Ironman Texas Recap & Images

-

Ironman Texas
North American Championship

8:28:17
23rd Professional



How it looks and feels to persevere through a day of racing by yourself when you are at less than your best and still come away with a new personal best time!



This was my first time racing at Ironman Texas. A great venue and nearly perfect conditions greeted us on race morning. 60* air temp, 73* water temp (non wetsuit for Professionals) and calm winds.



A unique aspect of this swim is that the last 1/3 or so is swam up a canal. This gives spectators a front row seat to all the action and the opportunity to follow their athlete!



Swim fitness was great coming in to the race but unfortunately I wasn't able to have a good performance in the water. I exited the water 5 minutes back of my usual pack.



I was one of the few who was all alone on the bike course. I had to use most of the tricks in my bag to stay focused and engaged. I did a pretty good job and came in with a respectable 4:21.
(The course was about 4 minutes short)



My only complaint about the race was that due to safety concerns (3000 athletes packed into 40 miles of road), all motorcycles (including officials) were pulled off the course. Packs like this were the result. Hopefully this will be addressed at future races.



I managed temps in the mid 80's pretty well and despite a little slowing in the last 8 miles, ran a 3:02 marathon to close out the day.



Thank you to the Claudel's for their great hospitality, to all of my sponsors listed above, my coach Cliff English, and of course to Team BBMC for all of their support. Now time for a little R&R and decisions on what's next!

Comments

Lisa Claudel said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
3:25 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Using A Swim Test Within Your Training

-
Image
I typically see most athletes doing some sort of benchmark testing within their training, especially when it comes to swimming. However I don't always see those athletes using the result from that test within their training. It can be much more effective and engaging for athletes to actually use their swim test results within their training. Here's how: 1. Go test. Your bench mark testing should be something that is repeatable every block of training. You can do a 500, 1000, 1500, 2000, it really doesn't matter. When you test, make sure you swim smart. A good friend of mine always described any TT effort like this: -25% relaxed but fast, focusing on stroke rate and finding your rhythm -50% focusing on your test effort with good body position and quick turns on the walls -25% lifting the effort building in a bigger kick to finish 2. Using your test pace. Use your pace per 100 as the slowest target pace you are working around within 1 specific workout e
Read more

Valuing Your Time & Reach

-
Image
  I have had this conversation with many...do you accurately attach value to your brand/business? - When I think back to growing up as an athlete in my early 20's, I definitely wanted to win, but I also wanted to look the part. You know... logo's on the chest, looking Professional, sponsored, fast....awesome! Great for a poster on the wall, or a picture in a frame. We all dreamt about it and most still do!! - I didn't realize it in 2004 and although we didn't have social media, it was a no brainer for a business to offer some sort of free product or a moderate discount in exchange for exposure through a big company billboard on our chest and a seminar or two. - Today, with the cost of buying advertisement on social media or hiring someone to do the work to promote a brand, it's even more of a no brainer to offer a discount to athletes, teams and coaches. - We see this magnified with the Ambassador and Elite Teams. Athletes get a kit, some product to try or buy at a
Read more