Below is the time goals that I am shooting for on Sunday, November 7th. I added a little extra time to Transitions because it is supposed to be cold and some drying off and clothing changes may be a possibility. If it is cold the bike split could be a few minutes slower but the run split would be a few minutes faster:
Swim: 40:00 Minutes - 1:53/100 Yds
T1: 5:00 Minutes
Bike: 2:52:00 - 19.5 MPH Avg
T2: 5:00 Minutes
Run: 1:50:00 - 8:24 min/mi Avg
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Goal Time: 5:32
Swim:
This is a wetsuit legal swim and with all the training in the pool I have been doing I'd like to do the swim faster than 40 minutes. However, from the race reports I have read the swim is about 200 yards long so I figure a few minutes extra is about right.
Bike:
This course is a lot of fun and I have ridden it maybe a half dozen times now. It is also a very hilly course with over 2000ft of climbing. Not many people consider this a PR type of bike course but the cool part is that it is not boring like a lot of the other flat tracks around the area. The section of the course that is in Montgomery County has some nice concrete roads on which to ride. However, the roads in Grimes County are all chip sealed. My estimate is that maybe 20 miles of the course is in Grimes. The chip seal is not awful but it definitely will slow you down a little. If the weather stays as forecasted then the last 30 or so miles of the course will be into a headwind. Hopefully, it is not a strong headwind!
Run:
The run course has been changed to 3 loops all contained inside the resort. This should be a lot of fun because we will get to see our friends and family on each loop to give us a boost. I plan to redline the run. A 8:24/mi pace is my goal but if I am still feeling strong a 7:30/mi pace might be where I start and just try to hang on. I know that I can maintain a 7:30/mi pace or even lower over a 13.1 mile run but this is all going to depend on how smart I am on the bike (ie: pacing, nutrition).
Overall:
My main goal is to just go out and have fun and finish strong. With IMTX coming up in May this will be an excellent chance to dial in my nutrition and work on pacing. It will also be a learning experience as to where my fitness level is in terms to the amount of volume that was done. If I am feeling good throughout the race then I will know the training volume was good and will be able to adjust accordingly to IMTX training. Now if I am toast throughout the race then this will also be barometer of my fitness level. Either way I will learn something.
Be back on Sunday evening for a Race Report!
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- We got the results of the Indoor Tri we did on Sunday. Annie finished 9 overall out of 25. She also had the 4th best run split. She is already talking about doing the LoneStar Sprint Tri in Galveston on April 9th. And even asked me about wetsuits today! We all know that once these small thoughts enter your mind that it is all over and the addiction that is triathlon takes over.
- The new Nikon SLR camera is working out well. Annie has learned all the neat features and is ready to put the camera to the test at the IronStar. That means this blog will probably become a lot more picture focused (insert sarcasm here please ..lol).
- ELECTION DAY was quite the spectacle to watch unfold. The GOP took 65 seats in the House and gained 6 seats in the Senate. Many of the Governor races ended up swinging to the right as well. I was happy with a lot of the results. Pennsylvania really surprised electing both a Republican governor and Senator to take the old Spector seat.
- Disappointments: New York, Nevada, West Virginia, and California. Collectively they voted for the likes of Reid, Pelosi, Boxer, Rangle, Manchin, and Jerry Brown. The common ground these states share are ginormous debt and unemployment. And yet they choose to reelect the same folks who helped get them to this awful place? Good job - now don't come crying to us to bail you out.
- This will be my last post until after IronStar. Unfortunately no one will be able to stalk me online. This is a smaller local race and they do not have the capabilities to track us on the course. I will send out a Tweet and Facebook update after the race. Here is my TWITTER and FB if you want to follow. Thanks to all of you for the positive support and comments along the way. It has all been very much appreciated.
- Another solid interview from Joel @ TriMadness. This time he interviewed the Rev3 Race Director. CLICK HERE to check this one out.
- Good luck to Bob (@OneHourIronMan) who is racing Ironman Florida on Saturday. If you want to follow his prograss at Ironman Live his full name is Robert Shuler.
Thanks for Reading,
Jeff
