4.13.2008

Spring Thaw Du

TEAM SUPERSTAHHH!
Today I raced in the spring thaw duathlon. The weather was perfect, so it was a great day to get out and race. I really didn’t know exactly how the race would go but I knew that I was going to push myself. The first two loops felt good, I averaged 6:28/mile which is dang fast for me. As I headed into transition my legs were feeling good and T1 went smoothly.
So off I go on the bike. Last year I was passed by about 10 people and was definitely not happy about that. This year I think I cut that down to about 5 and I think I even passed 2 or 3. My legs were feeling pretty good even after the long ride yesterday. It was awesome to see my SUPERSTAHHH teammate, Pheadra, pass me on the bike. She is such a strong rider and her words of encouragement really helped me push to the end.
On to T2. In my first race this season my legs felt pretty good coming off the bike, something that never happened last year. As soon as I got off the bike I knew my legs were ready to run. After a quick transition I was off to try and catch as many people as possible. The first loop was good but I think I could have run it a bit faster. As I stated when I started the day, I was going to push myself. The second loop was a bit of a struggle but I just kept pushing. In my second two loops I was able to aver 6:46/mile which is something I am very pleased about. I finished in 25th overall and 5th in my age group but most importantly I was able to shave 6 minutes off my last year time.
After a weekend of riding 40 miles and doing a race you would think a person would call it a day and head home to enjoy the great weather. As we were sitting down relaxing after the race a few of my Tri-Fusionites asked I would like to join them for an additional workout. Tim was planning a 10-mile run and the Scates’ were heading out for a 3-hour ride. What should a boy do?
Well, the genius in my decided I would head out for another ride, at the time it sounded like such a great idea. The group consisted of the Scates, a “PRO” triathlete, and like 4 more extremely fast cyclist. As I headed out I knew this was going to be a long day. We headed out at about 25mph which is way above any pace I have ever average. It was great riding with some of the strongest cyclist in the area but this was not going to be my day.

After making through the first half of the ride at the back of the pack, Mark Wyborney, decided he would hang back with me and finish the ride. As we struggled with the heat and long climbs, all I could think about is why would I put myself through this. I was so tired and all I wanted to do was go home and lay down. We finally made it back to the cars with some words of encouragement from the speedy group I did feel good about my ride. I really need to thank Mark, if it were not for him I might have been out there for another hour.

When I got home I did the ICE BATH event for about 10 minute. BRRRRRRRRRRR. It was extremely unpleasant but I knew that it would help in the recovery process. Once I was done with my bath I was amazed that I didn’t feel so tired. I was actually able to accomplish a few things around the house and was able to relax before hitting the sack. This was definitely one of my longest weekends of training and I am glad it was complete.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Way to hang in there Steve! You rode hard and let me tell you it wasn't an easy ride. You should pat yourself on the back ! Good job at the race too.

Vicki

Jen said...

WOW! What a weekend! Congrats on your race time!

Tiffany said...

Nice work at the du! You are such a smokin' fast runner! I'm so happy to hear your legs felt strong, especially after your ride on Saturday. That is awesome that you shaved 6 minutes off of last year's time. Way to go!

As for the ride afterward, you are insane! If you're going to keep doing things like that, you have GOT to get yourself some RecoverEase STAT!

I love the Supahstah pic! You guys are hilarious!

Tim Swanson said...

Fun times watching you race, man. I have a feeling when you get a chance to put it all together, you are going to surprise some people, maybe even yourself.
Glad you went out and suffered on the post-race bike too...I never would have been able to do that, but those are the times that will make you faster in the long run.
Tim

jessithompson said...

Excellent weekend all the way around, buddy. I have to agree with Tim, I think there's some great results in your future! 6 minutes off of your time in a short du - that's impressive!!! Well done!

Phaedra Cote said...

Steve! I'm feeling some deja vu, I could swear that I already left a comment about this post but it's not there. Hmm.

SMOKIN' race mister. It was really fun to see you out there and have some healthy competition! Love it. And I was alright with you passing me on the run and in the end, was sincerely happy to see you had pushed yourself the way you said you were going to (just wish I could have kept up with you as you were passing me). Your hard work paid off. I guess I need to pick up my run a little.

I'm very impressed with your weekend of training. My husband went out of town so I had my boys and couldn't join the ride but it did sound like fun. It also sounded like A LOT of work, I know how those guys ride and I would have been a wreck IF I could have kept up even that long. You did the right thing. Take those opportunities whenever you can. Like Tim said, it sure helps make you faster in the end if you have some pain like that once in a while.

"Diggin deep" once in a while helps you know what 'that place' feels like which helps you find it more easily in a race. 6 minutes off in one year at such a short distance is A LOT of time. Your hard work is paying off.

you are a SUPERSTAHHHHH!

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