It's been a very busy time since Leon's tri. Officially, my build for Kona started this weekend. I logged 108 miles of biking and 19 miles of running. All in the crazy heat. I finally gave in to Power outside and got a Power Meter this week. It was really cool to see how I really ride the roads in northern Illinois. I quickly found out that I smash the hills WAY TOO HARD. I found out in a hurry that being steady makes much more sense and the power meter will definately help. Looking forward to letting everyone know how this progress' throughout the year.
Besides the training, I competed in the Pleasant Prairie Triathlon last weekend. It was another Olympic distance event and I was psyched to redeem myself from a disappointing Leon's race.
It was a very fun morning. My mom and Ryan were racing. Ana was competing in the relay doing the swim portion. Everyone was ready for a great day. The heat wasn't too bad and I was looking forward to a FAST day.
I got out fast on the swim and quickly found myself in 2nd place in my wave. I could see the first place swimmer up ahead and worked hard on the back half of the swim to catch him. I made a strategic decision to draft him the last length of the swim instead of passing....I'm unsure if that was a good move or not. I think it cost me about 45s in the swim...but it did conserve a lot of energy. I got out of the water right behind him and felt like I didn't even swim. I beat him out of transition and I was first on the bike in my age group. It was a really cool feeling!
Out on the bike I was hammering it. I really felt like I was flying and no one in my age group passed me at all. I kept waiting for the uber biker to fly past...but it never happened. The bike was a little short (22mi)....but I managed to average a little over 24mph and make it off the bike in 1st. I was really putting together a great race.
Out on the run....I really didn't have the "pop" in my legs I was expecting. At mile 1, I was starting to struggle...but I wasn't going to give in or slow up like I did at Leon's. Right after mile 1, I got passed by a guy in my age group that was FLYING! He made me feel like I was walking. He ended up running a 32min 10K...I couldn't do that on my BEST day in an open 10K. He was unreal.
I held on to 2nd place until mile 3 or so and then got passed again. So that put me in 3rd...and there was no way I was going to give that up. At the last turnaround, with about 1.5mi to go, I noticed a guy in my age group that was gaining on me. He was about 15 seconds behind me and I made eye contact with him after the turn. I made the decision that there was no way he was going to beat me. I couldn't live with myself if I gave up the podium in the last 10 minutes of the race.
So I put my head down....and went for it. I started flying....or at least that is what it felt like :) The pain was so intense...I could barely see straight after a mile. It was about that point that I sort of blacked out. I don't remember much of the last half mile except for turning around at the 6mile marker to see if the dude in the yellow and black was close....I didn't see him. I crushed him! It was such a great feeling for about 3 seconds when I crossed the line.
In the end...I held on to 3rd place....and the dude I thought I dropped, not in my AG :) 4th place ended up being roughly 5 minutes behind me. Haha!
It was a wonderful day out there....my run wasn't as speedy as I hoped, but I PUKED. So no regrets!
So what are the 3 P's? PR, Podium, and PUKE! A true trifecta last weekend :)
Oh yeah...my mom rode 106 miles yesterday on her bike. She is 60 years old. What did you do yesterday? :)
Dave
Dedication, Passion, Results
That picture of you on the ground after you puked made my day!! best ever.
ReplyDeleteLove the new kit!
Congrats to Ana too!
ANd, of course I know how awesome your mom is!!! She will do GREAT AT IMWI....!
Hey Dave,
ReplyDeleteA friend sent me to your blog, and let me say that I think you had an awesome race. I enjoyed reading your recount of the event, but after I felt that you should have tried to pass me in the swim. I don't mind drafting, but I enjoy keeping pace with people in the water. I am not sure of the outcome of the swim if you had tried to pass me, but I imagine that we could have both been faster. Plus, it would have been fun to drag race you to the end of the swim. Maybe next time. Until then keep kill'n it.
-Mike.
Hey Mike! Thanks for reading, much appreciated! That was a good time at PP and I look forward to seeing you in the water again. Could have used you in Racine, I swam the whole thing by myself :) Hope your training and racing are going well!
ReplyDeleteDave