Anyone going this weekend? I'll be arriving around 2 p.m. Sat for packet pickup and will ride 1/2 the bike course Sat afternoon if anyone wants to preview. I've done that race 5 times and can give any newbies some insight - or not. That and beer.

Man, I saw this tri a while back and if it was next weekend I'd be all over it as I'll be in Kingsland with my family that weekend.

Diehard - Do you know of any good 20-40 mile cycling routes in Kingsland/Marble Falls area? I've biked 2900 before, which connects Kingsland to 71 and it was good, but not a long enough road and no good roads near it really. 1431 is useless.

loved that race. Too bad the only time I have been able to do it, I had a flat on a new bike and did not have the right spare.

West - the race goes from the bridge in Marble Falls (1st Street) South on 281 about 7 miles up the hill to 71 then West on 71 about 6-7 miles then return. There is a pretty good shoulder all along 71 E/W both sides of 281.

That's all I've ever done out there, and I'd stay off 281 near town. 71 would be my best guess....

i'll be there.. chasing you.. actually, i'll be in front of you for at least 3 minutes since im in the first wave

i would love some course info.. i haven't found much online about it.

i am hoping to get to packet pickup by 5pm.. we have a photoshoot in conroe until noon then i have to avoid all traffic lights and stop signs to make it there in time.

i know its pretty hard to recognize people before a race, but if you see me come say hello.

This will be my first time at the marble falls tri. How bad are the hills on the run or bike? Im looking forward to swimming, hopefully the water is cool yet. I wont be there till sat. evening some time.

Pilot, the hills are not Cat 1, but they are definitely more than "rolling". It feels more uphill on the way out, and I usually neg split coming back - mainly because the first (and last) mile is a long, dragging hill that will have you out of the saddle within 45 seconds.

Basically, use your momentum as you crest a hill, don't just let up and coast downhill on the other side, charge the next hill and you'll find a nice little rythmn. It's like 25 miles of riding, and at least half of it is uphill.

If you (or CJO) want to meet, send me an email to jimhayes99 @ sbcglobal.net and we can exchange cell phone numbers.

We scored a room at the Hampton on the lake, so I'll be walking to/from Transition area and riding from the start line.

we actually planned on staying at a relatives house until about a week ago and the only room i could get was a villa at the horseshoe bay resort.. should be nice for the few hours i am there.. i will probably spend most of the evening with the parents and siblings, but im up for finding you guys in the morning prior to the race and saying hello.

hopefully my chattanooga hills from this past weekend will help me on the hills this week.

may be wet.. but wont be as hot as i thought it would be..

Sunday 19th
Raceday Forecast

Scattered T-Storms
Scattered T-Storms
High 93°F
Low 73°F
Precip: 30%

Wind: S
at 7 mph
UV Index: 10+ Extreme
Humidity: 59%

Sunrise: 6:43 AM
Sunset: 8:35 PM

Scattered thunderstorms possible. Highs in the low 90s and lows in the low 70s.

full race report later....but broke 2 hrs. goal. 1:58 with a 14 minute swim (2nd age group, 24th overall), 1:07 bike (20.9 mph - with a chain problem), and a 35 minute run (7:58 per mile). Placed 5th in Age group, 50th in gender.

I beat one of my "rivals" but my other rival got 2nd place in age group. (Missed medal by 5 minutes, so I don't feel so bad about it)

full race report later as well..

goals accomplished:
1. finish injury free
2. meet diehard
3. beat diehard out of the water*














*i may or may not have had a 9 minute head start, and diehard may or may not have swam 47 seconds per 100m faster than me.

diehard is a beast!

I did get the pleasure of passing CJO on the bike right out of first transition! 9 mins head start or not.

I tried to kill it in the swim and only gave up first place in age group because I let #1 pull me in the second half of the swim. Drafting is legal in the swim, and the extra couple of seconds wouldn't have mattered.

Never really felt "ready" this weekend. Not sure if it has anything to do with doing the Chattanooga Olympic the week before, or spending 8 hours in an airport on Thursday night/Friday morning until 4am, but I just didn't "feel it". I can't make too many excuses because I did not really do any worse than I normally do but my mind was not quite in it. And it is obvious to me on Monday morning since I thought I worked really hard, but I am not in the least bit tender today. Apparently my perceived effort >>>>> actual effort.

Race was run well. No real "frills" or big productions, but logistically I have no complaints or suggestions even. I kinda frowned when I found out the racks were not numbered but we really did not have any problems with it, so no big deal.

Swim was in "Lake" Marble Falls which is actually the Colorado river. I did not notice any current out or back because you swim both directions in it... but then again I am not a great swimmer so I always feel like I am dying in the water. My goal was to try and take it easy on the swim because driving the bike course was scary. (I saw diehard out riding the hills at 4pm in 100 degree weather on Saturday afternoon while I was driving it with the A/C on high). I did not have a watch on in the swim so I had no idea how long I was out there. I just know that it felt like a couple weeks. After the race my wife came up to me and said great job! You beat last weeks swim time by a minute! I told her thats not a "great job" since I swam 500m farther last week! But in actuality, she was just guessing and my swim really was not that bad (for me). 2:15 pace.

T1, long as always. 2:54. When you routinely finish in the bottom third, it is hard to bust your ass in transition (for me at least). Maybe if a top 25% was in the picture or something I would shave some seconds.

Bike was brutal on the way out. Data says it was not as difficult as the Chattanooga hills, but it sure felt like it. Diehard ate up my 9 minute headstart and passed me about 200m out of T1. The first 2 miles were a steady climb. At mile 5 my average was 13.9 mph. And that is when I stopped looking at the watch. Looking at the data afterwards, the first 14 miles my average was 15.6 mph and the last 9 miles I averaged 20.3 mph. The hills were obviously much more fun on the way back. Total avg a blistering 16.7 mph.

T2. long. 1:31 which does not sound too long, but it was a small transition area.

Run was not that difficult of a course except for literally the last 30m which was like running up a cliff. I could not feel my legs by then anyways though. My goal for the 4.4 mi was an 8:00 pace, but I walked through all 3 water stations so that was not going to happened. As usual, I quit feeling sorry for myself and ran much harder the last mile. I need to start doing that after mile 1 and just see what happens. 7:53, 8:50, 9:07, 8:20, 6:38 for an 8:23 pace.

The run and swim were actually decent times for me. The bike was slower than I wanted, but for my lack of riding hills it was expected.

So.. all of that put me at 257 of 380 overall and qualified me for LAST place in my age group... by 13 MINUTES! I was wondering why I never saw anyone in my age group pass me on the bike.. because they all beat me by 3 minutes plus on the swim! I am used to bottom third or bottom quarter, but I was shocked to see last place by almost two miles.

Ah well.. my wife actually brought out her real camera to this one so she got some cool pictures but they have not been processed yet. There is a lady A&M triathlete in the background of a couple, so if you post here, let me know and I will send them your way.

And some photos and data...

Me out of the saddle dying up a hill about to be passed by someone breathing through their nose, me running up the cliff, and then with the family (aka 2 of the last place relays )...



Last Place by almost 2 miles!



Bike elevation



Bike pace



Run pace

good job cjo!

No one has it all together all the time. Even the pros have periodization for peak performance. If you came off a strong race last week, don't be surprised by a not so strong race this week. That just means you are normal.

The river felt great, the bike was killer on the way out, but back in seemed so much easier. And driving it, it did look alot worse. Great race, cant wait till next year. We couldnt have asked for better weather, 88 degrees and cloudy!! Im just glad i finished without stopping!