On Friday we spent some time looking at the course, going to the Hoover Damn, Pasta and Chicken and oh yes the pool and hot tub for the kids were Fridays highlights.
Saturday morning I awoke after a really good sleep and loaded up on 2 eggs and some turkey sausage. I packed shot blocks, hammer gel, perpetuem in 2 bottles, salt tabs and put on my Garmin for the first time in a race.
I was able to get racked in a good spot and settled into race mode for the 20 minutes before I had to start. I was able to see Eric B for the first time in over a year and was pleased to see him racing along with his friends and family. This was also a first for Anne and I since she was racing this day as well.
Everyone that was doing the 70.3 started the same wave (this is not common when you have more than one event running in the same day). I positioned myself in the middle and took a deep breath as the first line took a dive into the 59 degree water. 1.2 miles of swimming was ahead of me and I was pretty jazzed and ready for the day. I did not realize that the water was going to be so cold and it took me more time then I anticipated for my face to get numb and allow my body to relax and get into a smooth flow. The swim was good, I keep a really calm pace and was proud of the effort that I was giving knowing that I had a very long day ahead of me on a very, very hard course. I approached the finish feeling really good and made my way to T1 to get ready for the bike. There was a good steady climb out of T1 to the road and by the time that I made it to the top I was excited to be on my bike and ready to push a good steady pace. I had my watch on and wanted to maintain a HR under 165 for the first half of the bike. The climbs were good and I was able to get into a really steady groove. The bike course was an out and back so 22 miles into the ride I was able to see the leaders starting to head back. As I approached the turn-a-round I saw Steve, Anthony, Nicole H, Keith and Sonja and was able to give smiles and cheers to each of them. The lift that I got from that seems to help me and I love to see friends on the course. On the return of the bike around mile 45 I stared to get sore in my back, knees and arms. I had some things done to my bike last week and did not get much time dialing the fit in and paid the price on the last 25% of the bike course. The last few miles to the end felt good and I was able to get focused on the run.
T2 was quick and I was out and ready to attach 13.1 mile of running on a very, very hard course. Miles 1.3-3.6 were all up hill and it was not easy. I picked a pace after settling down and was cheered on by Andrea finishing up her race. Just past mile 1 I started to climb and slowed down to keep my HR below 175. I kept checking it every 500 yards and was doing good. The last bit was hard and I decided to walk the last 200 yards of the climb. Once on top we had a smooth run through tunnels overlooking Lake Mead and it was very pretty. I believe that we went through 5 tunnels and with the weather so hot it was a great rest from the sun. At mile 6 I started to feel burned out and spent some time walking to give my body a rest, I may have pushed too hard on the day and was now paying a price for that error. The good thing about mile 9-11 was it was all down hill, the bad thing was I was pretty spent and it did not seem to make me feel any better or allow me to go faster. I wanted to finish the day strong and be able to stay out of the med tent so I continued to take things slow, (that means walking again) for mile 12. PC friend Michelle and Beth jumped in the Tahoe and found me at this point and received a very sad I am fine and leave me alone I need to get into the finish and be done with the day.
That time came and the last bit of the race I ran in feeling good. I had friends, family and spectators cheering me in. Jackson and Josh ran through the shoot along with Preston and Logan West with me and the race came to an end. 6:10+ for the day and I have to say I was pretty pleased with what I was able to get done. The human body can get so worn down on race day but my soul seems to get a charge. I was not first, closer to last in my age group but feel motivated to keep exercising, pushing and getting ready for the next race. I look back a few days later and I already miss the thrill of racing and can't wait for the rush to come again.
Anne did very well in her race. She did not put her face in the water during the swim and decided to take a slow swim but be very aggressive on the bike and run. I have been told that she looked great and did a super job. She liked the race and is excited to work on getting over the fear of open water this summer. I love the fact that she is joining me on the journey side by side. Jackson and Josh both told me how excited they are for their races this summer and so I have to end saying that I am a pretty lucky, and a very happy man.
Big BOOOO YAAAAA
Love you Anne,
T
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