Last tune up race, 6 weeks before IM Rhode Island. I would have liked a race a little longer, but the bike course was challenging, and the trail run was muddy.
Swim: 500 yards
I was seeded 13th, and I passed 2 people I think. They sent us off in 30 second intervals, so at least we had a little space to work with. It was a zig-zag swim, which meant ducking under the lane lines at each end, so that sucked a bit. But I got out of the water within 5 seconds of my seed time, so I was satisfied. Sometimes no drowning = success.
Age Group Place: 1/8 @ 8:25
Overall Place: 11/80
Bike: 15 miles
The course looked flat on paper, but there were a ton of rolling hills for the last 10 miles. I started out fast and it looked like I was going to avg. somewhere around 22-23mph. That changed on the back half, when there were multiple long grinds uphill, followed by short steep descents. Not exactly optimal for keeping a high average speed. I didn't get passed by anyone, but I only caught 2 people in front of me, both within the last 2 miles. Overall the ride felt pretty good, and I could have gone harder. This is good news, considering the bike was only about 1/4th of the distance of the bike in Rhode Island. Yikes.
Age Group Place: 1/8 @ 20.0mph average
Overall Place: 6/80
Run: 5k trail
Ahh, my usual nemesis, the run...right? It doesn't appear so any longer. For the first time since probably high school cross country, I've finally gotten strong enough to throw down some decent times. As I said, the course was very muddy from almost a week of non-stop rain showers. But as I dodged puddles and tried to keep a high cadence, I began to think "you're going too fast, slow down, the pace is too high." Except my body felt great. So I decided to go with it and see how long I could maintain. I passed one runner, then two more. No one was staying with me. I had no illusions of running down the remaining 5 athletes in front of me, but it was fine, since they had all started the swim before I did. I came around the final turn, saw the finish line, and realized I still had a lot of gas left in the tank. Again, this was ok...the race I am doing in a couple weeks will have a substantially longer run leg. I crossed the line strong, and felt great.
Age Group: 2/8
Overall: 7/80 @ 7:06 mile pace
The transitions could use a little work, but those are things I will fine tune in the weeks to come. This race gave me a lot of confidence, and asserted that the training I have been doing is adequate for my current goals.
OVERALL RACE FINISH: 6th of 80 Athletes
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