Hey gang…
So, herewith is my pre-race dinner and race report, or as I like to say, how I managed to be a dumbass twice in one race. More on that later.
PRE-RACE DINNER
We gathered at Chip’s house at the appointed time. Actually, I was there a little early, and nobody answered my tentative knocking or ringing of the bell. I took this as a sign from God that I was meant to go and get some beer, and then return. So, not wanting to incur God’s wrath, I did just that, and BeckyO answered the door when I returned. Not long after that, a bunch of folks showed up, and little by little the ST crowd gathered for a great dinner. It was awesome meeting everyone, and putting faces with names. A whole bunch of ST regulars were there, and it was awesome getting to meet you…sorry if I leave anyone out…Bottomfeeder, Dtreeps, MCHammers, Almost Drowning, Mark, Rod, Mckenzie, BeckyO, Shumanmo, MBL, Chip, Newbz, Macedawg, Tritohavefun, Ti T’War, etc…
BTW, if I don’t remember who you are, please post a correction…
One of the really fast dudes (sorry man, I forgot your name…I suck…) from Rochester, Minnesota, with Estee.
My apologies if I get this wrong…Almost Drowning (the ladies winner!!!) and Macedawg…BTW, if you are “almost drowning” with a 33" swim split, and me with 42"…that would make me, what, “Brick”?
MCHammers and budrow from Rochester…kept thinking I would see them on the course, but they were done like a freakin’ hour plus before me…
Shumanmo on the deck after dinner…
Estee and Ti T’War (what the hell does that mean, anyway? I kept meaning to ask you…)
Rod Roof (in blue), then MBL and Mark in Cin from left to right…forget who the dude in black is…
Ti T’War and Newbz hanging out…
Mark in Cin, Chip (R10C, the intrepid RD), DTREEPS, and Estee checking out Mark’s ass while mixing Heed…
Estee Griffen…watching her trying to bite the water from the hose had us all in stitches…
RACE REPORT
The day dawned absolutely beautiful…it was perfect racing weather. Chip in his clown suit for the pre-race meeting was absolutely hysterical.
Dawn at Olsen Lake in Rock Cut State Park…
The Slowtwitch Bike Rack…not nearly as many Cervelos as you might have thought!! That’s Tritohavefun in the red and black…
The swim…sucked ass for me. The start was a little chaotic, and I started to flail. Dumbass moment #1 ensued…I went out too fast, I breathed too quick, and I hyperventilated. I panicked, and thought I was going to drown. I was completely freaked out…all I could think of was getting out of the water. I doggie paddled and breast stroked to the turn trampolines and grabbed a handle (thanks for those, Chip!!). I didn’t know what was going on (having never panicked during the swim or hyperventilated) until I looked at my HRM, and saw freakin’ 165bpm!! That’s when it dawned on me that I was hyperventilating and just needed to chill. So I did, and when my heart rate was down to about 120, I started off again, at a very leisurely pace. I kept things nice and casual, and managed to finish the swim. As I was getting out of the water, I looked at my watch and saw 41 minutes and change, and was pissed. I had been doing much better as of late in the pool, and yet here I was slow as molasses in the water again, all because I went out far too hard and freaked out.
I got into T1 and fought with my wetsuit and got going on my bike. I was so mad at my dismal swim that I biked on pure rage for the first bit. My legs felt a bit heavy from the swim, but I didn’t really care, and just kept motoring. I settled down into a nice pace, and just kept it up. I decided to bike harder than I normally would for a HIM, and let the run chips fall where they may. The bike course was great…relatively flat with a couple small rollers thrown in to get you out of the saddle every now and then. A little bit of wind on the return trip, but not bad. I dialed back the rage a couple miles before T2, but was expecting to have to walk a lot on the run based on how hard I had gone on the bike.
I rolled into the park, and for some reason still unknown to myself, decided to do Dumbass Moment #2. At the last moment coming into the dismount area, I unclipped my right foot and swung my leg over my saddle, riding in on just one pedal like the pros. Haha, I thought, I am so cool…then as I slowed down, I realized that I couldn’t unclip my left foot, and that all of those cool pros do this by having both feet on top of their shoes, not still clipped in. I slow down and with my left foot clipped in, attempt to stop by hopping with my right foot behind and crossed over my left leg…this does not work well. I toppled over right in front of the timing mat while a volunteer attempted not to laugh. I jumped up as fast as possible with whatever dignity I had left and ran to the bike rack…having gone 2:40 for the bike and a 21mph average.
I hit the run, and decided to just try and run slow but steady. I told myself that I wasn’t going to walk until I saw someone else walking…I would not be the first. So, I ran to the aid stations, walked those while downing coke and Heed, and then ran to the next station. It was a little weird at first not having mile markers, but I actually sort of liked it…I just kept looking at my watch and figuring out how far I had left based on how many aid stations I had been to. The course was really nice, with lots of shade and trees and angry sounding cicadas. The hills weren’t nearly as bad as I had thought they might be, so while lots of folks walked up the hills, I continued my nice slow trot. My legs felt pretty darn good for only having done one short brick before this, and basically not having tapered at all. My goal was to run the whole course, and with the exception of the aid stations and a couple of very short walks, I did run the whole thing for a 2:04 half mary or a 9:28 average pace. I got a little demoralized in seemingly long out and back into the campground, but knew I was golden once I turned out of there. I was hoping for 5:30 or so, and was really happy with my 5:32…a 32 minute PR for me.
All in all, it was a great venue (ok, except for the freakin’ seaweed on the swim!), and a very well run race, especially for a newbie RD!! Chip, great job, and I will be back next year for sure.
Spot