Before I get into my blog I wanted to say thank you to all my fellow triathlon friends who I ran into at Galveston . It was good to see the group of Tri Junkies, Billy and Surge from the valley, several local DFW tri clubs and of course the rEvolution Multis port group.
Not being able to run for three weeks played a mean mind game on me. I’ve been injured before but, I usually bounced back within a day or two. The week leading up to the event I was finally able to put in two short 3 mile runs. The tendon was a non is sue. I could feel something there but, it wasn’t painful.
I arrived in Galveston on Friday. I made my way to the expo and I ran into several athletes I knew. That helped me out tremendously. Seeing familiar and friendly faces gave me new energy. My mood was turning for the better. I was starting to look forward to race day.
Friday was an important sleep day for me. I wanted to make sure I got at least 8 hours sleep that night. My plan was to stay in bed for as long as I could which ended up being 8 a.m. That was nice to sleep late for a change.
Saturday was going to be simple. I was going to drive the bike route, get a short ride/run in, check my bike into transition, get my race gear and hydration ready and relax. Saturday flew by and I found myself walking around the expo scoping out the transition area. I wanted to make certain I wasn’t going to get lost in the sea of bikes. I found a good marker coming out of the swim and another good marker coming back off the bike.
I was able to get into bed at a decent time on Saturday night. My plan was to get up at 4:30 a.m. Sunday morning to beat the transition rush. I was going to try and sneak in another 30 minute nap but, that didn’t workout.
As I got ready for the race I was pretty relaxed. I knew going into this race that I was not where I wanted to be with my training but, it was okay. I was going to give it my best and enjoy the day. I was really looking forward to the swim. The bayside water was very calm. The morning temperature felt good but, I knew that wasn’t going to last.
Could cover was predicted to last until 12 noon. The pros went off at 7 a.m. my wave went off at 7:55 a.m. Which is just about the same time the sun broke through the clouds. Oh well, so much for 12 noon. J
Over the past 3 seasons the swim has always been my weak link. I was hoping for a little quicker time in this event. I felt pretty good in the water. I had to avoid a few swimmers who were zig zagging in front of me. I decided to avoid the traffic and swam on the out skirts of the swim course. As quickly as we started the swim we were done and I made quick work of my wet suit. T1 felt pretty good. I knew I was going to be 8 to 10 minutes off my age group leaders coming out of the water so I would have to push on the bike.
The bike was a pancake flat out and back course. There was a cross wind/head wind on the way out and a tail wind on the way back in. I push it pretty hard on the way out and it showed once I came off the bike on T2 and started my run.
My plan was to come off the bike and run as hard as I could for 13.1 miles. My worries of the tendon injury resurfacing flew out the window with my quads tightening up on me. The first 1 to 3 miles of the run were tough. Not only was it hot and humid but, my quads were on the verge of cramping. The thought of having to walk crossed my mind so I eased up on the pace and my quads finally settled down.
I was having a pretty good run. Yes, it was hot and humid but, I was running. That was huge for me. It had been 3 weeks since I was unable to run and I was so happy to be able to run. At about mile 6 my timing chip band slide down my ankle and it started to rub the lower back side of my ankle raw.
I thought about stopping to adjust it but, then I also knew that there was a chance of cramping if I did. I decided to run with it and bandage the wound later. As I came to the end of my three loop ½ marathon run I was excited that I was finis hing injury free. I put fourth my best effort and I would be able to walk away with my head high knowing that I will be back stronger and faster.
Race Stats
Swim Time: 38:22 (mis sed my swim time by 3 mins)
I was in 137th place coming out of the water in my age group.
I was in 972nd place coming out of the water overall.
T1: 2:43
Bike Time: 2:30:53 (mis sed my bike time by 5 mins)
I was in 35th place coming off the bike in my age group.
I was in 274th place coming off the bike overall.
T2: 1:45
Run Time: 1:29:29 (mis sed my run time by 5 mins)
I finis hed in 15th place in my age group
I finis hed in 132nd overall.
Total Time: 4 hrs 43 mins 12 sec (Mis sed my goal time by 13 minutes).
Thank you for reading this blog entry. As always feel free to email me any questions or comments you may have.
..ej
ej@trilifeblog.com
www.facebook.com/trilifeblog
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