Worst Blogger Ever

Yes, that is my official title and I know I am going to regret not taking the time to document all of our adventures in this blog leading up to our big race.  We are now three weeks away from the big event in Zurich and so much has happened since my last post.  On a positive note, the training is going great and I feel confident in my ability to complete the race (thanks Coach T).

Time to hop in the time machine, hit 88 mph, and travel back in time to the events that have brought me to today.  Let's start with the Kinetic 1/2 Ironman on May 10.  Going into this race I really did not feel the pre-race jitters that I typically experience in the week leading up to the event.  That actually had me a bit worried that I was not taking the race and distance seriously enough and it would come back to haunt me on race day.  Jen summed up our trip down and the weather conditions in her post but here is a summary of my race experience.  First off the swim and the hardest part of any triathlon for me.  This swim was in a lake and with light winds the water was relatively calm and so was I.  It was also the first time I had the chance to try out my new wetsuit in race conditions.  My goal in the swim is just to get through it, stay relaxed, don't go anaerobic, and try to find something to think about to pass the time.  While I found the race generally well organized if there was one negative to the event it was the swim markers.  At the start of the event everyone was discussing the apparent zig zag of buoys and trying to determine which was the "right" side to swim on.  Of course that led to people zig zagging around in the water and bumping into a few people during the swim but nothing serious, just more annoying and I don't need annoying during the swim.  When I came out of the water I looked at my watch and I was just at 40 minutes which I know is slow but good for me (turns out my official swim time was 42:12 due to the time it took me to get from the water to the timing mat at the transition area).

Now I am happy, swim is done and off on the bike.  This was a training race for Zurich so I was less concerned about speed and more focused on riding a steady pace.  The bike course was in good shape and besides a few riders in groups and cars blocking the road I felt good on the bike and came in at 2:54.  The biggest surprise of the ride was in the transition area.  Who do I see but Jen right behind me on her bike which means she had a great ride and a great race.  All that was left for both of us was three loops on a hilly course with humid weather, easy right?

I always go into the run feeling confident but that did not last long on this day.  My legs were tired, the weather was against me, and my stomach felt like I just finished a five course meal sans the wine pairing.  Although I left the transition area before Jen it was not long before she left me behind like a dirty shirt on laundry day.  The hills took what little energy I had left and I ended up walking the hilly sections (which seemed like most of the course).  I did manage to run the last two miles and finished the run in 2:10 for an overall time of 5:51:57 with transition times.  Under six hours which should have made me happy but I was disappointed with my run time considering my goal was 2:00.

I see the finish line!

The best part of the race was seeing Jen and the finish line and then finding out she finished third in her age group for a podium.  As a reward I made her drive home like any good boyfriend.