Let me start by saying this was not an 'A' race, but an opportunity to see where I stand for the upcoming season, what needs work and at the same time enjoy a beautiful part of the country with a good friend. All that said, I take every race seriously and want to do the best I possibly can.
I went into this race on a sleep deficit and was concerned how this would affect my performance. The week prior seemed to mark the start of T-storm season, which means delays, delays and more delays at work. I did not sleep more than 4-5 hours at a time for the entire week. In the 2 days before the race, with my body clock all messed up, I slept 4 hours and 3 hours, respectively. Surprisingly, my energy level seemed fine on race morning.
It was windy and cool before sunrise. The swim course was changed (and shortened to 1000 meters) at the last minute due to the choppy water and current. After setting up transition, we walked about a mile to the swim start and hung out there until race time. My wave (F30-34) went off at 7:50, exactly 1 hour after the pros. Jen and I found a great spot on the cement wall to sit and watch all the pros, elites and challenged athletes go off. It was so exciting and inspiring seeing all these amazing athletes- with the sunrise, the music and the announcer setting the stage, you can't help but just shake off the nerves and enjoy the moment. This was one of the most competative pro and elite fields out there and we had a front row seat to take it all in! About 20 minutes before my wave start, I jumped in the water to warm up and get loose. It was warmer in the water (79 degrees) than outside and, with no wetsuit, I had to jump (well... dance actually ;) around to keep warm in the final 10 minutes before my wave went off.
SWIM: It was a beach start with about a 50 meter sprint to the water. At the horn, I took off and got a good position out front to avoid the chaos in the beginning. As intructed by my coach, I went hard for the first couple hundred meters and then settled into a rhythm on someone's feet. It was going pretty well and I was doing my best to not drink too much salt water, but with the swells I didn't necessarily succeed. Sighting was also a challenge because of the waves, so I just hoped everyone in front of me was going the right way. About 1/2way through the swim, we started to catch the slower swimmers from the wave in front of us (Clydesdales). I got kicked in the face by a guy doing the sidestoke and had to stop, tread water and put my goggles back on. I felt a little water in them, but just dealt with it for the rest of the swim. I was rattled a little and took a few minutes to get back into my rhythm, but all I kept thinking was 'Thank God I got LASIK last year because my contacts would have been gone after that and that would have made for a dangerous bike ride!' Before I knew it, the swim was over and I was running up the beach.
Transition 1 was long! Because they changed the swim course, we had to run about a 1/2 mile on sidewalk to the transition area. Being barefoot and sprinting meant forefoot striking. We'll get to the side-effects of that later...
BIKE: I was most nervous about the bike. I've made alot of little changes to my bike setup since last year and had not yet ridden it outside (other than Saturday's prerace shakeout). With the windy conditions, technical bike course, my aggressive aero position and new race wheels, I felt a little unstable. It was a rough start when I tried to mount my bike and a wind gust practically blew me over. Once I got on, I had trouble strapping into my shoes. Every time I would take one hand off the bars, I would almost fall. My shoes were not tight enough and my feet were moving around with every pedal stroke. Oh well, at this point all I can do is pedal my little butt off and do what I can do. There were alot of riders out on the course at this point and I was passing the whole time. I was very cautious about not putting myself in a position to get a drafting penalty, as I saw the referees out there on their motorcycles. I was worried when I saw one riding next to me for several seconds, but couldn't think of anything I was doing wrong. It was a flat course and I was averaging about 24-26 mph with the tailwinds and 20-22 with the headwinds. There were alot of sharp turns and alot of braking. I did not take all these corners beautifully and bike handling is definintely something I will be working on in the future. Nutrition worked out perfectly. I had Clif Electolyte replacement drink in my aero bottle and finished it just before entering T2. As soon as I jumped off the bike and started running, I could feel my calves were in one big knot! I had no idea at the time why this would be, but figured it out after the finish- sprinting on my toes to T1!! I had a fairly smooth 2nd transition (though still could use some practice), grabbed my race belt, Garmin watch, visor and gel and was off...
RUN: The run is where my confidence lies. I have the most experience here and just came off a great 8k race last month. I typically run just as well off the bike as I do on fresh legs, so I was not concerned about going out conservatively. My first 2 splits were 6:01 and 6:19. I had a couple 6:30 splits in the middle and then kicked it up a notch for the final 2 miles. The spectatorship on the run course was AMAZING!! The streets were lined with people cheering and the volunteers at the water stops were fantastic as well. It was hot on the run course with little shade. I grabbed a water and a gatorade at every stop to keep my hydration and electrolytes in check. In the final couple hundred meters I still had enough left to sprint it in- I guess I had more in me than I thought ;) When I saw my 10k run split after, I couldn't believe it... 38:59! I had PR'd by over a minute!!
My overall finish time was 2:10:51, which put me as the first Age Group Finisher. Unfortunately, I received a 'Position' penalty of 2:00 which brought me down several places. I'm still learning and I have several things to focus on to continue to improve, but overall I am happy with the result. I proved myself as qualified to enter as an elite for future races of this size. I had a great time with Jen, who I have to thank for showing me a more enjoyable race experience. She is so down-to-earth, friendly and really sees the positive in every situation and person. I met so many inspiring and friendly athletes over the weekend and I look forward to a great season! Also, thank you to all my family and friends who were so supportive and interested in my race experience. It's much more rewarding having you all to share it with!
