Since Sandy wanted more detail than was included in my earlier top ten...
Saturday morning, we strided into the water... a balmy 63F with a slight chop as you got closer to the harbor exit. The gun went off and I thought I was moving pretty well. I was almost at the buoy that I thought was the turnaround just as a bunch of M40-44 guys caught me on the swim. I caught a bit of the draft, made the turn and started heading for home, only to be stopped in my tracks by a kayaker... we had turned too early. Ack! I raised my head and saw that there was another buoy. I backtracked and continued around the buoy and then set off back to the jetty. As I exited the water I saw 38+mins on my watch. How the f@#$! did that happen? I thought my swim was improving? How could I be so slow?
Oh well, at least I was back on dry land... and feeling fresh. Thankfully, for the next 2.5+ hours or so, it would be *all about the bike*. Never having seen or ridden the course, I was flying blind but a detailed course description on the "gordo forum" last week plus advice from Brent to *save a little bit* for the second half of the bike, was front and center in my mind. I spun easy for the first 10 or so miles, let my heart rate settle and my legs warm up. I was in wave 16 of 19 and the last female wave, so the course was BUSY by the time I got on the bike. It made for some very frustrating moments during the first 20 miles since the course included narrow stretches along bike paths. About 5 guys passed me from the M40-44 age group but for the most part I was sitting out on the left into a swirling headwind/tailwind (I couldn't keep track - seemed like the wind came from every direction), overtaking a constant stream of cyclists on my right. Thankfully, I've done enough races to know to holler *on your left* well in advance. As I zipped by, I was encouraged to receive compliments on my bike pace from fellow athletes, male and female, as well as cheers from the marines that were marshalling the course.
Mile 30 or so is where the hills begin.... I was just warming up. The first hill has a decent pitch (8-9% - think Nasty Grade) but is short at about 0.5miles. A few folks were weaving back and forth on the hill (they must have thought it was L'Angliru) so it made for some tricky navigation. I switched into 39-23, got out of the saddle and *jack rabbited* past them, conscientiously keeping my breathing steady. The next two hills came up about 5 miles after the first... both seemed longer but the grade was shallower (5-6%) so I climbed both hills seated, focusing on my form. Pretty sweet to see guys freak out when they see how fast and easy I was climbing! Mack & Michael, all that big gear work paid dividends!
The final 15 miles or so seemed flat to rolling but the headwinds required some consistent effort. At one point I passed a guy (wearing red, maybe Phoenix tri club?) who then came up on my left and told me to *get on his wheel*. What a jackass? I told him to get out of my way and leave me alone (more eloquently than that of course ;-)). I wish I had noted his number. A couple of other athletes saw the incident and assured me that the guy was being a *dick* and not to worry. I was pretty freaked out but put my head down and cruised back to T2, feeling strong and ready to run.
The run is a flat two loop course on concrete along the oceanfront and residential side streets of the town. I jogged out of transition and almost collided with François Chabaud (male winner) who was wandering around near the medical tent. That would not have been cool. I headed past the crowds on my first loop, to the sound of Chris Hauth yelling *go get 'em, Jordan*. I also passed Brent, making his final turn for the finishing straight. I couldn't believe he'd finished already and I still had 13 miles to go! My legs had the usual heaviness but they began to loosen up after a mile or so. I didn't feel great but I reminded myself that *it wouldn't get any better so just deal with it*. That insight will be key for Lake Placid. Hahaha. No major incidents on the run, except almost choking after taking a swig of coke at mile 11. I felt that I kept a steady pace though I forgot to make a note of my splits for the two loops so it's hard to say whether I slowed down. I was more focused on my breathing and heart rate than I was on my pace. I ran a 1hr 44min half-marathon... my fastest ever in a triathlon and only 3 minutes slower than my fastest half-marathon so I was pleased with my result, given my inconsistent running over the past 12 months. The best news is that, while I'm sore from the race (running on concrete), my hamstring and knee did not cause any problems. Yeah!
