This Triathlete's Life...: September 2008

So I had my final tri of the summer yesterday, the Oktoberfest Triathlon in Longmont. I had a good buddy, Michael, fly in from San Diego and race with me, and this was Michael's first triathlon. It was really nice to wake up at 5:30am (sleeping in in terms of triathlon time), get a few mini bagels and a banana down, and head to Union Res at about 6:00am. We got there at 6:20, were the first few people there, and staked out a really nice transition spot. I helped Michael set up his spot, and we started walking around the Res and scouting everything out. I was really really excited that this was such a laid back race. 250 or so people, 4 waves, and everyone there seemed genuinely happy to be there. This is a stark contrast to the 5430 races, that have gotten so popular (for good reason!), that about half the people there are making appearances for a sponsor, and seem rather put off that they had to get up early and go do a race. So the atmosphere was just great.

The swim was a waist deep start, the water was 71 degrees and just awesome. Our wave went out right aftet the pros, and I got myself right to the front, and just redlined the whole way. 750m, 10:58, good enough for 14th overall on the swim.

The bike was a 4 mile, 3 lap course through some neighborhoods. There were a lot of slight inclines, but overall, this was a very fast 12 mile bike leg. It obviously got harder as we went, as by the time I got to the second and third lap, it was getting more congested and the turns (lots of
them) were tough with a lot of people. It was nice though, the people were all pleasant, and people were announcing passes, and just saying hi to you as you passed, etc. It was great. I had a guy pass me on a down hill on a super nice Felt bike, sperm helmet and all. I passed him a few minutes later, and he was obviously pissed at being passed by a beat up Schwinn with clip on aero bars. He said a few things to me under his breath, and was really trying to suck on my wheel. I kind of laughed and hammered harder, and he kept up. The best part was, this was my third lap, so I came to the left hand turn that would take me back to the Res, and I hear a bellowing "DAMMIT!!!" behind me. I look back and he was making the right hand turn to start his third lap. He wasn't too pleased, but I thought it was slightly humorous. My bike split was 35:06 for 12.4(ish), a 21.2 mph average, and 34th overall.

The run was a 3.1 mile out and back along Union Res. It was absolutely gorgeous, the temps at this point were just touching the upper 60's, the sun was out, PERFECT. I went out behind a guy with his name and "USA" on the back, typical of a pro racer. So, the plan was, stay with that dude. About 3/4 of a mile into the run, I looked up and saw a pretty daunting hill. Sooo, I just tucked my chin into my chest and spun the legs. Got to the top, grabbed a water, and saw USA not too far ahead of me. Just ahead of us was the turn around, and I was curious as to who was behind me. I made the turn, and first checked out the guys behind me, 2 of them, not too close. Good. Then I looked up and realized that since I crested the hill at about 1 mile, the last half mile to the turn had been a slight downhill, and the climb back up didn't look too fun. Tuck chin. Run. Made it to the crest of the big hill and just bombed down. At this point, USA found a new gear and started to hammer, so I tried to do the same. He put a good chunk of distance into me, but in the process of hanging on, I was able to pass a pretty good member of the University of Colorado Triathlon team - that felt great. I came around the corner in pain, and very excited to see the finish line. I ended up running a personal best 19:51 5K (6:24/mile), the 23rd best run of the day.

Overall, I finished 14th out of 237, and took 2nd in my Age Group with a total time of 1:08:03. This was a big goal of mine, to place in my age group this season, and I couldn't be happier about it. I won a Cowboy Boot Beer Glass.... .... .... only in Colorado. This is the race I needed to get me excited about triathlon again. The atmosphere was perfect, and I just really really enjoyed myself. Here are some pixxors (just for Fish):