I had been a total pussy the last several years by just doing the MTN bike race. Glad Ian came up with the crazy idea to do all 3. It made me train more than I would have normally leading up to the event. I still didnt do a lot of training, but did get in one big 6 hour day of 2 x (2 hour bike + 1 hour run). That workout kicked my ass but got me mentally prepared for what to expect.
I did OK on the whole weekend except my back was pretty shot by the top of Nasty Grade and that’s were I lost Ian. I putted in the last 15 on the bike and just didnt have the strength to run the hills so ended up walking about 3 miles of the course I think. Finally got my act together after taking a 5 minute break in a chair at mile 9 and reloaded some calories and ran pretty decent the last 4 in. I was hoping to be able to come off the bike with Ian because I think it would have motivated me to run more, but we were just too far out form the end of the bike for him to ride at my pathetic pace. Guess I wasw paying for the extra effort on the Mtn Bike course.
It was a different perspective coming from the back. We saw this huge guy riding with one leg and thought he was cramping, but his pedal had just come unscrewed and was still attached to his foot. He didnt know to get off and just screw it back in. I couldnt help wondering how long he was riding like that before getting it fixed. (A truck was pulling over to help him as we came by).
It was really an expensive weekend with the cost of the 3 races, lakeside camping, RV rental, etc. But I dont think i could have pulled it off if I was camping on the other side of the hill. My RV was about 50 ft from the transition area. Also, the guys at Compex where staying next door to me which was pretty cool because they put the machine on me for recovery both Saturday night and Sunday morning. I do have to admit I knocked down some beers Sat night as “pain killers” though.
Michael Collins
“Triple Threat Finisher”
Multisports Orange County