Cap Tex Tri

Cap Tex Tri - the race i always say i am not going to do this year and then i end up racing. This year it was especially hard to turn down because it was part of the LifeTime series and was going to bring in a big pro field because of the prize money, and its hard to pass up a free entry to a race in my backyard.

Usually i go into this race really wanting to do well. But this year looking at the amazing field of gals that were racing, and the fact that my stellar swim sets me back 8 min ( ouch ) out the water which is hard to make up at this distance, my expectations were extremely low and i was just excited to be apart of the field and get a close up view of the race that was going to unfold out there. Which i did :). When Andy Potts, Cameron Dye ( picture post race with them above, and next time you see them at a race go and speak to them and get some great insight and tips, super friendly !) Hunter Kemper, Matty Reed etc came by me on the last loop of the bike, i got so excited i literally had to remind myself to try to focus and not sit up and watch em go.

With Kansas 70.3 around the corner( next wkend ) and the big picture insight, i didnt want to waste a good taper on this race, so my coach and i decided to hammer up until race day. And honestly i liked this strategy since for the shorter races like Rookie Tri, Skeese Greets etc which i always do well and feel great at, i have always done a 4 hour brick the day before. And also because Every Olympic distance tri i have done in the past i usually have a crappy run/race and then regret that i wasted some good training days the week before.

so Sunday after a 2 hour run, swim at Barton springs, then being at the expo at the Tri4Him and Boundless Nutrition booth for most of the afternoon and then having the pro meeting at 3-4pm, i was beyond wiped out and really thought that i had dug a big hole for myself and tomorrow was going to be a lo-ong day. But after an ice bath,some time with my Trigger point kit, my awesome new compex (thanks Tri4Him ),2 bottles of pedialyte, 2 bottles of Athletes HoneyMilk, and the usual pre race dinner of chicken, rice, and baked sweet potatoe fries i felt amazingly better, and knew an early night was needed, so an 8pm bedtime it was.

Monday, i woke up feeling amazingly rested and ready to go.
Goals for race:

1. Swim - Swim straight . Check ! ( yay ) Be controlled in the swim and come out of the water feeling good. Check !

Usually on the Olympic distance swim i try to swim way to hard to try and stay as close as possible to the main pack, knowing i dont have alot of time to catch up on the bike. But i always come out exhausted doing that and it effects my bike cause i am trying to catch my breath for the first 30 min. This time i came out feeling great, and was able to attack on the bike from the get go and catch up and pass a few gals right off the bat. and FYI, amongst all the other swim/course confusions the day brought - the pro's were in fact told that we didnt have to hit the last turn bouy but could just swim straight in from the bridge,which was confirmed to me by other pros post race, the RD and through slowtwitch forum posts.

2. Goal for bike - dont get blown over. :) but seriously, i wanted to ride hard but within my ability. Check !

for 30 - 40 mile per hour winds, lesson learnt - dont run a disc and 808 front.
As far as intensity. Usually i ride with my heart rate in the high 170's, have a great ride then blow up on the run. This time i held back just a touch, still worked my ass off, but made sure i could breath and didnt feel like i wanted to pass out coming off the bike. bike was 4 min slower than i have done in previous years, so a little dissapointed with that, but looking at other bike times, it seemed everyone was slower because of the wind and i am sure because of the fact that we had to slow down and hop over a median every loop.

3. Goal for the run - just run to my current potential. Check !

I just wanted to feel good and be able to run like i do while training. I have had some frustrating races lately with the 70.3 distance, where i have gotten off the bike and cramped up, so never been able to run to my full potential since i am walking half the time. And as i said before, i usually have terrible runs at the olympic distance because i had just come off killing myself in the swim and the bike to just be in the mix. So toning it down paid huge dividends and it definately felt good running with everyone shouting your name every few seconds knowing that i dont look and feel terrible and slow.

Came in 11th for the day, just out of the money by about 30sec , but i was so excited to put together a good race in my hometown that i didnt care about that. Thanks to all those that came out to cheer and support. Every cheer helped, and some yelled out instructions like "Pace yourself" and "Relax". Hearing those words honestly help, so thank you.

Shout out to Derrik Deyhimi, who qualified for USAT Nationals and placed top 10 on his first Olympic distance attempt and being only 8 mths into the sport, Kim Hutson( who did her first tri after very little prep and almost no swimming)and came in 6th women for those doing the First Tri, local pro's Matt, Pete and Leslie and visiting pro's Pedro Gomez and AJ Baucco for great post race company( check out slowtwitch for the latest articles on AJ,and above photo by the poolside is with Pedro ), And to Andy Potts for some great advice that he imparted on tapering, racing, and loving the sport we all do that keeps us coming back for more.