Jul5-11 + Race Report

S: 25,500 yds
B: 8h 18min
R: 5h 38min

Total: 20h 39min

Pretty solid week of training culminating with the Chattanooga Waterfront Triathlon on Sunday morning.

I was given #11 which meant, due to the time trial start, that I'd be the 11th person to start. I say person, incidentally, because the 10th person to start was a female. None of this matters, of course, but it just further adds to my well documented disdain for time trial starts. With 5 seconds between racers, this meant the first person started 50 seconds earlier than me which just doesnt make for much of a race. With that out of the way...

I took off when instructed and tried to get out hard and catch as many people as possible. I felt pretty good but of course its pretty impossible to tell how fast you are actually going when you are swimming by yourself down a river. I quickly passed a couple people who started in front of me and then caught a couple more at the end of the swim. (I believe my split was around 18:40 but havent see results with splits yet...)

Out of the water, I had a quick transition and was out on my bike without much trouble. Once on my bike, though, I had a little trouble getting my right foot in my shoe but then took off. Eric Bell, who I had passed in the water, came by me pretty fast on one of the early hills but after that I didnt see anyone else until around mile 20 when I passed someone who had started ahead of me.

Out onto the run, this course immediately greets athletes with a pretty long hill, followed by about a flight and a half of stairs. Clearly I've been slacking on my stairs training as I couldnt decide whether to take them one at a time or two at a time. After a bit of flat, I made it down the short steep downhill and was finally ready to start running. The first mile was a little slow but that was to be expected considering the topography. The rest of the course was pretty flat and I was feeling good clipping off 5:30s. I finally caught and passed some guys who had started ahead of me but the heat was starting to come into play. Mile 5 hurt quite a bit but I knew I just needed to get up the hill at around 5 1/4 miles and I could open it up from there. After cresting the hill, I started picking up the pace but then was greeted the harsh reality of having to go down those same stairs while other athletes were coming up. Like the up-stairs, my down-stair skills were pretty poor but eventually I made it down to the road. From there, I could finally open it up and sprint home as fast as possible.

Upon crossing the finish line, I wasnt exactly sure what my finishing position was. I thought I had passed 5 people out on the course (2 in the swim, 1 on the bike, 2 on the run) but wasnt sure if maybe I had missed someone in the swim. When the awards were finally posted, I was indeed 6th.

Overall I thought I had a decent swim and run but another disappointing bike ride as I'm still struggling with a lack of power. The splits for the race still havent been posted but I wouldnt be surprised it turns out I was outsplit by an 11 year old girl.

On a more enjoyable note, after the race I ran another 50min with Nick W and then enjoyed the rest of the day with the Birmingham crew. Big River Brewing Co supported the race by providing 2 free beers to all participants (over 21, of course) so we returned the favor and supported their restaurant after the race. The Sweet Magnolia Brown Ale was delicious but the Fish Tacos left a bit to be desired.