Reading other people's blogs and stories about training and running have been helpful in my own motivation and training. So this blog chronicles my efforts, as way to vent, document my journey, and in hoping it might be helpful to someone else in a similar situation
Friday, July 12, 2013
Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Triathlon
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.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment