Jackson County Triathlon- Long Course Race Report

Sunday August 18th, 2013 marked the 31st running of the Jackson County Triathlon at Longview Lake, Missouri.  I was in for the Long Course race, my longest triathlon of the year.  The Kansas 5150 race would have surpassed the run distance, but unfortunately I didn't start the race.  Despite the somewhat longer distances, I was prepared and ready for a great day!

The Long Course encompassed a 1500 meter swim, a (supposedly) 40 kilometer bike segment, and ended with a 5 mile run along the shaded trails around Longview Lake.

Pre-Race
With my last race almost 6 weeks ago, I was targeting this race as an "A" race, or focus for my periodization of training.  AKA I was "peaking" for the race, meaning I knew I would be in the best shape possible for a solid outcome.

Race week went really well. Normally, I try and do as many workouts as possible, and was able to get 4 swims, 4 bike rides, and 5 runs in before the race.  Most were really short and easy, focused on frequency.  Despite the short and easy workouts, I was feeling very fatigued and stiff, which is common.  But by Saturday, the day before the race, I was feeling AMAZING! Maybe that's because of the carb loading... Thanks, Chipotle!

My goal for this race (and the year) was to average over 21mph for the 40 kilometer bike segment, just under 25 miles.  I was feeling very confident in accomplishing this, and was hoping to still have a good run afterwards.

I woke up race morning around 4:55am and headed to Longview with Rach. She was racing the short course herself! We arrived around 6:00am and found a transition rack where we both would fit.  We then began unpacking our stuff.  After a quick warm up ride, I realized I was running short on time and needed to head down to the swim start. After cramming myself into my wetsuit and listened to the pre-race instructions, I ran into a training buddy who was in my swim wave.  We were the first to go on the day.  We both positioned ourselves at the front of the wave, and were off once the horn sounded!

Chillin' before the start. Well, maybe freezing.

Swim
My wave probably only had 25-30 people, which is still relatively small considering every guy under 40 years old was starting. Having a smaller wave made for a pretty uneventful start.  Instead of going out really hard and fast to separate myself, I just settled into a nice and smooth stroke from the start and found someone to draft off of.  There was a group of 5 people at the front of the first of two swim laps, with myself taking up the rear of the group.  I stuck right on the feet of some guy in a BlueSeventy wetsuit, and tried not to get dropped off the back.

Swim Start! I'm the guy in the front...

Heading back for the second lap included a brief stretch swimming parallel to the beach area.  I was really happy with this, as I thought we had to exit the water and run along the beach to the start again.  I just stayed in my zone and kept right behind the other swimmer, who seemed to be going right at the pace I was comfortable with.

As soon as we got going on the second lap, I could tell we were hitting a lot of other traffic in the water, likely from other swimmers in the short course race that had just started.  The second lap wasn't much fun, as it was 750 meters of constant zigzagging around slower swimmers, who were spread out randomly throughout the swim course.  I had no contact, but it was still a ton of navigating that slowed me quite a bit.

Soon enough, I was out of the water, probably a few seconds behind the BlueSeventy guy, who I silently thanked for pulling me 95% of the swim. The swim itself was likely a bit longer, probably 100-150 yards more than the stated 1500 meters. I don't think anyone swam faster than a 1:35/100m average, which is unlikely. Not to mention my average is slower than my warmup pace...

PHOTOGENIC!

Losing some clothing

Time: 27:56
Distance: 1500m
Pace: 1:45/100y
Age Group: 2/10
Overall: 11/148

T1
This transition didn't go smoothly.  As soon as I stood up in the water, I worked on getting my wetsuit off, and had to take my Garmin strap off my wrist to remove my wetsuit sleeve. I then ran by my bike rack, and had to do a bit of backtracking to find it.  I also forgot to remove my swim cap running to my bike, which probably cost a few seconds.  I struggled getting my aero helmet on, and eventually took off to the mount line, where I made an ass of myself trying to mount my bike.  I went for a flying mount, but missed my right foot on my pre-clipped shoes.  I had to stop and mount my bike, probably causing a mini traffic jam. I was a bit disoriented following the longer swim...

Time: 1:08
AG: 3/10
Overall: 13/148

Bike
After finally mounting my bike and getting my feet slipped into my shoes, I began riding along Longview Lake, and enjoyed a nice downhill out of transition to get the bike ride going.  My plan was to take it easier the first 20 minutes of the bike, and then up the intensity the remainder of the ride. AND I ACTUALLY STUCK TO THE PLAN! It was probably the first time I've ever done what I planned on doing in a race! Normally, I'm all jacked up at the start of the bike and I'm like, "Eff the plan, let's hammer!!!" only to run out of steam 30 minutes later.

Midway through each lap, you cross a somewhat rickety bridge that is covered in wooden planks.  It's fine to ride across, but there is a bit of a bump as you get onto it. I neglected to remember this on the first lap, and forgot to slow down.  I rocketed over the bridge, and heard a loud THUMP. I began freaking out, thinking my Garmin had gone flying.  Nope, still there. The water bottle between my aero bars apparently ejected. I turned to make sure everyone behind me was okay, and kept on flying, hoping that I had hydrated enough from the lake water I drank on the swim...

Probably staring at a dog...

After the first 20 minutes, I glanced back and noticed my training buddy right behind me, and we started pushing the pace a bit.  We picked up two other riders in front of us, who also picked up the pace and stayed with us.  We had a group of 4 all together, with no one really pushing ahead of the others.  We stayed this way for most of the second lap. At the last climb, I pushed the pace and was able to break away from the group heading back into T2.

All in all, it was a fantastic ride and I was felt like I pushed hard, yet had a lot left in my legs for a solid run! The distance on the bike is DEFINITELY short, probably by at least a mile.  SOOO take my splits for what they're worth. But they are impressive... (humble brag).

Time: 1:03:37
Distance: 24.6 (likely not 40k)
Pace: 23.5mph (haha yeah no)
AG: 2/10
OA: 15/148

T2
I had slipped out of my shoes while riding, so I just dismounted my bike, ran to my rack, threw on my shoes and took off. There was a longer run out of transition, but all in all, pretty solid.

Time: 1:08
AG: 1/10
OA: 12/148

Run
Let me start out by saying I have NO IDEA where this run came from, but I'm definitely okay with it...

I started out the run on the paved trail right behind my buddy and a guy in my AG, who I likely thought was in 1st place in our AG. I was about 15 seconds behind them, and was content with this starting out on the run.  I kept checking my watch initially, and saw the 6:55/mi pace and thought "WTF MARK?!" But I was feeling really good coming off the bike, and the pace seemed comfortable so I just went with it.  The plan was for a 7:30/mi average, maybe 7:20 at best. But nothing in training led me to think I'd be doing anything faster than a 7:20 for the 5 miles.

Working. Upside-down "13" for better luck! It worked!

The 2.5 miles out were awesome.  I was feeling great, concentrating on a high cadence and good arm swing, and keeping my other AGer within 15-20 seconds.  At the turn around, I verified that I was in 2nd place in my AG, and about 6th out on the course.

I definitely slowed a bit on the back half, but overall my heart rate and lungs were feeling comfortably uncomfortable.  My legs just couldn't muster anything faster than the already fast pace they were maintaining.  The AGer eventually pulled away, about 40 seconds in front of me and I couldn't catch him.  I eventually crossed the finish line, 20 seconds behind the winner.

Time: 34:55
Distance: 5 miles
Pace: 6:55/mi
AG: 3/10
OA: 24/148

Overall
I had a really great race that far exceeded my expectations.  I was happy with another Age Group podium this year (4/4 so far), and was really happy with the top 15 placement overall while racing the Long Course (usually the better competition does longer events, but not always). The weather definitely contributed to the fast times, as the fairly low humidity and high 60s were conducive to speedy racing.  But I usually stay pretty cool in my Sugoi race gear anyway. But I still can't exactly explain the run. The average was probably faster than many of the intervals I do in training, despite those being significantly shorter. Again, I can't explain it, but I'm thrilled with the results! And I got my 21mph average on the bike, even with a more correct race distance!

Time: 2:08:41
AG: 2/10
OA: 14/148

Rach finished her second triathlon this year, and also took 2nd in her AG. She's going to be kicking my ass in no time... All in all, a great race, fun course on a beautiful day!

mark

Lawrence Triathlon Race Report

On Sunday, I did the short course race at the Lawrence Triathlon.  The race took place at Bloomington Beach at Clinton Lake, KS. This was the third different race I've done at Clinton Lake, but this was at a different beach, so it was quite a bit different.  The weather was looking terrible leading up to the race, with thunderstorms forecasted for the morning. Luckily, when I woke up Sunday morning, the radar was relatively clear.

Pre-Race
The week leading up to the race included quite a bit of training, and zero tapering for my performance on Sunday.  My quads and hamstrings were really sore following the Shawnee Mission Triathlon the weekend before, despite not really running hard at the race.  Probably from all the climbing on the bike course...  I regularly stretch and foam roll, and this finally started helping my legs feel better on Thursday.

I didn't have any goals for this race, and treated it as a speed session for all 3 disciplines.  I just wanted to push really hard, especially on the run.  After last weekend, I was really disappointed in the effort I put forth on the run, and I wanted to change that. I was going to leave the Garmin on the bike and run by feel. It would be my first race without a pacing device. I wanted to feel like I was working!

On Sunday, I woke up around 4:15am, and slept really well following a night out at a baby shower (and 3 Boulevard Pale Ales). Crazy Saturday night... I had the Jeep loaded up and took off with Rach around 5:00. We arrived at Bloomington Beach around 6:15, and were really surprised how close we got to park! The race itself was pretty small, so we were able to park 100 feet away from transition. This is really unheard of!

After finding my transition spot, I started unloading my stuff and realized two things: One, it was really muddy.  I would need to spend a few extra seconds wiping my feet off before the run.  And Two, I forgot my rubber bands to keep my bike shoes upright for my flying mount.  Shoot...

I then went on a quick warm up ride to check out the first few miles of the bike ride, and found some friends after returning.  The long course race started at 7:30, and I was able to get a solid 15 minute swim warm up in before my wave took off. The race director notified the short course athletes that the bike course turn around had been extended an extra half mile to make for a safer turn around, and we got to climb an extra hill. No biggie, but some people weren't happy about the extra mile on the bike ride.

Men's 35 and Under 

Soon enough, it was 8:15 and we were off!

Swim
The swim was a bit odd. Due to the low water level at the lake, we were able to run about 50 yards out into the water. And we could have gone a bit further, too.  There was a 15 year old that took off immediately, and since he had USA all over his kit, nobody really intended on following him...

And there's the winner by 6 minutes...

I got settled in quickly, and stayed right on the feet of a 30 year old who's pace was right in tune with mine. I was able to draft off of him for 75% of the swim, and passed him towards the end.  I felt really good in the water, my technique was great, and I wasn't working nearly as hard as in the past few races.

When we got to about 75 yards left in the swim, we hit a low spot in the lake and had to walk about 10 paces on rock, and then swim the remaining distance to the beach. Really weird...

The time included the beach run to transition, as the timing mat was located just before you got into the transition area.  My watch had 8:02 for the swim, which would be a 1:28/100y pace, which is right where I was hoping for.

Time: 9:01
Distance: 500 meters
Pace: 1:48/100m
Age Group: 1st/12
Overall: 6/116

T1
Nice and smooth.  I wasted a few seconds finding my spot, but recovered quickly. Despite not having my shoes rubberband'd to my bike, I was able to get my feet on top of my shoes really easily.  I think the only way to make this any faster is to just run harder.

Time: 0:40
Age Group: 1/12
Overall: 6/116

Bike
After the race director indicated the bike would be a bit longer than 12 miles, I actually was happy. I wanted to push hard, so I could have a good comparison to the Topeka Tinman race, as it was also 13 miles.  In the end, the bike was at least 13 miles, as my Garmin had 13.2 miles despite starting it late and stopping it early.

Taking off!

Overall, I had an awesome ride!  It was my first race with the disc wheel cover, and it really helped! I rode at a hard effort the entire ride, I was never passed, and was really happy with the output I sustained.  I was immediately able to get into a good groove and felt powerful, as opposed to last weekend at Shawnee Mission, where I felt really flat.

About 4 miles into the ride, a big bee flew into my face, got lodged between my sunglasses and eyebrow, and I got stung right above my eye.  I'm surprised I was able to keep the bike upright, as I thought I was about to get stung right on the eyeball and I couldn't get the bug free. I regrouped, and stopped noticing the pain sometime after the bike turnaround.

Heading back for the run

I had a solid negative split, averaging almost 25 mph on the way back (with probably an elevation loss) and a 23 mph average for the entire ride according to my Garmin. Since I've got the data, I'm going with that! Regardless, this was by far the best bike performance to date, and was helped by the smooth and flat roads, conducive to fast times!

Get a wheel cover. Or make one...

Time: 34:43
Distance: 13 miles
Pace: 22.6 mph
Age Group: 1/12
Overall: 2/116

T2
I rode into transition with my feet already out of my shoes, and had another good rolling dismount without my shoes flying off. Transition was really muddy, and I took a few extra seconds rubbing my feet off on my transition mat before getting my shoes on.

Time: 0:33
Age Group: 1/12
Overall: 7/116

Run
On with the run, where I was looking for some redemption! My legs were HEAVY coming off the bike. Big time.  It took at least a mile for them to loosen up to resemble my normal running stride.

"Do as I say, LEGS!"

The run itself was pretty uneventful. I guess that's what happens when you don't check your GPS watch every 15 seconds to see your pace... You just run!  The achilles acted fine, and is even better after the race. I hope it continues to get better!

Near the finish, clearly over-striding. But going hard!

I ran hard the entire time. I was able to pass 4 or 5 guys on my way in, all from earlier waves. The course was through the campgrounds, with half of the run on gravel.  There was some shade, which was great, but it didn't help the humidity. But all in all, the temps were favorable.

Soon enough, I was near the finish, and kicked as hard as I could to the line. I was really hurting at the end, which was the complete opposite of last weekend. I'm happy with the run, given the lack of run training lately to keep Mr. Achilles happy.

Pirate leg

Time: 22:17
Distance: 3.1 miles
Pace: 7:12/mi
Age Group: 2/12
Overall: 9/116

Total Time: 1:07:12
Age Group: 1/12
Overall: 4/116

After finishing, I needed to stop for a bit because I was not feeling very well. My stomach agreed that I went really hard at the finish, and thought it needed to evacuate it's contents.  After I settled down, I found my family, did some light stretching, and went to check out the results.  I knew I did really well in my age group, but was curious to see how I did overall.  I ended up winning my age group (AWESOME! Second win this year!), but missed out on the overall podium (top 3 overall) BY ONE SECOND!!!

Let me say that again: One second.

I immediately went from being really happy to super super disappointed. How could I have not made up a second on the course?! That would be like taking 3 hard strides on the run, maybe 5 strong pulls on the swim, hell finding my rack in T1 like normal.  I was getting pretty disappointed, but Rach, being the awesome fiancé she is, pulled me back down to Earth and made me realize I had a pretty awesome race. And I needed it to even get that close!

Now, a few days after the race, I feel really good about the results. The bike was crazy awesome, the run was better than I was hoping for, and my effort was there. This race was exactly what I needed and I couldn't be happier with the results. But come on... Just one second....

Getting a sweet beer mug helps the pain...

All in all, the Lawrence Triathlon was a pretty awesome race for the first time running.  Everything was well organized, I wasn't bummed about the extra bike mileage as it was changed for safety, and every athlete was in a great spirit considering the possible thunderstorms.  I will really consider the Olympic Distance next year!

I'd like to thank Rach for just always being the voice of reason I need to hear (well, usually), my future Sister and Brother in law for spectating ( and letting me know a 15 year old girl still beat me), and my parents for spending another weekend morning cheering me on!

And you, too. Thanks for reading!
mark

2013 Shawnee Mission Triathlon Preview

Tomorrow, I'll be doing the short course race at the Shawnee Mission Triathlon in Shawnee, Kansas. The race has been going on for a number of years, and this will be the third year in a row that I've done the short course race.  In both 2011 and 2012, I took second place in my Age Group.  With the new bike, I'm hoping I can finally crack an AG win there!

The course itself is fairly short (500 meter swim, 9 mile bike, lengthened 3.2 mile run), but what it lacks in distance is made up for in elevation gain.  For Kansas, IT IS HILLY.  Especially on the bike. There is only 1 flat section that may be 1 mile in length.  And there's also the Dam Hill, with a grade near 18%.

This year, they've changed the race up a bit.  The run previously used to be 2.4 miles of constant up and downs.  This year, they added .8 miles to the run, but it is a flat section near a creek.  There's no shade on the new section of the run, which will likely make the run even more brutal.

I'm excited to race, but I'm even more excited because this will be Rach's first triathlon! She's been training pretty consistently the last few months and is ready to go!  I thought we started in the same swim heat, which left me a few decisions to make: Do I race my own race, OR do I start behind her, swim over her a couple times and officially welcome her to Triathlon.  I left the ultimate decision up to a poll on BT.

It wasn't looking good for Rach... She's getting swum over!

Well, luckily for her they changed the waves, and now she starts 5 minutes ahead of me.  There's also some speculation that it will be a time trial start, so I guess I will try to catch her...

Race Goals:
This year, I'm really trying to just have fun.  In the past, I wanted to see better splits, but this year I just want to have a fun race.  I'm not tapering at all for this race. I've also been dealing with a little case of Achilles Tendonitis, which has put a damper on my running volume the last few weeks. My number one goal is to not aggravate the injury any more than it currently is (because I have another race next weekend!)

I'd also like to win my AG, but I'm not going to be disappointed if I don't. I hate having goals that involve an outcome dependent on other people.

Splits I'm shooting for:
Swim: 8 minutes (1:27/100)
T1: 2:00 (crazy long transition run)
Bike: 24:30 (22 mph)
T2: 1:00
Run: 24:00 (7:30 pace)
Total: Under 1 hour

Last year, I came in just under 59 minutes. I don't know if I'll be able to top that with the extra distance this year and the current state of my right heel, but I'm going to go out and have some fun and see what happens!

Thanks for reading!
mark

DIY Aero Wheel Cover Tutorial

For the bike leg of a triathlon, AERO (aerodynamics) is KING. Aerodynamics affects everything from water bottle placement on your bike to the type of wheels you use when racing. Hell, I purposely have a triathlon jersey that I race in that is one size too small, so I know it's not going to be flapping in the wind, slowing me down.

Since I got my new bike, I've been really considering everything I could do to make my bike even more aero.  I've purchased an aero race helmet (and look like an alien), taped down wires and cables to hide from the wind, and have removed a saddle bag.  I've been scouring forums on Slowtwitch for ideas to make my Cervelo aerodynamic and light (weight is important, too). And I found my next idea: a disc wheel cover.

Disc wheels in general help you ride faster. I don't know how, or care.  All I know is you ride faster with a disc.  Now, carbon disc wheels are crazy expensive... To get around the insane price tag, there are wheel covers that you can place on your existing training wheelset. They are still around $115, but MUCH more affordable.  This still wasn't good enough for me.  I wanted to make my own custom wheel cover.  And after exploring TONS of forum posts on how to best do it, I started my process. And here's how you can, too!

The soon to be "disc"

What you'll need:

• Rear Wheel (mine was my training wheel with 30mm depth rims)
• Blue Painter's tape
• 2 ABS plastic discs precut to specified diameter (more on this)
• 1.5 inch circle drill bit
• ABS Cement (usually found near plumbing supplies)
• Scotch 3M 33+ Super Vinyl Electrical Tape 
• Rubbing alcohol
• duct tape
• utility knife
• about 2 hours

To start, you'll need to find someone that has ABS plastic, preferably .04 thickness. The best I could do was .05 thickness at Regal Plastics in Kansas City. I wanted a bit thinner, but they cut the sheets into circles for me, which saved some time. Since my wheels have a 30mm rim on them, I measured to see what the diameter of the circle should be, and thought 23 inches would be fine.

After getting the discs, I was ready to get going. 

First, cut a hole in the EXACT center of each disc using the 1.5 inch circle drill bit and drill.  The plastic cuts incredibly easily, so if you don't have a drill, you may be able to use a utility knife.

After the the circle holes are cut, you will now need to cut a straight line along the radius of the disc. 

Be sure the disc fits onto your wheel before 'dishing'

Once the radius of each is cut, you now lay the disc on you wheel (with the cassette and quick release removed) and tape the disc down on the wheel.  You will notice that there should be a bit of overlap of the plastic.  Tape down the seam with the painter's tape, and cut the extra plastic off using the utility knife. Doing this wheel create a completely flush disc, and now should also resemble a somewhat "dish", ie not completely flat.

This was all I removed from each. Depending on your wheel size, it might be more...

Now you need to bond the seam back together.  Put the cut disc back on your wheel and retape it again with the painter's tape.  I made sure to do multiple layers, as I didn't want the cement coming through.  Once taped, just apply the cement and let it dry for a few hours.

After the cement dries, it should look like this:

Nice and strong seam

You may also be able to see the "dish" aspect to the wheel cover:

Now all you need to do is tape it to your rim! Start with the drive side (side with your chain and derailleurs). Tape down the cover to your spokes using duct tape, as this prevents the disc from rubbing on your cassette once you reinstall it.

Overkill with the tape. 

Next, clean the wheel cover and rim with rubbing alcohol, as this creates a clean surface for the electrical tape. Lastly, apply the electrical tape, being sure to not stretch the tape AT ALL while you apply it.  I unraveled the tape about 8 inches, let the tape relax, applied the tape, unraveled more, let it relax, applied more, etc... until the wheel cover was fixed.  

Eventually, you'll be done with the drive side.

The last step is to do the same to the other side, but you won't be able to duct tape the wheel cover to the spokes.  

And you are done! It probably cost me $40 to make, but I did need to buy all the tapes and rubbing alcohol, which may be more common household items.

All in all, this process isn't too difficult. I don't consider myself a big DIYer (my future father in law will attest to this).  But I was able to get it done in a reasonable amount of time! 

Pure aeroness

Taping is the most important part, and is probably the part that scares me the most, as I don't want my cover coming off at 30mph. So far, I've put almost 100 miles on the disc, including a 45 mile ride this weekend in the rain and had no problems.  I do feel the extra weight on hillier routes, but I still think the  aero benefits outweigh (not literally) the extra weight of the wheel.  I now feel comfortable with the tape job. 

Also, I have noticed ZERO changes in my handling, despite riding in 15-20mph headwinds, crosswinds, and tailwinds.  I think the handling difficulties with a disc wheel is kinda bull, as all your weight is under the rear wheel. The front wheel is probably more important for handling in the wind...

I plan on racing it this weekend at the Shawnee Mission Triathlon, and will let you know how it holds up!

Hope this tutorial helps! And if you have any questions, just leave a comment!

Thanks for reading, #trilife

mark

2013 Topeka Tinman Short Course Race Report

The 33rd annual Topeka Tinman took place on Saturday June 15, 2013 at Lake Shawnee, Kansas. This was my first triathlon of 2013, and one that will hold a special place for me, as it's the only race in my hometown of Topeka, Kansas. I had done the race back in 2011, which was only the second triathlon I had ever completed. This year's course was exactly the same, and I was excited to see how my times would compare after 2 years of training.

Cervelo race ready!

Number 2. No pressure or anything...

Pre-Race

Rach and I made the drive back to Topeka Friday night and stayed at my parents' house to avoid the necessary 4:00am alarm on race morning. We got to sleep in till 5:00am instead. Despite being home, I didn't sleep well. I probably only got a few hours of sleep, but that's becoming pretty standard the night before races. For breakfast, I drank some Gatorade and tried to eat some oatmeal, the same thing I eat about 95% of the time for breakfast, and just couldn't. I was too excited!

Sister looking almost as cool as me. Almost...

We soon left and headed to Lake Shawnee. We arrived around 6:15, and found my assigned rack.  It was the furthest rack away from the entrance off the bike, but the closest for the run exit.  I was the second person at the rack, so I basically had my pick of where to stick my bike.  I set up my transition area in about 30 seconds and wondered around for 30 minutes, wondering why I always get there crazy early.  I then left for a 5 mile bike warmup to make sure the Cervelo was ready to work. I headed down to the swim start once I got back and squeezed into my wetsuit for the swim!

Can you spot me?

Making fart noises...

"I need to lose some weight"

Swim

My swim wave was the first to go.  We lined up on the beach, but had to go off at a diagonal into the water (tough to explain).  I positioned myself up in front (or so I thought), and sprinted into the water once the horn went off.  

I immediately started pushing hard, but noticed that most of my fellow AGers continued to run parallel to the water along the beach.  Poop.

Not surprisingly, I was immediately dropped off the lead group of 3, and struggled to find feet.  The swim was incredibly short (400 meters), and I wanted to stay with the lead group throughout. Well, that didn't happen.  Despite pushing hard, I never got close to catching them. With about 100m to go, I just settled into a nice pace and hung onto some feet to draft a bit and save my energy for the remainder of the race.

Time: 6:27

Distance: 400 meters

Pace: 1:28/100y

AG: 3/19

Overall: 12/325

T1

There's is a fairly long run up a slight hill back to the transition area. I had the longest run possible back to my rack, which I was cool with because it allowed me to have a bit of extra time to get the wetsuit off.  Once I got to my rack, I got my wetsuit off my legs, helmet and sunglasses on, and I was off.  This was my first race keeping my shoes clipped in my bike to start, and I had no issues! Thankfully...

Flying mount!

Time: 1:35

AG: 2/19

Overall: 16/325

Bike

I can't tell you how excited I was for this bike segment! There was a bit of a headwind out, but really it was pretty light.  After slipping my feet into my shoes, I immediately started chasing people down.  Being the first age group to go is sorta odd, as there is literally no one out on the course.  Luckily, I had a slow swim so I could follow people :)

The ride was really uneventful.  The course itself is very flat, but on chip sealed roads which made the short ride a bit longer.  I ended up passing 3 riders immediately out of transition, and 2 more out on the course.  I caught up to the 2nd place rider right as we were heading back into T2, but never saw the 1st rider out on the course.  I was really happy with how the ride went, and felt like I was working hard the  entire time (and had the heart rate data to prove it).  

Heading into T2

Time: 36:00

Distance: 13 miles

Pace: 21.7 mph

AG: 1/19

Overall: 10/325

T2

T2 went really well.  I slipped out of my shoes prior to riding into transition, and did a rolling dismount which carried into the run to my bike. The only issue was having to rerack my bike, as I didn't want my new Carbon baby falling to the ground...  Rack bike, helmet off, shoes on, peace...

Time: 0:38

AG: 3/19

Overall: 7/325

Run

On to the humid, humid, humid run.  

I was pretty spent after the bike, but I knew I was in at least 2nd place in my AG.  I began on the course and tried to keep a higher cadence.  After a half mile, I still wasn't hitting the pace I knew I was usually capable of doing and really started feeling hot.  My legs just couldn't turn over fast enough. It was so insanely humid and I was really starting to overheat.

Hurting...

At the turn, I got to see the 2 guys in front of me, who were both in the 15-19 AG, which meant I was in the lead! Unfortunately for me, I also got to see who was chasing me.  There was a group of 3 guys about 30 seconds behind me that were in my AG and hauling ass. I started to freak out a bit, and thought of all those professional triathletes (Chris Lieto in Kona...) that get chased down on the run. I just tried to focus on my leg turnover and not how effn hot I was.

Really hurting...

I really gave it my best on the way back in. I was really disappointed with my pace, but my effort was incredible.  My abs were cramping, which made taking a full breath impossible.  As I turned to head down the finishing chute, I tried to kick it up a bit to give it everything I had. There was one guy right on my feet, about 15 second behind me and closing. I was about to turn down the finish chute with nothing left in the tank, and was told I needed to make a small loop back around transition to the other side of the chute!  I about stopped and walked, and was certain I would be passed for 2nd place, but it never happened!

The Correct Finish Chute

I held on, barely, and crossed the line in first by 12 seconds. 

Time: 23:20

Distance: 5 kilometers

Pace: 7:32/mile

AG: 3/19

Overall: 29/325

Total Time: 1:07:58

AG: 1/19

Overall:10/325

Overall, I was really happy with my first Age Group win! I was not, however, very content with my run.  It sucked, and I'm sure the humidity and heat had something to do with it (along with the insanely hard bike), but it was still far below what I know I'm capable of doing.  Regardless, I'm really motivated to get back to training and seeing if I can get some more run speed to go along with the swim and bike!

Made the news. Because I got beat by a 16 yo girl. Not joking...

For the 2011 vs 2013 comparison:  my total time on the same course (although the 2011 swim was probably 100 meters short) was 1:13:33. I'm happy with a 5:30 improvement, despite having the poopie run this go around. The bike has come along way since 2011 (averaged 17.8 mph).

Awards! Yeah!

I have to thank Rach for sherpa-ing for me (yet again), and my family for watching me race! It was a great race, Ultramax always puts on top-notch events.  I know I'll be back in the future!

If you ain't first, you're last!

Thanks for reading!

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