Overall (2:39:44, 22 AG, 331 Overall)
This was a really fun race to do, it’s one of the bigger Olympic distance races on the east coast and draws a very competitive field. It is also know for a very tough course so I was looking forward to the challenge.
Swim (29:24, 42 AG, 769 Overall)
I was one of the last swim waves to go off for the day, almost an hour and half after the pro race started. So I just found a pavilion on the hill the by the lake to sit at and stay out of the drizzle.
The water was 70 but it did not feel bad at all because it was so cold outside. I lined up towards the middle and a couple of rows back at the start of the swim, and like most races it was a little rough for the first few minutes but then it thinned out and I got into a nice rhythm.
I was able to draft off someone for a little bit but lost them going around one of the buoys and just cruised back in on my own. My time was a little bit better then my last race but not by a whole lot. I’m still having trouble pacing swim by taking it to conservatively because based on my pool times it should quicker then this.
Bike+T1 (1:20:25, 15 AG, 250)
The timing mat going out of transition got messed up in the rain so T1 got lumped in with the bike time. By my watch I had a bike time of 1:14 for a hilly 25 mile course which isn’t to bad. Based on my run from the Olympic distance race last month I wanted to take this bike a little bit easier to have a good run. This was a very good time to have the powermeter so I was able to make sure I was not pushing to hard on the hills and false flats on the course.
Speaking of the course, it was very challenging, testing every part of your bike skills with technical turns, climbs, and descents. Like all my races I drove the course the day before to see what all the turns looked and familiarize myself with the terrain and I am very glad I did. If you aren’t ready for the course of mispace your ride it will make for a very challenging run.
Overall I would consider this an ok ride. Looking at the powerfile for the ride it’s a little lower then I was targeting but that’s mainly because I coasted down most of the larger hills instead of pedaling and picking up more speed. The course was wet from rains earlier in the day and was very crowded since I was one of the last waves on the day which added to my conservative approach on the bike
Run (48:25, 23 AG, 351)
I took a quick bathroom break right out of the transition area so this was more like a 47:30 run which is exactly what I was hoping for. Right at the start of the run was a steep hill that I worked my way up and I was still feeling good. I cruised down the hill and around the back of the lake until the next hill up towards the park.
Just like the bike course the run had a lot of hills but I was feeling good so I was just cruising along passing a lot of people. I was really surprised to not see anyone in age group except for the person that was right behind me pacing off me the entire run, but I managed to drop him in the last mile and a half. I did not see or pass anyone else in my age group the entire run.
After coming down the last hill back to the lake I really kicked it up at the end and came into the finish at a good pace.
The last quarter mile was lined with people on the both sides so it was like running through a tunnel of cheering spectators which was neat.
After I got across the finish Chrissie Wellington gave me my finishers medal which was really neat and then I stuck around to watch the pro award ceremony.
And then I headed over to pack up and leave.
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