I finally will start posting a few pics from races. I'll eventually get some pics up from the training trip in May up at my cabin.
Starting the run
Getting off the bike
The Waconia tri is always a fun race since it is in my hometown and the competition is so fierce. This race is the MN qualifier for the Best of the US Amateur Championships. The top amateur triathlete will represent MN at nationals in September. We just got our new racing uniforms and it was nice to wear those for the first time. And Jeremy Sartain was nice enough to lend me his aero racing helmet for the weekend since mine is still backordered...For the fourth straight year, Brian Bich has grabbed the victory, but the race was a close one.
After sleeping in until 6, I grabbed some breakfast and coffee and biked 2 miles from my house to the race start. I love not having to travel on race morning! I got there at around 6:45 and the transition area was already packed...what is up with triathletes getting to the races at the earliest possible hour? Luckily I picked up my race packet last night so the prerace was less hectic than at Manitou tri. The water started to show some whitecaps, indicative of the incredibly windy morning. Eric and I put in a quick warmup including a few minutes at threshold pace, and the wind was kicking my ass! My bike was having some issues shifting, but Kevin from Gear West fixed it for me. They always provide great race support at the local races. I threw my flats on and did a few 50 meter strides and then headed down to the water. The waves didn't seem 'too' bad from shore, but once I was in the water, I could tell it would be a brutal swim. Since I have yet to really swim well this year, I was a little pissed that I definately wouldn't be swimming well today. (I wanted to prove to myself that I really have improved this year, but this stuff basically throws my form into the garbage. I put in my first open water swim outside of a race this week, and I felt like I finally found my pool form). In these conditions, it really favors the strong swimmers and you have to know how to tackle the waves.
The swim started out with very little contact with other racers, which I thought was going to be an issue. I still have not bought a fullsleeve wetsuit, but the water temps have risen so the cold wouldn't be an issue. Sighting and breathing turned out to be very challenging and I basically did not even try to sight the course. You have to do it on top of a swell; most of the time when I'd attempt to look, there would be a 3 foot wave covering the view and I would get slammed in it. So I went to the next method: trust the guys next to you, maybe they have an idea what is going on. They must not have because I weaved my way back and forth on the course. Coming back should have been easier, and a few times I could feel myself riding the wave. But it is hard to get in a groove and swim straight to shore. The great open water swimmers probably have it timed out to hit the stroke right with the wave. But it is a whole different type of swimming then in the pool or even the 'open water' stuff that I have done in the past; it was like trying out a new sport, attempting to find the right technique and how to manage the waves. Getting out was a blessing and the swim taxed my energy much more than usual. Surprisingly, I didn't swim as bad as I thought, and was out of the water in around 9th place. Instead of focusing on the race, I found my mind wandering and wondering if the water was safe for the rest of the race. I couldn't imagine some of the individuals attempting their first triathlon or the weaker swimmers who might be afraid of the water when it is calm. Fortunately, there were no incidents in the water, and the volunteers did a great job on the lake.
The bike started out slowly, with an uphill climb 800 meters in. After cruising down the subsequent downhill, we went through downtown Waconia and out towards Mayer. The wind was strong but wasn't a direct headwind. It was enough to make me feel the burn as I cranked the pedals. The first 11 miles, I was just focused on getting to the turn and finally hitting a tailwind. I was passed a few miles in by Dan Cohen who wasted no time in working his way to the front of the race. The bike course didn't see too much action on my end, as I only passed one guy. I did manage to gain on Dennis Dane and Micheal Williams for the first 5 miles, but the distance stayed near 100 meters for the last 20 miles and I couldn't get much closer due to the windy conditions. Tony Schiller went by me at mile 15 and I used it as motivation to pick my pace up. With 4 miles to go, I noticed what looked to be Eric 20 seconds back. The bike ended by going back through downtown Waconia and I was able to see the first runners getting out of transition. I got caught up in that and forgot to take my feet out of the shoes before transition! I had to go back to the old school method and run in my bike shoes to the rack. My average speed was 24.6 mph for the 24 mile bike, which I was pretty happy with considering the conditions. (After analyzing the results, I apparently didn't bike that well, and guys that I have been biking near out-cycled me today. Maybe I am not very 'aero' in these windy conditions; regardless, the top guys put a larger gap on me in the bike leg than I would have expected.)
Unfortunately, they lengthened the bike course to 24 miles this year yet kept the run at 4 miles. Since I make up the most time on the run, it left me farther back from the really strong cyclists and not enough run time to do much damage control. It should be an olympic distance event anyways, although a 1500 meter swim would have been brutal today. Anyways, I passed Schiller and Williams in the first 400-800 meters of the 4 mile run, then made my way up to Dennis Dane by 3/4 of a mile. At this point I was sitting in 7th/8th place and the next guys were not in sight. In what was a replay of the Manitou tri, Dane and I were running neck and neck, with Rhett Bonner just ahead. I hit the 2 mile turnaround in 10:40, which I was surprised at. I didn't feel like I was running fast and the first 2 miles has harder hills than the last 2. Dane and I ran side by side for the remainder of the race, little surges here and there, but he laid one on in the last 20 meters and I couldn't respond. Again I had the fastest run split, but got outkicked and ended up in 8th (6th amateur). Dane is a good competitor and props to him on the run.
While I was hoping to place a little higher today, I can't complain too much. It was a tough race and when amateur stud Curt Wood takes 4th, you know the competition is strong. The surprise of the day has to be Devon Palmer who biked as fast as Curt Wood, put in the fastest run I have ever seen him do, and narrowly missed winning the race.
Top five were Brian Bich, Devon Palmer, Dan Cohen, Curt Wood, John Shelp.
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