So it was a rough race.
After careful consideration, I feel a little better. I have to be honest and admit to myself that my training has slid, so I deserve what I get. Here's the race in a nutshell.
Pre RaceI made the 3 hour drive to Huntsville and arrived at about 1300. I had lots of time, so I racked my bike and went to register. To my surprise, I was listed in the 20-24 year old category (I'm 38). At least I was listed as male. I talked to an official, and she said not to worry, because I was a clyde 39 and under, so where I started didn't matter. This mad sense, since if I changed waves, there was no guarantee that my time would be correct. I didn't want an extra 6 minutes added to my time because I had the wrong chip. The only drawback was explaining to the 100 or so people who asked why I was in the wave I was in. But I ended up with a great bike rack position, and met some great people.
SwimThe 750m swim starts about 800m down a gravel road,
so I wanted to be at the start in plenty of time. Little did I know that the race organizers have a delivery service for any equipment you bring to the start. I could have worn flip flops and picked them up after the race, but in my ignorance I walked the gravel road barefoot instead. I'm glad I had lots of time, because it was a slow walk.
Got my wetsuit on, did a good warm up, and met some more people. Race started, and I did a quick sprint to the first turn. I allowed me some swimming space, but suddenly I was out of breath. I did breast stroke to recover, and started free again, but was out of breath soon after. The race turned out about half free and half breast.
Time - 17:07 (including the 150m uphill to transition).
T-1A quick straight run to my bike. I am all alone at the rack because I started in an earlier wave, as I mentioned earlier. The wetsuit came off surprisingly quick (I'm still new to it). Socks and shoes, sunglasses, and my new Giro Pneumo helmet I got for Fathers Day. Grab the bike and head for the exit; another straight run.
Time - 1:37.
BikeVery hilly right from the start. I went 1K before I could tighten my pedal straps (yes, I still use straps). Move along OK, but got passed a lot. One big up hill that's a heart breaker, but I survived. The way back had some quick down hills. My max speed was 72 Km/Hr. Had a Gu about half way and actually felt a bit more energetic. Next time I'll just have water. Gatorade and gels are too much.
Time - 45:05
T-2Pretty straight forward. Rack the bike, helmet off, and head out on the run (no changing shoes, since I use straps).
Time - 0:30
RunFelt good for the first 2K, then the wheels fell off. I still don't know what happened. I train faster than I raced that day. Maybe the double loop route messed with my head, since I knew what was coming the second time around. I told myself during the run, "When you're thinking back to this race, and saying I could have pushed harder in the run, forget it. You can't." I just didn't have anything left. I thought I got passed a lot on the bike. Sheesh!
Time - 30:10.
A grand total of 1:34:27. My slowest race yet. What can I say. Get ready for the next one, I suppose.
