Sunday, April 25, 2010

Lone Star Olympic Triathlon Duathlon Race Report

Swim canceled due to high winds .....


Yep, that is what happened.  The wind was so bad in Galveston that the swim buoys would not stay in place and the poor guys on the kayaks were unable to hold still in the bay.  So, they scrapped the swim and had us do a bike and run race. 


The way the race was originally scheduled was that Sprint Distance was to begin at 7am and then the Olympic Distance was scheduled to go off at 8:30am.  I am not sure how many people were racing but my guess is that over 2000 were there.  Being that I am a below average swimmer you would think I would be cool with this!  BUT I was disappointed because I have been working hard at my swim and was excited to measure my gains in an actual race.


However, the RD made the right call because if the conditions were unsafe and someone would have got hurt then that would have been awful.  It is always right to error on the side of caution in these situations.  And the wind was crazy -- easily had gusts over 40-50 mph!


Anyway, we started the race on the bike.  The Sprinters went off first.  After they were done we waited about 30 minutes until the course cleared up some and then they let us go.  We did a Time Trial start with 3 seconds in between each rider.  It was different but okay.


The bike was extremely difficult because of the high winds and it was hot out.  By the time I hit the course it was well over 80 degrees and even with the wind, very humid.  The "back" portion of the bike ride was brutal with a headwind just crushing you the entire time.  I completed the 24.85 mile bike in 1:17:26 for an average pace of 19.22 mph.  Not bad with the wind.


My transition was a little slow (1:53) because I decided to run with new Brooks shoes that were sent to me on Thursday for wear testing (The Defyance 4).  I had to tie them instead of using my Yankz, but that probably only cost me 10-15 seconds.  They were extremely light and comfortable.


I hit the run course and I could feel the last portion of the bike in my quads.  My first mile was done right around 7:00 minutes but I was really starting to feel the sun and the heat and I decided to slow it down a little.  Damn it was hot!  My quads really didn't loosen up until about mile 5 and I tried to make up as much time as I could on the final mile.  My time ended up being 48:40 for the 10K.  Which is an average of 7:49/mi - not my best time but I'll take it.


In my 35-39 Age Group I finished 34/97.  The overall results are not up yet so I am not sure how I did compared to the entire field.


Overall, I was okay with my results.  I wish I would have pushed a little harder on the first half of the bike and the first half of the run.  It sucks that the swim got canceled but it was still awesome to be out there on a beautiful day doing what I love.  Annie volunteered at an aid station with our Tri club.  I was really fun to have all of them out supporting those of us racing on Saturday.  Many of them did the 70.3 Distance today!


Annie and I spent the day at the above mentioned Lone Star Ironman 70.3.  We took a ton of photos of all the ridiculously fast pros and many of the super-inspirational age groupers out there giving it their all.  We are both completely exhausted from the busy weekend and the camera is still in the car.  But tomorrow I will do another post with these pics, along with the final week schedule of the Push Up Challenge.  


I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!


Thanks for Reading,


Jeff

17 comments:

  1. Bummer it turned into a bike and run. But better that than an unsafe swim, like you said.

    With the winds, were there any sections of a tailwind to send you flying? Nice speed average despite the killer headwinds and I am jealous of your 10K. Man that is a great time!

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  2. Hi Jeff,
    Sorry to hear about the crappy winds:( You still did great and had an awesome time on your 10K!! I will be waiting for your pictures!

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  3. That was too bad about the swim. I can totally understand how bummed out you were, especially with all the hard training you have been doing with the swim. Your bike average was very good considering the wind. Super job, Jeff!

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  4. This time of year, it seems the winds are unpredictable. yesterday was St. Anthony's triathlon and it went off without a hitch but last year, they had to cancel the swim portion b/c the wind was horrible. It was bad yesterday while i was biking so i can imagine the wind you guys had in Galveston.
    So sorry you didn't get to swim. I know you really have been putting in the time for it too. Considering the wind, you had a very good bike time and the run was good too. Chalk it up as a hard training brick. Can't wait to see the pics you got at the 70.3.
    Loved you idea about the Litespeed Archon frame giveaway! I'd have thousands of followers if i did that....not sure my husband would think that's as awesome as i think it is.

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  5. Last year I did StA and, as KC mentions, the swim was cancelled due to safety issue with the winds/surf. Good job mentally getting back into the "duathlon" - well done.

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  6. Great job! Super impressive bike split with the heat and winds. I think your run was good too in those conditions. I've had swim cancellations before...it does mess with your head a bit, but you pulled it together.

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  7. I know how you feel about the swim, I am not great at swimming but in a race I still want to do the swim to see how I am progressing. 19+ MPH in those conditions is really awesome!!!!! All the training really has paid off and shows. You did not seemed terrible excited on your run but that seemed to be a really great run as well! congrats for the 34 out of 97 that is an awesome showing with so many people in a race!!!!

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  8. oh yeah one more thing I am still on week 5 day 2 since I fell behind failing on so many previous days :(. Hope to catch up with you all soon.

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  9. Good job Jeff under bad conditions! Positive attitude is the best. It really was hot this weekend... Rock on!

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  10. Bummer the swim was canceled, but awesome splits on the bike given what I am guessing were some brutal headwinds. Congrats on the finish, and on keeping a great attitude!

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  11. Jeff-
    Great race, good job adjusting to race day changes and still racing the race.
    -Derek

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  12. Nice work, do you have a garmin, I want to see how different the out was compared to the back data, sounds like the out had the tail wind.

    BTW, I did do the Mid Ohio Century, 3 distances to chose from. With thunderstorms coming, the team chosed 50 mile route and 5 mins into the drive home, it downpoured, sounds like me made the right decision.

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  13. Congrats on your race! You did awesome! That sucks that the swim got canceled, but it sounds like it was for the best!

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  14. MAN! Bummer bout the high winds and the OW swim cancelation. I would have been kind of bummed just because I would have been psyched up for the swim.

    All in all sounds like the safety of the competitors was at hand and the right call was made.

    Great job! The wind is brutal as I am finding out lately. Can really crush your performance.

    Keep it up Jeff, you are putting in some great times!!!

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  15. that stinks about the swim but at least the whole thing wasn't called off.

    i've kinda fallen off the pushup wagon... :(

    congrats on your du'!

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  16. I was next to you in transition and stumbled across your blog looking for the race results. Congratulations on a great race!

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  17. You too Josh!

    How'd the wheel cover work out for you?

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