I went into this race very excited to post some fast bike and run times on a flat course. What I conveniently put out of mind is how tough it is to go all out under tough conditions. Turns out the dreams I had of 6:30 mile splits were just that...dreams.
I was able to snag a room at a hotel that is literally on the race site which was unbelievably convenient. Having your own private bathroom prior to a race is a sweet luxury.
The swim was interesting as this was the first time I've swam in salt water and significant current. The race organizers changed the course the morning of the race in order to help us out. After the first turn buoy I actually settled in to a groove, but damn, it seemed like it took forever to reach the turnaround. On the way back I veered way off course because I mistakenly sighted off the yellow paddle of a kayaker rather than the yellow turn buoy. Despite my slow time I was pleased with my swim in conditions I've never before faced.
My transition to the bike was a bit of a disaster. I elected not to do a bike warm-up and if I had I would have realized that my bike shoes were filled with dryer sheets (I use them to keep the stank out). So here I was in transition pulling dryer sheets out of my shoes. I'm an idiot.
Onto the bike and I found that this course isn't as flat as advertised. It seemed like I was either going slightly uphill or downhill the entire time. For whatever reason I had a persistent pain down the inside of my right leg. This happened during the first 10 miles of the Charleston HIM I did last year and it eventually went away, but it did a good job of sufficiently freaking me out. It wasn't until after the turnaround that I felt normal and I eventually passed two guys in my age group who passed me at the start.
On to the run and it quickly became a battle within myself of how fast can I run without melting in a heap on the side of the road.
It's been a pretty mild spring and summer so far in Southwest Virginia and Sunday was by far the hottest and most humid day of the year. It seemed that everyone was struggling so I just set my sights on the people in front of me, assuming all of them were in my age group, and did my best to catch them. Not too long after I crossed the finish line another competitor came across in really bad shape. He eventually had to be taken away in an ambulance, which was yet another reminded of the importance of hydration and pacing.
Results - 2:25:08
25/276 Overall
3/22 Age Group
Swim: 34:14 - 55/276, 4/22
T1: 1:58 - 95/276, 7/22
Bike: 1:03:39 - 22/276, 3/22
T2: 1:12 - 17/276, 1/22
Run: 43:57 - 19/276, 4/22
