S: 22,700 yds
B: 4h 50min
R: 4h 31min
Total: 15h 19min
Pretty awesome week with lots of good food, sleeping, and relaxing.
The highlight was, without a doubt, Christmas Day. After being awoken before dawn by a 7 year old anxious to open presents, I only had one gift to open. Because of this, I was on breakfast duty. Being Christmas, there was no fooling around, so I was tasked to make blueberry jelly stuffed pancakes on Sarah's new Ebelskiver Filled-Pancake Pan. While prepping the batter took a bit more work than traditional pancakes and cooking them was especially a pain, the extra work was well worth it. The cakes were crisp on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside, with the jelly providing a nice surprise.
After a little relaxing with coffee, it was time to GTWD. Despite a little snow and 25+ MPH winds, I got in a nice easy 12, running an out and back on a road through the middle of no where. Although the weather made it tough to get out the door, once I got going it was actually quite exhilarating. Despite the wind, I got into a nice grove and didnt seem to notice how cold my hands and arms were until I finished and jumped in the warm shower.
Waiting for me upon arrival was an irish coffee (coffee, Jameson, brown sugar, and whipped cream) followed by a Christmas feast of beef tenderloin, mashed cauliflower, and sauteed balsamic carrots. Good stuff!
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Monday, December 21, 2009
QOTD
“I could have run for second but I raced to win. That’s the point.” -Dathan Ritzenhein
Mr. Ritzenhein was named DyeStat's Boy Cross Country Athlete of the Decade and in conjunction with the honor Matt McCue had a nice profile of him posted on DyeStat. Mr. McCue did a nice job pointing out Mr. Ritzenhein's strengths while also exposing training techniques he is employing to continually improve. Overall though, the article emphasizes Mr. Ritzenhein's inscrutable work ethic, leaving no question about the reason for his success.
Mr. Ritzenhein was named DyeStat's Boy Cross Country Athlete of the Decade and in conjunction with the honor Matt McCue had a nice profile of him posted on DyeStat. Mr. McCue did a nice job pointing out Mr. Ritzenhein's strengths while also exposing training techniques he is employing to continually improve. Overall though, the article emphasizes Mr. Ritzenhein's inscrutable work ethic, leaving no question about the reason for his success.
Dec14-20
S: 22,900 yds
B: 4h 35min
R: 4h 55min
Total: 15h 32min
I was trying to figure out why I've been much less tired during the last couple of weeks than usual. Then I realized it probably has something to do with the difference of training 14-15h a week to training 21-24h a week.
In other news, I ran the Rudolph Run 5k Saturday in downtown. The turnout was great and even though it rained the night before and was overcast during the race, the rain seemed to hold for the few hours around the event which made for a nice morning. I ran 16:30 including a short stop after my shoe came untied about half a mile into the race. It was a fun morning and I was pleased with how I felt.
That evening was the Fleet Feet Christmas Party. The "redneck" theme made for some pretty hilarious costumes and copious amounts of cheap beer. There was also karaoke, so yeah... that happened...
B: 4h 35min
R: 4h 55min
Total: 15h 32min
I was trying to figure out why I've been much less tired during the last couple of weeks than usual. Then I realized it probably has something to do with the difference of training 14-15h a week to training 21-24h a week.
In other news, I ran the Rudolph Run 5k Saturday in downtown. The turnout was great and even though it rained the night before and was overcast during the race, the rain seemed to hold for the few hours around the event which made for a nice morning. I ran 16:30 including a short stop after my shoe came untied about half a mile into the race. It was a fun morning and I was pleased with how I felt.
That evening was the Fleet Feet Christmas Party. The "redneck" theme made for some pretty hilarious costumes and copious amounts of cheap beer. There was also karaoke, so yeah... that happened...
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Getting out of dodge
So yeah, Bruce, that happened...
I know its been a couple of weeks since Florida was steamrolled by the Alabama but I am still reminded of it by cooworkers on an almost daily basis. Unfortunately (who am i kidding... fortunately) I was not able to watch the defense do their best imitation of this year's spectacular unit from Florida State. I also missed another remarkably mediocre effort from the offense lead by the clueless Steve Addazio. To make matters worse, I was in Birmingham for the slaughter, a scant 45 miles north of Tuscaloosa and a town so overflowing with crimson, it makes the battlefield at Gettysburg look green.
While the density and shear volume of toilet paper and detergent toting fans is marginally lower here in Huntsville, it is still higher than any sane person should have to tolerate. Therefore, in order to alleviate my pain, I've decided to head out to Maui, HI, on Jan 10th for an entirely different kind of suffering. This will be a physical beating rather than the emotional anguish I've had to deal with here as I'll be attempting to not embarrass myself too much in front of Simon, Paulo, and the Canadian National Team.
Oh, and did I mention I'll be in Hawaii??? I better not forget my bathing suit!
I know its been a couple of weeks since Florida was steamrolled by the Alabama but I am still reminded of it by cooworkers on an almost daily basis. Unfortunately (who am i kidding... fortunately) I was not able to watch the defense do their best imitation of this year's spectacular unit from Florida State. I also missed another remarkably mediocre effort from the offense lead by the clueless Steve Addazio. To make matters worse, I was in Birmingham for the slaughter, a scant 45 miles north of Tuscaloosa and a town so overflowing with crimson, it makes the battlefield at Gettysburg look green.
While the density and shear volume of toilet paper and detergent toting fans is marginally lower here in Huntsville, it is still higher than any sane person should have to tolerate. Therefore, in order to alleviate my pain, I've decided to head out to Maui, HI, on Jan 10th for an entirely different kind of suffering. This will be a physical beating rather than the emotional anguish I've had to deal with here as I'll be attempting to not embarrass myself too much in front of Simon, Paulo, and the Canadian National Team.
Oh, and did I mention I'll be in Hawaii??? I better not forget my bathing suit!
Monday, December 14, 2009
Dec7-13
S: 22,200 yds
B: 4h 47min
R: 3h 56min
Total: 14h 34min
The first week back was pretty low key and not surprisingly, I felt pretty good. Of course that should be expected when there was only a little over 14h on the schedule, most of which was pretty laid back.
If only I could get by all year with this much training (both in terms of time and intensity)...
B: 4h 47min
R: 3h 56min
Total: 14h 34min
The first week back was pretty low key and not surprisingly, I felt pretty good. Of course that should be expected when there was only a little over 14h on the schedule, most of which was pretty laid back.
If only I could get by all year with this much training (both in terms of time and intensity)...
Friday, December 11, 2009
QOTD
"At first, this seemed harsh; however, not only was it completely true but by shifting my focus back to my own actions, which I could control, it enabled me to pull out of a self-pitying funk. Then, I was able to move forward and focus on what I could do to prepare for my upcoming race. Sometimes, merely a shift in attitude can help an athlete focus on taking responsibility and being positive rather than sulking in self-pity.
While there are many triathletes who never complain and are completely self-reliant, too many of our cohorts don’t take responsibility and blame anything or anyone except themselves for their missteps. I hope that we can all start being accountable for our actions and treat this lifestyle as a career. " -Timex Teammate Mary Beth Ellis
These are a couple of quotes from a great article by Timex teammate Mary Beth Ellis on xtri.com (linked above) but the whole article is really worth a read.
While there are many triathletes who never complain and are completely self-reliant, too many of our cohorts don’t take responsibility and blame anything or anyone except themselves for their missteps. I hope that we can all start being accountable for our actions and treat this lifestyle as a career. " -Timex Teammate Mary Beth Ellis
These are a couple of quotes from a great article by Timex teammate Mary Beth Ellis on xtri.com (linked above) but the whole article is really worth a read.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
PB&J Kale
Ingredients:
1 bunch Kale, Swiss Chard, or Collard Greens
1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
2 tbls EVOO
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin
2-3 tbls peanut butter (creamy works but crunchy is preferred)
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup water
Warm the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat while chopping the onion and kale and mincing the garlic.
Add the onion and saute for a couple of minutes.
Add the garlic and wait a couple more.
Through the salt, coriander, and cumin into the party and wait another minute.
Increase the temperature to med-high and then add the greens and the water, stirring the greens to distribute the onion, garlic, and spices.
Once the greens are sufficiently cooked (8-10 minutes depending on the type of green used and how well you like them cooked) pour in the raisins and peanut butter. Mix well to distribute the peanut butter evenly (this make take a minute or two. If you usually keep your PB refrigerated, I'd recommend letting it come to RT before adding).
Finally, enjoy!
1 bunch Kale, Swiss Chard, or Collard Greens
1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
2 tbls EVOO
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin
2-3 tbls peanut butter (creamy works but crunchy is preferred)
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup water
Warm the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat while chopping the onion and kale and mincing the garlic.
Add the onion and saute for a couple of minutes.
Add the garlic and wait a couple more.
Through the salt, coriander, and cumin into the party and wait another minute.
Increase the temperature to med-high and then add the greens and the water, stirring the greens to distribute the onion, garlic, and spices.
Once the greens are sufficiently cooked (8-10 minutes depending on the type of green used and how well you like them cooked) pour in the raisins and peanut butter. Mix well to distribute the peanut butter evenly (this make take a minute or two. If you usually keep your PB refrigerated, I'd recommend letting it come to RT before adding).
Finally, enjoy!
Monday, December 7, 2009
Nov30-Dec6
S: 21,400yds
B: 2h 47min
R: 3h 36min
Total: 12h 1min
Well, that was fun. Vacation is over and now its back to work this week.
After what was all in all a pretty consistent 2009 season, I'm looking forward to really focusing on a few the details in order to step it up to the next level next year.
The race schedule still needs to be finalized but I already have a pretty good idea of where I'll be racing.
B: 2h 47min
R: 3h 36min
Total: 12h 1min
Well, that was fun. Vacation is over and now its back to work this week.
After what was all in all a pretty consistent 2009 season, I'm looking forward to really focusing on a few the details in order to step it up to the next level next year.
The race schedule still needs to be finalized but I already have a pretty good idea of where I'll be racing.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
QOTD
"I tell our coaches all the time, 'Let's not act surprised. These guys are gifted athletes; that's their job. I don't want every four-yard play to be, Ohmygod!" -Urban Meyer
Tomorrow is, of course, the day of the biggest game in the history of forever. Well, since last year, at least. However, rather than linking the numerous articles over-hyping this cataclysmic match-up which has been brewing since the beginning of the season (or even since the end of last year's epic), I'm just posting a quote from Mr. Meyer from an excellent profile of him in SI. I was most impressed with the way Mr. Meyer adapted successful methods from a number of different types of head coaches he worked under to mold his own philosophy, both on and off the field. All in all, its easy to see why the Gators have been so successful the since 2005.
Tomorrow is, of course, the day of the biggest game in the history of forever. Well, since last year, at least. However, rather than linking the numerous articles over-hyping this cataclysmic match-up which has been brewing since the beginning of the season (or even since the end of last year's epic), I'm just posting a quote from Mr. Meyer from an excellent profile of him in SI. I was most impressed with the way Mr. Meyer adapted successful methods from a number of different types of head coaches he worked under to mold his own philosophy, both on and off the field. All in all, its easy to see why the Gators have been so successful the since 2005.
To Whom It May Concern...
Dear Friend Who Is Thinking About Getting Married,
You are, no doubt, looking forward to your wedding day with great anticipation. Regardless of age, this is likely a fairly monumental event which you will remember (good or bad) for the rest of your life. Additionally, leading up to the big day, you and your fiance likely will have devoted immeasurable amounts of time, energy, and money to insure you have your perfect moment. Because this day will be so joyous, you will want to spend it with as many of your closest friends and relatives as possible and you'd like each and every one of them to have a delightful experience as well.
So please, whatever you do, make sure you consult the calendar BEFORE finalizing the date for your wedding. If you plan to celebrate matrimony in the late winter, spring, or summer, this isnt much of an issue. (In fact, these dates are encouraged. I hear spring in Birmingham is lovely.) On the other hand, if you are are forced into the fall/early winter timeframe due to other constraints, have plenty of foresight. More specifically, do NOT choose a date coinciding with the de facto college football national championship game! Especially when you are getting married in Birmingham, Alabama and you (or your fiance) actually attended one of the schools competing in said game! Not to mention that the team from your alma mater has the best defense in the country and TEBOW, who is quite possibly the single greatest college football player of all time! This may be acceptable out in whackoland but it is most assuredly not here in the South.
If all else fails and you absolutely have to have the wedding that day, at least make the ceremony in the morning when you know the game will not be played. (As opposed to oh, I dont know, 4:30 in the afternoon...)
Just something to think about.
Yours Truly,
Andrew
This is in no way related to actual events. I mean, its not like I'm attending a wedding at 4:30 on Saturday in Birmingham in which the groom will be a friend of mine who I know from UF. And its not like SEC Championship Game, pitting #1 Florida vs #2 Alabama, is this Saturday starting at 3PM (Central). I mean really, who would do such a thing??? Oh wait.........
You are, no doubt, looking forward to your wedding day with great anticipation. Regardless of age, this is likely a fairly monumental event which you will remember (good or bad) for the rest of your life. Additionally, leading up to the big day, you and your fiance likely will have devoted immeasurable amounts of time, energy, and money to insure you have your perfect moment. Because this day will be so joyous, you will want to spend it with as many of your closest friends and relatives as possible and you'd like each and every one of them to have a delightful experience as well.
So please, whatever you do, make sure you consult the calendar BEFORE finalizing the date for your wedding. If you plan to celebrate matrimony in the late winter, spring, or summer, this isnt much of an issue. (In fact, these dates are encouraged. I hear spring in Birmingham is lovely.) On the other hand, if you are are forced into the fall/early winter timeframe due to other constraints, have plenty of foresight. More specifically, do NOT choose a date coinciding with the de facto college football national championship game! Especially when you are getting married in Birmingham, Alabama and you (or your fiance) actually attended one of the schools competing in said game! Not to mention that the team from your alma mater has the best defense in the country and TEBOW, who is quite possibly the single greatest college football player of all time! This may be acceptable out in whackoland but it is most assuredly not here in the South.
If all else fails and you absolutely have to have the wedding that day, at least make the ceremony in the morning when you know the game will not be played. (As opposed to oh, I dont know, 4:30 in the afternoon...)
Just something to think about.
Yours Truly,
Andrew
This is in no way related to actual events. I mean, its not like I'm attending a wedding at 4:30 on Saturday in Birmingham in which the groom will be a friend of mine who I know from UF. And its not like SEC Championship Game, pitting #1 Florida vs #2 Alabama, is this Saturday starting at 3PM (Central). I mean really, who would do such a thing??? Oh wait.........
Monday, November 30, 2009
Nov23-29
S: 13,000 yds
B: 1h 53min
R: 3h 9min
Golf: 18 holes
Basketball: 3 full court games
Football watched: ~12h
Total: 8h 27min
Another nice, relaxing week off. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! I really enjoyed mine down in Ocala, FL with around 40 relatives from my mom's side of the family. I ate a lot and was also roped into numerous sporting events with uncles and cousins.
I was especially proud of myself, though, on Friday. For the first time ever I went for a run after having a couple of beers. Up to that point I had made a point to get all workouts done before commencing alcohol consumption but with a 7:15 AM tee time, running before golf just wasnt happening. So after a couple of ice cold Budweisers on the back nine, I returned home from golf and went out for an easy 50min before the Iron Bowl kicked off at 2:30. While it ended up being not quite as bad as I had anticipated, I dont plan on making this a regular occurence.
Looking ahead, this week will be another down week before we get back to business and begin the prep for 2010. In the meantime, I'll be getting my race schedule together and enjoying some more stress-free workouts.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Nov16-22
S: 7500 yds
B: 0
R: 2h 23min
Total: 4h 21min
Huge, I know. The highlight of the week was, without a doubt, waking up Sunday morning and NOT having to go out for a hard ride... especially because it was 50F and raining! Needless to say, drinking coffee and reading the paper was much more enjoyable.
B: 0
R: 2h 23min
Total: 4h 21min
Huge, I know. The highlight of the week was, without a doubt, waking up Sunday morning and NOT having to go out for a hard ride... especially because it was 50F and raining! Needless to say, drinking coffee and reading the paper was much more enjoyable.
Friday, November 20, 2009
The Various Definitions of Success
After my race in Clearwater and subsequent race report, I’ve received a lot of comments congratulating me on my great time even if I was a bit disappointed with my race. I really appreciate the support and positive spin on the outcome. I’m a (generally) optimistic person so I too like to look at the bright side of situations. However, I also like to be realistic in performance evaluations and sometimes the result of the evaluation is independent of the absolute time.
More often than not, finishing time can be used as a metric of success in a triathlon. Whether it is time (running), length (long jump), or height (pole vault), many individual sports provide quantitative results at the end of competitions and I believe this is one of the reasons triathlons and running races are so popular. Because each individual is given a quantified measure of her performance independent of all other competitors, she can set a goal and achieve it. She would consider this a successful performance regardless of what anyone else does.
This is a direct dichotomy, however, to team sports in which success is binary, a team either wins or loses. “Keeping it close” might help make teammates feel better about themselves but ultimately, in the words of Herm Edwards, “We play to WIN the GAME!” A loss is a loss and a win is a win.
Similarly, my goal in Clearwater was not based on a time independent of other competitors but on a place and was therefore inherently relative to other competitors. In that respect, then, the race was not successful, as I didn’t meet my goal. Absolute time wasn’t really an issue. Rather relative time, the minute lost in the water, was the main culprit for the lack of success. In this race it was imperative for me to be out of the water and on to the bike with the group. Admittedly the margin for error was (relatively) small but that is part of the risk associated with racing competitively. As my graduate school adviser, Rob Kelly, used to say, “If it was easy, everyone would do it.” I knew going into the race that I would have to have a good swim to give myself a chance for a good finish, so when I didn’t, I was disappointed and am still not pleased with the outcome of the race.
With all that having been said, this does not mean I never strive to achieve a time goal. For example, one day I plan on running a marathon and when I do so I’ll likely want to do a “big city” marathon and have a time goal in mind. If I meet that time, I’ll be pleased, regardless of how many people beat me. Additionally, it is great when someone determines a time goal for a triathlon, does a long training block, and meets or exceeds it.
While I’m focusing on racing triathlons professionally, however, the metric upon which success is determined is a bit different and by “falling back” on a fast time I would just be cheating myself.
More often than not, finishing time can be used as a metric of success in a triathlon. Whether it is time (running), length (long jump), or height (pole vault), many individual sports provide quantitative results at the end of competitions and I believe this is one of the reasons triathlons and running races are so popular. Because each individual is given a quantified measure of her performance independent of all other competitors, she can set a goal and achieve it. She would consider this a successful performance regardless of what anyone else does.
This is a direct dichotomy, however, to team sports in which success is binary, a team either wins or loses. “Keeping it close” might help make teammates feel better about themselves but ultimately, in the words of Herm Edwards, “We play to WIN the GAME!” A loss is a loss and a win is a win.
Similarly, my goal in Clearwater was not based on a time independent of other competitors but on a place and was therefore inherently relative to other competitors. In that respect, then, the race was not successful, as I didn’t meet my goal. Absolute time wasn’t really an issue. Rather relative time, the minute lost in the water, was the main culprit for the lack of success. In this race it was imperative for me to be out of the water and on to the bike with the group. Admittedly the margin for error was (relatively) small but that is part of the risk associated with racing competitively. As my graduate school adviser, Rob Kelly, used to say, “If it was easy, everyone would do it.” I knew going into the race that I would have to have a good swim to give myself a chance for a good finish, so when I didn’t, I was disappointed and am still not pleased with the outcome of the race.
With all that having been said, this does not mean I never strive to achieve a time goal. For example, one day I plan on running a marathon and when I do so I’ll likely want to do a “big city” marathon and have a time goal in mind. If I meet that time, I’ll be pleased, regardless of how many people beat me. Additionally, it is great when someone determines a time goal for a triathlon, does a long training block, and meets or exceeds it.
While I’m focusing on racing triathlons professionally, however, the metric upon which success is determined is a bit different and by “falling back” on a fast time I would just be cheating myself.
Monday, November 16, 2009
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly... 70.3 WC RR
The Good: The time... “PR” of 3:53:34.
The Bad: The place. 46th, even out of 80 pros at the World Championships, is just disappointing.
The Ugly: The swim, more specifically the first 1k. I’m not sure when it actually happened (and this is part of the problem) but whenever I lost touch of the group, my race was effectively over.
Saturday morning began with… a lot of waiting. The race officials had decided on Friday to move the swim from the Gulf of Mexico to the intercoastal waterway on the other side of the peninsula due to moderately choppy water conditions. This only moved the race start a few blocks but the result was that it was now only about ¼ of a mile from the condo in which Bruce G, Chris T, and I were staying. So after eating breakfast I had plenty of time to sit around and wait before strolling over to transition.
Once there, everything went more or less according to plan. Gels on bike, tires pumped, shoes on pedals, yada, yada, yada. After finishing my prep, I pulled on my full body condom (aka wetsuit) and jumped feet first into the shallow water. I had time for a few minutes of warm up so I tried get loosened up as much as possible before the start. Soon enough, though, it was time for the National Anthem and the start of the women's race. Thats right, another last minute change was made to send the women off 8 minutes ahead of the men.
In the words of Tom Petty, the waiting is the hardest part. As it turns out, though, 8 minutes turned into 7:30 of waiting, then 20 sec of dogpaddling, then 10 sec of aggressive dogpaddling, then the start. With no well-defined start line or even an official there to hold us back, people started getting antsy a little early and started creeping forward. Before you knew it, people were screaming at others to get back while still moving forward. Finally though the horn sounded and the madness ensued.
Initially I was hanging in, swimming as fast as I could, getting bumped around, and trying not to swallow too much water. A couple of times I had to slightly adjust course to head towards what I perceived to be a group but after 4 or 5 minutes, I felt like things were starting to string out and found some feet. A bit later, all of the sudden I’m feeling the bottom and am forced to jump up and do some dolphin dives as the water was only a couple of feet deep (thanks for moving the swim, WTC!). I caught back up to the person in front of me and made it out to the first turn thinking I was still part of a pretty large group.
After making the turn, however, I realized this was not the case. There were two people in front of me, but no one in front of them. I passed them, made the second turn to come back into shore, and then saw no one ahead of me (thus, The Ugly). A little over half way through the swim and there was already a significant gap between me and a number of the other competitors. The only thing that I wasn’t sure about was exactly how many people were “up the water.”
I swam hard alone for the rest of the swim and entered transition to see a plethora of guys grabbing their bikes and heading out. Unfortunately though by the time I got around to my bike all of them had left and the population of pro bikes remaining on the racks was severely depleted. While it was certainly disappointing, there was nothing I could do about it so I set out on my bike ready to ride hard.
The bike was uneventful. Outside of passing a few pro women, I rode by myself the whole way for a 2:10:35.
The run was similarly lonely as I made my way through the pro women and then AGers on the second lap. It was hard, I was hurting, but I wasn’t racing, I was time trialing. And this is supposed to be a race report. Time: 1:15:17.
In the end, that is really what it comes down to. In order to give myslef a chance to race on a regular basis I need step up the swimming another notch to be consistently right there with the top group of guys. Otherwise I might as well just stay at home and do time trials once an month and pat myself on the back after having a few good splits.
The Bad: The place. 46th, even out of 80 pros at the World Championships, is just disappointing.
The Ugly: The swim, more specifically the first 1k. I’m not sure when it actually happened (and this is part of the problem) but whenever I lost touch of the group, my race was effectively over.
Saturday morning began with… a lot of waiting. The race officials had decided on Friday to move the swim from the Gulf of Mexico to the intercoastal waterway on the other side of the peninsula due to moderately choppy water conditions. This only moved the race start a few blocks but the result was that it was now only about ¼ of a mile from the condo in which Bruce G, Chris T, and I were staying. So after eating breakfast I had plenty of time to sit around and wait before strolling over to transition.
Once there, everything went more or less according to plan. Gels on bike, tires pumped, shoes on pedals, yada, yada, yada. After finishing my prep, I pulled on my full body condom (aka wetsuit) and jumped feet first into the shallow water. I had time for a few minutes of warm up so I tried get loosened up as much as possible before the start. Soon enough, though, it was time for the National Anthem and the start of the women's race. Thats right, another last minute change was made to send the women off 8 minutes ahead of the men.
In the words of Tom Petty, the waiting is the hardest part. As it turns out, though, 8 minutes turned into 7:30 of waiting, then 20 sec of dogpaddling, then 10 sec of aggressive dogpaddling, then the start. With no well-defined start line or even an official there to hold us back, people started getting antsy a little early and started creeping forward. Before you knew it, people were screaming at others to get back while still moving forward. Finally though the horn sounded and the madness ensued.
Initially I was hanging in, swimming as fast as I could, getting bumped around, and trying not to swallow too much water. A couple of times I had to slightly adjust course to head towards what I perceived to be a group but after 4 or 5 minutes, I felt like things were starting to string out and found some feet. A bit later, all of the sudden I’m feeling the bottom and am forced to jump up and do some dolphin dives as the water was only a couple of feet deep (thanks for moving the swim, WTC!). I caught back up to the person in front of me and made it out to the first turn thinking I was still part of a pretty large group.
After making the turn, however, I realized this was not the case. There were two people in front of me, but no one in front of them. I passed them, made the second turn to come back into shore, and then saw no one ahead of me (thus, The Ugly). A little over half way through the swim and there was already a significant gap between me and a number of the other competitors. The only thing that I wasn’t sure about was exactly how many people were “up the water.”
I swam hard alone for the rest of the swim and entered transition to see a plethora of guys grabbing their bikes and heading out. Unfortunately though by the time I got around to my bike all of them had left and the population of pro bikes remaining on the racks was severely depleted. While it was certainly disappointing, there was nothing I could do about it so I set out on my bike ready to ride hard.
The bike was uneventful. Outside of passing a few pro women, I rode by myself the whole way for a 2:10:35.
The run was similarly lonely as I made my way through the pro women and then AGers on the second lap. It was hard, I was hurting, but I wasn’t racing, I was time trialing. And this is supposed to be a race report. Time: 1:15:17.
In the end, that is really what it comes down to. In order to give myslef a chance to race on a regular basis I need step up the swimming another notch to be consistently right there with the top group of guys. Otherwise I might as well just stay at home and do time trials once an month and pat myself on the back after having a few good splits.
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