Summer Solstice Duathlon 2014

6.21.14

This would be my 1st event with White Rock Racing. I stumbled on the event on a local race website, and was intrigued by an event around the lake and the ability to get in another multisport event.  

I went to the WRR website and found little more than a political rant and poor race information.  It seems that the coordinator of WRR has had some issues with the City of Dallas, and was not shy about ranting about it on his site.  As a result, I was a bit nervous about registering.  I sent him a direct message on fb, posted on the WRR FB site, etc, but, no response...frustrating.  

A couple of days prior to the event, the website was updated with the Active.com link for registration.  That made me feel a bit better.  I registered.  

There was additional frustration brewing on the FB site, as no info had been sent for packet pick up either.  Finally, on Thursday, an email.  

On race day, I left early and arrived at Winfrey Point early.  Last minute arrangements were taking place.  It appeared that the race would, indeed, take place.  

In addition to the Du, a 5k was taking place.  As I looked around pre-race, I noticed only about 50 people overall, and, less that 25 bikes in transition.  Maybe if the guy had been a little more responsive, the races would be better attended.  I have to imagine that he lost his shirt on this one, as police presence, etc, is pricey.  

The format was: 2 mile run, 9.5 mile bike, 2 mile run. The 5kers and duathletes would start together, and we were to turn around earlier to head back to transition.  

I got off to a good start, and finished my 2 miles at an 8:43 pace.  Quickly thru transition, and on to the bike.  It was AWESOME to ride around White Rock Lake again.  I miss that ride.  I passed several people while riding and felt decent about my 17.7 mph pace. Back thru transition and on to a slower run, at a 9:43 pace.  I did realize that, due to a small field, I was not all that far off of the leaders, and, it appeared that I was pacing better than others that appeared to be in my AG. 

Sure enough, I took 1st in the Masters Division. A dubious distinction based on the small field, but, it's always nice to place.  

Now, here we are, 8 days later, and the official results have not yet posted ugh.  

While I'd like to race with WRR again, just based on the location of their races, they need to get their shit together.  

Results finally posted today, 8.8.  Unbelievable. 

Collin Classic 2014

6.14.14

For the second year in a row, I participated in the Collin Classic Bike Rally (http://www.cityhouse.org/Collin_Classic/).   Hider encouraged me to ride in this event last year, and, it was a good experience.  However, the location of the event is a little tough, as it is about an hour and 15 minutes from the house. 

Again, Hider participated, but due to a scheduled Saturday, chose a shorter route.  I didn't see him after the starting line. 

I purchased new cycling shoes just days before the event, and, had yet to wear them. I was hoping for the best. 

This event, in its 23rd year, is always well done. Volunteer support, the "rider village", police presence, and well coordinated rest stops make for a great bike rally.  

My lack of saddle time showed in this one, as I was 1.4 miles per hour slower than a year ago.  It was an incredibly windy day also, which didn't help.  

Due to a reroute, I clocked nearly 68 miles rather than the advertised 64. At the end, I was spent. However, a friendly cyclist offered me a cold beer. Awesome. 

To do list:  get a proper bike fitting, buy a new saddle, increase saddle time.  HHH is coming up! 

The stats:  67.8 miles in 4:32.  15 mph. Yikes.  I'll be back. 

Joe's Run 2014

6.7.14

Joe's Run is a popular, well publicized run held at Panther Island Pavilion each year. It has 5k and 10k distance options. (http://www.joesrunfw.com)

The race is themed to be "jimmy buffett" like.  

Due to several friends participating, and, needing to fill my June racing schedule,  I signed up.  

My lack of running and late night the night prior to the event caused me to keep my expectations low. I figured any time under 1 hour for the 10k would be acceptable.  

I got off to a good start, but, quickly felt the affects of the heat and lack of training.  While we had a tailwind on the way out, the heat and the few aggressive climbs made it a tough route.  On the way back, I was fighting fatigue and wind, and knew my hour target time was in jeopardy. 

Thankfully, I had a runner pick up the pace and pass me, causing me to chase and increase my pace.  It felt good to finish strong, and, finish in under an hour.  

The stats:  6.2 in 59:19. 

The after party was fun, with food, music, free beer and wine.  This one will see me again next year.

Mansfield Tiki Tri 2014

5.18.14

This was a new event for Trident. The event was held at Hawaiian Falls, with the swim taking place in the lazy river...with the current. 😊. The format was 289M swim, 11.5 mile bike and 3.1 mike run. 

We arrived to a cool morning, and, were quickly told that the water temp was in the 70's. The race director even mentioned that the swim would be wetsuit legal. After some pre race instructions, we filed into the park and lined up by swim time.  

Due to the themed nature of this event, there were 2 girls in Hawaiian garb sending each athlete into the water.  Nice touch. 

The water, although cold, was not too bad.  There were a few "open water" elements of this swim, such as running into the water, the lack of  a "straight" swim path, etc.  Although the swim was incredibly short, I did find myself pulling my head out of the water to get oriented from time to time.  Clearly, I have a lot to learn about OWS.  

I was in the water only 4 minutes, and then, off to the bike. The route was a two loop route.  The 1st half was relatively fast, but, the second half contained some hills and a strong headwind.  While I felt ok with my 17 mph pace, I am still much slower than other cyclists.  Quite simply, if I were 3-4 mph faster on the bike, I'd be competitive. 

The run was a quick out and back. No real issues there. 

Total time: 1:19:28. Not terrible, but, far from competitive.  

Run and Ride the Chisholm Trail Parkway 2014

5.10.14

The Chisholm Trail Parkway has been under construction for quite some time, and ultimately, will connect downtown ft worth to Johnson county.  As a signature event leading up to the opening of the tollway, a run and ride event was scheduled.  

5k and 13.1 runs were planned, as well as rides of 12, 33 and 48 miles. 

The plan, for many of us, was to run the 13.1, and follow that with the 48 mile ride.  The schedule allowed for this, as the 13.1 began at 7 and the rides began at 10:30. 

To the frustration of many, the bike rides and half marathon sold out early. It was never advertised that races would be capped.  Social media was full of complaints and frustrated racers who missed the opportunity to race desired distances.  I, too, was on that list.  By the time I registered, only the 5k was open.  

It had been 4 months since I had raced at that distance, so, figured I would attempt to run for speed and set a PR.  If I was going to be limited to a short race, I hoped to at least accomplish a new PR. 

The 5k was an out and back route, on the parkway.  I moved towards the front and took off quickly.  My 1st mile was 7:43, the fastest to date. The 1st half of the run was uphill into a headwind. Tough, but, manageable.   I slowed a little on the remainder of the run, and missed my target of 25 minutes, but, did, in fact, set a PR at 26.23. 

Several PR's set on this one, as evidenced by my Strava post:  http://www.strava.com/activities/139507793

It appears that I extended my run by almost .1 miles, which also increased my total time.  

While happy with my result, I left a bit unsatisfied, as a few of my colleagues were gearing up for the ride when I left.  

Shiner GASP 2014

5.3.14

After much discussion with Hider, we finally committed to this event. Due to lack of saddle time, we opted for the 1/2 GASP. 

The plan was to drive to north SA on Friday, as Hider  found a good hotel deal, drive to the starting line Saturday morning, catch the bus back post-event, head back to hotel Saturday night, and head home Sunday.  

This would be the Jeep's 1st road trip for me. I had a hitch receiver installed the day prior. 

All went to plan on Friday, although we left slightly later than expected.  We made decent time to SA, and identified a bar / restaurant to eat and watch the Mavs / Spurs game. We were able to connect with Greg, which was awesome.  

After a few beers and a Mavs win, we headed back to the hotel, as Saturday morning would come early.  

We departed the hotel about 6:30 for an 8:30 start.  The drive from SA was scheduled to be a little over an hour. Next year, it may make some sense to find a hotel in New Braunfels, as it is slightly closer. 

As was the case last year, packet pick up was slow. We got through it and began to get our gear ready. 

We got off to a quick start, and landed at the 14 mile mark rest stop in a hurry.  Considering the lack of saddle time, I felt great. 

As the day went on, we encountered a hilly, very windy course.  It was a tough day due to the wind. However, all things considered, I felt really good.  No cramping, no significant fatigue.  While 100 miles would have been too much, this distance was perfect.  

Only a few "complaints" on this one.  Traffic control was lacking at a few intersections, and, several stretches of the course were two lane highways with rough shoulders.  There were a few moments when the roads felt a little tight as trucks passed cyclists.  

But, the after party makes it all worth it. Cold shiner beer, food, and live music. 

We showered, loaded up our bikes, and caught the bus back to the starting line (4:30 bus). We stopped into Whizzerville Hall for some food and beer upon our return. 

56.7 miles in 3:42. http://www.strava.com/activities/136976780

I had forgotten how much I love riding the bike. I'm looking forward to increasing my saddle time this spring and summer.  

Great day!  Looking forward to 2015. 

Benbrook Sprint Tri 2014

4.27.14

One year ago, Griffin and I went to this event to see a real live Tri take place.  Prior to that day, I had no idea about transitions, the sequence of events, etc. 

A year later, I was in. I participated for a few reasons: it is a Trident coordinated event, it takes place at Butler's Y, and, it was time to begin my season. 

I had not been training leading up to this event, but knew I could get through it, even if it was ugly.  

It did not help that I had been out WAY too late on Friday, and was still feeling the effects on Sunday. 

swim: ugly and slow. While faster than my previous Tri swims, I still have a long way to go, and felt fatigue quickly. 

Bike: while this should be my strong suit, my lack of saddle time showed.  I caught a calf cramp on "nice hill". Also, riding into a strong wind made the ride tough.  

Run: slow and steady.  But, ran the whole way. 

Overall: slow.  Only 2 minutes slower than previous tri's but, a slightly shorter route.  A good wake up call for the season. Time to train.