Bath Triathlon Race Report

I've often but disappointed that some of the pro triathletes that I follow don't post often enough of their websites or blogs. I now realize that despite how easy it may seem, oftentimes you just don't feel like doing it. That said, here is my race report from Bath.

Total Time: 1:12:22/6th out of 132 men/1st out of 12 in Age Group

750 Meter Swim: 12:46 - 10th overall - 1st AG
T1: 1:15 - 27th overall - 3rd AG
20K Bike: 37:12 - 13th overall - 3rd AG
T2: :38 - 7th overall - 1st AG
5K Run: 20:33 - 7th overall - 1st AG

Got up at 3:30AM (that's not a typo) for the long drive up to Bath on race day morning. Halfway through the drive I did my traditional coffee spill on my One-on-One Endurance shirt. That's three times now!

I warmed up with a short spin on the bike course and jog on the run course. My legs did not feel good at all, but I brushed it aside because I felt the same way last year. However, unlike last year my legs never came back to me.

The swim here is always great. The water is a comfortable temperature and there is no chop. It was barely wetsuit legal, which really didn't matter to me. I started close to the outside but made a conscious decision to go out hard for my first 20 strokes.

I have a tendency to swim the pace of those around me, so going hard at the start put me with some fast swimmers. I was able to keep up with them and drafted behind someone the entire way back in after the last buoy.

At the start of the bike course there is a pretty steep hill that you have to cross. I got over it fine but the rest of the out section is gradually uphill. It was here that my legs just felt dead. They missed the familiar pop that I've had in previous races. The crazy thing is that I didn't see anyone ahead or behind me until we got close to the turnaround. I was in third place (not exactly because the race starts in waves based on age) and I've never been in this position before during the bike leg.

I hammered the back section as best I could and made a pass for second place. WTH? My time was almost 2 minutes slower than last year. Bummer.

The run starts with a killer first half-mile uphill. My legs felt like jello here and I actually got passed. Humble brag, but I literally cannot remember the last time I got passed on the run course. After about a mile it seemed like my legs finally woke up a bit and I was able to pick up the pace.

I guess that I'm pleased with my overall performance. I had my best ever swim and I improved my run time. After talking with coach Jim we determined that my lack of pop on the bike might have been due to a new strength workout I've been doing. This sucker hurts:

http://triathlon.competitor.com/2013/05/training/one-hour-workout-functional-strength-work_76190

Needless to say I'll be going back to my old proven strength routine. Next up is the Colonial Beach International, a race I've never done before. I've never got a podium finish in an international distance event and I plan to change that in two weeks.