Heart O' Dixie Triathlon

This weekend was the 28th Annual Heart O' Dixie Triathlon in Philadelphia, Miss. It's one of the oldest Tri's in America and may be the oldest race without any changes to the course. It's unique in that it's a point to point race starting in Louisville, Miss and ending at the Neshoba County Fairgrounds in Philadelphia, Miss. It's an Intermediate distance race set at .5 mile swim, 27.5 mile ride, and a 7 mile run.

This was the first triathlon that I competed in, but it's also the first race that I ever came really close to quitting. This is the fourth year that I've competed in this race so as I mentioned before, this has a bit of a homecoming feeling for me.


Race preparation started with proper nutrition as early as Monday of this past week. I wanted to be fueled properly and well hydrated. It's never a fun week, but it's worth it.

At 3:30 am on Saturday, I was up and eating my pre-race meal. On this morning it was oatmeal and a powerbar. I worked on a gatorade on the drive up to Louisville and cleared my head. We arrived just after 5. It'd rained the night before and lingering clouds kept the morning dark until just before 6. I scored a great rack spot for my bike and began my pre-race warm-up. Our bike to run transition bag was boxed up and shipped down the road 27.5 miles in Philly to await our arrival. I minimized my transition area down to bike, shoes, and a helmet. I didn't want any distractions.


The swim - at 6:30 the gun went off. I was #38 in line for the 5 second interval start. This type of start makes it so much easier to get into a rhythm without having to fight for position too much. From the start, I focused on not doing all the things I'd done wrong in my last open water swim. The biggest key to this swim for me was taking three strokes before I took a breath. When I get tired I tend to breathe on one side every other stroke. I end up going off course and wearing myself out. Prior to the race I went through a series of breathing drills to help expand my lungs. I'm a believer in this warm up routine, and it seems to help. As for this swim, everything went really well. I spotted well and stayed calm. Both are struggles for me. I made it out of the water in 14:37.


T1 - As I mentioned. I had a great bike rack, and I kept it simple. Fastest T time ever - 36 seconds.


The bike - here's what I'd been waiting on. The course consisted of rolling hills with a net loss of about 50 feet over the course. The hills on the course are loaded on the front half of the course when you are your strongest. I never pushed myself too hard, but kept my speed up just enough to hurt. I made sure to power down the hills, but I also forced myself to make up distance on whoever was in front of me on the climbs. It worked beautifully. I caught more than came near me throughout the ride. In the end, I surprised myself with a 23 mph average and a time of just under 1 hour and 12 minutes.

T2 - Probably the worst thing I did all day. I decided coming into transition that I would wear socks for the run. I just didn't know how my feet for the 7 mile run without them. I do it all the time, so I don't know why it was important to me at that moment to have them. This cost me 30 seconds. As I was making my move to leave, I knocked over my bike, twice. This cost me another 30 seconds. Luckily, a volunteer helped secure my bike for me, and I was off. A poor 1:27 transition time.


The Run - This run has always been a death march for me. I've notoriously lost it on this run. Walking has become a habit. It's hot and it's hilly. Last year I cramped up pretty bad and nearly pulled out, but went on to post a 1:13:04 time which is a 10:30 pace. This year I felt incredible. So I went with it. I started mowing the miles down. I couldn't believe they were going by so quickly. Could they be mismarked? I watched my splits and was shocked at the pace. At the end of the 7 miles, I had a big grin on my face and posted a 47:51 time. A 6:51 pace.

The last half mile of the run consists of a lap around the horse track at the Fairgrounds. After the rain the night before, the Southern red clay had become Southern red mud which caked my shoes until they felt like bricks. As I viewed the finish line, I could have been pulling the mule cart for all that I cared. I was ecstatic. I clapped my hands and fist pumped the air a few times in the final yards. Mission complete.

My total time was 2:16:30. A PR for this course by nearly 25 minutes. I finished 30th overall and 3rd in my A/G. A rare podium finish.
David Gottlieb, who rocked the course in his first time in the H.O.D., asked me the other night what my favorite race had been so far this year. I told him I didn't really have one. I can look back at a few races and see that I did well in some areas, but overall hadn't put a good race together until this one. Months of training and planning all came together at the Heart O' Dixie. I can honestly say that I enjoyed the entire race from start to finish. The race is run like a well oiled machine, and you can't beat the atmosphere the Neshoba County Fair brings. If you're in the area, put this one on your calendar for 08.


Also, a big congrats to those who made the trip from Birmingham. The top two males, the first and third female winners were all from Birmingham. At the end of the awards ceremony, thirteen athletes from Birmingham would finish on the podium. Look out Boulder, CO!