Top 5 finishers in my age group.
This is race number four of the series and the beginning of the longer distance races. The race was at Lake Pflugerville and is a good location for a race. Nice parking area, plenty of transition space, and a small but nice lake to swim in. My wife went with me since the weather was looking hot and I worried about the ride home from Austin. It figured to be a two and a half hour sufferfest in the heat and did not disappoint. We stayed at the Hampton Inn on Dell Circle in Round Rock. As far as less expensive hotels go, this was a jewel and they let me have a late checkout without a fight. Very accomodating. The hotel is close to the outlet mall in Round Rock. We did some shopping on Saturday after picking up my packet downtown and checking into the hotel. I got a good deal on some New Balance trail shoes so I will be giving those a try on my Sunday trail runs with Joe, Fred and the Matrix. I may not see them for a few weeks because the Matrix is doing the Leadville Trail 100 in a few weeks. Critical item for this weekend was my pillow. I brought my pillow and I slept great before this race. I haven't slept this good before a race outside my own bed in forever.PreRace:
For some reason, the race did not start until 8:00am. The sun was up at about 6:30am and you would think they would want to get this going considering the 100 degree temps in August. The race consisted of an intermediate distance race (1000m swim/26.8m bike/6 mile run) and a sprint race. To be eligible for the Texas Tri Series, you must do the longest distance at each race. The intermediate race had the early swim waves so I was to start at about 8:05am. We left the hotel at around 6:15am and made it to the venue at 6:30am. It took about 15-20 minutes to park and we got a good spot by the luck of the draw. The parking was row by row and when they filled up a row, they started another one close to the transition area and worked the cars back. We were actually less than a couple minute walk to transition. The transition area was set up by age groups this time so I was able to locate my competition in the series. Roger was in the rack next to me but I would never see him after the start. He is going to win our age group unless he flats like four times on the half iron distance race. Doug is in second place right now and he was in the rack across from me so I knew where everyone was that I needed to keep an eye on. It was good to have Patty with me because she could let me know what my time gaps were with Doug. After setting up transition, it was time to hit the portapotties and then head down to the beach for the swim start. They wouldn't let us get a warm up swim in until about 7:40am so we sat around and waited for the start. I was very calm and felt good. Usually, I'm a bundle of nerves before a race. Some fitness club did a warm up but I skipped that, why burn excess energy. My swim warm up would do.
Waiting on the warm up for the swim.
When they gave the word, I swam a couple hundred yards as a warm up. Hydrilla was growing off the bottom for the first 75 yards or so from the beach. My hands and arms were getting tangled in the stuff. I'm glad our wave was early. After the national anthem, it was go time.
Swim:
At this course, the best start is to the right. The buoys line up better for you. This was a beach start which was something new for me. Probably 10 yards to the water from the start line. The other unusual aspect to this race was a two loop swim course. Each lap was 500 meters. After one lap, you exit the water and run down the beach for 50 yards or so and then do a second lap. I made sure I was at the front of the group going into the start corral so I could get a good start.
Talking to Roger at the Start Line for the Swim
Doug is usually a slower swimmer than me and I need every second to close the gap to second place. Roger was standing next to me and I talked to him for a few minutes before they told us to go. We counted down and then it was a mad dash to the water. I was probably 20 yards from shore and felt my Garmin on my left wrist come loose. It was on a pull stroke through the water. I tried to grab it and it slipped from my hand. I felt it on my leg and tried to kick it with no luck. I stopped in the water and looked back. There were lots of people in my wave behind me and they were swimming at me. I had to consider this a lost cause and moved on. Needless to say, I really couldn't think of anything else for the next few hundred yards. How the hell did that happen? It was a good and trusty watch. I have beat that thing to hell and back. It was showing signs of age but it was like losing a trusted friend. RIP watch. I'll miss you. My focus was a little off and I had trouble staying tight on the buoy line until the turnaround to head back to the beach. There was lots of traffic and body contact. I was getting whacked in the head and guys swimming on my legs. It really sucked for almost the entire first lap. I caught alot of guys in the previous wave at the turnaround and that added to the madness. When I exited the water to run across the beach, I felt good. My heart rate had calmed down and I was in a good place again. The beach, however, was not nice. The sand was of large grain with several sharp rocks. It was tearing up my soft and wet feet.
Out of the water and down the beach for Lap 2
With the adrenalin going, you ignore things like that and keep going. I remember seeing Patty on the run to the second lap. My line on the second lap was excellent and I felt my speed was better as well. The hydrilla was really stirred up at this point so the first and last 75 yards were littered with the stuff. It was all over me. On my way back in, I was trying to split two big guys. One of them clipped me hard in the back of the head about 15 yards from the beach. When I stood up, it was Doug. This was depressing on several levels. He hasn't been that great of a swimmer to date and his times on the bike are significantly better than mine. Doug bought a speed suit for this race. If there is any doubt that a speed suit makes you faster, this should answer that question. I should have had a minute or two on him easily in the water. He had a great swim.
Out to T1 from the Lake
T1:
On the way to transition, Doug was trying to find someone to unzip him and I was first to my bike. He was next to me. I was as fast as I could be. I had considered wearing socks for this race but I had no time considering we were even at this point. He clips his shoes into his pedals and I do not. I put mine on in transition and run out of T1 with them. We left T1 together and my time was good.
Bike:
Doug struggled with his shoes after we got on our bikes and I passed him. The course is diamond shaped going NE to start. There was a slight south wind when we started the first of two 13 mile loops. I kept him behind me for probably two miles before he passed me. I was ok with this. I wanted to pace off him and try to keep him in sight, if possible. I had a bottle of Accelerade, a bottle of Skratch, three gels, some Honey stinger chews and a Enduroshark salt. I taped the shark salt to my bento box and swallowed it right away. After Doug passed me, I stayed really tight with him until the SW turn on the course which was about 8 miles in. Most of the roads had been repaired or paved since the last race so the pavement was fast. There a few short but steep hills in the SW section and he put a little distance between us on those hills. As we finished the first loop, I lost contact with him. I know I'm a better runner and had to resist the urge to burn myself out on the bike. When the second lap started, the sprint race athletes were pouring on to the course and it was crowded. I was running low on Accelerade so I was doing a good job on my liquid intake. Unfortunately, someone moved left while I was passing and put me into a pot hole. My bottle of Skratch Labs went flying off the road. Another bad moment, first my watch and now my Skratch. The race of lost gear. The second lap was basically a bunch of non stop passing and traffic navigation. I was passed by a few people but not many. Usually, the faster women in the swim wave that started behind me. The wind was much heavier on the second lap. I was hoping this would be a nice equalizer. Doug is a bigger guy than me. I did my best to keep a nice even pace and not go too hard. It was really hard to stay with my own pace when I lost touch with him visually. I really wanted off the bike so I could chase him down. I hit the last stretch along the lake and pulled my feet out of my shoes to get ready for the dismount line. I saw Patty yelling for me next to where we parked my truck. I did a very nice one legged dismount and kept running with my bike. I looked like I knew what I was doing. It's harder to pull one leg around to the other side of the bike while your moving for a graceful dismount than one would think.
T2:
My socks were laying there begging to be used and I wanted to use them. I was behind and knew my feet would suffer without socks. I could feel the cuts and the irritation from the swim. No time to waste so I just slid on my running shoes and took off. The sun was really starting to beat down hard at this point so I threw my wife my visor and I took her cowboy hat on the way out of transition. More shade coverage for my face, neck and head. That was the theory at least.
Run:
The run course for six miles was two loops around the lake. It's fairly flat on a crushed granite trail meaning lots of little rocks that can get lodged in your shoes while you run. This was the main reason I thought about socks. When I came out of transition, Patty told me I was a little over 3 minutes behind Doug. For the first lap, I decided on a consistent pace that wasn't too fast. I wanted to stay in HR Zone 3 or low 4, if possible. I stopped at each aid station and poured water on my head and body along with drinking a cup of Gatorade. The water on my head felt great but the refreshment would only seem to last about 3-4 tenths of a mile and it was hot again. For the first lap, I couldn't really spot Doug anywhere on the course ahead of me. It made it hard to stay motivated. Coming into the finish area after my first lap, my motivation was not good. It was hot and I was tired. When I saw Patty, she said I was two minutes back. I had closed about a minute and a half. It was good news and I could feel him crumbling out there.
End of Lap 1 and looking tired.
At this point, I picked up the pace and pushed through the fourth mile and would hope to get a visual on him. If I did, it was time to go to work. If not, I would just get a decent pace and cruise in. I didn't have to wait long. At about a half mile into the second loop, I saw Doug where the course made a right turn at the end of the lake. Hope was out there. I didn't really get on the gas but I didn't get off it either. I still decided to walk the mile four aid station to drink and try to cool my body temperature. I would have to make a decision what to do at the mile five aid station. From mile four to mile five, I was slowly making progress. It was going to be close. I had slow my pace slightly from between mile four and five to have some reserve for the last mile. When I got to the mile 5 aid station, Doug stopped for a few seconds to drink. I knew stopping was not an option at this point. Once at the aid station, I just threw some water on myself and drank a little bit of Gatorade while running. I didn't have time to stop or walk the aid station. Doug was probably a one to two tenths ahead of me and I got on the gas a little bit to make up the difference. I was about 100 yards away from him when my body begged to stop. I think we were probably less than a half mile from the finish. I wasn't going to take back any real time from him but I wanted him to know he didn't get away and beat me. I walked for about 20 feet to get a quick break and then started running again. I had no idea how much he had left in the tank and really didn't want to pass him too early. I'm sure he hadn't felt any real pressure up to this point and didn't expect to see me coming. I caught him with literally a few hundred yards left and passed him. Once I passed, I just went as hard as I could and did not look back. Race results say I got him by five seconds. Not a whole lot and I'm still 1:45 down in the overall standings but he knows I'm there. I'm not going anywhere. I have a month to get ready for TriRock Austin on Labor Day. This is getting interesting.
Crossing the finish line.
Post Race:
I was dead when it was over. Someone took my timing chip and I saw Patty at the finish line. I told her I got him at the end. She knew that. It was easy to spot me in the cowboy hat. The hat was a big hit on the course. I got lots of comments on it. I think I'll look for one of my own for the last two races. She said I didn't look good and I should probably get in the kids pools they filled with ice and water. It was the best thing ever. Hard to get into at first but it really cooled my core temperature and I started to feel better. Patty grabbed her camping chair and sat just outside the barrier to keep me company. I asked her to check the standings. If I didn't make the podium, we could leave. She came back and said I was third of four finishers in my age group at that point. Made sense, I was right next to Doug so we decided to hang around for awhile. My legs quads and calves started to cramp and one of the medical people came over to help me. I'm not sure what she did. She was putting pressure on my muscle. I mean hard pressure and it hurt like hell. She said it was going to hurt now but I would thank her later. Someone else grabbed me an electrolyte drink and I took another salt pill. Whatever she did worked. I would thank her if I could find her today. Patty grabbed my camping chair from my truck and we sat in the shade of the pavilion waiting on awards. They were coming up soon. When they called my group, they didn't call my name. I was fourth. We aren't sure how that happened and it doesn't really matter. The only race I care about right now is the race for second in the series. The guy that did win third place at this race is also running the series. I was about 10 minutes ahead of him and was finishing ahead of him in all the races up till now. He has apparently done something to gain speed on the bike and he took about 2-3 minutes back from me and moved from fifth to fourth. I checked my bike out of transition, we went back to the hotel to shower, and then ate at Chuy's on the way out of town. It was excellent. I was very hungry. Two races to go in the series. I have no idea how this will end up but I'm glad I have some time to train between races now.
Post Race Ice Bath
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