This morning began at 4:50 am. By 5:00 I was eating oatmeal and peanut butter crackers. Had to get my calories in. We stopped off at McDonald's for Lauren to get coffee and a biscuit. Oh, coffee. Here's a story. We were staying at the Econo Lodge in Scottsboro. It didn't seem to be the nicest of hotels from the outside, so just on a whim I checked with Nell at the front desk to make sure they had coffee in the room. She said they didn't, but she lent us a coffee maker and coffee. Lauren about fell out of the car when she saw me returning to the car with a coffee maker under my arm. Well, we didn't have cream or sugar with us, so we didn't bother with making coffee that morning. We're kinda coffee snobs any way.
So, after McDonald's we made our way over to the race which was being held in Goose Pond Colony. There were just over 400 participants and I was scheduled to start 26th. They do a pier start, which means you have to jump from a pier, while keeping your googles on your face and making sure you get moving so the person behind you doesn't land on top of you. We went off two at time, which I didn't like. The water got crowded quickly. I couldn't get into a rhythm and soon found myself sucking wind. I finished the swim portion about a minute over what I'd hoped for. I forced a few good thoughts into my head on the way to my bike. It worked. I felt great on the bike. I was worried because due to my traveling, I hadn't touched my bike in two weeks. I was soaring on the bike until we turned onto a side road, which is at best a paved gravel road. I felt every bump. Everyone suffered. The bumpy road brought everyone to a halt. It was awful. I was barely able to keep my speed over 15 mph. I don't think I lost my place with anyone, because I was still passing more than I was getting passed. I was able to finish strong once I made it back onto a smoother road and completed the bike leg about where I expected. In all, except for spilling a GU packet on myself, I was happy with my bike. The run was just a 5K. I handled it well. Had good energy and felt like I ran a good leg. My total time was unofficially 1:12:20. We'll see where I placed among the other participants once they post the results.
This was the last race of the season for me. Well, it's the last Tri anyway. Kinda sad about that, but looking forward to running a few races and training for the Mercedes 1/2 Marathon in February. Special thanks to my wife Lauren who supported me and followed me around to all my races. I love you and am so glad you're my wife and best friend.
1 comment:
Hey Matt, thanks for your comment. The water was warm, but I like the bouyany of a wet suit. Man your bike route sounds like bad organizors. I wear contacts so I've stayed away from tris that start by jumping in like that. Great overall time, you should be towards the top!
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