Tri and Tri Again

This summer I was finally able to complete my first triathlon of the century! I've actually managed two: The Capital of Texas Triathlon, which takes place in downtown Austin over Memorial Day, and Jack's Generic Triathlon, which is in Pflugerville in August.

Unlike last year, the CapTexTri went off without a hitch and with nearly perfect weather. I was fairly happy with my swim -- my time was actually comprable if not better than my times from back in the day. My only problem was that I kept drifting off course since I couldn't see -- my glasses kept fogging up and I couldn't see the marker buoys...

The bike went well, too: again, my time was comparable to the last time I did an Olympic distance event, undoubtedly due to my brilliant training regimen. (Either that, or the new bike that's half the weight of my old one).

My only problem was that I didn't hydrate enough on the bike, which affected my run. I got really hot and crashed a bit on mile 4, so my run time was less than optimal. Also, I probably should've indulged in some on-course solid or semi-solid nutrition. Oh, well, live and learn... 

Here are a few pics:

Packet pickup at the back of the exhibit hall

The Cutco cutlery booth. I think this is for the "Game of Thrones" division

Everything you always wanted to know about how to mark your body for a triathlon

Alas, fixed-gear bikes are not legal in USAT sanctioned events

Setting up the swim venue

Shiny bikes all in a row (race morning)

On the bike!

And the run!

At the finish line!

I'd originally planned to run the TriRock triathlon over Labor Day, but that one was canceled this year, so I decided to run Jack's Generic Triathlon, in early August.

Again, I was fairly pleased with my swim, although I may have cut the course a bit. My goggles were fogged and I have no memory of rounding one of the triangular marker buoys. But my time was in the right ballpark, so it's enitrely possible I did it correctly :-).

The bike portion was two loops through rolling corn fields, which reminded me a lot of central Illinois where I would ride back when I was an undergrad at U. of I. It was rather windy, and I was very happy to have my new aero handlebars...It felt pretty good, too, and I made an effort to hydrate more than during the CapTexTri.  Apparently not enough, though, because I again crashed and overheated during the run.  But there were ice sponges on course and plenty of water and Nuun and there was an ice bath at the end...Also, I now understand why some teams provide their riders with Coca-Cola during the Tour de France...

All in all, a fun race that I will probably do again next year.

Because it's out in Pflugerville, I decided to check out the course beforehand:

Lake Pflugerville!

The Hydrilla-eating Monster

Panorama of the bike route. Lots of corn

Yes, I had my Bat Shark Repellent. Because you never know what the hydrilla monster is going to dredge up.

As usual, the race started way too early in the morning, but I managed to get a few pics:

Bicycles at dawn

Prepping for the afterparty

The swim exit is prepared

Posing before the swim just before warmups

The squint of the near-sighted swimmer racing to the transition area

Made it to the bike. I'm now a fan of aero handlebars

The transition area post-race

  

Post-race ice bath, yay!

Coca-Cola is our friend