Race report: I Didn't Sink!

Timberman is now in the books. This was my first Oly/International course, and I think that it was the most enjoyable race I have had yet.

Pre-race: This was kind of a mess. It had been raining in the morning so the course and transition were really wet. By the time we got our race packs and body markings done I was running out of time for a good warm up. I managed to cram in a short run on the golf course and a quick spin on the bike. Now the bathroom problem. I had about ten minutes before my wave was going to start and I had to go, now. Problem was the extreme lines for all the porta pots out side. So, off I went into the woods in a dead sprint. Now, can I get into my wetsuit before the start?

Swim: Made it into my suit managing to put yet another small hole in the leg in the wiggle process. Now the fear started to set in. As I looked out at the last buoy and turn around point, trying not to think about the waves that I would have to fight on the way out, I wondered if I was going to be able to finish the swim. Good news, I started swimming and it felt easy. It was by no means fast, but I felt good the entire way. I did however, drink a lot of water due to the choppy conditions. By far the most enjoyable open water swim I have ever had. No panic feeling or shortness of breath. I came out of the water with a smile and didn't feel like I was going to pass out. After looking at my time, the swim course is short for sure.
Swim: 1500 meters 23:21 1:20/100

T1: 1:36 I had a major fight with my wet suit today. Got stuck on both ankles. It felt like a Chinese finger trap for my feet.

Bike: I just wanted to build into the bike and maintain the same pace and heart rate that I am planning for the Steelhead 70.3 in August. It worked out great. The first and easier of the two laps was done before I knew it. The second lap had some great hills and a brutal false flat. I was spinning up at about 11mph. Feel the burn!!! The entire ride felt comfortable. I like this whole thing with using a race as a long training day, and not racing the clock or other people. It hurts a lot less.
Bike: 24 miles 1:06:27 21.7 mph

T2: :54secs. This really should have been much faster but I forgot a gel and went back for it. Oops!

Run: I have now learned that just because I can run without socks in training does not mean that I can race without socks when I am going to be dumping water over my head. The run was a nice comfortable pace, I didn't push at all. I just maintained my half iron heart rate and cruised through it. Bad news is that having wet feet and no socks absolutely ruined my feet. Oh well, live an learn. I was going to take some pictures and post them, but I think people got enough bad feet on Tri-Geek Dreams. I will spare you my ruined feet.
Run: 6mile 43:14 7:13/mile

Total: 2:15:30

This was by far my most enjoyable Tri yet. It felt really good to be fresh the entire race. Other than my fear of the swim, which is now gone, the idea of 70.3 pacing vs. full on racing really helped keep my race day stress level down. I think that I will try to use more races like this in the future for training and experience. It is really fun to go and race until you drop some times, but it is also really nice to enjoy the entire race without the extra pain and suffering. This race has also given me a lot more confidence in my preparation for the 70.3. I will be ready.

ZURICH, ZURICH, ZURICH