first half of the swim. I executed my "sighting strategy" and was right on all the markers, no problem. I made great time to the turn-around buoy and then made the turn for the shore...
That's when the sun made its unwelcome debut into the equation. Having just come up over the treeline, the sun was right at eye level and reflecting off the water...no one could see ANYTHING.
You couldn't see the buoys. You couldn't see the shore. You could barely see the splashing of confused hands and feet in all directions.
I didn't want to waste much time so I just kept swimming in the direction I thought was right...following the hundreds of splashes in front of me. At one point I was heading in the direction of the splashes headed out from the shore and started drifting way off to the right. A man in a kayak pointed me back in the right direction. I only went inside one buoy.
There were people all over going in wrong directions, screaming out that they couldn't see and wondering which way to go. It would have been a lot worse if I hadn't had a wetsuit. At least I was up on top of the water and able to move fast.
I finally made it back to the shore and up the boat ramp in 33:38. Just about six minutes faster than my swim in Lubbock. I wasn't nearly as disoriented as the Lubbock race and began stripping off my wetsuit as I ran around the wide-arching runway into T1.
To give you an idea of how big T1 was...it took me 3 minutes and 5 seconds from the time I got out of the water to the time I left transition. I was probably at my station for 60 seconds. During that time I took the rest of my wetsuit off, stuffed it along with my goggles and swimcap into my transition bag, put my bike shoes on, put my sport drink bottle into the pocket on the back of my triathlon top (which I wore under my wetsuit), put my sunglasses and helmet on, clipped my race belt around my waist, put a gel pack in my teeth, took my bike off the rack and ran towards the exit.
You have to completely exit transition before you mount your bike. Once I was across the blue line, I hopped on my bike and was off.
I finished the 40K bike in 1:12:47. The first few miles were uphill, into a strong south wind, but once we turned north, I was able to average well over 20 mph and had a very fast bike time. The course went right through city streets which were blocked off by police cars and lined with steaming-mad motorsists just trying to get around town. Some were even cursing at us... :( That hurt my feelings.
Jumping off the bike outside of T2, I ran through the entrance and found my station. It was right next to a big light pole and someone had drawn a big, yellow smiley face at the end of my rack. No doubt someone who had gotten lost trying to find their gear at a previous event...I was grateful.
I was in T2 for 1 minute and 43 seconds. All I did was take my bike shoes and helmet off, laced up my running shoes, took the bottle out of my back shirt pocket, turned my race number around, grabbed my second sport drink bottle and took off.
I finished the 10K run in 48:20. Just under an 8 minute-mile. Not very fast, but I was on the verge of getting a side cramp for most of the run and didn't want to overdo it. I was also feeling some slight twinges in my quads just above both knees and didn't want those to start cramping.
We ran around AAC and up the Katy Trail which is a bike/running trail in the middle of downtown that I didn't even know existed.
We ran out about 3.5 miles, turned around and headed home. I crossed the finish line, was given a medal and an ice cold towel.
It was a good experience. I'm not that sore today...just a little bit in my neck and back. My next event is the White Rock Marathon on December 14 which I'm currently training for...I'm registered to run a 1/2 marathon in Austin in February, then my next goal is a Half Iron Man next June (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run).
Thanks for reading...
I finished in 2:39:31...more than five minutes faster than my first triathlon and with transition areas that were about ten times bigger.
514 people completed the Olympic distance (a Sprint tri was run at the same time). I finished 224th of that group. Nine men from my age group finished ahead of me...17 finished behind me.
Registration was at the Hilton Anatole on Saturday. I showed up around 1 PM and was directed to a conference room for a "mandatory race briefing." It took about thirty minutes for a race organizer to explain to about 250 people all the logistics of the race...where to check your bike in, what shuttles were running at what times from and to what places, etc....
The race was a point-to-point race meaning you start at one place and finish at another. This creates some planning nightmares trying to get all the gear left at the first place to the finish line. I guess that's why a race briefing was "mandatory."
After the meeting a lonely volunteer placed a stamp on my hand so I could get my numbers and goodie bag.
I sat in the back of the meeting and was the first one out and the first one to the registration table. I got my numbers, shot down the table to get my shirt, hat, huge cookie and other coupons in a small green bag and was on my way.
Mom was waiting outside and we headed down to the lake to check my bike in and check out the open water clinic for morons who haven't ever done an open water swim - or who have and had a nightmare of an experience because they were freezing and had a parachute on their back (see post on Buffman & Squeaky).
We paid the five bucks to get into the state park and followed the cones to the transition area. It was absolutely huge. Rack after rack after rack...more than 1600 participants.
I put my number (488) on my bike and was allowed into T1...as it's known. I was pretty close to the exit of T1 which is good. The bad part of that is I had to run barefoot across the semi-gravel parking lot surface a long way go get to my bike.
I left my bike on the rack and headed over to the swim entrance for the open water clinic. About fifty people signed up for the "class." Twenty of them actually got in the water and practiced swimming, floating, sighting and breathing. Some of folks looked like they had just learned how to swim.
I just stood on the dock and listened. The only valuable piece of information I received was the correct way to sight...which means how to look where you're going so you can stay on track without losing too much speed.
I didn't stick around for the free open water swim...I did, however, forget to check out, which was a necessity so they knew who was gone safely and who might still be in the water dead and bloated.
They called my cell phone at about 6 PM, and I assured them that I had just forgotten to sign out and was not in fact answering my phone from the bottom of the lake having been rescued by lake mermaids.
This brings us to Sunday...
Woke up at around 3:45 AM. I had trouble getting to sleep which didn't happen until around 11:30 PM. I know this because of the forty wind-up clocks in my parents' house. They let you know about every fifteen minutes if you're still awake...and if you're just dozing off, they'll wake you up anyway to let you know that you weren't quite all the way asleep.
I had a quick, hot shower to wake up, a cup of coffee and filled up my water bottles with water and my custom made sport drink mix...breakfast was oatmeal, MonaVie and a banana.
Mom, Jenn and I headed to the AAC at 4:40 AM. This was the site for T2, or the place where you finish the bike and get ready for the run. I set up my shoes, sport drink and sunglasses, met Mom and Jenn and we hopped on the shuttle for Joe Pool Lake.
We arrived around 5:20 AM. Again, I was the first one off the bus so the first one to the body marking folks. They put a 488 on my right shoulder and a 27 on my right calf then pointed me to the Champion Chip pick-up. This is the electronic device you strap to your ankle for two reasons: to see how fast you go and to make sure you don't cheat.
I took my bike pump into T1, aired up my tires and set up my area. I put down a towel, placed my bike shoes on it, put my sport drink bottle in the shoe, placed my helmet on my handlebars, put my sunglasses and two gel packs in my helmet, and looped my race belt with my number (488) around my aero bars.
That was about 6 AM so I had about 2 hours to kill before race time. I warmed up a little, went over my race strategy in my head and tried to get off my feet.
At around 6:50 AM I went into T1, went over the checklist in my head one more time and put my wetsuit half-way on...up to my waist.
The race started at 7:30 AM with some professionals and elite amateurs. I didn't get started until around 8:09 AM because after those guys started they would let four people start from the different age classes every ten seconds. The 30-34 men went first...then the 35-59 men...then the 29 and under, which - obviously - was my group since I am a 27 year old male.
The water felt great and I was able to get into a really good zone for the first half of the swim. I executed my "sighting strategy" and was right on all the markers, no problem. I made great time to the turn-around buoy and then made the turn for the shore...
That's when the sun made its unwelcome debut into the equation. Having just come up over the treeline, the sun was right at eye level and reflecting off the water...no one could see ANYTHING.
You couldn't see the buoys. You couldn't see the shore. You could barely see the splashing of confused hands and feet in all directions.
I didn't want to waste much time so I just kept swimming in the direction I thought was right...following the hundreds of splashes in front of me. At one point I was heading in the direction of the splashes headed out from the shore and started drifting way off to the right. A man in a kayak pointed me back in the right direction. I only went inside one buoy.
There were people all over going in wrong directions, screaming out that they couldn't see and wondering which way to go. It would have been a lot worse if I hadn't had a wetsuit. At least I was up on top of the water and able to move fast.
I finally made it back to the shore and up the boat ramp in 33:38. Just about six minutes faster than my swim in Lubbock. I wasn't nearly as disoriented as the Lubbock race and began stripping off my wetsuit as I ran around the wide-arching runway into T1.
To give you an idea of how big T1 was...it took me 3 minutes and 5 seconds from the time I got out of the water to the time I left transition. I was probably at my station for 60 seconds. During that time I took the rest of my wetsuit off, stuffed it along with my goggles and swimcap into my transition bag, put my bike shoes on, put my sport drink bottle into the pocket on the back of my triathlon top (which I wore under my wetsuit), put my sunglasses and helmet on, clipped my race belt around my waist, put a gel pack in my teeth, took my bike off the rack and ran towards the exit.
You have to completely exit transition before you mount your bike. Once I was across the blue line, I hopped on my bike and was off.
I finished the 40K bike in 1:12:47. The first few miles were uphill, into a strong south wind, but once we turned north, I was able to average well over 20 mph and had a very fast bike time. The course went right through city streets which were blocked off by police cars and lined with steaming-mad motorsists just trying to get around town. Some were even cursing at us... :( That hurt my feelings.
Jumping off the bike outside of T2, I ran through the entrance and found my station. It was right next to a big light pole and someone had drawn a big, yellow smiley face at the end of my rack. No doubt someone who had gotten lost trying to find their gear at a previous event...I was grateful.
I was in T2 for 1 minute and 43 seconds. All I did was take my bike shoes and helmet off, laced up my running shoes, took the bottle out of my back shirt pocket, turned my race number around, grabbed my second sport drink bottle and took off.
I finished the 10K run in 48:20. Just under an 8 minute-mile. Not very fast, but I was on the verge of getting a side cramp for most of the run and didn't want to overdo it. I was also feeling some slight twinges in my quads just above both knees and didn't want those to start cramping.
We ran around AAC and up the Katy Trail which is a bike/running trail in the middle of downtown that I didn't even know existed.
We ran out about 3.5 miles, turned around and headed home. I crossed the finish line, was given a medal and an ice cold towel.
It was a good experience. I'm not that sore today...just a little bit in my neck and back. My next event is the White Rock Marathon on December 14 which I'm currently training for...I'm registered to run a 1/2 marathon in Austin in February, then my next goal is a Half Iron Man next June (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run).
Thanks for reading...
1 Comments:
It's always fun to be there. You did great and I love you tons! Jenn
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