Saturday morning at the American Triple-T began early, as you would expect for someone trying to fit 2 Olympic distance triathlons into 1 day. Since my accommodations for the weekend were about a 20 minute drive from transition, I was out of the apartment and on the road by 6AM. Transition was set to open at 6:30 and the start of race #2, a traditional Olympic distance race (albeit with a 6.55 mile run course), was slated for 7:30. The forecast for the weekend was hot and sunny throughout, but the morning temperatures were pleasantly in the mid-50s.
After the formalities of checking in, setting up transition, and getting my pre-race nutrition into my body were completed it was nearing race start time. The other racers and I made our way down to the beach to line up for another time trial swim start. As I mentioned in the super-sprint yesterday, the orientation of the buoys made it possible to “cut” some distance by running down the beach a ways. I was wondering if this would be an even larger concern with the longer course running parallel to the shore. To keep the integrity of the swim, though, the event organizers required us to go to the left of the first buoy which required us to be swimming at that point. This was the approach for the remaining 3 races of the weekend.
Due to my lower number, I was off and started not long after the leaders. My goal for the morning race, and particularly the swim was to “take it easy”. My swim training has been sub-par to say the least so not overly exerting myself in this discipline was a key strategy for conserving energy for the remaining racing. Either way, I found a rhythm pretty quickly and didn’t have too much difficulty swimming a straight course and not getting caught up in too much traffic. Before I knew it I was on the beach to start my 2nd loop. The 2nd loop was much of the same and before too long it was into T1 and off on the bike.
The bike course for the morning Oly had 2 notable features that were highlighted in the pre-race meetings…the Thomson Hill climb and a subsequent sketchy descent. I mentally prepared for each of these (having not seen the course) obstacles while I focused on pacing as if I were doing a much longer ride than 25 miles. The Thomson Hill climb came pretty early on, around the 8 mile mark. It was difficult in that you turn sharply on the hill, so lose all your momentum just as you start to climb. Adding to that, the grade seems steepest at the bottom. However, with my Asheville training with BSM, it was no problem and I made my way to the top without burning too many matches. From the pre-race meeting I expected the sketchy descent to be immediately after, but it was not for another 5 miles or so. Looking out for the descent kept my pacing conservative as I ticked away the miles. Finally, the volunteer flagger appeared signaling the descent had arrived. It was every bit as sketchy as advertised with a 180 degree turn at the bottom of a fast approach and a road that is covered with a fine dusting of gravel while “banking” to the outside. These factors, combined with not handling descents as well on the tri-bike, kept me moving real slow through the turn. Once I reached the base, I was pleased to be past the obstacles I had prepared for and I subconsciously turned up the heat for the next few miles. Luckily, thoughts of all the racing yet to come had me back to a sustainable pace before long. The rest of the course was farm roads and forests, good scenery, but not eventful, so I arrived back at T2 and made my way out the experience the Lamp-Black Trail for the first (of many) times.
The run is an out-and-back with the first half mile being in the parking area on the road (the same section covered by the super-sprint). Once into the woods, the trail undulates, but trends very heavily uphill for the next 2.25 miles before peaking, then descending rapidly over the next .5mile or so to the turnaround. This early into the weekend, with the temperatures still pretty comfortable, the going felt good even while climbing. I tried to focus on making it feel easy. At the time I thought I nailed the conservative pacing, but looking back I probably over-exerted myself here. I really moved on the downhill sections since I’ve become very comfortable descending on uneven footing while running (thanks to a fair bit of trail running this off-season). As I finished, I felt strong and the energy level was good. One Saturday race in the books.
I grabbed food as quick as I could despite being not hungry, then decided to not wait around in the heat, so I loaded up my gear and got back to the apartment ASAP. This allowed me to grab more food, take a shower, get my gear and kit cleaner and dried out, and spend as much time as possible off my feet in the air conditioning...all good decisions. I tried taking a nap, but it’s not something I’m particularly good at, so I never really slept. Before I knew it, it was 1:30 and time to get my stuff together to get back to the course for another go-round at 3.
The afternoon race was HOT…and unique in that we started with the bike. My parents drove all the way from Louisville and brought Susan with them as well, so I had spectator support for this one. I had some caffeine in me going into the race, so felt pretty energetic and had reasonably high expectations…then the race started.
The bike started in time-trial fashion like the previous swims with us leaving in pairs. People racing in the team division were allowed to leave together and draft off one another, so the order of departure varied a bit. I was still near the front, so was off on the bike shortly after 3.
Waiting for a Time-Trial Bike Start
On My Way for an Afternoon Race
The afternoon course was an out and back down OH-125 with one notable descent that led to a long climb on the return. Otherwise it was steadily rolling in the miles near the park, and relatively flat near the turnaround. One thing that became evident quickly…there was NO shade. I was hot almost immediately, which may have been a good thing since it made me think about dialing down my pace and being humble. Overall I focused on trying to stay comfortable, with the exception being the long climb. Even then, I focused on finding a gear and spinning my way up. Toward the end of the bike I was starting to feel pretty gassed, but was looking forward to the swim as a means to cool down a bit. I arrived back in T1 and had a volunteer help me into my wetsuit…then I quickly made my way to the beach after some words in passing with the family, needing to get to the water before melting in my rubber casing.
The swim was slow and steady. The crowds in the water were low since people got spread by the bike course, so navigation was easy. I didn’t push the pace at all and basically tried to enjoy the cold “patches” in the lake as much as possible. I came out of the swim with my upper body a little sore, but feeling pretty comfortable. T2 had no real highlights and I was heading back to the trail in no time.
In the exposed first ½ mile, I was keeping a steady enough pace, but I could really feel the heat and knew I was going to be uncomfortable on this run. However, I managed to stay running (at various speeds) for most of the uphill sections. I did take more time at each aid station to ensure I was getting enough liquids in me. Near the peak of the course, both coming and going, I walked the steepest uphill sections. I thought it might be a slow trip to the line, but once I got onto the downhill I was able to cruise the last 2+ miles home without too much difficulty. I finished without any kick, but with a decent run time. However, soon after crossing the line I started to feel the fatigue really setting in.
Once again, I grabbed some food I didn’t want and hid in the shade until my family came to help me pack up the car. We returned to Portsmouth where I showered and laid out my gear again, then proceeded to dinner at one of the few dining establishments in Portsmouth (B-dubs). I ate loads of unhealthy food since my main goal was getting calories in. That evening, once my stomach settled (which took some time) I started thinking about the half-ironman finale looming. Needless to say, I was not enthusiastic about racing again in the morning. My body was sore and stiff pretty much everywhere. Luckily for me, my parents delivered my wife when they came to spectate in the afternoon and she gave me an awesome massage and helped me relax. Once I got my gear ready for the morning, I hit the sack and slept about as well as you can after racing twice on a warm summer day on a hilly course while knowing you have to cover basically the same distance again in the morning.
And then Sunday was upon us…
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