Talk about a hot race! I knew Texas was hot, but in the beginning of May? Come on?
It was a great weekend in the city of Austin, TX. My trip started off with a scheduled flight (unlike the last time with stand by junk) to Austin to link up with a fellow triathlete friend, John. He had promised me that the weather was going to be a slight change from the Chicago weather I had been dealing with. (Uh 50 degrees and rainy and cold. Yuck!) . Making this trip I knew that it would be warm and needed to focus on such things as hyration. Hydration was key!! I got off the plane in Austin and felt the hot, humid, dry air swarm around me as if I stepped foot into a sauna. The temperatures for the weekend were showing high 80s with some winds developing on race day. (Definitely was not looking forward to the winds). Little did I know that that would change within a 12 hour window. John picked me up from the airport and advised me that the temps were going to get up into the high 90s. Great! Not sure to how my body would adapt to the conditions I was overly cautious about keep hydrated. Consuming my Cytomax sports drink throughout the weekend. We got back to my buddy’s place and it was off to the pool. I thought it would be a good idea to catch some sun to really get acclimated to the weather. I stayed out of the pool for the most part, as being in water when it is so warm out, can dehydrate you very quickly, also, being careful of how long I was in the sun. (Don’t want to burn up before the race and chaff the whole way through).
As Sunday rolled around, it was time to check in and rack up the bike and go through the motions of preparing to the race. I started the morning off with a 30 min ride, making all checks on the bike. I was amazed at how hot it gets in Texas at 9 a.m.! It was like an oven! It was soon after that that my buddy John and I were off to race check-in and I was off for a cool swim in the Colorado River. The water temps had been fluctuating all week as they were preparing to open up the dam to let some fresh water in. This dropped the temps down a few degrees and made my warm up swim much more enjoyable. Off for a quick swim of 500yds or so, and finishing up with a run all before noon. Great way to start the day off, one-day hope to have that be my schedule for everyday! After all done with the pre workout it was time for some lunch. One thing I can say about Austin, TX is that there are some great “eats” in the city. There is every kind of food you can think of. From Italian to Mexican to even getting Thai food off of a trailer. There was one section of the road that had food trucks all lined up and serving people from the sidewalk, every type of food you can think of. Walk up, Order, and pull up some picnic bench….. Amazing!! John really did a great job of showing me the sights of Austin.
4 am came and went very quickly on race day. Out the door at 5:30, John and I made our way to transition to gear up for the race. Upon arriving, skies were cloudy (which would burn off by 8) and dark as people dragged into transition. The pros had a start time of 7 and would get the whole entire race in before the heat really came upon Austin. John started at 7:54 and myself following up at 8:30. John’s start was still in the overcast skies as I was in the deadly heat of the sun. Temperatures that day climbed into the high 90s but being so dry, the race continued on. 8:15 on the dock jumping in and getting ready to go. The gun sounds, and I am off! Really was pushing in the swim, as I was looking for a fast time. The currents seemed strong on the way out as wind gusts that day were in the 40 mph range. Out of the water and into transition I rolled. Scrambling and fighting to rip that wetsuit off of my body. I really wanted to improve on my transition time, so it was crucial that I hustle. Little did I know, that the timing mats would be so spread out, that a fast transition seemed impossible.
Made it over the mat and onto the bike. The bike course had two major climbs through the downtown area. It was really exciting to be racing in an event that looped 4 times through the city. You really needed to keep your guard up and have good handling skills. The winds through you around, making it hard to control your bike. But I was still flying! Reaching speeds of 35 mph at some points and gripping on for dear life, as random gust would slam into me, knowing that if I was thrown, it could be painful and possibly deadly.
4 loops finished and onto a 2 lap run, with the temperature at its peak of 98 degrees!! Stronger than ever, I am off on the run. As I pass a fellow triathlete in the same age division, he informs me that I am second in our age group. I hear this and start to pick up my cadence. I reach mile 2 and start to excel, as if I am going to finish the race. The heat had definitely got to me, maybe making me a bit delusional. I mentally forgot that their were 2 laps and made the mistake of pushing, as if I was going to finish, at mile 3 and really started melting after I realized I had another lap. Overheated, I slowed to an almost stop, and dowsed myself with several cups of water to cool my body down. The last 3 miles became a struggle as the heat was so bad, and I knew a PR was not possible. I finished the race with a time of 2:26:00, just 7 minutes over my seasons best. I was a friend chicken!
At the finish there were pools of water. I stopped for nothing and went immediately to the watery, so called baths, and belly flopped in, to drop my body temperature. What a race! I was very happy with my overall performance. I hadn’t raced in that hot of temps yet this year and did not expect to do so well. These race conditions will only make me stronger for the remainder of the season as summer rolls in. So all in all, a great race and great weekend in Austin, TX for the CapTexTri. Next stop, Hammond, IN for Leon’s Triathlon. Going to crush it……
Here is an article that discusses the race that the pros had. A little bit of confusion for the pros….. The men were pretty pissed off…..Enjoy!
