Race report from this past weekend: I set some goals, went all out, and am both proud (swim & bike) and a bit disappointed (run).
The
Hillsboro Tri was tiny, tough, and a fantastic event!
Part of the reason I enjoyed the experience so much was the presence of other members of the
Waco Tri Club. Now, I've technically been a member of the Waco Tri Club for 7 or 8 months. That being said, other than 'trainer nights' during the summer months and assisting with the Kids' Tri practices, I haven't really participated or gotten to know most of these folks. The ones I do know have been exceptionally encouraging, engaging, and friendly. Heading into this race I found it exciting to know that I'd be racing along side (or behind) at least a few people who would be excited to see me do well!
4:30am: Up and at 'em. Car was loaded. Woke up my 6yr son, Jackson, greeted my Dad at the door, jumped in the car and headed out. It was a nice change of pace to do a race that didn't require staying in a hotel room.
7:30am
The Swim.(13:06) 500 meter outdoor swim in Lake Aquilla.
The water wasn't too cold (upper 60's), especially with the wetsuit. When the gun went off (and I do mean gun, like a starter pistol I guess, but it was shockingly loud), I let the 'washing machine' effect churn ahead of me and found a nice easy rhythm toward the back of the pack. Huge props to Martin for the 'Lick the Goggles Tip' to stop the fogging. I hadn't had to deal with that before and that little tidbit, just seconds before the start, really helped! I felt really good in the swim. I took a couple kicks to the arm and had my ankle slapped a time or two but never really had that 'oh crap' moment like I've had in previous swims. If you've followed my saga from the beginning (last fall), you'll remember that swimming 300 meters in the pool was a nightmare for me only 6 months ago (and took me more than 13 minutes in my first race). This was an open water swim and 500 meters long but I did it in 13 minutes and 6 seconds (thats nearly a 2minute/100 meters improvement on average)! The one AWFUL part of this swim. GAS. No, not my own (that probably would have just helped with flotation given the wetsuit). It was the stinking boats they used for swim support. I don't know if they were Parks & Rec people or Texas Dept. of Wildlife or what, but they used two or three motorized craft to patrol the swim. Two or three times it seemed like I swam through a pocket of gasoline. GROSS! Anyway, it probably just made me go faster (so I could get out of the flippin' water).
T:1 (3:46) So, I'm awful at transition, but I honestly haven't really worked on it much as I've focused my efforts on simply surviving each aspect of the race. But, I did try and move a little more efficiently this go around and it showed. Still need to shave another 2 minutes of this.
Bike 16.2 miles (59:13) My previous races have all been 12 or 12.5 mile bikes so this was the longest race I've done to date. It was also the hilliest with 260+ feet of climbing. The wind wasn't bad but enough to make a few of the hills downright grueling. The transition area (the Dairy Hill Boat Ramp) is located down a steep hill, so right off the bat I was grinding. Transitioning on to the actual road I started in on 2 solid miles of climb that didn't do a lot to build my confidence but I maintained decent speed and managed to pass a few folks. Then I hit the first (and fastest) down hill on the course. I clocked 29.5 mph as I crushed through some absolutely stunning farmland. I flew by a local good ol' boy standing in his driveway watching the race, shouted a 'morning, sir' as the pastoral landscape and the increased velocity bolstered my spirits and a grin crept onto my face. Of course the downhill was short-lived but with the grin came a grim determination. Now, please remember, I'm no superstar athlete and these races are me against myself. Me against my diabetes, blood clots, and a potential early death. So when I say I waged an epic battle to pass the three men in front of me over the next 45 minutes, I don't want to sound as if I were closing the gap on some olympians. But, for me, that was my race. I caught site of a young man ahead of me crushing his way up down the hilly course on a mountain bike. When I saw what he was riding, I thought I'd hammer past him in a matter of seconds. The proved much more difficult than I anticipated. He was 17 years old, fit, and apparently strong as an ox (he ended up doing the 5k portion of the race in sub 25mins). But I worked hard, closed the gap, passed him on a swift descent, got passed by him on the next climb, then passed him for good on the next straight away. My thighs and lungs burned with the exertion but I stuck to my mantra (courtesy of Haruki Mrakami) "pain is inevitable, suffering is optional". I ended up passing several people and only being passed by one on the bike course. I averaged 16.4mph on the bike, which was .5mph faster than my performance on the flat Kemah course and 2.4mph faster than my worst bike performance.
T:2 (1:42) I moved quickly (for me) through the second transition and headed out for the run.
Run (43:23) Remember how I said the transition area was at the bottom of a steep drive (maybe .25 miles long or so)? By the time I crested that exit drive my legs were cramping from my ass to my heels. I honestly wasn't sure I could keep going. I mean I went from intense and engaged in my performance, to seriously distracted with pain. I started mumbling my mantra. Then laughing (on the inside) at my current inability to believe it. So I walked for a while. Normally I run/walk (2min on, 1 min off) as much to accomodate my foot pain (I have hallux rigidus in my right big toe) and shin splints. As this run course was uphill the entire first half, and downhill the second half, I did something more akin to shamble for 1 min, walk 2 min. About a mile into it, my legs started to free up. I hit the turn around and, now going downhill, managed to run 70-80% of the way home. I knew I'd really messed up my time with the outward bound leg and I tried desperately to break the 2 hour mark, but came in 1 min and 9 seconds too slow at 2 hours 1 minute and 8 seconds. My run split, 43:23 was 2 minutes slower than at Kemah, which was pretty disappointing, but the race as a whole, the way I swam, the way I biked, and the way I finished, was phenomenal. I was cheered to the finish by several tri clubbers and my beautiful wife, Melissa. It felt amazing. I worked hard enough on that last mile that I nearly hurled at the finish but I managed to keep it down.
It was a small venue, but really a fun and well managed race. I will definitely be back again next year! That being said, I've got to work on my run and now's the time. Next up on the calendar is the
Bolder Boulder 10k in Boulder, Colorado on Memorial Day (5/27)! What better way to improve my running than doing 6.2 miles with 50,000 other humans at mile-high elevation!?! After that I'm slated to do the
Ventura Breath of Life Sprint Triathlon in Ventura, CA on 6/23! A race that includes a 750 meter swim in the Pacific! Comments always welcome!
