Workout With the Clock- 2008

Today was the 2nd annual workout with the clock. This was my first appearance and it was a great time. The morning started out showing up around 7:30 am for an 8 o’clock start. Well we didn’t start right at 8 but that was ok because the morning was pretty cold. After we let the sun come out for a few minutes we started the race.
The race consisted of a 2-mile run, 12-mile bike, 2-mile run. The first run started out pretty good and the pace felt pretty fast. I was hoping to keep Roger and Eric somewhere in sight but that was not going to happen. They were off like rockets and it was up to the rest of us to chase them down. The first two miles were at 13:53, sub 7 splits, which is one of my fastest times to date.

For my first transition, even though it wasn’t from the swim, it still went pretty smooth. I have recently purchased new cycling shoes and it was good to try and put them on as fast as I could. I followed Traci into T1 and was surprised how fast of a runner she was. I was forth into T1 and forth out with Tim Swanson and Traci switching places. After the first 2-miles we headed out on the bikes.
Out on the bike Jessi, Tim and I joined up to try and catch the leaders. I am pretty sure Jessi was wishing she didn’t have to pull my ass the entire way but I have to thank her. This was definitely not how a race would go but you race the rules and it was nice to ride with some very fast people. We did a good job of chasing down Eric but there was no way we were going to catch Roger. After we caught Eric the four of us raced back to the starting line getting ready for the next 2-mile run.

The second transition, T2, was not near as smooth as the first. I forgot to get out of my shoes on the bike and almost forgot to unclip from my pedals. After almost coming to a stop I unclipped and raced to my tree or staging area. Not your normal staging area but it worked for this day. The first mile was pretty good running about 20 yards behind Tim. At the turn-around I decided it was time to turn up the speed and see if all this training was paying off. I caught Tim and finished the second 2 miles in 13:55, my second set of two miles with sub 7 minutes splits.
I was pretty excited about the times. It is funny how you train so hard to get faster and faster but when it comes to racing you forget the simply things like your transitions. I know I need to keep working on my fitness but it was good to get out and race.

My afternoon was spent at my parent’s house visiting family in town for Easter and watching the Cougars take on Notre Dame. This was the Cougs second round game in the NCAA tourney. The Cougs have not won two games in the tournament since 1941. Through some tough defense they were able to keep their high powered offense guessing all game and pulled out the victory 61-41. Off to the Sweet 16. How sweet it is!!