It has been a minute since I raced (IMCOZ 2019). And quite a bit has changed in my life, So today was going to be a sort of test to see if I remembered how to do this tRiAtHaLoN thing! Like most people coming back to racing after a hiatus of any length, there are things that come naturally and things that don't. Like how swimming three times before this race may have not been great, or not practicing flying mounts recently made T1 look goofy. But this sport is just like riding a bike, eh? One thing I said that may have jinxed the mornings weather was the fact I said I was tired of the wind and said as long as it was not windy I did not care what the weather was.... mistake, sorry y'all... I woke up and it was windy and about 60 degrees, which normally is not too bad, but when it starts raining that changes things. I made it to the race site with the folks about an hour before the race started which is plenty of time to set up transition and use the bathroom two maybe three times... This race was titled as 500 yard swim, 12 mile bike and 5k run..... I was not sure where to start anymore, given my lack of swim training, so obviously I would start in the front right? Right. The chop was just a rollin' and the buoys to sight were non existent (may as well been bobbers out there) so I just sighted the boat that was out chillin' at the turn around. It worked well enough and was able to not veer off too often. I had two fellas in front of me coming out of the water which was definitely better than I thought. Not a great swim. but not too terrible by any means. I was looking forward to the bike, like always. My favorite part of any race is when you can get motoring on the roads. Speaking of roads, the start of this race on the bike is kicked off with a good stretch of gravel road, that, depending on the weather could be hard packed or like a sand pit.... today was a sandy trap. Make it out onto the pavement to be greeted by what may be the bumpiest road in Perham. Not a huge deal but we all know what it is like riding on buttery smooth roads (there's just something about it). The bike was an out and back this year because of a bridge being out, no worries... oh but wait there were many worries. Such as: "How far ahead are these other two kids? Watch out for that pothole. No that pothole! Oh it's raining harder now. Does my speedo look okay?" Meanwhile I made it to the turn around and was fortunate enough to be in front. I got to see everyone else on the way back and just put my head down and used the tailwind to make it back in one piece. First off the bike. I lacked sufficient power today (but those 180 mile rides may have zapped me). I had shoes fresher than the fresh prince for this race and they helped me be fleet of foot on the run (5k). I have never been able to nail down how to run fast but with the help of Marj (see you soon) I think it has been improving slowly. Gotta' run fast to run fast, who knew?! Anyways, what was I talking about.... I got off to a good start and was looking to have a run I was proud of. I made it to the first intersection and made a left turn like we normally do, gathered myself at the turn around and did my best to negative split on the return trip. Mission success... you can teach an old dog new tricks! The run was out-back and It is always interesting seeing where your fellow competitors are and see how good they are looking. I made it to the finish and was happy to be out of the rain! I am looking forward to more races in Northern MN this summer and seeing where that can take me later in the season, I usually start my year off well before the end of June, but my season is going to be back heavy and full of good times, Catch y'all later and lets share warm vibes at an upcoming race, eh?
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Being at my Cabin is always something I wish I did all summer long. The training I do up north is usually stress free and car(e) free. A lot less stoplights and minimal traffic always makes a biker happy. Well if I am going to tell the story about how this small little race in Perham, MN went down, it is probably good to give you an idea of the days leading up to it. After work on Wednesday night, at about 10:30 Blake and I drove up to the lake, which is about a three hour drive. Two a.m rolls around and we just pull into the driveway at the cabin. Had to make a pit stop at wally world for some essentials - muffins, pizza, coffee creamer, the usual. Our friend Vinnie was waiting there already, probably about to fall asleep. And since bedtime was so late, Thursday was going to be a boat day out on the lake, and that is exactly what it was (after my maiden voyage on the new wheels of course). Friday was a really windy day and that is not exactly what you want on race day, so I hoped today was just a single windy day. I swam around the point from my cabin to the resort on the other side. It almost felt too good, but that made no difference on Saturday. We all went for a little run afterwards and split up and went different distances, makes me happy to see friends running! The rest of the day was spent chilling and eating some spaghetti for supper. Saturday morning did come and it was windy, like really, really windy. The race did not start until 8:30 so we took our time and made some omelets at 6 am. Out the door around 6:30. This is the third time I have competed at this race and it is fun every time to see the same people show up. Today was going to be interesting, not only because of managing the bike in the wind, but because I was doing this race in my Chubbies Speedo. American flag goodness with a bald eagle smack on the ass. Definitely was going to turn some heads! The Swim- This race is relatively short for a sprint, an extremely fast 500 yards. The water was down this year, which was obviously a good thing for some people because I swear they water-trudged to at least the first turn buoy. I had a good feeling today that I was going to be swimming at the front because I have been working really hard on swimming, and racking up some serious yardage for IRONMAN. So with that feeling, I decided to start at the front with the good swimmers. That turned out to be a good idea because I was on one guys feet for about 250 yards before swimming over him when he turned in early thinking that was the last buoy. So from then on, I was going for it. Came out of the water and noticed nobody behind, on the side or in front of me. I was first out of the water! Next closest guy was 30 seconds back. What an amazing feeling. But until I am first to actually cross the finish line there is work to be done. My friends were not expecting me first out, so all three of us were surprised! T1 was very fluid and as I ran my bike down the dirt road, Vinnie ran next to me, yelling whatever came to his mind, I jumped on and went to work. The Bike- 12 Miles of all outness. So the wind was going to be pushing us out and a major headwind coming back. Because I came out of transition first I had the road all to myself for a good 10 minutes before a stronger cyclist came past. Even getting passed was OK, because I had never been in the lead like that! By the end of the ride 3 more bikers passed me. The side wind was rough before we turned into the major headwind to come back. But I think my bike handled it pretty well, given I was like a sail out there. I ate my one Gel Coming back and I put my head down and did the Best I could to keep the cadence up. The speedo did not hold anything back, literally, and was not terribly uncomfortable. Back to the dirt road, I got off the bike and ran up to T2. I did not know we could ride up and down the road as it had been a rule not to in the past couple years, so I may have lost some time there. I forced myself to put socks on in transition because I got some crazy blisters from my last race without socks. Grab the visor and the race belt and we are off. The Run- To say running in a Speedo is freeing is an understatement. Technically I wasn't all that much faster today than with the "normal" Tri shorts, but man, did I feel faster. The run here starts with a good half mile of going more up than down, which is a good way to kill the HR right away. Not long After that I heard a voice behind me saying "I like the view from back here", that got me laughing and I knew exactly who it was. Branden was coming up to pass and I told him how many were in front of him, wished him luck and away he went. He will have to teach me how to run faster, a lot faster. I held my own throughout the 4 miles and there was a table set up where they had ice and cold paper towels. This reminded me so much of racing in the heat in Racine where this is commonplace at the aid stations. Taking a page from that playbook was an awesome idea by those volunteers. The last mile and a half were with a tailwind, if that's a thing in running, so the pace felt easier and faster. Back to where the finish is, my heart was ready to explode from uphills. At the end of the last 1000 meters was a welcoming party, Branden, being the awesome competitor he is, waited at the end and we congratulated on a good race all around. He finished 5th and I in 9th. One place better than last year and a bit faster too. This years race went really well and I am very pleased with my performance. It was not a win, but I am working toward that goal one step at a time and today, having the fastest swim by 30 seconds was a huge boost to my confidence and gives me a reason to keep putting yards in at the pool. It really does pay off. The new wheel setup on the bike will take some getting used to, but who doesn't love that roaring sound coming from the road?! Running is running and I know speed will come with miles and miles and miles of it. I also learned that a Speedo is a great alternative to Tri shorts and I will definitely be racing in it again. Another great weekend at the cabin with two awesome friends who came out to support me at the race, can't thank em' enough! Now I do not have another race until my 70.3 in Racine, July 17th. But I am going on some long rides and doing a race simulation day. The countdown to IRONMAN season is on!!! 20 days until Racine and 41 days until the biggest race of my life in Boulder, Colorado! Thanks for the read, Catch Me If You Can! Oh and thanks Vinnie for all the great pictures, I hope it was an awesome first Triathlon spectating experience! |
AuthorMinnesotan granola triathlete dont-cha know Archives
June 2021
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