Yep, and it looks like my Carbo will arrive in time for me to give it a shake-down so I can race on it! You'll know who I am...I'll be on the only Yaqui (I'm guessing here) in the race! And, I'm shooting for a sub 1:05...that will be over 6 minutes faster than last year. It's put up or shut up time for me!

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Quid quid latine dictum sit altum videtur
(That which is said in Latin sounds profound)

I too, am looking forward to MAP. I was a bit more excited last week, before I came down with some sort of bug that has kept me from training since Tuesday, but it's still going to be fun to get racing again.

I raced well at AMEX last year and I'm already scared that I won't be able to hit the same performance this go around. I guess that's why we race, to see what we can do.

Good luck to those who are heading to Charlotte for the race and may we all go faster than before.

Adam

You guys should have come down and warmed up at the Moore's Creek Du this weekend. We tried out the new timing system. Weather tried to be as crappy as past years, but did not quite succeed as we avoided the rain.

I have five in my van coming from Wilmington. From the age posts, looks like three of us are in Henk J's age group. Should be 15+ degrees warmer this year which will be nice.

I am afraid I am a little weaker than last year (less training), but we have fun on our road trips- which sometimes further deteriorates the racing times.

Good luck guys. Adam, hope you do as well as last year. Ktalon, good luck with new bike and goals. Hank J, welcome back. See you there.

Finally. I don't really know how to explain how stoked I am to be "on the bus" with Mantis this year. Look out Ktalon,(sounds like it may soon be Caqui) us eastern NC boys put up a fierce race.

THank goodness for warmer weather.

This is the first race for me and my new Hed bars. I think I have them dialed in, skateboard grip tape on the "hoods" and under the levers, Profile F-18 armpads custom angled and drilled.

oh yeah, and for the first time in my life, I have actually been swimming before the first race of the season.

Above all, good luck to everyone and I will be the one with no hair hanging around a group of guys in tight pants......

Shawn

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"Nothing in life ever just happens. Calculated progression insures your strength."
Shawn Spencer
Bike Cycles
Wilmington, NC
http://www.bikecycleshop.com

I took a look at this race on the web. That is a crazy race since you do the swim portion in a pool zig-zagging across the lanes. What is that like?

It can get kind of crazy but actually works okay except where people miss their estimated times. It is a seeded start based on estimated times and you leave the wall every 10 or 15 seconds (with several breaks to clear backlogs). Works better in nice facility like Charlotte where you have room to pass. In smaller pools, like Wilmington, NC Azalea Festival race it can get messier since you are down and back in same lane. Bottom line is that it allows early season races (although I did one in March last year in Spartenburg, SC where we wore wetsuits in outdoor pool- coldest swim I have ever done). Also allows urban venues. Races are actually fun- come try one.

I am anxious or actually in need of a kick in the ass which i am hoping this race does to give my training a jump start. I am worried about the swim. I estimated my time in Jan, and tried to revise it last week. Unfortunately the seedings were done. I submittied a 7:45 based on a Nov time trial, but due to work, family (yada-yada-yada) i have not been swimming. I would be happy with an 8:00.

So my apologies in advance, I will stay way too the right so i can be easily passed in the swim!

This was my only podium tri finish last year (thanks to the short swim), but this year its doubtful. In any event it will be good to toe the line again.



Best of Luck,

Rockfish

aka Greg Sheehan

I am in same boat. I expected to swim a lot more than I have been able to do. I have been in the pool very little and not that it would help at this point, but I can not swim at all this week due to wife out of town. I am 10-20 seconds slower than I estimated months ago. I will just get out of the way. With the nice wide lanes and only one direction of traffic it is not too bad. Also, do not judge your actual race time too harshly. The swim is tecnically longer than 500 yards since you have to get from one end of the pool to the other. Don't think it is effectively as long as the 25+ yards that I have read and appears logical, but it is longer, and you have to get under the lane lines. So if you are within 15 or 20 seconds of your 7:45 you probably swam right on pace. You are behind me so as far as I am concerned you can clog things up as much as you want.

Glad y'all are bringing up a vanload from the coast! Welcome to the "Big Grit"; Charlotte, NC!

I don't know if you guys are bringing anyone really fast with you, but in my age group, you've got L. Almekinders that will be near impossible to beat (in our AG) if he's anything like last year...I think he did a 57-something. There are two or three others in the old man's age groups that will do better than an hour, too. When do the times start to slow down?!!! It seems the winners keep their times up pretty high right on through the 50's...there just aren't as many in each AG as the years pass.

I hope to make the top 5 in my AG if I have a good day....last year I was 21st of 38 in my AG...not a good day, but, my wife and new baby were still in the hospital from delivery on Friday afternoon last year! She'll be 1 on race day, and they'll both be there this time....that ought to be worth a few minutes!

Have a safe trip over here, and good luck in the race...BTW, PLEASE come early enough to check out the bike course...it had some REALLY bad spots last week...bad enough to be dangerous...it's only bad in a few places, but you need to know where to avoid.

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Quid quid latine dictum sit altum videtur
(That which is said in Latin sounds profound)

It sounds like a good time to start the year off. I am racing in Florida on April 6th so I will miss this one but I am planning on racing the June 21st race of this same series. That race is odd as well since you apparently have 2 different transition areas...that's wild and will be a first for me. I have never raced in NC but am looking forward to it. I like the fact that they are all on Saturdays. That way I don't have to take a day off from work after the race to be lazy:)

Ktalon,



Thanks for the heads up on the bike course, arriving in time to ride the course is a good point. Is it me or did they change the bike course again, it seems differenent from last year. If it has changed how hilly is it compared to last year.



Thanks,

Rockfish

You must be referring to Over the Mountain on June 21st. Let me forewarn you...bring a climbing gear! It is a point to point race, so, yes, there are two transition areas...nice lake, hard bike course for this area (look at the bike elevation changes), nice relatively flat run course. Have fun!

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Quid quid latine dictum sit altum videtur
(That which is said in Latin sounds profound)

No, it's the same as last year. Last year was new, though...this used to be a 20K instead of a 10 miler. It was the first triathlon I'd done in 15 years when I did it two years ago on the 20 K course...I actually thought the 20 K course was better. This is not flat, there are a couple of steep but short hills. They're short enough that you could probably just bite the bullet and power over them if you had to...just don't know how that would affect the rest of your ride or your run. Since it is two laps, you at least get an idea of what to expect on that second lap.

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Quid quid latine dictum sit altum videtur
(That which is said in Latin sounds profound)

Glad Lou aged out of my group, but we still have a guy that beat him last year. You have a couple of other fast guys, but are lucky at least one went Elite.

Most of our speed is wasted in the bars on Friday night.

Ktalon,

I appreciate the advice. That is going to be a true test of strength and patience for Oly distance given the bike is 30 miles. Tough climb...hence the name over the mountain, wow, I had an epiphany! :)