I was reminded that I haven't even recapped our sprint tri from September OR the Denver 1/2 Marathon. So it's time to get cracking with this!
We woke up and mumbled something about why did we sign up for this? I swear, we do this every time we race. I was excited because I was going to debut my new helmet for this race. It's a more aerodynamic helmet then my old helmet. I guess when you start getting better at this sport, you get to upgrade your equipment. Woohoo!
We got to the res very early, and wheeled our stuff into transition. It was clear that this was not going to be as big as Boulder 70.3, but really, maybe we needed that. After choosing a bike rack, we went and grabbed our packets. After that, we hit the porta potties which were very close to our transition area, which was quite convenient. Then we got body marked. I got a K+M under my age to dedicate the race to our fantabulous cheer team from Boulder 70.3, Kris and Mark.
After trans was set up, we just kind of sat around and waited for the race to start. We scouted out the swim area and realized the walk from the swim exit to T1 would be ridiculously long. Either T1 would be really long or the swim would be really long. Regardless, I was not impressed.
The sun was up and running, so we got into our wetsuits and headed down to the swim beach. This was going to be a cold morning; my focus in the water was going to have to be excellent. I was in one of the first waves to go.
The Swim
I was right about the water. It was cooooold. Very very cold. It took awhile to get into a groove, and quite frankly, I noticed the lack of training in my stroke. By the time I hit the 1/2way point of the swim, I was feeling the fatigue in my arms and my breathing was getting shoddy. However, I kept the grind going and eventually felt like the shore was getting closer. Is it just me, or does the shore always seem really far away?
Regardless, my sighting today was quite solid.
T1
As I said, the run up from the beach to transition took FOREVER! I was running for awhile, but then decided running wasn't worth it anymore and just took my time so I could catch my breath. I composed myself and found my spot in trans, stripped off my wetsuit and got into my cycling shoes. Also making its debut today was my new Pearl Izumi tri tank. It's green so I'm representing the Sioux, and also built a little bit better then my Sugoi tri tank. Furthermore, my Oakley Flak Jackets were debuted as well. Kris let me borrow her flak jackets at Boulder 70.3 and I was amazed at how awesome they were. So I bought a pair from Trisports.com and this was my first race they were used.
I was all set to head on out.
The Bike
The bike was going to be interesting. What was clearly a much improved leg for me this season would be tested on very little training.
I got out and quickly realized the pavement in the res sucks. It was bumpy and hurting my man-bits. Again, focus had to come into play. I toughed it out for awhile and downed a bunch of water and Gatorade. One thing I learned during the summer is that I cannot do too much Gatorade or I get sloshy tummy, so I made sure to take in more water.
This course, say what you will, is not too bad. There's one bad death hill, but otherwise, it's pretty fast. I was getting passed by people, yes, but I was also riding very well and surprisingly pain-free in the 2nd half.
As I got back into trans, I was feeling really confident.
T2
Not much to report, just changed into my running shoes and off I went.
The Run
Running, for whatever reason this year, has been my Achilles (not literally). I just have struggled with it. I don't know why, but I need to somehow get my running groove back.
In the first mile, I was forced to walk as the temperature was steadily climbing and I felt my left calf was very tight. I pushed it though and made it to the first aid station where I grabbed some water. As I came into mile 2, I actually had to stop and stretch. Someone offered to help me, but I declined and thanked them.
In the last mile, I forced myself to pick it up. People were encouraging each other, and I fed off that energy. Coming into the transition area and nearing the finish line, I felt good and when I saw the official time clock, I was surprised at how fast I was. I crossed the finish line in my custom fashion, pointing at the finish sign while walking.
Times
Swim - 19:30
T1 - 2:53
Bike - 40:54 (16.9 mph average)
T2 - 1:48
Run - 30:54 (9:54 per mile)
Total time - 1:35:44
I waited for T to come in and made small talk with a couple people around me, including a girl who graduated from Wisconsin. She was actually nice. As T came across, I tried to get a video, but didn't really pull it off.
We both realized after this event that we are better athletes then we give ourselves credit for.
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