4.13.2009

Snake River Triathlon 2009- Race Report

The trip began by loading up Miss Lexy and heading down to Lewiston with Tric. I raced this triathlon for the first time last year and had an absolute blast. This race is more about enjoying the company of some pretty awesome people then the actually race itself, but it is still a race and you know I am going to give it my best.

Before the Swim
Over the last week, I pretty much told Jessi and Tiffany that we were going to swim under 7:00 in the 500 yard swim. I think I had more confidence in their abilities then they did and knew we could do it. This was not going to be easy but with the advice of Kevin we had a great shot at setting PR's.

After arriving at the aquatic and seeing at Tri-Fusion had absolutely taken over the pool, it really help to calm any nerves that were starting to grow. After wandering around for a few minutes and seeing how everyone did, it was time for me to get into the pool.

I did a short warmup (probably should have warmed up a bit longer), it was time to start my set. As Kevin had suggested, the first 200 I focused on good strong pulls and then began to kick. I find it difficult to pace yourself in this race because you don't want to go out to fast and at the same time you need to be completely exhausted at the end because the bike and run are the next day.

Finishing my Swim

Last year I swam a 7:52 and knew I could go faster. Honestly my goal with each race is to go faster than the year before. Well when I touched the wall for the final time the clock read 6:54. It was almost an entire minute faster, I was definitely happy with that. I am also stoked to say that Jessi and Tiffany represesnted in true A+ style. Jessi swam a 6:58 while losing her cap and googles filling with water. Tiffany killed the swim with a 6:36, are you kidding me, that is freaking fast.

Finished!!!


Exhausted but sub 7!


Glad that is OVER!

After the swim we all made a stop for some tasty dinner at Tomato Bros. and enjoyed some great stories and a quick nap for me. I had eaten too much bread.
Not actually sleeping but might be in a bread induced coma.

Last year I may have slept a total of 4 hours in some not so comfortable beds but I am glad to report that I was out like a light and was able to sleep in until 7. That is pretty good for me, especially on a race morning. I think I was up at 5 last year and could not go back to sleep. So we loaded up the car and headed out to the race site.

Trish and I thought we might have been the first car to arrive since we were actually the first car in the parking lot. To our surprise my brand new truck was hanging on the racks with noone in sight. Turns out the bikes were pretty familiar and my dream of a new ride went flying out the window.
Setting up Transition

So transition was all set up and after a quick debat on wether any fluids would actually be needed, I removed my aero bottle and was ready to go. Last year I was the 30th person to leave for the bike portion. This year I was 8th and I have to say it wasn't near as hard to sit and wait for 7 people.

My goal on the bike was to push hard the entire ride. The unique aspect of this race is that the way out is slow and the way back is FAST. I wanted to keep my effort consistent for the entire race. Though my heartrate was a bit higher than I would have been comfortable with for any thing over 12 miles, good thing this race is 12 miles. I felt strong throughout but didn't know how my legs would respond. I really haven't done a hard brick and you never really know how it will go until you actually do it. Last year my transitions and bike time was 32:30 for 11 miles and this year it was 32:59 for 12 miles. Hard to compare data but I think only Roger can ride 1 mile in 29 seconds and I am not him.

I jumped off the bike, slipped on my K' Ona's and was off to the races. I had a secret goal of running the two miles in under 12 minutes but with my training designed for Ironman, a 2 mile sprint has been left out of the training. Even though my calves were close to cramping I was able to push through and run the first mile out in 6:21 and came back in 6:11. Though it was a bit slower than I hoped for, I am more than pleased I was able to run fast off the bike. Last year I ran a 13:36 for 6:48/mile and this year I ran a 12:32 for 6:16/mile. I like that kind of improvement.

The funny part about this race is that last year I was 12th overall and 3rd in my age group. Something I was pretty happy with. Fast forward to this year and I was 5th overall and STILL 3rd in my age group getting beat by the same two people, Nate and Ben. Maybe I need to find a race they are not in :)
3rd in AG

So total time from last year was 53:58 and a new PR this year of 52:25 with an extra mile thrown in on the bike. All the training and hard work is definitely paying off. Having Roger as a coach has really let me get the most out of each workout without wasting time. Those early morning workouts in the Thompson's basements and many hours in the pool have really helped. Even though the big picture is Ironman, it is still fun to get out and do a short quick race.

Since a quick 45 minute workout like the Snake River Tri doesn't really qualify as an Ironman workout, I had to finish out the day with a 1:10 run. Since I had family in town back home, I needed to get it in after the race. I ended up running 8 miles in just over 1:04 and was able to average 8:04's. I do recommend running along the river there. There are some really nice pathways and after a race, the flat run was good.

The trip finished up with some great pizza and hearing stories of the day. I would like to congratulate all the Tri-Fusionites on awesome races and the fact that we swept places 1-11. Not so bad if I say so myself.

5 comments:

Tiffany said...

Way to go, Keve! You A+ed this race all over the place! Awesome job on the sub 7 swim. I guess you can say, "I told you so" now!

Your bike and run was fast as all hell. I wish I could run as fast as you, just once!

I'm also beyond impressed that you got out there and got your run in immediately after the race. That hard core and true Ironman material! Congrats on a great race! Can't wait for the next one!

Michael W. Bergquist said...

Nice work and good read. I wish I could have made it. Congrats on a PR over last year's 1-mile-shorter-than-it-was-supposed-to-be-on-the-bike race (like my hyphenated word?).

jessithompson said...

Steve, you totally rocked this race. I was/am so stoked for you. Your training and commitment is already yielding stellar results. WAY TO GO! Your run afterwards was amazing as again your A+ness trumped what was easy or comfortable.

You are a rock star all the way, STUD!

Matt said...

Great race! You looked strong out there, all the hard work is paying off. Alot of PRs for ya!

Trish said...

Way to go Stevers! It was so much fun road-tripping it with you in Lexy! You were so encouraging pre-race and I literally heard your voice in my head during the swim saying, "the last 100 BETTER HURT!"

You have worked SO hard this winter and I am thrilled to see you getting PR's! Nice work buddy! You rocked this race for sure! Your season is going to be amazing and I am looking forward to cheering for you at LOTS of races! Till the next roadtrip in Lexy...