3.29.2008

Snake River Triathlon- Part Bike/Run

So when you go to bed before a race you want to make sure you get a nice deep sleep to help prepare you for the day ahead. This is way easier said then done. After laying on the awesome bed for 5 minutes at Motel 6 I knew I was in for a long one. The blankets sucked and don’t even get me started on the dang pillow (if it can even be called that). I had one of the worst nights of sleep I can remember. I looked at the clock for the first time around 3:00 am and then every half hour until 6:00 am when I finally got out of bed. On any normal race day this would be just about perfect but not when the race starts at 10:00. So after pulling the curtain back expecting to see about 3 inches of fresh powder, to my surprise the ground was clear and the weather looked pretty good.

Since this was a Saturday my roommates took the opportunity to sleep in. I headed over to the store and then walked around the motel trying to find some Tri-Fusionites in the same sleepless predicament as me. After waiting around for about an hour and a half my roommates finally rose from the sober sleeps and we started getting ready for the race. It is definitely interesting to see some people’s pre-race habitats vs. your own.

Finally 8:15 rolled around and we loaded up the gear and of course made our stop at Starbuck’s for some coffee. I am no longer drinking Starbucks but I still laugh every time we pull up and leave. We headed up to the race site and started to unpack all the gear and started get it set up. The transition area was actually pretty nice and was pretty wide open which helps when coming in off the bike. It was great to sit around and talk with everyone. Some people were excited some were nervous but you could definitely see the smiles on everyone’s faces.
Since we had already done the swim portion last night there was no need to change into your bike gear. In this race everyone was already dressed with helmets, shoes, shoe covers and TWO watches (ok just me) and we all lined up in the order of our swim times. I have to admit it was kind of hard to sit and watch as 33 people run off in front of you as you watch the clock waiting for it to hit 7:52.

So off I go running through transition and jump onto my bike. Everything is going good and I even pass a few people before the top of the hill. I am not sure if this was legal but I am pretty sure one bike had training wheels. Damn kids who are fast swimmers :). The bike portion was pretty good. I felt pretty strong throughout the entire ride. The small snow storm was a nice added touch and even the 1975 flatbed that jumped out in front of me. I wasn’t close enough to use him for drafting but I think the exhaust gave me an extra little boost. I am thinking of marketing it as a HGH (Human Growth Hormone, for the non-baseball people), what do you think? I passed quite a few riders and was only passed by 4 people. All of which had really nice bikes and as I watched them pass, I think they probably totaled about $20K. I was ok watching those awesome pieces of engineered genius go flying by.

Earlier in the day I told my self that I was going to give it all I had on the run. I was going to push myself to the limit. When I jumped off the bike my legs felt pretty good. Usually I have to run about half a mile before they feel like they are under me. Today it was right off the bike; I am pretty excited about this. The first mile was pretty tough but I was able to pass I think 3 people. The run was an out and back which really helps to give you an idea on how far your competition is ahead of you. This also allows for you to cheer and high 5 your teammates as you pass each other.

I ran the first mile out in 7:00 minutes flat. I was hoping for a bit faster time but still pleased with the pace and how I felt. On the way back I was able to pass one more person. There was one girl in front of me that I just couldn’t track down. Supposedly she is come college athlete but I really wanted to run past her. In the end she beat me by 5 darn seconds but that is racing and that is why I look forward to the next one. I ran the last mile in 6:36 which I am extremely excited about. After the race we hung around and cheer the rest of the Tri-Fusionities to the finish. I was able to finish in 12th position and took 3rd in my age-group. I am happy with the results but not satisfied. I know there is a lot more work to do and I can’t wait to get started next week.
We all headed out for some great pizza and conversation afterwards. It was great to hear some of the race stories and how everyone did. Before Greg, Nat and I got back on the road we headed over to get some ice cream and hit the road. The drive back was pretty relaxing since we were all pretty worn down from the race.

4 comments:

jessithompson said...

You had an amazing race, buddy! One thing I admire about you is your attitude - you've always got a good outlook on things.

Excellent job on the run - you are smokin' fast. Lookin' forward to havin' you push me on some of our training runs coming up.

FUN TRIP! Can't wait to do it again soon!

Tiffany said...

Way to go, Steve! You such a fast runner! I could only hope for those numbers in my dreams!

Nice job on this race. Can't wait for the next one!

Tim Swanson said...

OK, so yeah, way to back up your WWC run performance. Damn, nice splits. I have a long way to go to catch up to ya...thanks for the cool race report. It was almost like I was there, but with warm toes :)
Tim

Trish said...

Congrats on such a great race! It was so fun to hang out with the group and brave the weather together :) You were stinkin' fast friend on the run! No wonder you looked so well-rested by the time I finished! Nice job...good times :)