First Race of 2008

Mystic River Triathlon - .5 swim, 14.4 bike, 5k

Today was my first race of 2008 and I have mixed feelings about the day. I finished in 1:14:27, 11 out of 213 and 2nd in my age group (results here) my best finish to date.

Swim:
Got suited up in my new wetsuit for the swim in Long Island Sound and immediately noticed how much more flexibility I had with this suit. My hope was that it would translate to more speed on top of all the work I've put into the swim this year. The tide was out so it went like this, run, run some more, some more, dolphin dive, start swim in 2.5 feet of water, and try to keep a shallow stroke. I couldn't get over how shallow the swim was until we hit the first buoy, the long run def helped my time. I couldn't really get into a rhythm and noticed I was rushing my stroke. It wasn't until I neared the second buoy that I realized this and tried to glide more. I finally got into a rhythm and then my hands drove right into the silt bottom. Took a sight breath and realized the guys I was tailing were up and running the last 100 yards. Slogging through the water def got the legs warm for the bike. I hit the transition at 13:55 (64th overall).

Bike:
Shed the wetsuit real quick and hit the bike. Since I don't keep my shoes clipped in, because I can't quite get that part down yet, I have to put on the shoes hit the bike mount area, stop and get in the saddle. All in all the transition time was good. The first part of the bike was a little tough for me. My legs took some time to get going. I took a gel immediately hoping this would fire them up and about 12 minutes in I started rolling. The course was really flat compared to what I've been riding, so I was moving at 20+. I passed quite a few people in the first 20 minutes and then caught the second lead group of riders. I was pushing hard but couldn't gain on them for about 5 miles. A couple downhills brought me closer and I tried to turn the big ring but my legs weren't having it so I kept in the little ring and trudged on. I finally caught the 10 or so guys on a hill and got some good distance. I was hanging out on the front all alone for a while until the last turn when I came around a corner to quick, hit the brake and my ass end slid out. Luckily I saved it but it brought me down to a start again and four guys took the lead over. Didn't look at the HR much while biking only because I was really trying to push. I was trying way too hard in the beginning and was just sloppy but about 15 minutes in I smoothed out and got my legs. My time was 39:21 (28th overall).

Run:
On my training rides I've been futzing with getting out of my shoes at the end of my rides and pedaling in with my feet on top and then getting side saddle for a quick transition. I wasn't going to do it today, but I gave it a shot and it was perfect. My transition time was 26 seconds. Legs were good at the start of the run and I didn't even feel like I had just tried to hammer for 40 minutes. I got out behind a guy setting a good pace and caught him on the first downhill. He refused to let me pace, surging every minute or so just when I came up along side. It was real hot by the time I reached the aid station and promised myself I'd hit myself with water and then take the dude. He must've been reading my mind because he took off and I pushed harder. As I approached the turnaround or first of two turnarounds I saw the leaders, a first for me. I usually see them finishing at the start of the run. This gave me confidence and I tried to push past the dude. On the way in about a half mile from the finish I took off. It seems when I'm not trying to make myself go faster it just happens. I suck at willing myself to go faster. I got past speedo and then took over two guys when we hit a quick uphill. I tried to out kick one guy the last 300 yards but he got me. My run time was 19:43 (12 the overall). This year it was a true 5k and if they were right this is my fastest 5k ever, even stand alone.

Summary:
So how do I feel? Did I leave it all out there? This is where I'm mixed. I was thinking about it on the way home and here's what I've come up with. I certainly pushed myself today and a few times my body responded and sometimes it just wouldn't get to where my mind was. I pushed the swim but it's hard for me to tell if I went all out. I def pushed hard the first part of the bike and couldn't get it rolling. It took sometime for me to settle in. On the run I could've gone out harder at the start. As hard as I finished, I'm not sure I could of sustained that pace. Like I said, my mind was there but my body just couldn't get it rolling every time I asked.

I am real pleased with this result. I improved my time by 10+ minutes from last year considering this year they had a true 5k. Sure this isn't a huge throw down race with all the big horses, but I just missed the top 10 by 1. I was off the leader by 5 mins, closest I've ever been. And, I've been saving this one, I put in a brick Saturday consisting of a 3 hour ride in the hills and a 30 minute run. I thought Max Wunderle was crazy for scheduling this the day before a race. Normally, I'd just kick back and do nothing. It gives me huge confidence to have a race result like this following a really challenging workout. It was a day of firsts for me and I'm ready to improve and build on today's results.