Disco TRI is a DAR event that takes place on the same course as TexasMan. While I'd planned to race this event, I was unsure about what distance, as it would likely not be wet-suit legal. The Olympic an X50 course include a 1 mile swim. I was not too keen on the idea of swimming a mile sans wet-suit. Additionally, the bike course at TexasMan had been brutal due to bad winds. So, I was none too excited about racing a longer distance.
And then...I was beer pressured by my racing "friends". Everyone would be racing as they prepared for upcoming events, including Austin 70.3. I figured if I was going to commit to a mile swim, I may as well do the X50, as a temperature check. In the days leading up to the event, I continued to check water temps, with hopes of the swim being wetsuit legal, but, alas, it would not be.
I drove to Plano on Saturday for PPU, as I didn't want the added stress of PPU on race day.
I was out the door early on race morning for the hour+ drive to the race site. I prepped transition, visited with friends, and, headed to the waterfront. I wasn't really feeling any nervousness as we waited.
Swim: The swim course was 2 loops, so, I knew I'd get a break midway. The sprint racers were off 1st, and then our wave. I entered the water with a plan of "slow and steady", as I didn't want my heart rate to elevate. I was breathing every 2 strokes, rather than my usual 4, but, felt like I was swimming at a decent pace. as I turned past the 1st buoy and headed parallel to the shoreline, I went a little wide, but, felt like I was able to correct course fairly quickly. I turned past the 2nd buoy and headed back towards the shore. I was experiencing a little left ankle pain (without a wetsuit, I had to kick!), but nothing to slow me down. When I got to the point that I could stand, I looked up and saw Remi. I was shocked. Remi had been concerned about the swim, and, had started in a wave behind me. Clearly, she was having a better swim than I was. I glanced at my watch and realized I'd swam a pathetic 28 minute 1st loop. I headed down the shoreline and back out for the 2nd loop, hoping to improve. While the swim felt much the same, I booked a 22 minute 2nd loop. 50:12 total time. I had extended my swim to 1911 yards (1760 yards = 1 mile), but, slow, nonetheless.
T1: I made the long stroll up to T1. As per usual, I put on shoes, as the surface in T1 is super sharp. 3:44. Far better than my 7:57 T1 at TexasMan :).
Bike: I wanted to crank hard on the bike, as, honestly, this was the only leg that I felt any confidence about. This is a challenging bike course, and, I'd gotten my ass kicked at TexasMan. My target was 18 mph, which would be significantly faster than my 16.2 pace at TexasMan. I was a little slow to warm up, but, once I was rolling, I was passing lots of cyclists. About 5 miles in, I heard something near the bike...I didn't realize until later that I'd lost my mini saddle bag (note to self...get a new one before Austin). Through 20 miles, I averaged 17.9 mph. Even with the challenging course, I felt pretty good and was passing lots of folks. I stopped a couple of times to refill my aero bottle, but, continued to push. The next 20 miles was at a 17.7 pace. While I'd just miss my 18 mph target, I felt good about the bike.
T2: 3:36. slow, but, uneventful. I had several gels ready for what was sure to be a brutal run.
Run: As I headed out on the run, I had aspirations of a slow, but steady pace. It was hot, and I was gassed. Before mile 1, I was walking. It was going to be a brutal run. I settled in on walking early on, and knew that the run portion would be tough. I jogged occasionally, but walked most of the way for the 9 mile run. I made a point of talking trash to those that encouraged me to race this race, as I was miserable. I mustered up the energy to jog in the last 1/2 mile or so.
It was a tough day, but, I was done. I'd missed my initial 4:30 target by almost 45 minutes. We hung out for a bit and group of us had lunch and beers in Denton. I've got some work to so before Austin...
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