The Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Triathlon consisted of a 300 meter pool swim, a 10 mile bike, and 3 mile run. The race sees a wide range of participants from professionals to first timers.
Swim (5:58)
I had done some recent time trials at 5:52-5:53, which was quicker than the 6:15 that I put down on the entry form, so I was expected to pass some people. I caught the woman in front of me within the first 30m, then I caught three more people over the course of the swim. I was originally worried about passing and the potential for head-on collosions. I did see one almost head on collision while waiting to start, but it was always clear for me. I touched the person in front of me's toes and then I sighted to make sure it was clear.
My time was 5:58, but that includes getting out of the pool and dealing with other swimmers, so I was very happy with the swim.
The biggest problem was getting under the lane lines. I had practiced this beforehand, but it didn't go according to plan. The first lane crossing, I had caught another woman at the wall, so we were both trying to go under at the same time. There was also less of a grip at that side of the pool, which messed up my second try.
T1 (1:53)
Everything went smoothly this time, except that I forgot to put on my
2nd bike glove. It didn't end up bothering me. I also didn't hit the
button to end the "transition" period on my watch, so I didn't get any
bike data.
Bike (31:05 - 19.3 mph)
It felt really good. I was 16.8 mph in my last race so this was a huge
improvement, at largely due to some bike changes: lower handlebars, new
wheels and tires, as I had only rode 175 miles since. I passed probably 15 people, while only about 5 passed me.
Based on my run performance, perhaps I over did it. I thought I could
hammer throughout the race since it was shorter - so I was pushing the
pace, riding out of the saddle up hills, etc. I probably need to do more
bricks to figure out how hard I can go on the bike and still run
effectively.
I also normally spin out at a higher cadence prior to hitting the bike
in, which helps to clear blood from the legs, but I was caught off guard
- I turned a corner, and there it was.
T2 (1:29)
Except for racking my bike on the wrong rack and having to move it, it went pretty well
Run (27:38 - 9:09/mile)
The race was going very well up until this point. My legs felt heavy and it was hot. The run was definitely a mental battle, which I wasn't winning.
At my last race under ideal temperatures, I ran at 8:31/mile. I bet I
lost about a minute on my overall time due to the temperature and minute
because I didn't try to push hard enough through it. My average HR was 178, which is about 4 less than my Lactate threshold, so I know I wasn't pushing hard enough.
