Season wrap and autumn plans

My last triathlon this season will be the Branson Sprint that's running alongside the 1/2IM the same day. I didn't think I was going to be able to do this race. I was supposed to be out of town that weekend, but those plans have been modified a little. I'll be home that weekend, and I intend to race. I think it will be a good time.

As I write this a few people I'm acquainted with are in the middle of IM Canada. I've been tracking their progress on OMC's facebook feed. I wish them all well. It's inspiring and humbling to see what the human body is capable of achieving with some determination.

It must be August, because I bought a new bike. A Felt S32. It needs some minor work that I didn't detect until I got it home. It works fine, but has some wear. I'll get it all going in time for next season. I don't think I can bear to get rid of my Trek though. It's an awesome ride and even moreso since Don put the tune to it. I'll split my riding up a bit next year on the two to see which one I like best, but I intend to race on the Felt. The Trek will be more for straight road rides.

It looks like a 50k relay, the Sunshine Run 10k, the Bass Pro 1/2 marathon and the Turkey Trot will round out the year. Then I'll rest into the holidays, and work on some off-season strength stuff. I'm considering Cross-Fit, but may come up with my own thing. I need to get back after my shoulder. It's doing better, but I've neglected it over the summer unless you count swimming (I don't).

Better Race

Megan, me and Katie from swim class, along with Vic Pardue. Taken by Katie's Mother.

The Republic Tiger Tri is the premier sprint distance race in the are in my opinion. Ultramax runs a class act. I had a good race, despite coming in slower than I wanted. I was shooting for 1:09, but finished just under 1:11. Faster transitions would have helped quite a bit. I still finished 6th in my AG and I'm pretty happy with that. Coming on the heels of the Concrete Man, it gave me back quite b bit of confidence. I enjoyed every aspect of this race.

The swim; I had a good swim and seeded myself in a very good spot. Throughout the 300 yards I had nearly a whole 25 between me and the swimmers ahead and behind.

The bike; I had just knocked out a 25 mile 19mph average training ride previous to this race and felt very confident. I cranked it as fast as I thought I could get away with. After passing several faster swimmers, I wound up battling it out between my neighbor Dennis and another young Asian fellow. I could have pushed harder toward the end and perhaps gotten closer to the 19 I was hoping for.

The run; I felt remarkably fresh on the 5k run. By this point in a race, you're just thinking about the finish line. The 5k was pretty flat and well staffed with three aid stations. Offers of a splash and/or a drink were on offer. When you hit the running track in the park, you can smell the barn and see the finish line. I cranked it up a notch when I saw I was in danger of coming in over 1:11. I finished strong at 1:10:56.

I waited for some of my friends to come in and hung around to see Dennis, Katie, Megan, and Zach get awards in their AG's. Pizza and other snacks along with an icy-pop at the finish topped it all off. I was glad that my Brother-in-Law Chris was able to come down and do this race again this year. I know he's been limited on races and training this summer. He and I did three races together last year.

Concrete Man post mortem

Well, I finished. I felt a little under trained for this event, and I may have been right. I had a rough race, slow on the bike and slower on the run, which I walked most of. Many thanks to my good friend Don for this video and moral support and general camaraderie.

The swim; It looked intimidating. When I first surveyed the course it didn't look that bad, then I saw the third buoy. It seemed a little long, but I was told that it was set using GPS, so it should be right. Getting to the first turn was a mental exercise, constantly telling myself, that I could do this. I've swam further and I know swimming is quite a bit mental and that's amplified in the open water. I didn't check my stopwatch after the first leg, but it seemed like an eternity. The second wasn't so bad as I finally felt like I was in a rhythm. I got out of the water after the second lap and I saw someone finish that I had started with (I think). I checked my watch, and it showed fifty minutes! That's five minutes longer than I had figured my total time at the outside limit would be. So it turns out that the swim course was long, maybe by as much as double. This makes me feel a little better about my final time, but not better about my bike and run performance.

The bike; The bike was not real eventful. I did okay, but I backed out of the speed quite a bit because the swim had really sapped me. My stomach was a little sick and that mad it hard to take on any nutrition. There were a couple of times I thought I might throw up, but it passed quickly. I forced myself to hydrate and eat a little. I felt awful after the bike and was happy to get into transition.

The run; What can I say? It was rough. I started out at a trot and did okay for about half a mile. Then I started a run/walk routine that turned into more walking than running. The aide stations were a Godsend. Cold water and towels felt great and kept me moving. So my strategy became, run till you cramp, then walk till it stops. I guess some folks got worried about me and sent out some recon in the form of Al Trumbo. It was great to see him actually and he helped me along by just showing up. I took on a gel at the four mile aide station. I made my way to the final mile and thought I'd be able to run the rest of the way in, but it was not to be. When my quads weren't cramping, my hamstrings were. I limped along until I could see the finish line. I was determined to actually run across the finish line. That's what you see in the video. At the end I was given ice for inside my hat, water, watermelon. Don and Dennis helped me haul all my stuff back to the car. I came home and took a great nap sincerely happy to have just finished this very difficult race.