I admit it - I'm absolutely terrible at keeping a blog. There are extenuating circumstances, but it basically has to do with three things:
1) I'm fundamentally lazy. This is why I'm effective at work - a smart, lazy worker will find the most efficient way to do something (or so I believe).
2) I'm mono-obsessive. Basically I'm overcoming my inherent laziness by obsessing over my Ironman training. As a side-effect I'm having trouble remembering to buy groceries, let alone write a regular blog entry.
3) I can't really see. My left eye is all just fuzzy shapes and colours right now; it needs cataract surgery, among other things. My right eye has good distance vision, especially near the start of the day. Computer screens are hard, especially after a long day in the office.
So, better late than never, here's what happened at Storrie Lake...
The race organisers had put on a 10km run the night before the triathlon, on the triathlon run course, which was great for the non-triathlete significant others. I made good use of this by sending my spy out to check the run course and report back on road surface, hills, etc.
So race morning: despite rumours about the swim not being wetsuit legal, the water was actually at 63F and quite comfortable in a full-sleeve wetsuit. The start wasn't too hectic, and I only got hit by flailing arms a couple of times. I did get a decent hit in the goggles from someone's foot as they cut a nice zig-zag course in front of me, but before too long I had worked my way through to nice (relatively clear) water. It took about 27 minutes before I was out, but I was pleasantly suprised by Storrie Lake. New Mexico isn't famed for any of it's bodies of water, but it was really quite nice.
Into transition, after a wobbly run up the boat ramp, and I had a fairly slow transition. I can't pin down exactly what was slow, so it must've been everything. I had some watch troubles too, leading to some very odd splits on my Timex Global Trainer... anyway, transition was a good opportunity to clear the mind and before I knew it I was heading to the mount/dismount line and jumping on my bike.
The ride was great, with the exception of the giant rumble strip that ran along the outer edge of the shoulder. I had to cross the rumble strip several times and my bones and teeth didn't appreciate the experience. It was an out-and-back course of 40km which was mostly uphill on the way out, then mostly down coming back. The total elevation gain was less than 1500ft (I think) and that made the ride nice and fast. One thing that really stood out to me was just how much faster all the guys/girls with TT bikes and aero gear went on the downhills. I was in the drops, spinning my biggest gear, and the full time-trial setups kept cruising past me with barely any pedaling going on. Still, I loved the ride and had a great time cruising past people on the uphill sections.
Two notably stupid things I did on the bike course:
1) took the turnaround too fast. I had to lock up the back wheel and skid it round the last few inches so I could avoid running into a table.
2) on one section of hill I dropped my head for too long (watching the white line disappear under my front wheel) and looked up to see a traffic cone. Well, I ran that traffic cone down! A little shift of bodyweight around the bike and the cone just popped out to the side when I ran over it. No harm done (but silly, especially considering how much I ride).
And that just left the run. The course was about 65% paved road, 30% packed dirt road and 5% trail. It was really a lot of fun
So overall it was a good race. The day wasn't cool, and the course wasn't shaded. Heat was starting to play a role as the day wore on, but I finished my day in 2hrs 28min 26sec. Age group place: 5th. Overall place: 23rd.
Next there will be words about the Splash'n'Dash series I've been doing. There will also be an update on how my eyes are coping just as soon as I have news. I've got a checkup on Thursday to follow up on the Ozurdex implant I had put into the left eye on last Saturday.
Until next time...
