Warhawk 2012 Race report

[jbrown]

What a race! Great course layout and all! Def will do it again. Where to start.....

I traveled over with a good friend the morning of the race and it was a solid 1.5 hours of bs'ing and for those who know me, it wasn't that hard for me to do! it was my daughters first tri too so she was in the back seat of the car crashed out because it was WAY earlier than she is used to getting up. Got there, checked in and got our race packets. Thos who know me, know that it was only my 2nd tri and this time I had to juggle not only setting up my transition, but also my daughters.

After transition was setup, I realized I wasn't as nervous as I was with my first one. I feel this was a combination of kind of knowing what to expect and also feeling very prepared and strong. I put in the hours training, and now it was time to reap the benefits from the sweat and blood I had given.

The swim was a time trial start with a snaking swim. So at every wall, you must go under the lane rope to the next swim. this pull is freaking HUGE! Very nice facility. I was about 1/3 the way back in the line with a couple local studs in Tony Thornton and Derek Ellis. I know Tony is fast on the swim and bike and that Derek is well versed at all 3 and I made him a target at the beginning of the season after seeing his results. I was the first in the water out of us and 150 in was passed by Tony (as expected) I was also passed about 50m later by Derek but fell in behind him and let him pull me for a few and we exchanged the lead a time or 2 with him pulling me the last 50. Little did I know this would be the story for the day.

T1- As we exited the pool and went to transition I yelled to Derek jokingly "Thanks you for pulling me" He laughed and replied "Let's go get Tony" I had a fast transition and was ahead of him going out.

Bike- What a fun course. 11 fast miles, fairly flat with LOTS of turns. Very technical course. Derek caught me about a mile in and said we needed to run Tony down. Tony is capable of throwing down a fast bike so I knew we had our work cut out for us. Derek and I played cat and mouse for the whole ride. We managed to run Tony down at about 7 miles in. Found out after the fact he was riding with a couple broken spokes.

T2- Had a fast bike, came into transition feeling strong. Got running gear and was out at the same time with Derek.

Run- Apparently Derek and I were meant to race because for the first 1.5 miles we stayed right together. He pulled away about mile 2 and began to run down a guy who passed us about mile 1 who was in our age group. About mile 2.5 i caught the same guy and he looked at me, said man you all are running strong then picked up the pace. I know those games so i hung about 2 steps behind him. I was supremely confident in my run and knew that I could burst and drop him when I needed to. Now to my next 2 targets, Derek and a girl. I was "chicked" about mile 1 and she was moving but I was trying to run negative splits so I knew if I kept her close I could pass her. Derek was just behind her and was about to make a move as well. With about .25 left I hear someone screaming my name. It was my boy Seth. He was pushing me and telling me to make my move. Anytime you hear people cheering it def helps but to have someone yelling at YOU, man it gives you an immediate burst of energy. I knew Derek heard him and was anticipating an attack. With about 200 m left I made my kick. Seth was yelling to sprint and in my head I remember saying "I AM!!" But in all actuality I wasn't. The last 50m I did an all out sprint, came around Derek and that girl and crossed the line about 5 steps ahead of them. During the run I felt like puking at least 3 times and when I crossed the line I knew I would let'er rip, but thankfully never did.

Due to the time trial start, Derek beat me by about 13 seconds. After getting the first race of the year out of the way, I am stoked about the rest of my season. I must give credit to my "new" training partner Derek Dalzell. He beasted out a 1 hour and some change. Gotta step it up!

BIG congrats to all the Sunrise members who took home hardware and BIGGER props to all the first timers! Sunrise as a club cleaned house over there! On to the next one. Sunrise Du and then the Kemah Tri at the end of April. See ya out there!!

[ddalzell]

Race Report: 1st race of the year..and man was it ever a learning tool!

I went into this race telling myself that It was only a "B" race and that no matter what I'd be happy to just run through the motions for my first race of the year. But lets be honest, who was I trying to kid. I knew that I'd go all out and be disappointed if I didn't hit my time goal. With that in mind, below is the recap of my pain.., I mean race. Goal time before starting : 01:02:00

Swim: Like previously stated, the swim was a time trial start in the pool where it had each competitor snaking its way across. I positioned myself in about 30th position and figured that'd be a good starting point. I jumped in the pool and was very anxious and had the nervous jitters. The time keeper said go and surprisingly I was able to stay calm and rep out a pretty easy pace for the first 50 meters. As soon as I hit the wall and turned into my next 50, I noticed I was already on top of 3 people. Of course they were all bunched up across the entire lane and I spent the next 50 trying to find a cut through lane. While I was ready to go faster, it was probably a blessing in disguise. It allowed me to draft off of the three people and save some energy. I finally had open water for the final 100m and set a fairly decent pace before I hopped out and went to transition. Time 00:06:37

Bike: Well, this was supposed to be my strong discipline...or so I thought! I came out of Transition fairly quickly and went to jump on my bike. Because this was only my 2nd tri, I didn't do the most picturesque flying squirrel onto my bike. Nope, Instead I decided to stop, get on my bike, then try and put my feet in my shoes before even pedaling. haha, it's funny now, but at the time I was thinking..What are you doing!?! Anyways, I jumped on and headed off. I proceeded to miss the first turn and had to swing back after a nice little 200 yard detour. I decided I wanted to take the scenic route apparently. Then I thought it'd be a good idea to push it and make up time. About 30 seconds into that plan my legs exploded and left me with 10 miles of exploding legs. It was a great time! haha. I finished decent and almost ate it dismounting my bike. I love being a tri newbie! Time 00:31:31

Run: The course was a 3 mile, flat and fast course! That’s what the description the race website said anyways! I thought I was going to die about 10 steps in and felt like I was going pretty slow. To phrase Chris McCormack and say that I was "Embracing the suck" would be an understatement. I ran the full 3 miles with my legs and body screaming at me. I wasn't going to let myself walk but I had no kick in me that I almost always have on runs. I was being passed by 3-4 guys and I knew instantly that this is a huge training point for me. I remained hurting on the run until about .25 mile left when Seth (just like Jeremy) started to push me. It got me to pick up my pace a little bit and now I was surely planning on running straight to the ambulance. I crossed the finish line and immediately stopped and put my hands on my knees. It was tough, but it was great for mental toughness. It taught me a lot about the training I need to do and the mental games you need to play with yourself. time- 00:21:24

Overall: Great race, I'll be back for sure. While I may try to implement a pacing strategy in the future, I can't complain at all with my race. If I made a mistake, it was all my fault. The volunteers were excellent and the support from the local sunrise team was amazing! While it may be excruciating at the time, the feeling of finishing ahead of your goals is something I'll never get tired of. I need to give a quick shout out to my buddy Jeremy for offering to take me over there. Also, a big congratulations is in order for his daughter. She absolutely killed it in the Kids Tri! It was pretty special to watch. I look forward to meeting more people and competing in future events with all of you! Congrats on the first tri of the year for many!

Overall: 01:00:36

[tthornton]

OK here is my report for the race. Signed up 1 week out. I had taken a huge 3 month break from training. But this race was so fun last year and i am ready to go again. So I was thinking as we are in line for the swim, It was going to be tough with no training. But when the swim started I was really shocked At 100m in how I was felling. No pushing just body surfing over people. I came up on the J man and went on past him. Then last lane and I was like its over really. No pushing, kinda weird. So off to the bike and time to go to what i thought would be awful ride. 2 rides in the past 3 months. So when I got to mile 6 and no Jeremy and Derek,I was like ok not doing bad. Then Legs got heavy at mile 7 and here they come. . Guess that's where the spokes broke, because no matter how hard i pushed no answer to catch them. So rode out the 3 miles. Jumped to the run and tried to push a few times but just settled in to what was comfortable to me. Great race . Great job guys.

[Redford]

I was nervous as heck as soon as I signed up. I didn't think I was ready at all.

Jeremy Brown had to calm me down 24-hours and again 24-hours before the race. I really thought I was going to hurl while standing in line by the pool.

I had only swam laps twice in the last twenty years and hadn't ridden my bike since the Dustbuster.

Once I got in the pool, it was either do or die.. and since God didn't take me home once I got wet, I had no choice but to do it.

The swim actually wasn't that bad. I finished it better than I thought, but I'll admit the whole time I was dreading the ride. The bike is my biggest struggle.

Once I got out of the pool, I slowly approached my bike and took my own sweet time (2+ minutes) getting on it.

The ride was a slow go, but I didn't fall off so to me it was a success!

As soon as I got back to the transition area, I put on my running shoes and got out my iphone and headset to get my music ready. When I realized my headphones had a knot in them, I started to just slowly and casually untie the cord. I was in my own little world and forgot all about being timed until I saw a guy running up behind me. After all the tangling and untangling... I found out headsets are not allowed. UGH!

The run went really well. I was sore and had dead legs, but managed to keep a good pace and finish strong.

Overall, my experience was one of the best ever! I know I wasn't really prepared, but went anyway and completed my goal which was to just finish.

Can't wait for the next one.

Jeremy, keep your phone handy!

[eblyzes]

Ah where to start….when I signed up to be a member of the Sunrise Triathlon Club, I had no clue how to swim freestyle and I still don’t. I’ve never been able to swim freestyle without panic setting in on the 3rd or 4th stroke. I can’t breathe without water going into my nose and mouth which then sets my brain into panic mode. I can bike and run so I thought surely I can learn how to swim. So one Saturday morning in early February I went to the Red River Masters swim class as my first time to attempt to freestyle. Let’s just say it was a horrible experience and I knew at that point I would need a lot of help with one-on-one coaching. I went to swim the very next day with my husband and I did relax a little more but still couldn’t get the breathing down without anxiety coming over me. I tried several times that week and the following weeks just practicing & panicking every time which frustrated me to no end. So I knew there was no hope to participate at the Warhawk Triathlon…well I was wrong!

I emailed Tony Bouso on Thursday, March 15th and explained to him how I was struggling with swimming and I would not be able to participate at the Warhawk Triathlon but I would be there to cheer my husband and friends on and hoped to be ready for Sunrise series this summer. Tony informed me that it is perfectly legal to wear a snorkel in triathlons and some people wear them. As soon as I read his email it felt as though an elephant was lifted off my chest! Wish I would’ve know that more than 2 days before the event.

After my noon workout that day, I happened to run into Eric Sullivan outside of the downtown YMCA and explained to him my swimming struggles. Eric said he struggled just like me and he used a freestyle snorkel to get him over the “hump” and focus on his stroke and then moved onto the breathing technique. He just so happened to have the snorkel at the YMCA and I was able to practice using it that evening. What a cool experience it was to actually swim laps across a pool! I was on cloud 9 went home and signed up for the Warhawk Tri. That night I couldn’t sleep and thought what have I done…I haven’t timed myself doing laps and not sure if I can do 400 meters.

The next day, Friday, March 16, the day before the race, I said if I can swim 400 meters in under 16 minutes then I’ll participate in the Warhawk Tri. Well I did it in 15 minutes so I’m in!!!

We (Justin Dunn, Chris Redford, my husband and myself) loaded up Justin’s truck and hit the road bound for Monroe Saturday morning at 5am. Four nervous people in a truck and ready to tackle our first triathlon as a team. Another one of our team members, Michael Martinez, met us there. So there were 5 of us “newbies” doing our first tri together as a team. Transition area closed and we hurdled into the pool area.

WOW WHAT A HUGE POOL. I ventured to the back of the line and started to pace the deck and taking deep breaths trying to calm my nerves. My start time was 8:21 so I got to watch and cheer a lot of people swim before me. As soon as I entered the water my panic went away and I had a mission to accomplish. Once I heard go, I put the snorkel in my mouth, head in the water, and pushed off. I looked at the black line the entire time not once looking up or stopping mid way. Before I knew it the volunteer said you are. I couldn’t believe I just swam 400 meters! My swim time 12:55 and proud of it!

T1 1:07 – I’ll work on getting my time down with experience.

I enjoyed my bike ride so much that I cheered everyone on along the entire route, including non-participants retrieving their morning papers, and had the biggest smile on my face. If you were wearing a Sunrise suit and heard someone yelling at you, that was me! Bike time 38:48 at 17 mph.

T2 1:02 and the run begins. Three miles running without music was a first for me. My breathing and the thumping of my feet became my music. I’ve been doing brick workouts once a week and it has helped with the noodle leg feeling but didn’t make it any easier. Run time 29:06 at 9:42 pace. I’m going to focus the next few months on improving my speed and pushing myself harder on the run portion.

My total time 1:22. I have a lot of areas to improve on and a great club to help me achieve my goals. I’m looking forward to an amazing Tri season.

I’M NOW A TRIATHLETE AND IT FEELS AWESOME ;D

[joehinton]

This was my 4th warhawk tri to do and the best ever turnout from sunrise. The weather was great too. I can remember some fairly cold bike rides in some past warhawks, one in particular when my fingers numbed from the cold and I couldn’t feel the button to release my helmet. I’m sure that was funny to spectators. Thanks to everyone for cheering the old man in to finish. My lovely wife and I had a fun day with all.

[evanstri]

I had a great race. Beat my time last year by 10 min. But best of all my kids enjoyed the youth tri

[cfree13]

this was my first time to do warhawk tri.. overall i thought it was great race and venue. i spent most of my "off season" training for my first half marathon and i was a total slacker on the bike and swim. so with about 4 bike rides and 3 swim sessions i figured i could at least survive the race.

i kept telling myself this would just be a race to see where my body and mind were at so i could make improvements for the upcoming season. i knew i needed to improve overall but i was hopeful the race would knock the dust off and get me motivated.

standing in line to get in the pool, i was a little nervous but my swim wasn't bad. i came out of the pool in one piece and still able to breath.

had a decent T1 and i thought i could get out of transition without any mistakes until i went to clip my foot in my pedal and there i find my dang goggles wrapped around it. wrestled with them with what seemed like forever and finally got them untangled and threw them at a spectator like some souvenir. ha

finally hopped on my bike and took off. the bike route was great and the majority of the roads were in good shape. only came across one car who didn't seem to care that we were on the road.

t2 went a lot smoother than the end of my t1 and so i was off for my run. i hate to run. ok, maybe that's not true, but i know that's how i feel the first half a mile or so. at one point i even tried to tell myself that i was going to have to walk. but i quickly told that voice to go away i had a time to beat. i didn't run as fast as i liked to, but was still happy with it.

great race, was shooting for 1:20 or under and finished with 1:17:13. i'm ready to see where my new found motivation and training will take me as the year goes on.

good luck everyone!

[cdwebb]

Well, I guess I will try to write a little race report as warm up for the report I will just have to do on my 70.3 this weekend! Warhawk is always a fun race and I was really looking forward to it. Not as nervous as usual as I had been training quite a bit. My goal was to be under 1:20. Was hoping for 10:30 on the swim, so was disappointed to come out in 11:42. Figured out later that 10:30 was the best I had done for 100 yards in practice, which is pretty much on same pace for 11:42 when you convert to meters. Just need to make it out to red river masters! T1 was pretty slow due to I am always a little dizzy after the swim. A little trouble clipping in, and off I went! Loved the flat bike course with all its twists and
turns. Having back pain and sciatica with it feeling like my hamstring was cramping the whole way, but able to keep the hammer down enough to pass a lot of folks, and that was fun! Of course, some of them usually pass me back on the run. Ended up with 20.1 average. Had a good t2, then the run was 28 minutes. That was about the time I expected, but it felt SO hard! I thought "how am I going to do 70.3?". Ended up with 1:15:25. Very happy with that. Can't wait til next year.