This was an extremely difficult race. Much more difficult than I anticipated it being. The swim went very well. I started out on the edge of the mass and slowly worked my way into the main group, but was able to avoid the bumping and smashing that is typical of a big mass start. This was my first open water race of the year without a wet suit. It felt surprisingly easy considering I was used to the buoyancy of the suit. I had expected to finish under 15 minutes, but as usual, you can never really estimate an open water swim. I did screw up the final turn. The glare was really difficult and I couldn't see the finish line at first and am pretty sure I swam a huge arc instead of a straight line. About halfway between the turn and the finish I noticed the sight buoy about 30 yards to my left. I wound up finishing the swim in just under 16 minutes. Which was still good for second in my category.
T1 was easy and smooth. I tried the technique with the shoes locked in already and it finally went smooth. Still need work hopping on the bike fluidly. I had the fastest transition time in my category.
The bike was much tougher than expected. I had done the course a few times prior but not after a 750 meter swim. It was certainly a challenge. The first roller coaster type hill was a bear. I was close to my competition as we approached and I thought by letting them pass and resting a bit I'd hit the hill more rested. Well, it certainly didn't help me compared to them. They still pulled away even faster than I was able to make it up the hill. I'm hoping the new cassette will help me with the hills, since it seems i'm the only one out there mashing the pedals at 6 mph. I was definitely a lot slower than my prep rides. Not sure why. I don't think the swim wore me down substantially, but I was also holding back a bit for the run. Once again though, I was still worn down during the run, so I'm starting to think I should probably just go all out during each leg. The run is brutal no matter what, so next time I'm just going to attack the bike and hope for the best on the run. I wound up finishing the bike in 1:06:28, almost 2 minutes slower than my prep ride.
T2 was another very smooth, very fast transition. I had the 3rd fastest transition time, but I had one of the longest distances to traverse.
The run was a nightmare. I felt ok at first, but I quickly began struggling. I was passed constantly, but around mile 1 began a ridiculously steep hill. Another one of those hills were it would've probably been smarter to walk it since I was running at about the same speed that I walk. When I finally reached the top I felt a lot better and there was a nice sustained gentle downhill. The big downhill was somewhat helpful but so steep it wasn't all that helpful. The remaining mile and a half was just a fight. The wood chips, although soft, got in my shoes and hurt. I developed a massive blister on one of my toes, and every stride was agony. I was close to removing my shoes and finishing barefoot. Another lesson learned...never again will I do a hilly race without socks. But I did finally make it around and picked up the pace for the final quarter mile. I finished strong which is always important to me. The run time was 30:16. Easily my worst time by far for a sprint distance run. At least that gives me a lot of room to improve for next year.
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