I will survive...

So the bike course turned out to be rougher than I expected. The top pro went just under 2:50, and few broke 3:00. My first lap was great, at 1:35 and I felt I could have turned in a 1:40...but my hip flexors and hamstrings started acting up quick on the first lap. I lost my gel at mile 12 and there was only one aid station, so I knew it'd be a long day.

The swim went pretty well. My googles were fogged from the start and I forgot to start my watch. It was a TT start with two people going at a time, so I didn't have feet to hop on. I took the first lap easy. Second lap, I stopped and cleared my googles but found I was a good 20 yards off course. I hit the second bouy and decided to bridge to a group. I felt great and made it about half way, making me feel much better for the 2.4 mile swim. My Xterra Vortex 3 was great. I was a little concerned that the size may be too big, but I have issues with tight wetsuits. I had no problems with water getting in and floated to a 33:00 swim to the dock.

Back to the bike...it was awful. I spent way too much time in my 34/27, or bombing hills trying to stretch. I kept expecting to see the elites/pro flying in the other direction, but they weren't gaining too much time. The second lap was miserable, and I really wanted to DNF, but just chugged along. I got into T2 and ran the first mile with the winner, but took it a little too fast (6:30). I hit a bathroom at mile 2, then just relaxed and settled in. I did negative split the second half, and passed a handful of people. I finished under 5:45, which was killer since the pro went 4:47 and an elite went 4:59.

I knew I did decent, since three in my AG were elites and I didn't see anyone pass me. My dad and I waited around for a few hours for results, but they were running into issues. They were posting "results" that were not official, and a few people were claiming first place awards who weren't even near the top...oh well!

Taking it in stride

I've got a 70.3 this weekend in Morgantown, WV. I was kinda psyched for the race a few months ago, but now am just viewing it as a good training day. I wanted to do a 70+ mile ride last Saturday, but seven miles in I slashed my rear tire and messed up my rim. Lauren picked me up, then I went home and did a solid 2 hr effort on the CT/eagleman course with a brick 1 mile run after (6:40 pace).

I had no motivation this week, so I just took it easy. My body is ready for the rest after the race, I seem to do well taking some time off during training. Last year, I had about 8 days off with my trip to the UK, and came back with a solid final month of training.

The course for Morgantown has changed again. There is now over 3,200 feet of climbing...it will be killer but good. If I can even get under 5:10, I'll be psyched. I'm excited to see how my run turns out. I did a 7.8 mile tempo run through killer hills last Sunday at a 7 minute mile pace and felt good.

Crunch Time

Even though the race is 3 months out, it's getting to crunch time for me. We've got about 7 weeks till the little guy will make his first appearance. Basing off that, I'll have about 7-10 weekends to get long workouts in. Should be interesting and I foresee a ton of computrainer workouts, but I'm psyched.

RD emailed about the Morgantown half - they had to change the bike course. Oh Well, better finding out now versus race day.

finding my running legs

Sunday was the Mason-Dixon (Pinchot) sprint tri. This was the first race I ever did in 08, and was the second time my Uncle Greg came in to do it. He had to do the dualthon b/c of a surfing injury, but that was an advantage for him.

I was psyched to test out my Kiwami Konami and my Xterra Vortex 3 wetsuit. The konami fit like a glove, but wasn't restrictive. I usually get to the run and am really hot, but was suprised that I didn't need to unzip due to the heat or feeling restricted. I was in between sizes of the vortex 3, but went with a medium since I'm doing longer races. It was great, even though it was a tad loose. I actually like the wetsuit like that since I'm prone to cramping.

I was out of the water 8th overall, but did a casual swim. Had I been aggressive at the start, I could have been out with the leaders. The bike was ok...I need to get out and do more TT's, and I didn't have enough low gears for the downhill, but after the first lap I wanted to turn in a good run. So I backed off a bit and rode smarter. I got through T2 quick and felt great on the run. I had a minor twinge in my calves, but after .5 miles I knew I could open it up. I was biking alone most of the time, and had no idea where anyone was on the run. I passed some relays/duathletes, but kept chugging along. The miles weren't marked, so I didn't know I was cruising till I was almost done. I hit the clock just under 1:27 but didn't have my race belt so it took time to register my number. I turned in the fourth fastest run, just under 18 minutes. My legs felt great and I was happy to find my running legs.

I've got 2.5 weeks of hard training before the Morgantown half. I plan on a 70+ mile ride Saturday and then a 11.5 mile run Sunday. The following weekend will be more of the same, then I'll do a 3 day taper before the race.

July I'm up in the air about the Harrisburg sprint...if Morgantown goes well and I recover, I may do it. But if not, I'll get long distances in then. My goal is to get 4 rides over 100 miles, and 3 runs of 16-18 miles in before Chesapeakeman.