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| Watts or horsepower??
I rested, ate, and recovered the best I could Saturday evening hoping that the legs would not be too heavy going into race morning the next day. Sunday morning, I woke up to 50 degrees and clear weather. Perfect for race day! I drank a cup of coffee to get everything flowing, made two pancakes, and sipped on INFINIT before leaving the house.
I arrived at the race site in Shelbyville, set my Trek Speed Concept up in transition, got body marked, and since I arrived early, sat in the truck 45 minutes before heading in to warm up in the pool. My goals for this race- 1. have better transitions, 2. improve swim time from the last race. 3. go hard on the bike but save a little for the run, and 4. Run as fast as I could for 5k
One thing is for sure, you can only control what you can control and that is true- especially who shows up in your age group. I saw all the regulars- Gregory Garcia, Luke Powell, Greg Miller, Andy Niblett (BQ), Ryan Combest, and several other fast guys. I knew it would be tough to podium but would give it a go anyways and let the chips fall where they may.
The swim was self seeded based on estimated swim times- faster swimmers up front, slower in the back. I was 7th or so in line and the gun went off. My turn came to jump in and my goal was to immediately get into a rythm and then step on gas by lap 3. My other goal was to do flip turns every lap including going under the rope to the next lane.
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| Swim start- picture courtesy of Jeff Miller -Vo2 Multisport
Within a minute, I was off and got into a rhythm. and doing flip turns. The water was really cloudy for a pool swim. Made it hard to see close to the wall and who was coming your way in the same lane. Good thing is, the self seeding worked and I had clear water for the most part in front of me, but several people within 20 seconds behind me.
me in the pool- courtesy of Todd Kraemer
I reached the exit in 5:55 1:28/100y and crossed the timing mat 6:05
2nd AG
I reached transition and my goal was to blast out of there, not to waste time put on a jersey, etc. I raced in a single tri kit- swim, bike, and run. 1:36 better than last time!
T1 1:18
The bike course is a 16 mile loop that is constantly rolling, with some flat sections, train tracks, barking dogs, and not closed to traffic. The first 6 miles was straight into a headwind and I was at my limit fairly quickly. Rolling along at 23mph, I was passed by Josh Elliot and Luke Powell. I hung with Josh for a mile but let him go. Soon after, Luke passed me pushing a big gear. I decided right there that I couldnt hang on to their speed and raced my race. I could always see them for the next couple miles but the gap kept growing. Soon, at mile 8, we made the turn to head back to T2. The hills were still there but the tailwind helped and my average speed started creeping up. I was passed again by Ryan Clenney who I let go as well as I was saving for the run. a mile later, I came to train tracks where a police officer was directing traffic to let athletes through. I had to stop for a few seconds until it was my turn. Probably lost 30-40 seconds from slowing, stopping, and getting going again. Two miles to go I was passed by Greg Miller ( one of my Bourbon Chase team mates). We rolled into T2 20 seconds apart.
Clipped out ready to dismount- photo by Todd Kraemer
I dismounted and crossed the timing mat in 45:15 which was an improvement of over five minutes from 2014! My goal was around 42 minutes but I will take it considering I had 4 hours of training in my legs from the day before!
Bike 45:15
T2 :35
Leaving T2, my goal was to run the best 5k I could. My 5k PR was 22:15 in a triathlon, so beating that was the goal. If I passed anyone, so be it. Early on in the 5k I could see Ryan and Greg Miller about 40 seconds ahead of me. I closed the gap to about 20 seconds within the first 1/2 mile and kept that through the turn. My first mile was a 6:38! That kept me motivated to keep pushing. Unfortunately, so was Greg! He kept the pressure on and increased his pace slightly, while I passed Ryan before the bridge on the way back. Ryan was within 5 seconds for the next 1/4 mile and I didnt want to get passed by him, so with 1/2 mile to go, I stepped on the gas. I crossed the finish line with a 5k PR!
Run 20:54 6:45/ mile
Total 1:14:09 (improvement of 12 minutes from 2014) 14%
6th AG/ 13th OA
I had the best race I possibly could and it points back to the training I have completed so far this year. It all came together because of focus, listening to my coach, training, and belief that I can be better. And confidence in the plan. You have to trust the plan!
You cannot control who shows up in your age group. It was stacked this time with 20 guys, with the top 7 having multiple Ironman finishers, Boston qualifiers, and darn good athletes. Three minutes separated the top 6 and our top 7 comprised the top 14 spots. Wow. Super competitive.
Next for me? I have the Kentucky Derby Festival 1/2 marathon and then a 3 week block leading up to Chatty. I'm excited to see what my Coach has in-store for preparations. All I know is it is working so far. 14% improvement from a year ago tells me so. Thanks to my coach Kim Schwabenbauer who is guiding me in the right direction in the sport. Follow her on Twitter at @fuelyourpassion and get great tips on training, nutrition, and racing. Also, thanks to The team at Headfirst for putting on a great race once again!
Thanks to my partners
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