LAST RACE OF THE SEASON!!!!! HOOOOOORAY!

I arrived at the racesite around 6:30am. Being that the location was about an hour from where I live, I wasn't able to goto packet pick-up the day before...so I had to wait in line to get my number, etc. I goto body marked, grabbed my chip, and was off to my rack. I spent about 15 minutes getting my number on the bike, on the helmet, shoes on the bike, wetsuit out, racesuit on, and all the other intangibles! The beach/lake start was about a 5 minute walk from the transition, so I headed down to hang out and survey the scene. There were about 800+ racers, so it was pretty crowded. The weather was bout 63 or so degrees, and felt decent. I didn't wait long before it was time for the national anthem.

BANG! The gun went off for the first wave. I was scheduled for wave #3, which started 8 minutes after wave #1. My main competition started in wave #2, which was cool, because I was able to watch him start the swim. This guy took off like a bat out of hell. He led the entire second wave for as far as I could see. I knew I would have to race like heck to have a chance at keeping my Georgia "Undefeated" title in tact. I managed to push and excuse my way to the front of my wave. I ended up the farthest into the water, as we were swiming parallel to the beach. I got off pretty good and was at the first bouy in no time. I had to (sorry) hit a guy a few times to get him out of my way, as he was pushing me directly into the first bouy...he let me by :O) The swim didn't last long, and I was out and on my way to T1.

The run from the water to T1 (recall I mentioned it was about a 5 minute walk), was a hill. We had to run straight up, and I think everyone I passed was walking. I figured I should at least job, being that my competition was probably trying to gain every advantage on me, and had probably run that hill. After arriving at my bike, I put on my arm-warmers (something I normally don't do), and was off. I started passing people pretty fast and settled in nicely. The bike went faster than I expected and was over quick. I was passed by none.

T2 went smooth.

I hit the run in a good stride and was concentrating on finding my competition. I knew he started four minutes before me...and since the run was an out and back, I knew if I spotted him, I could estimate if I'd made up (or lost) any ground. I passed the one mile marker and was feeling strong. Being that this was an out and back, I knew the turn around was about a 1/2 mile away. A few minutes later, I saw Luis (my competition) coming at me. He looked pretty tired...and I was feeling good. But what I didn't know was how much farther I to go until the turn around. I tried to mentally count, to get an idea. But about the time I got to "30" seconds, I could see the turn around. I knew then I had to be less than 2 mintues behind him! I picked up the pace (as I'm sure he did when he saw me), and finished the race strong.

As I crossed the finish line, he was bending over trying to still catch his breath...which told me I hadn't finished much after him. I must have made up more time.

Well, I didn't hang around for the awards, so I don't know what place I got. I THINK my total time was 1 horu, 5+minutes. I guess I'll know when the results are posted sometime in the next few days! Awesome race! Thanks for reading!

Lastly, I would like to thank Wendy at Physiotherapy Associates, and Patsy at LifeDance Wellness center for their work on my body...stretching & massage, respectively. They played a tremendous part in getting my ready for the race! Thanks!

Results posted! I finished 14th overall (out of 750+ participants), and 1st in my division, with a time of 1:04:00! Great way to end a season!

Awesome race!

 I met up with Brent, Trent, Christian, Todd, & Jim at Conte's around 4:45am. We hit the road and arrived early. I had a good spot in transition and had plenty of time to set up. Actually had extra time to mess around with my buddy Kim, and meet some of the other racers/swimmers that were racing with her (Sean, Haley). This was Kim's first triathlon, and I had her thinking that she'd be the first person in the water....pretty funny. I think she was freakin' out about this until she found out the truth on race morning...priceless!

The swim was a TT start (which I HATE). I jumped in line, got going and was just getting into the grove when the swim was over. My only complaint about this point to point swim was the vegetation in the water. I ended up pulling weeds more so than I did water. Oh well! Everyone had to do it!

I hit T1 and put on my shoes. During the morning walk-through, I noticed there was plenty of sand in my area of the transition, and I didn't want to run bare-footed through all that. So I put my shoes on, ran out of T1, and jumped on my bike ready to roll at the mount line. It didn't take me long to get my HR down, and I was rolling. I was passing people fairly often...which I expected. I usually keep count of how many people pass me, and try to keep it less than 3. I was pushing a low gear, and hammering it pretty hard. The course was an out and back...so I was keeping an eye out for people I knew that started ahead of me (Trent, Kim, Sean, Haley)...and my computer was getting close to 6 miles when I realized I hadn't seen them yet...which meant I was rolling fast. I saw all of them around the same time (except Kim)...and hit the turn around soon after. On the way back in, I passed Kim who didn't look too happy biking/racing...pretty funny (because I recall my first race/painful biking experience). Everything was going well...no one had passed me...and then about 200 yards from the finish, somehow I dropped my chain off the rear lower cog! Even though I'd lose time, I thought about just rolling back into T2, but there was a short hill...well, I HAD to stop, put the chain back on and ride the rest of the way. I probably lost bout 30 total seconds...oh well...still a good bike.

I hit T2, and was out in under a minute. The run was going pretty well for mile 1...then my feet began to hurt. I pushed the remainder of the run and finished fairly strong.

I ended up getting 1st (out of 77 in my division), which I was proud of. But I was even happier with the amount of people afterwards hanging out and socializing. It was good to chat with everyone (Brent, Trent, Lisa, Jim, Christian, Todd, Kim, Sean, Haley, Rico, Brad, anyone else?)! I received a lot of compliments from guys who said that I "flew by them" on the bike...thanks! I appreciate those comments. Everyone finished safe which is first and foremost...I am looking forward to my last two races of the season:

Angel's- Relay, I am doing the bike.

Emerald Point- Sprint, I hope to stay undefeated in the state of Georgia!

Friday 01 August.

I made the drive to Ashevillve to meet up with my competitor and new friend, Kyle Moody, and old time buddy John Shilt. Kyle lives in Asheville, and John had to make the 2.5 hour drive from Winston. We met up with Kyle's wife, Renee for dinner at Stone Tavern and had a great pre-race meal. Unfortunately, we mis-timed our dining experience and had to haul butt to packet pick-up before they closed. We made it with seconds to spare (literally).

After packet pick-up, we made the short drive to the race site to check out things. Myself, Kyle & John jumped in the lake and got a quick swim in. The lake was incredibly low, which meant an interesting transition...more to come on that.

We left lake logan and headed to a cabin in the woods, about 15 minutes from the race site. The cabin was owned by the family of Renee (and Kyle), and was THE perfect pre-race lodging. It was isolate out in the woods and was a simplistic cabin...no tv, one bathroom, very close quarters, etc. Myself and John shared a bunk bed and had no complaints on the free room! Thanks K & R!

We woke up around 5:00am and all took our turns in the bathroom. While making the drive, I had a pound cake for my pre-race breakfast...go figure.

We arrived at the race site with plenty of time to set up, etc. This was a wetsuit legal race, but as the water level was low, there was a seperate transition set up at the swim exit. We had to bring an extra pair of shoes to run the .6 miles from the swim exit to the actual transition area. This was probably a huge advantage for some, and not for others....me!

The swim was nice and I was able to get into a rhythm pretty quick. I felt great for about the first 700 meters...and then I began getting a bit tired and could tell I wasn't taking my full long strokes. My cardio was there, but my muscle fatigue showed up sooner than usual. I think my lack of swimming for the last 2.5-3 weeks is to thank for this. With that bein said, I was still comfortable out there. I got out, made the "quick" run to T1 and was on my way. While standing in T1 putting on my helmet, Kyle can running by and gave me a FREINDLY tap on the back to let me know he was hot on my tail!!! Needless to say, I picked up the pace and was out on the ride in no time.

I have to say that the ride out of the lake was a FAST flow. I was holding 27-30mph for about 25 minutes or so...very nice. Around mile 12, Kyle pulled up next to me...bummer. I know he's a faster biker than I am, I was just hoping to hold him off for a bit longer. But with that being said, I had made up my mind (pre-race) that if he came by me, I would keep him in sight until T2. As it turned out, he and I volley'd position for another 7 miles until he decided to take off...I kept him in sight, but wasn't able to reel him in.

I arrived in T2 (at my rack) when Kyle had just taken off for the run. I knew I was going to be a little longer as I had decided to wear socks today...I kept telling myself to stay calm and not get antsy knowing I was loosing time by putting on socks...but would be gaining comfort by taking the extra seconds. I headed out on the run and took a quick peek up the road to try and spot Kyle. I saw him and tried to gauge his speed...make an assessment on if I thought I could catch him. I felt pretty good and was actually tip'd off by some of his buddies that he was just out in front of me (thanks guys). As I rounded out the first 1/4 mile, I saw him and knew then I could catch him. I was rolling pretty good and felt if I could keep my current speed, that I could catch him around the 1 mile mark.

The run was 3.1 miles up a hill, and 3.1 miles back the same route....which is nice, because you can see where your comp is. Around 3/4 miles, I saw Kevin Lisska flying downhill...congrats on the 1st place dude. Nice run. But just up in front of me was Kyle...he and Kevin high 5'd each other and as Kyle turned to watch his buddy Kevin go by, I think he caught a glimpse that I was on his tail. He stuck out his hand to give me a hello, and then encouraged me to go get the win. I passed him and kept a steady pace until the turn around. I immediately caught a cramp/strain in my calf as I started my last 3.1 miles. I immediately decided that I would have to tear my achilles or something before I even considered stopping (I really did have this thought process as I felt the cramping in my leg)...so I trekked on!

As it turned out, I never did  catch the guy in front of me, so I settled for a 2nd place in my division...and 49th overall (out of 277). I finished strong and felt great afterwards.

It was a blast to get to know Kyle and Renee on a more personal level...and also to race with friends (Kyle, John, Renee, Jim, Keith, Ken).

Well...

I shared a room with Cole Hayward (nice race Cole) at a hotel about a mile from the race site. We got up around 5:15am, and headed down to the transition area. It didn't take long to get things going, as we were required to take a bust to the staging area. This allowed us plenty of wait time until our/my wave started.

The swim was a TT start...which those of you who know me, know that I HATE these types of races...so yeah, why did I race? Anyway...being that the race is in a river, they didn't allow anyone to warm-up...so my first stroke in the race, was my warm-up! I got into a groove pretty quick and was passing people every 3-5 minutes. About the 1000 meter mark, I was sick of swimming and wanted to be done. I think a boat or something came by, because there were waves and I was rockin' back and forth...which wasn't too good for my stomach.

I finished the swim and felt great. We had to climb some stairs up to T1, but it wasn't too bad. Oh, I forgot to mention...right before I began my swim, it began to rain...and it continued my entire bike! The race started downtown and we rode the entire ride on the freeway...not bad...except for the EXTREME rolling HILLS...and I stress HILLS! I was a little freaked out with all the rain...so I didn't do my usual "pound the hills" riding. I am confident that this took a few minutes off my overall time.

I arrived in T2 and was still feeling okay, but not great. I got into a stride and my plan was to hold 8 minute miles until the half way mark, and then crank up the speed. Well, at the turnaround, I didn't feel too great. My HR was below 160, but I was tired. I never did figure out why, but I was tired. I swear my last 3 were at like 10 minute pace, but I finished. I sat down for about 30 minutes before I actually had the power to get up and leave.

I felt worse after this Olympic, than I did after my 1/2 IM in Florida. I decided to do this race on Tuesday of race week...therefore I did not taper. I don't know if I'm over-trained or just tired...but I need a week off! And I'm gonna take it!!!

Nicely run race...I'm doing it again next year!

I got to bed early on Friday night...around 10:00pm or so.

 I woke up around 5:15am without an alarm clock and was feeling fairly fresh. I was pretty excited about getting to race today...as it's been awhile since I've competed in a Sprint. I had a 1/2 bagel with peanut butter, and one packet of oatmeal around 5:40am. EJ and I arrived at the race site around 7:10am, which gave me about an hour to prepare, before my wave went off. I have to say...this was my first race in Georgia and the organization is nice, but the transition area has to be THE worst I've EVER come across...anyways...I set up my bike, got body-marked, grabbed my chip, and was off for a 1/2 mile warm-up jog. I then grabbed my goggles and headed to the lake for a quick 200 meters. It was now about 7:50am and everyone was preparing to get started. I headed out of the area and waited in solitude to get "my mind right." As 8:00am came and went, the race still hadn't started...kudos to the NCTS starting on time...so about 8:07, the race actually begin (the first wave). I was scheduled to go in the sixth wave, so I had about 12-15 minutes to kill. I hung out and watched a few guys from the first wave exit...and then "excused" my way to the front of my wave to get started.

I think I started out too hard on the swim today. I've gotten comfortable to longer swim distances and having the chance to get comfortable. For some reason, I felt like I had to swim harder and faster than normal...this wasn't so good. Around the half way mark, I started breathing harder than normal and I could hear my heart rate monitor alarm beeping underwater! Nevertheless, I made it through the swim and was told by EJ that I was 5th exiting the water.

The transition went smooth and I was off on the bike. About a 1/2 mile into the ride, there is a MONSTER climb of exactly 1 mile. I knew this and decided to ride it steady, but not too hard. I noticed people falling off the pace quickly...I assumed they tried to attack the hill instead of taking it in stride...I arrived at the crest and begin to lay the hammer down. I felt great, was riding hard, and the ride flew by! I was passed by only one guy...who was moving pretty good...my hats off to you buddy!

T2 went fine and I was off and running. The run course was rolling (hills) but proved to be a good challenge. I felt great and was happy with my progress...as every race is just another training opportunity!

I finished and was pleased to find out that I was 1st in my division. Congrats to all the other competitors in my division and the race.

I hung around for the awards ceremony because my buddy Roger Hand always gives me crap for bailing out on them...and thanks to him, I was surprised to find that all 1st place (per division) winners received a giant tub of Hammer/HEED supplement!

My average HR was 173 with a max of 186...yeah, I put out in this race!!!

 Thanks for reading!