Third times the charm ... right?
Thanks to everyone for your support and well wishes, without them doing these races would just not be possible. All in all the race turned out very well, no trips to the medical tent, and I even managed to get a trophy out of it :)
The Swim:
Showed up to transition race morning feeling confident that it was going to be a good day. Was in the middle of checking my bike over when the guy on the PA system announces that the water temperature of the lake is 77 degrees ... meaning that it is going to be a wetsuit optional swim. Read, if you wear a wetsuit you CANNOT qualify for Kona or place in your age group. Great way to get the adrenaline flowing at 5AM, I could not use my wetsuit and my speedsuit (a legal tight fitted swim suit to go over my trisuit during the swim) was back in the hotel! Managed to borrow a cell phone, call my mom, who relayed the message over to my dad, who sprinted (in flip flops) back to the hotel to get the suit. Absolute chaos. Long story short, I finally manage to get the speedsuit ... problem solved right ... if only it was that simple. I suit was given to me from a friend who swam D1 in college, so it may or may not be legal for use in triathlons. I finally manage to find the head official (at this time it is ~10 minutes before the race starts) and ask him if my suit is legal. Of course ... it is not. Rip the suit off and now I am left with only one option, swim in my trisuit. Not a horrible option but it is not a tight as a speedsuit so for 2.4miles I was looking forward to my top catching water and acting as a parachute. At this point I was frazzled to say the least. Got in the water, warmed up for a few minutes, and it was time to race. Despite not being in my wetsuit the swim went well. I managed to stay within range of the lead group without getting pounded to pieces. Exited the water first in my age group, 24th overall.
T1:
The first transition went off without a hitch and before I knew it I was out on my bike
The Bike:
My goal for the day was to be able to run strong, even if that meant giving up some time on the bike. I settled into a comfortable pace and the miles seemed to fly by. It was the first time I was not getting passed by people left and right. I was riding well and things were looking very positive. I had even managed to hang onto a group of back of the pack pros for a solid 40 miles or so. Came through the first loop of the bike feeling like a million bucks. Started the second loop and the legs felt a bit tired but still good. Had a few hairy instances where I needed to take evasive maneuvers to dodge rolling water bottles but aside from that I made it through loop two feeling good and without any mechanical problems. Entered the second transition 4th in my age group.
T2:
Again, flawless. Armed with my PB&J sandwich I was off to battle the 26.2 mile long monster
The Run:
Very proud of myself as I actually ran the entire 26.2 miles this year, aside from walking a bunch of the aide stations on the second loop to make sure I could take in enough fluids. Started out at a steady pace and just keep my feet moving. Would have liked to have run a bit faster but the heat made it very difficult. The first loop felt good and on the way out on the second loop I caught a guy in my age group, moving me up to third overall. The second loop was brutal, both mentally and physically. I convinced myself that if I could make it through the run (and not end up in the medical tent) then I would go to the lake placid brewery after the race and get myself a sampler of their craft beers. I kept moving at a solid pace and before I knew it I was rounding the final corner on the olympic oval. 10:50.13 ... good enough for third in my age group.
It was a great race and I am really happy with how things went. Unfortunately I missed qualifying for Kona by a single place. They gave our age group two slots and both were claimed. I am sure I have left out details, and I would love to share more about the race, but thanks again to everyone for their support. It really does mean alot.
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