A 6 a.m. wake up time was pushed back to 7 then 7:15. Got up and drank some coffee, ate my granola, packed the bike and gear and headed towards down to the Veloway for some cycling. I got down there about 10ish and did a couple of loops around the Veloway. I finally saw the fabled bunnies of the Veloway. Well, I saw one hop hop hopping along the grass beside be. So Glenda if you are reading this you are right about the bunnies.
After the 2 warm up loops I did 2 loops down on South Mopac followed by one more Veloway loop for a total of 26 miles. The south bound loop felt uphill and definitely a headwind but Northbound was great. I was flying and feeling really good. The kind of good you just want to holler and so I did. Nobody around to hear the weird guy hoot 'n hollering in his Lonestar Beer cycling jersey. At the end of the ride I tossed the bike into the back of the blazer, ever so gently, slipped on the running shoes and did a 1 mile run to get used to the run after bike feeling. Man that is such a strange feeling.
Loaded up and headed to Barton Springs for a 1/2 mile swim in some frigid water. I am still getting used to the "openness" of open water swimming. It wasn't too crowded so luckily my half-assed sighting tecnique kep me from at least running into the wall. I will admit I did get a little freaked out when skimming over all those under water plants but I was able to calm myself down and finish. I got home and forced myself to do a 30 minute core routine. It was like the cliff note version of the one from Jack and Adams.
I rushed down to the Dog park so Oskar could get some play time in and boy he sure needed it. A quick nap and now off to work. Tomorrow is an easy 4 miler on the trail with Tony, Oskar and hopefully Mark and Amy as well. I can only imagine that I will probably sneak a quick swim or better yet some technique training on the bicycle trainer followed by some barking springs with Oskar.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
At the Beach
I have been down in Port Aransas for some R and R with the parents for the past few days but I did bring my goggles, running shoes and Oskar. I also brought other clothes and Oskar food and you know what, let us not turn this blog into an itemized account of my comings and goings.
So my plan was to get 3 days worth of beach running and open water swim practice. I actually got one nice 5 mile beach sunrise run on on Monday morning with Oskar. It was the kind of run where you did not see a soul, you do not take the ipod and you cool off at the end with a dip in the tepid Gulf of Mexico water. It was fantastic. The swim on the other hand was quite educational. My mother escorted me to the water and promised she would come in and save me if I started drowning but just to be on the safe side I swam in between the breaking waves where I knew I could touch. I thought it would be best to swim perpendicular to the beach as opposed to an out and back route. I did an easy 10 minute pace and stopped for some water to rinse the brine out of my mouth. Love the Gulf waters. Between the salt water, crashing waves, and the exfoliating seaweed I learned a valuable lesson for open water swimming. I began to understand the power to ignore. Ignore the current but stay on track. Ignore the salinity level of the water but don't swallow it. Ignore the seaweed when you run into it at as long as it's just seaweed. Right before I jumped in my mom assured me that she had baking soda in the R.V. if I encountered any Jellyfish. Thank you mother. After my easy 10 minutes I went back out for some sprint repeats, tired myself out and called it a day.
Oskar loved the beach also. All of the dry seaweed, fish bones, and fetid material that washes up on shore is his favorite. But he does pose nicely for pictures.
So my plan was to get 3 days worth of beach running and open water swim practice. I actually got one nice 5 mile beach sunrise run on on Monday morning with Oskar. It was the kind of run where you did not see a soul, you do not take the ipod and you cool off at the end with a dip in the tepid Gulf of Mexico water. It was fantastic. The swim on the other hand was quite educational. My mother escorted me to the water and promised she would come in and save me if I started drowning but just to be on the safe side I swam in between the breaking waves where I knew I could touch. I thought it would be best to swim perpendicular to the beach as opposed to an out and back route. I did an easy 10 minute pace and stopped for some water to rinse the brine out of my mouth. Love the Gulf waters. Between the salt water, crashing waves, and the exfoliating seaweed I learned a valuable lesson for open water swimming. I began to understand the power to ignore. Ignore the current but stay on track. Ignore the salinity level of the water but don't swallow it. Ignore the seaweed when you run into it at as long as it's just seaweed. Right before I jumped in my mom assured me that she had baking soda in the R.V. if I encountered any Jellyfish. Thank you mother. After my easy 10 minutes I went back out for some sprint repeats, tired myself out and called it a day.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Rain Run
Got woken up at 5 am for a 6 o'clock run by the roommate.
Steve: Colin?
Me: ...yeah...
Steve: It's 5 o'clock
Me: Ok
Steve: And it's raining.
Me: Crap
Early morning runs are tough because I work late at nights but when you add in the fact that it is going to start during the tail end of a rainstorm it is nearly impossible to get out of bed. I needed to run 12 miles today and I might have done it on my own but who are we kidding. After what seemed like a 100 years war in my head debating the merits of getting up and just going versus falling back to sleep I dragged my butt out of bed and into the kitchen for that first cup of coffee. I am glad I did.
I won't lie, running is a tough start with it raining. I started dry and it made the first 10 minutes annoying as I was leaping over puddles and trying to keep my feet from getting soaked. Just get them wet already. I ran with Mark for the duration which was great because I got to catch him up on all of my triathlon race stories and plans. The down side of running with Mark is his famous "One Step." Mark runs next to you about one step ahead and it makes you want to speed up. If you do, then his natural running spot is still one step ahead. So he stays one step up and the whole time you are slowly speeding up. Mark doesn't really notice this because he has tremendous endurance and speed but the unlucky fool running with him, which today was me, ends up going way to fast. Lucky for me I caught on by the first water stop and asked to reel in the pace a bit and that I wasn't going to fall for the old "One Step" move again. After that the first half was a comfortable pace but we picked it up for the last 6 miles and especially the last 3. SSSHHH do not tell Amy. I saw a lot of old friends and picked up another pair of Nike Free's to wear to work, some running, and my everyday shoe. Thank you Rogue Running for the discount.
Tomorrow I am heading down to Port Aransas to visit with my parents who have the R.V. parked there for the week. Oskar and I are planning on doing some open water swim practice together. Speaking of Oskar look where he is sleeping in this latest picture. Quite the fearless pup.
Steve: Colin?
Me: ...yeah...
Steve: It's 5 o'clock
Me: Ok
Steve: And it's raining.
Me: Crap
Early morning runs are tough because I work late at nights but when you add in the fact that it is going to start during the tail end of a rainstorm it is nearly impossible to get out of bed. I needed to run 12 miles today and I might have done it on my own but who are we kidding. After what seemed like a 100 years war in my head debating the merits of getting up and just going versus falling back to sleep I dragged my butt out of bed and into the kitchen for that first cup of coffee. I am glad I did.
I won't lie, running is a tough start with it raining. I started dry and it made the first 10 minutes annoying as I was leaping over puddles and trying to keep my feet from getting soaked. Just get them wet already. I ran with Mark for the duration which was great because I got to catch him up on all of my triathlon race stories and plans. The down side of running with Mark is his famous "One Step." Mark runs next to you about one step ahead and it makes you want to speed up. If you do, then his natural running spot is still one step ahead. So he stays one step up and the whole time you are slowly speeding up. Mark doesn't really notice this because he has tremendous endurance and speed but the unlucky fool running with him, which today was me, ends up going way to fast. Lucky for me I caught on by the first water stop and asked to reel in the pace a bit and that I wasn't going to fall for the old "One Step" move again. After that the first half was a comfortable pace but we picked it up for the last 6 miles and especially the last 3. SSSHHH do not tell Amy. I saw a lot of old friends and picked up another pair of Nike Free's to wear to work, some running, and my everyday shoe. Thank you Rogue Running for the discount.
Tomorrow I am heading down to Port Aransas to visit with my parents who have the R.V. parked there for the week. Oskar and I are planning on doing some open water swim practice together. Speaking of Oskar look where he is sleeping in this latest picture. Quite the fearless pup.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Quick Post
The thunderstorms in this area forced my long ride indoors. I was only able to get an hour on the trainer before I couldn't take it anymore. Although watching Star Wars at full volume when the rebels attack the Death Star is quite fun while on the bike. Yep, I am a big old dork. Tomorrow is a 12 mile run with Rogue in the early morning followed by an open water swim at Walter E. Long park.
Oskar did get to go hiking with me this morning out at Walnut Creek Trail. We managed to find a very secluded part of the creek but all that amounted to was finding very low water levels with the most disgusting things growing in it. At which point Oskar wanted to dive and roll around in it. Love that Oskar.
Oskar did get to go hiking with me this morning out at Walnut Creek Trail. We managed to find a very secluded part of the creek but all that amounted to was finding very low water levels with the most disgusting things growing in it. At which point Oskar wanted to dive and roll around in it. Love that Oskar.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
The Unbearable heaviness of bricks
I am starting to understand that the "brick" workout may be the secret ingredient to any success I may achieve. So far it has been the most difficult workout I have done and I think it's rewards will be invaluable as my races become harder. But Holy Hand Grenade they are very difficult.
So as you may or may not have guessed I have just completed a brick. So as far as I know a brick is basically ride your bike then run. Once again rinse and repeat. There is a logistical aspect to planning this workout that proves a little tricky when doing it by yourself. What to do with your stuff when you are cycling and running. I have a track down the street from my house where I can lock up my bike. I can time myself more accurately on the track while keeping an eye on my bike. My running shoes are the Nike Free's which are very light and can fit in the back pockets of my cycling jersey. I mapped out a hilly 3.5 mile loop around the track and rode my bike with my running shoes sticking halfway out of my shirt praying they didn't fall out. As soon as my loop was done I quickly locked my bike up and put on my shoes and ran a mile on the track at 5k pace which for me is 7 minute miles. Well I was trying to maintain a 5k pace but I fell short by about 10-15 seconds. After the mile I fully recovered before starting another bike loop. I did three of these and the last two laps of the last mile were quite taxing to say the least. What I am trying to do is to teach my body to push out the lactic acid buildup in my legs while still maintaining a strong running pace. Now that I think about it where does all this lactic acid go while we are running? I never thought about that before.
After the brick I took Oskar to the park for a bit before I did a nice and easy 3/4 mile swim at Big Stacy. I was done after all of that. DONE. I ate a slept for the rest of the afternoon.
Today was an early morning run with my friend Tony on the trail, and Oskar, for about 4 miles. Oskar got to play in the park before we ran so he could get all of his craziness out of his system. He needed a pre-workout before our workout. I am slowly coming to the conclusion that he will never get the craziness out of him and I kind of dig that.
So I still need to do an extensive core workout, weight training and tire flips before this day is done..
So as you may or may not have guessed I have just completed a brick. So as far as I know a brick is basically ride your bike then run. Once again rinse and repeat. There is a logistical aspect to planning this workout that proves a little tricky when doing it by yourself. What to do with your stuff when you are cycling and running. I have a track down the street from my house where I can lock up my bike. I can time myself more accurately on the track while keeping an eye on my bike. My running shoes are the Nike Free's which are very light and can fit in the back pockets of my cycling jersey. I mapped out a hilly 3.5 mile loop around the track and rode my bike with my running shoes sticking halfway out of my shirt praying they didn't fall out. As soon as my loop was done I quickly locked my bike up and put on my shoes and ran a mile on the track at 5k pace which for me is 7 minute miles. Well I was trying to maintain a 5k pace but I fell short by about 10-15 seconds. After the mile I fully recovered before starting another bike loop. I did three of these and the last two laps of the last mile were quite taxing to say the least. What I am trying to do is to teach my body to push out the lactic acid buildup in my legs while still maintaining a strong running pace. Now that I think about it where does all this lactic acid go while we are running? I never thought about that before.
After the brick I took Oskar to the park for a bit before I did a nice and easy 3/4 mile swim at Big Stacy. I was done after all of that. DONE. I ate a slept for the rest of the afternoon.
Today was an early morning run with my friend Tony on the trail, and Oskar, for about 4 miles. Oskar got to play in the park before we ran so he could get all of his craziness out of his system. He needed a pre-workout before our workout. I am slowly coming to the conclusion that he will never get the craziness out of him and I kind of dig that.
So I still need to do an extensive core workout, weight training and tire flips before this day is done..
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Catching Up
I feel recovered from my race so this week is the beginning of my three week "build" phase. On Monday I met some of my running friends for the Heidi Loop. I am pretty sure it was named after my friend Heidi who just happened to be running with us but I failed to ask the back story on it. Oskar was with us and we got in an easy 5 mile run with a couple of hills. Later on I went to the Jack and Adams core class and it is always a humbling experience when towards the end of the hour of torturous training you are trying to hold your legs up and straight and they are shaking like leaves on a tree...in a tornadoe and the two girls next to you are chit chatting away with each other with seemingly no effort put in on their part. After the core class I met my buddy Craig for some swim practice at Big Stacy. I bought a kickboard to work on my...you guessed it...kick. I have no kick power whatsoever and I struggled to make it one length of the pool. It was very frustrating. I figure if I can improve my kick then that will help me get out in front during the swim portion of the tri and I can get some distance on the guys who a little slower than I want to go. I finished the swim with some easy laps mixed in with some drills.
That was Monday. On Tuesday I woke up and went back to the pool with my good friend Barton for some help with my stroke and more importantly my kick. He got me doing various drills with and without the kickboard, trying to focus on my hips and leg orientation in the water. I noticed some immediate improvements with my kick efficiency. Now all I have to do is build on that for the next 5 months. We finished with sprints at maximum pace, or what Craig calls, "Throw Up Speed," followed by a full recovery for the interval. I got out of the water ate, rested and then got on the trainer for some bike technique training. I spun with one leg for 30 seconds, then the other and then both for a minute. This helps you learn a smooth turnover for a more efficient pedal stroke. With just thirty minutes done on the bike I hopped off and finished with weight training (lunges, curls and arm raises) followed by 80 tire flips. Yep, I was finished for sure.
Currently as I am typing I am noticing the morning slipping away and I got go and get my brick workout on.
Thanks for reading.
Oskar says, "Ruff ruff..bark bark"
That was Monday. On Tuesday I woke up and went back to the pool with my good friend Barton for some help with my stroke and more importantly my kick. He got me doing various drills with and without the kickboard, trying to focus on my hips and leg orientation in the water. I noticed some immediate improvements with my kick efficiency. Now all I have to do is build on that for the next 5 months. We finished with sprints at maximum pace, or what Craig calls, "Throw Up Speed," followed by a full recovery for the interval. I got out of the water ate, rested and then got on the trainer for some bike technique training. I spun with one leg for 30 seconds, then the other and then both for a minute. This helps you learn a smooth turnover for a more efficient pedal stroke. With just thirty minutes done on the bike I hopped off and finished with weight training (lunges, curls and arm raises) followed by 80 tire flips. Yep, I was finished for sure.
Currently as I am typing I am noticing the morning slipping away and I got go and get my brick workout on.
Thanks for reading.
Oskar says, "Ruff ruff..bark bark"
Monday, May 10, 2010
Race Day Report From the Rookie
Total Time 58:59
300M swim: 7:23
11.2 mile bike: 33:25
2 mile run: 14:52
Jelly (on left) and Kelly. Both came out to cheer us all on.
Me and Craig who was indispensable with race info.
So I wake up at 4 am to leave by 5 am for a 6 am race check in and an 8:06 am race start time. Quite an early day on Sunday. Got up chugged some coffee, ate some granola packed the car and hit the road. The race was at the Texas Ski ranch. It was cloudy, little to no wind and temps about 67 degrees with water temp at about 77 degrees. It was raining off and on for the whole drive down there.
I was pretty anxious about everything leading up to the race. I was obsessing about all the details from where to put all of my numbers to fixating on the upcoming swim. Everything turned out great in the end. I got there right when the transition area opened and the line to get in wasn't too bad. You had to get your body marked with a black waterproof marker. The put your race number on both your arms and the front of both your thighs and write your age on your left calf. For some reason the girl marking me wanted me to pull up already short tri shorts a little higher to mark my legs. So in order to see my numbers I had to hike up the shorts just a little more than normal. I got into the transition area after that and found my assigned rack based on my age group. I got a pretty good spot which was the second bike from the end off the main aisle. Spread out my towel to lay out my shoes, race belt and helmet. Right about then my friend Craig found me and we toured the transition area to try to figure out where the swim exit, bike exit and entrance and run exits all were located. Then we had about and hour to kill till the race started.
By this time my roommate Steven, Kelly and Jelly showed up. We chatted about some details like where they might want to post up to get the best vantage point of the goings on. Soon after the National anthem started and they called all the age group divisions to the swim start area. This is right about when everything started to speed up and get a little crazy. The race announcer was jamming some tunes and getting the crowd pumped up like some sort of rock concert. Later on my friend Jenn said the atmosphere of the music, water and everyone in swimsuits seemed more like a spring break party instead of a race start. All that was missing was beer bongs and a bikini contest. Steven pointed out Mike Rosenthal who is a former NFL football player who was in my division and told me he was the only one I needed to beat. I thought no problem. This guy is huge and can't possibly be able to race.
The first two groups were off and my group waded into the water. The look on the faces of the guys around me confirmed my suspicions. Everybody was just as anxious as me which made me feel a lot better. Countdown from 10, 9, 8....3, 2, 1, GO!!!! I dove in and started swimming. I immediately felt the drag from my race shirt and thought that next time I'll probably swim shirtless. A few strokes in and although my energy level was through the roof I wasn't panicked by swimming in a group and in open dark and murky water. I was just frustrated that every other stroke I was running into somebody. Next time I think I will start near the front and make the faster guys go around me. I rounded the buoy and started to pass people in other colored swim caps. I was catching up to the stragglers in the group in front of me. I got out of the water with no problems and jogged through to the first transition area. I wasn't wobbly or off balance like I thought I would be and I even passed 3 or 4 guys going into the transition. It was at this point I could hear the voices of some of my friends cheering which put a huge smile in my face. Thank You Jenn!!!
My transition was about a minute slower than the guys in the lead and I almost made a huge mistake when I tried to lean on my bike to put on my shoes. Yes, I almost knocked over an entire rack of bikes. I dropped my cap and goggles, put on my helmet, bike shoes and race belt and jogged it to the bike exit. I ran another 10 yards pass the cluster*&%! of a bunch of guys trying to clip into their bikes. Everything was still happening very fast and all I could think was I needed to get as much distance from the bike start as possible.
I immediately started pedaling and passing people left and right. I dropped down into the aero position and just started racing. I quickly passed Mike Rosenthal and thought, I probably don't have to race him any more. I couldn't believe how good I felt on the bike and it wasn't until about mile 6 that the race experience started to slow down. My pace didn't slow down but my heart rate finally leveled out and I could start to think clearly. The first thing I thought was I was thirsty and needed water bad. Every time I reached for a drink the guy that was behind me was kept catching up so I need to find a more efficient way of hydrating. The bike course was 11.2 miles mostly flat with just a couple of short climbs and a few sharp turns. This was probably my favorite part of the race and it definitely helped me build confidence. I got to the end of the course and heard my friends cheering me on again at the bike finish. I clipped out of the bike and slipped a little as I was dismounting. I ran down my row but realized I was on the wrong side. Oh well. I also realized there were only a few bikes on the rack so I knew I was doing pretty good.
I slipped on my Nike Free's, dropped my helmet and ran out of there as fast as my cement laden legs would take me. I knew the run off the bike was going to be hard but oh man was I tired. I felt like I was crawling but I still was maintaining a 7:26 pace. I just felt like I couldn't catch my breath. It was a 2 mile run and the first mile was slightly uphill with a mild head wind. It felt like the most intense monumental effort to just put one foot in front of the other. I hit the first mile marker and thought, really?, mile 1 is that all? Uggghh. I pushed through and by mile 1.5 I started to feel like I was in my groove and hit my stride. We ran around the lake that we swam in and on the last curve before the final push to the finish a guy from my group passed me and I told him, "Good Job" but was actually thinking I'm sooo about to pass you. With about 50 yards to go I kicked in my final gear and past that same guy plus another dude ahead of him finishing with nothing left in the tank. I crossed the finish line in the sand bent over to catch my breath. I thought, This is it. This is my race and my moment. I walked back to cheer on my friends who were still fininshing and yelled out< "Go Mike" when Rosenthal crossed the finish line. He did pretty good too. My friend Craig had a great race and he beat his time from the last time he raced it.
Thank you to all of my friends who came out to cheer me on and those who train with me and help me with everything from training tips, transition bag, aero bars, timing chip holders and motivation for doing all of this. Next race is the Couples Tri on July 11th and I am racing that with my brother Michael.
300M swim: 7:23
11.2 mile bike: 33:25
2 mile run: 14:52
Jelly (on left) and Kelly. Both came out to cheer us all on.
Me and Craig who was indispensable with race info.
So I wake up at 4 am to leave by 5 am for a 6 am race check in and an 8:06 am race start time. Quite an early day on Sunday. Got up chugged some coffee, ate some granola packed the car and hit the road. The race was at the Texas Ski ranch. It was cloudy, little to no wind and temps about 67 degrees with water temp at about 77 degrees. It was raining off and on for the whole drive down there.
I was pretty anxious about everything leading up to the race. I was obsessing about all the details from where to put all of my numbers to fixating on the upcoming swim. Everything turned out great in the end. I got there right when the transition area opened and the line to get in wasn't too bad. You had to get your body marked with a black waterproof marker. The put your race number on both your arms and the front of both your thighs and write your age on your left calf. For some reason the girl marking me wanted me to pull up already short tri shorts a little higher to mark my legs. So in order to see my numbers I had to hike up the shorts just a little more than normal. I got into the transition area after that and found my assigned rack based on my age group. I got a pretty good spot which was the second bike from the end off the main aisle. Spread out my towel to lay out my shoes, race belt and helmet. Right about then my friend Craig found me and we toured the transition area to try to figure out where the swim exit, bike exit and entrance and run exits all were located. Then we had about and hour to kill till the race started.
By this time my roommate Steven, Kelly and Jelly showed up. We chatted about some details like where they might want to post up to get the best vantage point of the goings on. Soon after the National anthem started and they called all the age group divisions to the swim start area. This is right about when everything started to speed up and get a little crazy. The race announcer was jamming some tunes and getting the crowd pumped up like some sort of rock concert. Later on my friend Jenn said the atmosphere of the music, water and everyone in swimsuits seemed more like a spring break party instead of a race start. All that was missing was beer bongs and a bikini contest. Steven pointed out Mike Rosenthal who is a former NFL football player who was in my division and told me he was the only one I needed to beat. I thought no problem. This guy is huge and can't possibly be able to race.
The first two groups were off and my group waded into the water. The look on the faces of the guys around me confirmed my suspicions. Everybody was just as anxious as me which made me feel a lot better. Countdown from 10, 9, 8....3, 2, 1, GO!!!! I dove in and started swimming. I immediately felt the drag from my race shirt and thought that next time I'll probably swim shirtless. A few strokes in and although my energy level was through the roof I wasn't panicked by swimming in a group and in open dark and murky water. I was just frustrated that every other stroke I was running into somebody. Next time I think I will start near the front and make the faster guys go around me. I rounded the buoy and started to pass people in other colored swim caps. I was catching up to the stragglers in the group in front of me. I got out of the water with no problems and jogged through to the first transition area. I wasn't wobbly or off balance like I thought I would be and I even passed 3 or 4 guys going into the transition. It was at this point I could hear the voices of some of my friends cheering which put a huge smile in my face. Thank You Jenn!!!
My transition was about a minute slower than the guys in the lead and I almost made a huge mistake when I tried to lean on my bike to put on my shoes. Yes, I almost knocked over an entire rack of bikes. I dropped my cap and goggles, put on my helmet, bike shoes and race belt and jogged it to the bike exit. I ran another 10 yards pass the cluster*&%! of a bunch of guys trying to clip into their bikes. Everything was still happening very fast and all I could think was I needed to get as much distance from the bike start as possible.
I immediately started pedaling and passing people left and right. I dropped down into the aero position and just started racing. I quickly passed Mike Rosenthal and thought, I probably don't have to race him any more. I couldn't believe how good I felt on the bike and it wasn't until about mile 6 that the race experience started to slow down. My pace didn't slow down but my heart rate finally leveled out and I could start to think clearly. The first thing I thought was I was thirsty and needed water bad. Every time I reached for a drink the guy that was behind me was kept catching up so I need to find a more efficient way of hydrating. The bike course was 11.2 miles mostly flat with just a couple of short climbs and a few sharp turns. This was probably my favorite part of the race and it definitely helped me build confidence. I got to the end of the course and heard my friends cheering me on again at the bike finish. I clipped out of the bike and slipped a little as I was dismounting. I ran down my row but realized I was on the wrong side. Oh well. I also realized there were only a few bikes on the rack so I knew I was doing pretty good.
I slipped on my Nike Free's, dropped my helmet and ran out of there as fast as my cement laden legs would take me. I knew the run off the bike was going to be hard but oh man was I tired. I felt like I was crawling but I still was maintaining a 7:26 pace. I just felt like I couldn't catch my breath. It was a 2 mile run and the first mile was slightly uphill with a mild head wind. It felt like the most intense monumental effort to just put one foot in front of the other. I hit the first mile marker and thought, really?, mile 1 is that all? Uggghh. I pushed through and by mile 1.5 I started to feel like I was in my groove and hit my stride. We ran around the lake that we swam in and on the last curve before the final push to the finish a guy from my group passed me and I told him, "Good Job" but was actually thinking I'm sooo about to pass you. With about 50 yards to go I kicked in my final gear and past that same guy plus another dude ahead of him finishing with nothing left in the tank. I crossed the finish line in the sand bent over to catch my breath. I thought, This is it. This is my race and my moment. I walked back to cheer on my friends who were still fininshing and yelled out< "Go Mike" when Rosenthal crossed the finish line. He did pretty good too. My friend Craig had a great race and he beat his time from the last time he raced it.
Thank you to all of my friends who came out to cheer me on and those who train with me and help me with everything from training tips, transition bag, aero bars, timing chip holders and motivation for doing all of this. Next race is the Couples Tri on July 11th and I am racing that with my brother Michael.
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