The Tri4Success family did have it's own event this weekend and that was the Buffalo Creek Kids Triathlon. This was the event that started it all in September of 2009.
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| September 2009 | May 2011 |
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| Complete with Ritchey cycling cap, Timex Ironkids watch, and Hooty's Kids Tri t-shirt. |
Like 2 weeks ago at the Hooty's Kids Tri, the swim was a struggle. He probably covers a minimum of 600m in his lessons but for some reason 50m in a race is a different story. The form completely disappeared and his head was fully above the water for the majority of the distance. This time he said he was bothered by the tri top and felt like he couldn't breathe. I think it was more likely the temperature of the water which was reportedly very cold. Either way it mentally unraveled him and he was very aware he was not at his best.
(Unofficial) Swim time: 1:50
T1 - swim to bike
The swim carried over into transition which wasn't terrible but lacked his usual urgency. As a parent you learn to pick up on the little things that indicate how things are going. When he ran towards the mount line with both hands on the bike instead of the usual single relaxed hand on the saddle, I knew right then that the confidence and aggression he came into the event with was vanishing.
(Unofficial) T1 time: 1:28
Bike - 3mi
The bike course is unique as the first half is on a path, which of course offers less passing room as well as some tighter turns. Gear selection and short accelerations are important here. Julian's ridden it before but not in a long time and never on his road bike. The second half is on concrete streets through a neighborhood with what can be classified as hills for the smaller folk this event caters to. All things considered I expected to see Julian back in transition in about 12-1/2 minutes. He came around the corner a bit later than expected and rode a bit casually coming into transition but word is he was making a lot of passes out on the course. Talking to him later he felt like he had a strong ride but admitted he wasn't completely on top of his game (hence no pro-style dismount this time).
(Unofficial) Bike time: 13:44
T2 - bike to run
I was running with the camera and Connor during this and got there in time to see him go out on the run but missed the actual transition. Angelia said he was very careful laying his bike down (no racks) but otherwise had a good T2. It seemed that with each phase of the triathlon he was getting more and more into his groove.
(Unofficial) T2 time: Who knows? I forgot to hit the lap button!
Run - 0.5mi
As Julian headed out on his run, we all chatted a bit about how it was going so far. This is probably a good time to mention that he had quite a group of fan support. There was my riding buddy Keith, his wife Barbara, Julian's teacher (Coach Johnson), my dad (Paw-Paw), and the Amusing Athena (Jessica). Thanks to all for coming out to support him! Before I could even really get into a conversation .... there he was! He was already flying down the finishing stretch clearly on form and feeling good. He completed the triathlon and got his medal while acknowledging the many Rockwall Cycling and team Tri-ProSoap guys that recognized him.
(Unofficial) Run time: No idea due to the earlier missed lap button. However T2 plus the run was 4:39 so the run was likely less than 4 minutes meaning a sub-8min/mi pace.
(Unofficial) TOTAL TIME: 21:41
Julian summed this race up best by saying "the swim was rough but the rest was smooth - definitely better than Hooty's". All in all it was a successful event that was well run and supported. I know Julian appreciated all the fan support. The back-to-back swim struggles in races does leave some things to be resolved before determining what's next for our junior triathlete (IronKids or not?). Rest assured, there is a plan and Julian is eager to take on the challenge. Look for details in a future post. In the meantime, congrats to him on completing his 3rd triathlon (and 4th multi-sport event)!
Post-Post-Race
Julian's favorite Athena, Jessica, joined us afterwards for some awesome breakfast at a local favorite - Chiloso's. After the food had some time to settle, she went on a 14mi bike ride with Julian and Angelia (first ride on the new bike!). I was glad to see Angelia get out on her new wheels and I know it was a highlight of Julian's day.
3 comments:
Julian you are such an inspiration to me and to those around you!(Love you always,Mom)
kids awesome. I love the carb loading picture
Official time has been posted 21:51. Way to go Julian!
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