Got to Pinchot around 6:00 a.m. and got a primo spot on the racks, right on the end. Set up my gear and checked in. I didn't go down to the lake, but someone said the water temps were in the 60s. There has been a lot of rain in the last couple of days, so I knew the trail run was going to be swampy. This was confirmed when the race director came back from mountain biking the course covered in mud.
After getting my gear arranged, I went for a run to warm-up. Ran about a mile and did some form drills, got my heart rate up and worked through some of the pre-race jitters. Got back to my gear and put on my wetsuit for the swim.
Swim
Unlike the the first two tris I did last year, I was really ready for the swim today. My feet were freezing while I was waiting on the bank and I was bit worried about the water temp, but when I finally got in I was amazed to discover that the water was actually warmer than the dew on the grass, and that it felt "warm." While the first wave was moving out, I took a plunge and other than the shock of the first stream of water that goes down your spine under your wetsuit, I had no problem adjusting. We took off 3:00 minutes after the first wave. The start was a little shaky for me being the first open-water swim of the season. It took a little while to get my groove, but I finally settled into a nice bilateral breathing pattern and managed to stay on course. I also managed to stay up with, or rather right behind, the main pack. I came out of the water a little unbalanced, but had no problem making the transition to the bike.
Bike
The bike went well for me this year. Since I knew the course, I was able to shift at all the right times and maintain cadence. I was very efficient at attacking on the hills and wasn't passed by anyone with the exception of two bikers who passed me briefly around mile 7. One of the bikers who passed me, I actually passed on the second of the two big hills. Once over the hill and on the flat he caught back up to me, but on the next hill I passed him again. He then caught me again on the flat, and I passed him on the next hill and so on until we got to the steepest hill on the course on the second time around. I hung on his tail until half way up the hill than I attacked and passed him. When I got to the top, rather than catching my breath, I went all out for the next mile and was finally able to drop him. For the last two miles of the bike course I had my legs under me and was able to maintain a 22 mph pace. During this time, I passed two competitors in my age group, which made the difference at the end of the race. Came into the second transition a little winded, but not too bad, and had a fast turn-around to the run.
Run
Not much to report here other than the fact that it was muddy. I hope I didn't ruin my Asics 2130s. Don't know why I didn't wear my trail runners. When I started the run there were five runners in front of me that I could see. I passed all of them by the 1.5 mile mark and then came upon two more runners that I was able to pass. I ran with another runner for about a half of a mile, but on the steepest hill of the course I was able to pass him. Once over the top, I felt great and was able to pour it on to the finish. I actually wish the running portion would have been a little longer, because it took me almost 2 miles to get into the groove. Afterwards, I was rolling.
Results and Final Thoughts
Overall, 32nd; 3rd in my age group. Hardware, WOOHOO!!!!
Splits: Swim, 16:09 (2:01 pace); T1, 2:01; Bike, 57:48 (18.6 mph); T2, 1:29; Run, 22:50 (7:21 pace)
1) Wish I would have had speed laces after the bike ride. Hands were cold and I could hardly tie my shoes.
2) Need to get into a rhythm faster on the swim.
3) Should not have eaten spicy wing zings the night before.
4) I know I could go faster on the bike leg if I would invest money in either a new bike or significant upgrades for my bike. But, where does it end. Furthermore, there is nothing better than dropping someone who is riding a $3000 to $4000 bike when I'm riding a stock Felt F75 (Which I love by the way).
5) Congratulations to Josh S. who is in my cycling club at school. He had a great day of racing and took home the gold in his age group. Way to go Josh!
5 comments:
OUSTANDING!!! Pixxors of the hardware, or it didn't happen!
sweet report and great race! sounded like a chilly start but you seemed to handle it really well. way to pass the "lexus" bikes. that is always fun!
Great job Kurt in getting 3rd in your AG! Yep, I hear the bikes can be really expensive. That's cool you passed those guys. BTW, I like your Paul Klee piece. I'm a fan of modern art. Now, I know how you got your name :)
NOICE!!!!!
Congrats on the hardware. You are almost inspiring me to start doing some tris. Almost.
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