Taylorsville Lake Race Report
Hey Guys
This past weekend, on Mother's Day, I got the
opportunity to race in Taylorsville (a small town about an hour west of
Lexington). It was my first 70.3 (or should I say 60.3- the bike course got reduced due to some bad road conditions with the rain) race of the season and
I was hoping to use it as a measuring device for how my training has been
coming along.
The day started with rain and it never really
stopped, this was probably the cause of such low attendance as well. We started
in one big wave so I still got to experience the violent swim start that I am
growing accustomed to. I used a pair of goggles that we got at REV 3
(which breaks my number 1 rule of "Try nothing new on race
day") and they were actually pretty great. The blue tint made
everything a little brighter, I actually thought the sun was coming out as we
started the second lap of the swim. I felt really strong on the swim except for
a pain that started to develop in my right hip (the same place as the injury I
had from earlier this year). This means that I need to really evaluate my
stroke in the water and find out why my form is causing injuries. By the time I
was on the bike however the pain was gone and I was back on track.
I was second out of the water and after the first 10-12 miles
on the bike I found the leader, caught up, had the lead. I stayed in the lead
of a pack of 3 (legally of course). Through the bike course I never lost the
lead, but I think the crew behind me could have taken the lead, and they did at
about mile 42, when they passed me on a pretty big hill. I lost a lot of momentum mentally but
when I came into T2 in third just seeing the leaders heading out on the
run I got a little burst of energy.
T2 turned out to be disaster, quick, but a
big mess. I got my shoes, sunglasses, and visor on without a problem. The issues
started when my fuel belt dropped a bottle and I couldn’t manage my race number
belt at the same time. I made a quick decision to drop the fuel belt and rely
on the nutrition on the course. After this he run was pretty uneventful. It
consisted of running to the top of a hill, and then do an out-and-back course 3
times, then back down the hill (mind numbing) I passed one guy who
was walking then got passed on the second (of 3) laps. Checking my watch I was
very happy with the effort but I still had a couple of miles to go. This is the
first time in my racing career that when I started to really hurt I was able to
push through and get to the other side without giving in to the walk. Heading
into the final mile of the run another athlete edged me out for 3rd and I ended
up 4th. I tried my hardest to sprint to keep up with him but the leg speed just
wasn't there.
So
in the end I was pleased with my performance and effort but I still have a long
way to go before I would consider myself ready for IM Louisville, or even
Muncie 70.3 for that matter. However now that I know I can make it past the
wall I think it wilt open up a world of potential.
The miles will start to increase as this beautiful weather sticks
around and the public pools open this coming Memorial Day weekend.
Oh and in honor of mother’s day I made these two ladies a couple of
veggie pizzas.
Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers out there!!!
Until next time keep training!
-T
