Meters swam: 2500
Miles ran: 5
Miles biked: 0
Race night thoughts, 29swim 2:30bike 1:40run these are the numbers running through my head repeated over and over again 29swim 2:30bike 1:40run. All of these numbers are attainable the only worry in my head is how will my foot hold up. I have been fighting a foot injury the past 3 weeks and haven't been able to run leading into the race. Leading up to the injury I PRd on a 10miler with a time of 1:19:45, on a pretty standard course not hilly but not flat either. My main goal this race is to just hold together, I have so many ibuprofen packed before each leg of the race its almost silly. Being that This is race is one of the first I stand a chance to podium in my age group, I figured Ill hold it together and then suffer the consequences later. Being that my next race isn't for a month and a half I can certainly take the time off needed for an injury between now and then.
Come race morning I felt very good, woke up early and drank my Gatorade, then went back to bed for another 2 hours before the race. Upon arrival to the race I racked my bike and set up transition as normal. Everything was ready to go and a typical race day. Met with some other Big Sexy Racers, gave each other the pre race speech of you got this, your gonna kill it. BOOM! The cannon went off for the pro men. Now the nerves begin to kick in, my wave was exactly an hour after theirs, 29swim, 2:30bike, 1:40run are the numbers i repeat to myself again. Upon arrival into the water I positioned myself near the front of the wave knowing that I was swimming on a mission. The buzzer goes off and a horde of swimmers around me are fighting for position. Being one of the faster swimmers i was jumping through waves repeating from open water to people to open to people all the way in. I climb out of the water and make it to transition, I was making good time 32swim not what I wanted but not quite out of the hunt. 7th out of the water I was okay with that knowing that there were probably some former swimmers that would drop off on the bike. The bike was going awesome until mile 40.
Once I took a turn into the headwinds my race just diminished from their. When riding into the headwind it felt like the wind was blowing through me and sucking massive amounts of energy out with it. Coming back into T2 I saw my girlfriend and mom and just shook my head, giving the signal I had no gas in the tank. T2 was slow, really slow. Though I wasn't too upset with a 2:58 bike a 32min improvement. I ran out of T2 with as much steam as I could muscle only making it about a quarter mile before it all sank in and I had to walk. After 2hours and 52min of walk jog, I found my way back to the finish and put a smile on. Tough it wasn't my best race it did put me in 17th in my AG out of 60 (moving up the ladder from my 33rd in Syracuse). Overall the race was a fine start to the season I gauged my strengths and weakness's, and now know what i need to improve on. Always surround yourself by people who are better than you, because they might rub off.
Come race morning I felt very good, woke up early and drank my Gatorade, then went back to bed for another 2 hours before the race. Upon arrival to the race I racked my bike and set up transition as normal. Everything was ready to go and a typical race day. Met with some other Big Sexy Racers, gave each other the pre race speech of you got this, your gonna kill it. BOOM! The cannon went off for the pro men. Now the nerves begin to kick in, my wave was exactly an hour after theirs, 29swim, 2:30bike, 1:40run are the numbers i repeat to myself again. Upon arrival into the water I positioned myself near the front of the wave knowing that I was swimming on a mission. The buzzer goes off and a horde of swimmers around me are fighting for position. Being one of the faster swimmers i was jumping through waves repeating from open water to people to open to people all the way in. I climb out of the water and make it to transition, I was making good time 32swim not what I wanted but not quite out of the hunt. 7th out of the water I was okay with that knowing that there were probably some former swimmers that would drop off on the bike. The bike was going awesome until mile 40.
Once I took a turn into the headwinds my race just diminished from their. When riding into the headwind it felt like the wind was blowing through me and sucking massive amounts of energy out with it. Coming back into T2 I saw my girlfriend and mom and just shook my head, giving the signal I had no gas in the tank. T2 was slow, really slow. Though I wasn't too upset with a 2:58 bike a 32min improvement. I ran out of T2 with as much steam as I could muscle only making it about a quarter mile before it all sank in and I had to walk. After 2hours and 52min of walk jog, I found my way back to the finish and put a smile on. Tough it wasn't my best race it did put me in 17th in my AG out of 60 (moving up the ladder from my 33rd in Syracuse). Overall the race was a fine start to the season I gauged my strengths and weakness's, and now know what i need to improve on. Always surround yourself by people who are better than you, because they might rub off.
