I flew solo for this race. No training partner, no family, just me and my bike. Due to the new start time (7:00a.m) I was up way too early.
My alarm went off at 4:05 (like I said, way too early). I am usually really excited about this race, but this year I had hard time focusing the Saturday before and even considered bailing on the race, since the girls and I were leaving for Hilton Head the same day.
I digress. I had luckily gotten everything in order the night before, so the morning was smooth and I started to eat a little breakfast before I got in the car for the race. Banana baby food, as always.
I was out of the house by 4:45 to the beginnings of lightening and a strong “breeze” over the lake. I decided to keep my bike off the rack and just packed it in the back of the car. A good thing, since it dumped rain on my way out to the race – along with thunder and lightning my entire ride out to Vermilion. There was part of me that was thinking that I was not going to have to worry about racing because there was not going to be a race.
I got to transition a little after 5:30, which is way early for me and only a handful of people had arrived. I got my favorite spot on the bike rack, on the end, next to the aisle. I got my transition set up and had no line for the port-a-pots, which I later noticed were atrocious.
The only thing about being there that early is that it gives you a lot of time to stew, so I decided to walk to the swim course and get a good stretch, while I also watched the lightning and the lake conditions – a little ugly with 3-4 foot waves crashing on shore and a solid swell further out. My first thought was the swim was going to be an adventure, if they let us take it on.
Then the announcements started flying. The race was going to be delayed for a ½ hour for weather. All tri athletes were free to transfer races to the du because of water conditions.
The internal debate began about what I should do, because I came with mindset of doing a tri, not a du. I was not up for the extra running in the du anyways. However, the little voice in me tries to guess their intent of the announcement...are they saying it’s too dangerous to swim…am I a strong enough swimmer, all the negative thought. So I said F it and threw my wetsuit on to give the water a try and then make my decision.
Once in the lake, it was definitely rough, but I ultimately conclude it is manageable, especially with a wetsuit. Then comes the announcement that it will be a half mile swim for everybody, including the Oly tri, and there is no decision.
Moving on… my wave goes off at its newly scheduled time without issue and the swim went well. Especially since the advertised ½ mile swim was much more like a ¼ mile swim.
When I got out of the water I was totally focused and ready to ride. The ride is why I love this race. The Oly bike course is a great test with some good climbing. It really makes me push myself. The first 12 miles are brutal as there are at least 3 big climbs, where they have crushed your speed to nothing at the bottom. I had great pace going out and was just eating up the distance.
I love climbing in races, because it can be such a confidence boost when you get out of the saddle and start crushing it up hill, especially if you can start picking people off.
About 9 miles out I got in a group with two other cyclists and we ended pushing each other through the entire course, which made the second half of the course fly by. Also, the legal and illegal drafting that may or may not have occurred did not hurt the speed of the group.
I also noticed neither of the guys were in my age group, which either meant I was getting blown away or I had gotten ahead of the group.
I came in from the bike and I had a good transition of under a minute and I was off and running with one my cycling compadres. This worked great, because we both pushed each other at first with 7:00 minute miles and going into third miles we had dropped under 7:00. At 3.2 miles I decided I was going to pass my running partner and I got ahead of him for about quarter mile.
That must have sparked him, because I heard his footsteps and he caught back up me just after 4 miles and pulled ahead. He also picked it up one more gear and I dropped behind by about 25 feet (which really pissed me off) but I was able keep it there for the last two miles. I was starting to get a blister on the top of my foot, because I had gone barefoot again and thrown on my shoes too quickly.
Regardless, I finished the race in 2:04:10, which I was happy with. At the time, I did not know where that would place me, although I had not seen many guys in my age group around me.
I did not hang out for the results because, as I said, the girls and I had a car trip to start. So I said goodbye to a family friend who was volunteering in transition and I took off. As always, the volunteers in Vermilion were great and Linwood, as a race site, is also great.
In the end, 2:04:10 was good enough for 1st in my age group and 11th overall for the Olympic Race.
Editor’s Note: I can’t believe we missed a blue ribbon race!
Editor’s Note 2: There have been a couple trips to Spin in the last few weeks for tune ups and tweeks. During this time, I have noticed Scott “talking” with his bikes. Welcoming them home from overnight stays. Worried? Me? Nah.
Editor’s Note 3: One additional note on our stay here in Hilton Head…the bike is in the hallway, not the bedroom. It’s a little lonely.
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