Monday Rest Day
Tuesday 1:35 hours Bike Lactate Intervals (8x3 minutes at VO2max)
Wednesday 44 minute Run Lactate Intervals (4x3 minutes at VO2max w/ 3 minutes recovery)
Thursday 1 hour easy bike ride
Friday Off Day
Saturday Trip to Dallas. Took bike for inspection and went to PrairieMan packet pick-up
Sunday Awoke at 3:30 am for breakfast of oatmeal and orange juice. The rain that started on Friday continued all night and as we drove to the race site, it did not let up. We parked the car and made the half-mile walk to the transition area in pouring rain. We decided to leave our shoes and other transition “stuff” in our Rocket Science Sports triathlon bags. We put the enclosed rain cover over them and put our drink bottles on the bike. Luckily, we had dressed in layers. The rain did not stop and we put our swim caps on to keep the warmth from escaping our heads. This helped keep the chill off as the winds picked up. 10-20 mph winds were forecast. At 6:45 we got the call to exit transition for the pre-race meeting and swim start. During the pre-race instructions, we were informed that the bike course would be cut by 14 miles because the road they planned to use was flooded. They warned us to watch for flooded areas and debris on the road and to take it slow on the downhills. Despite the torrential rains, the race would go on!
We entered the water at 7:30 and the race began. The winds and rain made for choppy conditions and several white caps could be seen across the water. Several times when turning for a breath or sighting ahead, a wave would catch you and fill your mouth and nostrils with water. As we turned at the first buoy, the waves actually helped. Unfortunately, as we turned at the final buoy, the waves once again hindered progress. Despite that, I finished in 47 minutes, only three minutes slower than my recent 1.2 mile swim at the CapTex Open Water Swim.
I got my bike shoes out of the transition bag, put them and my aero helmet on, and headed out for 42 miles in pouring rain and on rain soaked streets. It was important to stay in the middle of the road so as not to end up in the puddles on the sides of the street. My cadence and speed monitor were not working, so I went by feel and ended up averaging 17.9 mph and completing the bike in 2:20 hours.
I racked the bike, took off the helmet, took my running shoes out of the transition bag and headed out for the 13.1 mile run. I took off easy and held to my 10 minutes run/1 minute walk plan. I would switch between water and Gatorade at every other water stop and took a gel after the first hour. Up to the turnaround, the run seemed smooth and easy. I decided to push the pace for the final half. For the last four miles I had a difficult time keeping my heart below lactate threshold. Even after my 1 minute walking break, it would be only seconds before I’d be back above LT. I held to my plan and finished the run in 2:09, a 9:55 minute mile pace. I was pretty stoked to keep the pace under 10 minute miles despite the rain, wind, and walking strategy. It proved to me that keeping the heart rate low and going easy until the final 10K helps you go faster in the long run and finish strong.
This was my most fulfilling race to date! Finishing with such a respectable time under such tough conditions did a lot for my confidence and motivation going into the final two months before IMAZ. I did not want to race in the rain, but after doing it…I felt pretty damn proud! And sharing the experience with my brother and seeing him have a great race too made it even more special.
Final numbers: 5:23:34 finishing time; 97/172 total finishers; 85 out of 136 males; 18 out of 30 40-44 year old males. This was a strong group of competitors. The 172 finishers of this race were some of the best racers you will come across. I was honored to be among them.
Now, it’s a couple of days off before diving right back into training before my next and final race of the year: Ironman Arizona!
Kia Kaha!
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