Tri the Midlands Race Report: 5th overall
In my last race report from the Lake Murray Triathlon I stated, "So I ended up in 5th place with a pretty sloppy race really. I need to be a little more focused on the details – which I will"
Obviously I didn't learn my lesson because the exact same statement applies to this race.
As much as I hoped to discontinue the streak of sloppiness demonstrated at the Lake Murray, it only grew worse. Way worse.
It started with a forgotten timing chip which I realized just minutes before the start. In a mad dash sprint I reached the chip distribution area just as it was being torn down. Luckily I had bib #2 which made my chip fairly easy to find in the stack of chip containers. A sprint back to the lake and all was good apart from my jacked up HR.
The swim was pretty good. I came out of the water about 20 seconds down to a lead pack of 4. Running to transition I peeled my Xterra .02 suit down half way and hurriedly went about T1.
Here I present sloppiness example Number 2:
Yep, I forgot to take the suit all the way off. Oh well, might as well ride with it.
My bum got a little hot and it wasn't very aerodynamic but the real damage was done mentally.
And then as I was battling someone on the bike whom I usually drop fairly readily, my chain came off. It wasn't a chain drop the could be remedied while riding (didn't drop off the chain ring) but rather dropped off the rear cassette.
So after stopping and getting the chain sorted out and watching my opponent ride away I was mentally over it. I had to make a decision whether to relent or push on. I decided to push on and make the best of it.
I was glad to get to T2 so I could get the stinking swim suit off. I was getting hot and was it was rather embarrassing riding back to transition through the crowd-lined street with it dangling around my waist.
Setting out on the run I made it a point to pass my bike opponent (and friend) quickly and make a gap between us.
From there it was just hanging on and making sure I held on to 5th spot which I did.
I was really disappointed after this race and determined to actually tighten things up for my next race.
Tom Hoskins Memorial Triathlon Race Report: 1st overall
This was a first-year sprint race and seems to go by many names (Tom Hoskins Memorial, NW Columbia , Irmo YMCA ...) It was being directed by a friend and coworker of mine and I thought he and his team did a great job.
This was to be my redemption race. I was determined to dot my i's and cross my t's, make no stupid mistakes, and let the chips fall where the may.
That's exactly what I did and ended up with the win. My biggest competition for the day was two friends Jeff Brandenburg and Chuck Hiers. I wasn't concerned too much with Chuck as we train together and I know his strengths and weaknesses. Next year may be a different story as he's taking a very serious approach to his training with the guidance of Team Kattouf.
My biggest concern was JB. I haven't raced him yet this year so wasn't sure what to expect. My plan was to put some time between us on the swim and then ride hard and try to hold onto the gap. I figured in the worst case scenario it would come down to a run race.
It was a 350 yard pool swim and I had the fastest swim of the day. Looking at the results I put about 35 seconds on Jeff and another 10 seconds in transition.
The bike was 14 miles out and back over some challenging rollers. After crossing paths with JB after the turn around I estimated my lead at around 1 min. I continued digging deep to the point of nausea. I had the fastest ride of the day at 33 min and change for a 24.8 mph or 40km average which I was pleased with.
The run was darn tough, especially after that hard ride. My pace coming out of t1 was pretty good at 5:40/mile until I hit the two hills. Getting to the turn around was a relief and I soon got another time check on JB and knew it was game-over between us for this race. The run was about 1/10th of a mile long which, along with the challenging hills, made for some slow times. Mine was the third fastest at just under 20 minutes.
In the end I had JB and Chuck by 3 min and 3:30 respectively. It was a really nice touch get $50 from Inside Out Sports for my efforts! I'll put it to good use.
bringing it in
cool down run around the course with JB
Getting the 50 clams
1st, 2nd, 3rd: Me, JB, Chuck
