Bridgeland Tri Race Report

550m Swim, 13 mile Bike, 3.1 mile Run

The day started with a good pre-race routine, a winding back-road drive that took about 30-40 minutes, and nice set up in transition. I had checked my bike the day before so it made my morning much easier.  This tri is well known throughout the area and had about 1500 racers. The ON UR Left group that put in on, did a fantastic job. My dad went with me, even though Kelli ultimately wanted to go, we wouldn't let her. It was going to be too hot, with no shade or many places to sit. So a big Thanks goes to him for getting up early and going with me! 

The Swim: A point to point 550m swim in open water. Unlike CB&I Tri, which was open water too, the point to point swim meant no loop and looks a lot further when its a straight line. Actually, when standing on the mushy sandy bottom of the lake and look along the swim path, the finish was around a bend, which prohibited the racers from seeing the finish. However, this was the first Tri that I did not feel any butterflies or nervousness while waiting on the start. I felt comfortable, confident. Maybe it was because I wasn't there to make a certain time. Maybe because this was lucky number 3 Tri... The "gun" sounded and off we went. 

I made it to the 2nd buoy, about 200m, swimming freestyle. Started to catch up to the pack, thus running into other competitors was inevitable. I switched to breast stroke for the next 100m or so, making it around a bright yellow buoy, which was our queue to turn right and head for shore. At one point on the home stretch, I put my head in the water, and just swam hard... To only look up and notice I had only gone about 50m. It just seemed like I wasn't able to go anywhere fast. I did that a few more times and finally made it to shore. Official Swim time: 13:45. 58th out of 81 in my Age Group. 

Transitions: Since I wasn't in this race to actually RACE, I took my time while in transitions. T1 was 4:40 and T2 was 3:06! That is laughable! Almost 8 minutes of Transitions, but that's ok. I was worried about the Transitions in this race. Just wanted to have fun and practice in open water. 

The Bike: I had initially wanted to just cruise around 16-17 mph on the bike, but I guess the competitor in me and the fact that the Bike ride was flat and fast, I ended up riding faster than expected. I averaged 19.1mph and was happy with my time. Official Bike time: 40:50. 62nd of 81 in Age Group. 

The Run: I was trying something new for this triathlon. I was running cycle of 4 minute run and 1 minute walk. And I initially thought it was slow, but after seeing official time, I liked the outcome. I used my Garmin watch this time, which gave me immediate feedback on my speed, which helped me stay on a good pace when running. The course curved through the Bridgeland community, which was very nice. Paths were curvy and narrow, but nicely shaded in areas. Official Run time: 31:44. 72nd out of 81 in Age Group. 

I finished with a time of 1:34:07. 70th in my Age Group. I probably could have done it faster, but I am glad I didn't. I enjoyed the race and survived the swim. It was a hot Houston day, so just to finish was an accomplishment. We received some beautiful finisher medals too!.... 

On Another Note: My back didn't like the bike ride this weekend. I started to feel it tighten up after the race and now 4 days later, it is still bothering me. I am going to get it checked out, b/c with my history of back issues I want to get a better understanding of what is going on back there. I will keep everyone posted, however, it does not look like the Olympic Distance will happen at the end of September, regretfully. But there will be one more race before the Summer of Tri comes to an end. 

As Always, Thanks for the support! I really appreciate it!!!

Wade