Race the Bridge Olympic Traithlon Race Report

        The morning of June 1, I felt very good about where my training was heading so needless to say I was ready to toe the line at Race The Bridge. Competing in the 35-39 AG is always tough and this race saw some elite athletes competing right next to me, so I was anxious to see where I stood.
        I was in the 3rd wave of swimmers to go off. First we would swim down river with the current for 750m and then up river against the current for the final 750m. To say the current was a huge factor was an understatement. The current was so tough, it took the turn bouy an additional 350m downstream, making the swim nearly 1.2 miles according to GPS. Either way, we all had to swim the same distance and I was out of the water in :34 minutes which was not too bad considering the current and distance. My bike is my specialty and I quickly got into a good rythm. This bike course was very technical with train tracks twice on each loop (four loops), turn arounds, cones, and areas where passing was difficult. I managed a 1:14 for a course that was a mile long at 25.8 miles. Good for nearly 21mph and 11 minutes slower than the overall winner.

        I was happy with my bike time and I knew that I had turned in a pretty good split. I had the 27th fastest bike split overall and there was 27 of us between 1:03 and 1:14. I could have punched it a little faster but wanted to save some for the run and to be honest slowed down around the tracks. Many athletes suffered punctures because of the tracks.
        Heading out for the run, it was very hot. But I felt great and got into a good rythm. My goal was to keep that rythm for the entire 10k. The first half I was out in about 23:30 and felt awesome. About mile 4.5, I began to suffer cramps in my left hamstring that slowed me a bit but I kept on running and it slowly worked itself out. However, I couldnt go all out like I wanted the last mile and a half. I finished the run in 52:49, about a 8:30 pace.

 

 

 

Overall. I was thrilled with my race.

 

Swim :34

T1 1:36

Bike: 1:14

T2 1:00

Run: 52:49

 

Total : 2:44:51 (PR)

 

8th Age Group

38th overall.

 

Next race is Ironman Muncie 70.3 at Prarie Creek Resevoir. I am really looking forward to this race as it is fast and flat. Swimming is coming along very good so I am anxious to see dividends in the water. This race is historically hot and humid- perfect for Ironman Louisville preparation. My goals for this race is to swim hard and to be near the front in my age group, around 32-35 minutes. The bike is fast and flat and with a new course, I should see a fast split- around 2:40 or so. The run is the variable as always. The key is to bike fast but not overcook it. So my goal is to run 8:30 miles and about 1:55 on the run.

     My training is coming along very well, I feel fit and I am down about 15 lbs since the first of May. Thats good considering Ironman Louisville has some solid climbs throughout the course.

 

Check back after July 12th for my Ironman Muncie race report.

 

Happy training!

 

Linden