Wait ... what gear am I supposed to be in??

I jumped into the Dam Tri Sprinternational race this weekend. Yes that's right ... longer than a Sprint but shorter than an International. The distances were 1000 meter swim, 21 mile bike and 7k run (although I think the run was a bit short of 7k).

There was no rest for me coming into this race and I think I was a little flat, but mainly stuck in the wrong gear!!!

Given that I'd nearly hyperventilated during the swim of my last race I figured I better start a little easier and build into it. And so I did ... nice and relaxed ... the problem was I never lifted the pace. Never came out of that comfort zone. Maybe I've been dwelling too much on the upcoming ironman?? I don't know ... but one thing is for sure, I was in the wrong gear.

Once the damage is done in a short course race it's really hard to claw your way back. I tried to push the pace on the bike but actually lost 7 more seconds to 3rd place. I'll have to say that I didn't enjoy the bike route very much.  It was among heavy vehicle traffic which was a little unnerving for me. There was a bike lane that could be used but I stayed out of it, fearful of the additional debris and risk of a flat tire. I'm just not used to riding in traffic. For instance, yesterday (the day after this race :p) I rode a little over 3.5 hrs and can count on one hand the number of cars that passed me.

Onto the run I was able to pull back some time but never came close to overtaking 3rd place. Big props to "the kid" Tony Morales for the win and his CX coach Mike Wendt (50 yrs old) for landing that 3rd spot and keeping me at bay. It's not surprising that these guys have been the state cross country champs for past few years! Tony's teammate Eric (Mike's son) had the fastest AG time and 2nd fastest run of the day to his teammate Tony and placed 7th overall. So that's a father and son in the top 10 ... how freakin cool is that!! It so great seeing these young guys take the sport by the horns, I love that about triathlon ... age doesn't have to be a factor, old or young ... work hard, work smart and results will follow. Way to go guys.

Results: http://www.setupevents.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=event_results&id=3164

Back to the grindstone getting the work done for Cozumel. One more training race coming up in two weeks ... Hickory Knob International. Hope to see you there!