1st Race of 2009 . . .

First Race of the season.

 

T-Gator Du – A short 2 mile run 10 mile bike and 2 mile run.

 

It was brrrrrrr cold and OH SO - W-I-N-D-Y! 

 

My goal was sub 1:10.  Last year I completed this same race in 1:23.  I figured my run might be able to handle sub 10 minute miles and my bike could pull off a 23mph split.  The transitions are figured into the bike so my goal was to get in and out of each transition in about 1:30sec.

 

A friend I’ve made over the years loaned me gloves just as the run was about to begin, I think he noticed I was shivering.  His wife is a MONSTER racer.  She won her age group at Kona last year (Peggy Yetman).  Chris, Peggy and their children support all the local races and to watch her race is awesome.

 

I felt great on the first mile and decided to pick it up a bit, but I didn’t want to hurt my bike power so I pulled back a bit..  My surgery scar area was hurting but going numb quickly.

 

As I came into T-1 I took off the glows to get my cycling shoes on . . . those gloves wouldn’t go back on for the life of me!  Needless to say the bike was miserable with my hands completely freezing. 

 

On the way out the wind was pounding me from all directions – EXCEPT FROM BEHIND!!! (Whoa - that sounded bad!) – I was hammering and struggling to hold 20mph.  I came to the turn around and thought to myself that I couldn’t hold that level of exertion for much longer.

 

As I was making the turn I realized two things.  1.  It is a tight turn on a disc wheel.  I almost flew off the bike.  2.  The wind almost set me down too.

 

I wasn’t a half mile into the return on the out and back and I was pushing 29mph and not killing myself to do so . . . Holy crap! 

 

I moved past a couple fellow club members with my “woo hoo” and began picking up more speed.  At one point I was at a HR of 145ish and blowing by at 30mph.  The wind at my back was NICE.

 

I tried my first flying dismount in a race . . . I will be practicing more before I do that again.  Very close to a complete crash and burn.

 

I couldn’t tie my shoes in T-2!!!!!  My hands were a reddish purple!!!  I managed to get them tied, but it took a little bit.

 

I was off.  There were only about 5 or 6 bikes in transition when I came in – Those were the 5 minute mile runners from the first 2 miles and the mac daddy John Fell who I am sure will qualify for Kona soon.  www.fulltriathlonracing.blogspot.com

 

I was about a half mile into the second run when a few folks began to pass me and then the onslaught of those leaving me in the dust began at about mile one.

 

I came into the finish with a dude sprinting by me at the end, which sucked, but I finished 50^th out or 107 racers.  FOR ME THAT IS REMARKABLE!!

 

I finished in 1:05!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  18 minutes faster than last year and 5 minutes under my goal!

 

I was pretty much the slower of all the runners BUT I did do sub 9 minute average for the combined 4 miles!!!!

 

My bike spilt was the 11^th fastest out of the 107 racers (and considering I am pretty slow in transition I probably had a much faster time that what showed on paper – I know my split was 23.8mph on my garmin)

 

All in all I had a great day with good friends – Bryan and Jeff, while visiting with others I consider my tri friends, John, the Bear family, and the Yetman’s.

 

This is a great sport with GREAT people.

 

Next race – Opelousas Du March 28^th!