We arrived at the race site at 5:40AM on Sunday. I pumped my tires and set up my gear. W was having troubles from the get go. He could not get his bike to shift out of 53-11. Luckily the mechanics showed up and fixed it quickly. Sometimes they say signs are everywhere and we simply choose to ignore them. Was this a sign for W?
I sat down and listened to the Ipod until 20 minutes to start. I put on my trusty Xterra Vendetta and walked over to the lake. I warmed up with 200 or so meters of swimming.
The swim was 2k, 100 meters longer than a normal half. I found a spot near the front. The gun sounded and I was off. It took a few hundred meters to get through traffic. I found a pair of feet to draft on and stayed with him until after the first turn. He slowed so I went around. I took the last turn and saw someone come around me. I tried to jump onto his feet, but his pace was a tad too fast. It was only 500 meters to the finish. No reason to kill myself. Swim time 29:50 average 1:30 per 100 meters.
There were wetsuit strippers as we exited the water. It was a half mile run to the transition area. I put on my Oakley's and Spiuk . Then I grabbed the Lynskey and headed out. The bike course was challenging with either winds or false flats. It took me a full loop before I could get into a good rhythm. I caught Jared just after getting onto Highway 97 for the last time. I said hi and kept going. I heard someone yelling to back off. Jared was drafting off of me and getting a verbal warning. Two miles later, Jared passed me drafting off another racer. The race official pulled him over and gave him a yellow card. During this time, I wondered why W had not passed me. I found out later he crashed. Definitely not a way to go out. The bike wouldn't shift and his tire was flat. He ended up with some bumps and bruises. My bike split was 2:29.26. I wanted to be a few minutes faster even though the course was 3k longer.
I had one of the fastest transitions in T2. I slipped my feet into the Newton Racers and grabbed my Newton Visor with water bottle and race number. I received lots of compliments on my race outfit from Oomph. The run did not feel good. I did not drink enough because my arms were starting to cramp a little. I tried to pop a salt tab and somehow managed to drop the entire vial. I turned around making sure I picked up enough. I knew that would come back to bite me later if I didn't. I got rid of my cramp in my side after 3 miles. I finally started to get into a groove. After 7 miles I started to get what felt like a blister. I let it get into my head. When I checked my foot later it was basically a hot spot, that may have turned into a blister if I didn't walk 5 times throughout the next few miles. I ended up with a 1:34.26 run time. I wanted to run a lot faster.
My final time was 4:38.06, 7th Division and 23rd Overall. I probably could have used a little more rest for the race. It's only the first race of the season. I expect a lot more out of myself as the season progresses.
For those of you looking for a great watch to use with triathlons, the Garmin 310XT is a must. I had it set on multisport mode with transitions. The swim distance was as posted, I had my power numbers for the bike, and I knew my mile pace on the run. It is waterproof and has a 20 hour battery life.
No comments:
Post a Comment