Did you bring your best self to the start line? Are you showing up with your best self in training? This question sparks my thoughts about that next level, moving beyond good enough.
We are living the trophy generation. No matter what you did you get a medal at the end. Congratulations, completing an endurance event you are now 1% of the sedative American society we live in. When I did my first marathon, my mantra was 'just finish' and the words 'you are an Ironman' will forever leave a life changing impression. But completing an event is not a destination, it's a journey and the next step is to go beyond good to great.
You need to redefine yourself. Post race recaps tell the narrative story and define your sense of ones self as everything you planned for unfolds in to race results. Narrating your story helps makes sense of it all so you can continue to grow with each experience. But use caution; there will be certain things that shape who we are that we can get stuck on if we are not careful such as a focusing on a sense of self weakness instead of focusing on self strengths. Problem identification is not the only path to growth; keep in mind the importance of advocating potential. Do you give your problems more air time than your possibilities? Think about a time, a sweet spot, when you were at your best and write a story about your best self moments. What characteristics did you embody when you were at your best? Construct your own best self portrait. When I am at my best, I set examples and become a positive role model for others around me. Who am I to be elite? Who am I not to be? Liberating ones self from your own our fears automatically liberates others. Embrace your self identity and become a reflection of what you vision as your best. Dare to be powerful, using your strengths in the service of your vision. Let others know you are not afraid of achieving your vision. Call out your vision for a new PR or to qualify and embrace the journey to go get it. Create the new narrative, I can. Society trains you to forget your own capacity. You could but your mindset was stuck in an out dated capacity of your best self. Live your life by the inside out not the outside in. Make decisions based on the results you want to create and not the judgments that you fear. Optimize your potential toward this capacity that you already have and you are ready to sculpt that athlete inside.
First things first, take one step at a time. So you have the vision, next comes living into this capacity. Challenge the best of who you are everyday. Embrace the notion of purposeful engagement in work. A purpose is a goal that provides a sense of direction and gives today's actions a sense of meaning. Think of it as a masterpiece. Individually a note does not amount to much but collectively they weave together into a common purpose, a symphony. Why do you workout? 99% of society will say because I have to, you are not part of this. 1% of society will say to improve, to finish the marathon and that is good. But you are not good, you are great and you have a calling to qualify, to be the 1% of the 1%. This vision trickles down to doing every workout with purpose and meaning toward achieving your vision. Ask yourself, how does today's work make a difference toward my goal? Asking the question you are now responsible for connecting purpose to daily activities. Think about the long term consequences of purposeful engagement. Commit to working with purpose. Any job is worth doing well. Value the notion of small wins. If you're doing kicking drills, do them with care. If you are foam rolling, do it as if you are instructing a class. Make it real; do not just pass through the motions. Embrace it all; find opportunities for growth and find perfection in each workout.
Be proactive and intentional in crafting a healthy lifestyle.
How do you feel about the trade offs you made in 2010 after you lived out the full consequences of those healthy lifestyle choices? What types of behavior with family and friends did you decide to suppress in order to align to your vision? Step back and consider other choices for redefining your life. Does your social network of family and friends 'get it' by supporting you and aligning to your vision of living a healthy lifestyle? If your friends talk you out of your morning runs for evening drinks or your family talks you out of your weekly regimen for holiday gorging then perhaps its time to revisit your decision to live a health lifestyle with them so they align. The only way you will be able to transform your healthy lifestyle is by finding meaningful relationship where those around you affirm who you are when you are at your best. Life is interrelated and you need to invest in relationships with those around you to also live the healthy lifestyle. The best self I aught to be cannot occur until those I surround myself with strive to be the best they aught to be. You need to be able to draw upon sources of people around you who are also committed, consistent and embody your vision of your best self. Embrace relationships that take you into your own self best zone. Move to the next level both in fitness and living. We enable one and other good or bad toward the paths we choose and I hope my direction toward living a healthy lifestyle carries momentum for my family and friends because in return, they also give me momentum in living out a healthy lifestyle.
Bring it.
Joshua Hickey
"It's not what you get by achieving our goals, it's who you become".
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Friday, April 15, 2011
How I Budget My Training Time
Every Sunday night I prioritize & schedule my weekly training then print out the weeks calendar to post on my fridge.
After working inside behind a sedative desk job M-F and being the primary caregiver M-F night for my kids after work while my wife works I need Saturday morning to get outside. This is my allocated 5 hrs of me time to achieve balance. I would be a caged animal if I didn’t allocate time to check out off the grid from life’s responsibilities for this mental and physical health break. If for some reason the weekend gets booked, I will use a personal day off work to still achieve this & stay consistent in this basic cycle between working hard and checking out. I believe this health break investment allows me to keep a high pace during work week. How I spend this allocated time to get the most return on my training investment is to cycle. Visalia is close to some of the best climbs in California so I’ll hit Yokohl, Drum Valley, Mt House, Sequoia National Park to name a few. 50% of triathlon is cycling so half of my ability to meet my triathlon goals comes from consistently hitting this 1 key workout.
My second highest priority investment is not even a workout but rather everything I don’t do in order to optimize #1 above. You would not believe how many decisions I make in order to not impact that sacred Saturday morning ride. Not going out drinking Friday night, not buying an expensive car so I can buy an expensive bike, not using my babysitter Friday night so I can allocate same babysitter funds Saturday morning, not letting my gear go unprepared but having laundry done and bike mechanics dialed prior to Saturday morning, not subjecting my body to a mediocre workout to tire out the legs on Friday but doing active recovery so my legs are fresh, etc. You can see there is a lot of thought that goes into Friday to optimize Saturday and saying no to distractions to be able to achieve focus on my #1 priority training time investment.
My third priority is to follow an exact marathon training plan for 3 key days a week. Runnersworld smartcoach lays out a good plan with the 3 basic workouts the long run, speekwork and pacework/hills/brick. The plan also gives you 3 additional easy days so you can run an every other day hard/easy cycle. The good thing about running is its extremely flexible on your schedule if you become a morning person. You don’t have to use sacred weekends to do a long run, setting the Wednesday morning alarm for 4 am and putting on a headlamp will do just fine. I like to complete one run as a brick immediatley following my Sat ride and the other two runs will be setting my alarm early during the week. To get a quality workout, I personally really need to get those 3 key runs outside and for the easy runs, going to the gyms treadmill will do.
My fourth priority is nutrition. I spend every Sunday night doing my grocery shopping for the week. I have a grocery list that I always use and continuously improve every time I read an article or do additional research. Being that my wife works until 8, I have a home made meal ready for her every night but also benefit from this myself as real clean fresh food is key to athletic performance.
My fifth priority is going to the gym itself M-F after work. Lifestyles is great and has child care, kids club and swim lessons so my kids enjoy it to while I workout. I have totally changed my workout philosophy in the gym. First, on Monday and Friday I do active recovery going into and coming out of the weekend. Second, I swim sometimes all 5 days but at least 3 days a week. For swimming, the more often I feel the water and spend 30 min to 1 hr duration in the pool the better swimming I am simply by being familiar with flow. There is a huge opportunity for me to improve technique so I am studying and doing swim drills to improve. After recovery and swimming, my gym time gets allocated for make up runs, easy runs, cycling and some strength & functional training.
My 6th priority is the home cycle-ops. I can put a lot of time in on trainer at home while the kids are sleeping, parking it out front while the kids play, jumping on it at night after the kids go to bed while I view DVR’s TV and on Tuesday mornings taking it to my 5:15 am cycling group workout. There is a great article on Andy Potts and how he uses spinnervals to put in the loin share of his training on the bike indoors. I put this last on my priorities not because it gets skipped but because I have so much flexibility to fit it in whenever which happens to be often since its so convenient.
For additional reference to help plan your week, ref: http://www.active.com/triathlon/Articles/Weekly-Goals-Planning-to-Help-Balance-Your-Act.htm
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Ironman CA 70.3
On Saturday, April 2, 2011 I did Ironman California 70.3 at Oceanside which consist of a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike and a 13.1 mile run.
Leading up to the race on Wednesday March 30th I used my pre-race equipment and pre-race nutrition checklist so everything needed was at hand to execute my race plan. Nutrition wise, I was well stocked to fuel my race with a good amount of prep time going into it for items such as pre-cut individually bagged fruit & veggies fueling my 2,000 calorie reserve you take into a race. On a road trip, fast food just makes you slow and their is no real food convenience to be found at a convenient store so its important to pack the right food you will be burning on that race course.
A lot of professionals do things in a well rehearsed, scripted fashion and I quite enjoy pulling off such a hat trick that looks amazing at the moment. My hat trick this weekend was juggling both a weekend Disneyland vacation and Ironman race with the family. But behind the curtain, truth be told that good multi-tasking is not performed ad hoc but rather there are weeks of planning leading up to script out foreseen scenario’s & optimize this exact time.
On Thursday during my taper, I took time out for the kids to bring them to Disneyland along the way. When I arrive at the finish line, having my family there is a priority to me so I involve them in my race plans so every kid including myself gets a turn getting their energies out.
On Friday I pick up my race packet at the expo and spend the majority of the late afternoon by the pool relaxing in vacation mode enjoying the 90 degree Southern California weather.
Saturday is the day of the race which I will walk through below. In addition, Saturday after the race I drive straight home to be there on Sunday to volunteer on the course at our local Visalia Triathlon. That same triathlon community spirit I whiteness the pro’s bring from Ironman Kona Hawaii to Oceanside, I hope to pass along from Oceanside to Visalia.
Saturday morning before the race I wake up at 3 am. I feel great having crashed out at 7 pm the night before. Managing a good night sleep and waking up early is key. My morning routine consist of visiting the hotel lobby for some coffee with a little extra time to enjoy a conversation with fellow athlete’s doing the same. I eat a raisin bagel, OJ and banana with my coffee right on schedule for breakfast to digest 3 hours before the race. Next, I foam roll and stretch while listening to my ipod. I arrive at transition when it first opens and secure the best location on my designated the rack. I proceed to sip on water with my salt/electrolyte & spotlegs supplements at this time. After my transition area is set up, I make my way to the ocean to spend some time gearing up for this environment which is different than the environment I train in at home. Putting my toes in the water the water temp is 58 degrees. I’m ready for today’s onslaught because next to the ocean, I’ve found that calm state before the storm of the race begins.
The 1.2 mile swim loop is in the Oceanside Harbor. The swim start wave for my age group this year is slated 2nd to last which means I’ll have a sea of prior wave start participants to navigate past. The Pro’s are the first swim wave which kicks off a 6:40 followed by the next swim wave every 3 min. My swim wave was number 22 placing it second to last starting at 7:45. Waiting in line for the swim start was over one hour, with the pro’s starting first, so my warm up routine consisted of some light running drills along side the ocean but I did not want to get too warm then go idle during the expected wait time so I made the decision to stretch more instead. I found a comfortable position at the entrance of transition with plenty of room on the rug to lay out and sit next to coach Faron and his wife. During this time I stretch and made light conversation achieving a very calm, no pre-race nerves state. Going by the book I would prefer to warm up and even jump in the water but at Oceanside, entering the water pre-race is not permitted plus given an hour wait for my age group, the best choice I can make to prepare by body for whats to come is to get as relaxed as possible.
I have a tendency to look my age group peers in the eye and get a little bit in their heads to see if there is some knowledge to steal vs. scenario’s to avoid. As I stand in line watching the pro’s finish this poor girl was discussing how stressed she is about racing in the ocean given the ocean may have sharks. I believe she put it this way, there are no sharks in a marathon so a marathon is mentally easy but swimming in the ocean I get so worried about sharks. As the pro’s come in, I recall that sea otter I observed playing next to the harbor boats earlier but apparently she did not. Now sea otters like to swim on their sides and leaving one fin out of the water mimicking a shark fin. As the pack of pro’s swam in, this sea otter though it would be fun to circle behind them fin up. Now as the girl was talking she looked out of the corner of her eye as someone said here come the pro’s and terror struck as she mistook the sea otter for a shark! Of course we immediately corrected her informing her of the sea otter but that would be the worst pre-race jitters anyone could imagine.
First out of the water for the pro’ is Andy Potts by like a minute. This guy has many qualities I would like to emulate as an aspiring athlete. First, watching him leave the ocean and transition to his bike you can see he’s a big guy, not a marathon build but a swimmers upper body build. The epitome of strength. Second, I watched Andy before at Wildflower finish carrying his kid across the finish line to win Wildflower and that speaks to priorities I value being able to do both family and triathlon. Third, before before the pro’s get to put on their sunglasses to disguise their eyes you get to look at them in the eye after a swim and see struggle, they may make it look easy but looking in his eye’s he is experiencing just as much struggle as any one of us will on this same course the only difference is he’s going faster. I’ll take that fire I notice in Andy Potts eyes and apply it to my game face as I enter the 58 degree ocean harbor for my swim start, no complaints, no worries and prepared my focus for the onslaught to come.
To start the swim, I position myself second in line where there is about 20 rows deep. The person I am standing behind is someone I’ve selected like a race horse who would appear to have the qualities I would bet on to win the swim. My game plan is to follow his heels and draft. The attributes I notice is not just the swimmers build and wetsuit & google gear but he is greeting others in the front of the line as if asserting himself as the alpha male swimmer meeting up with competition he last meet at this same venue last year. The harbor entrance is a start but they tell you to stop at the first buoy for a second start. This serves as a great couple minute warm up to gauge my strategy and practice drafting in my selected position. After stopping at the first buoy, I get to regulate my breaths to normalize breathing in cold water. After the second start, my strategy works very well until our age group catches the age group that started before us. Its now a complete traffic jam, I find my self literally swimming over people not doing a straight line to the next buoy & forcing a line between people to go past them. When I look up to spot, I am not only trying to spot the next buoy but make observations on the swim caps people are wearing as anyone not in my same silver cap is someone to pass and anyone in my silver cap is to be followed as they spend the extra effort to cut through the chaos. At the boat basin entrance, the water goes through a lot more up and down wave current which I am familiar with from surfing so I spot during the peak of the currents wave to navigate. Existing the ocean, the prior age groups slowed down and it literally felt like football practice trying to break the line to make my way in. Exiting the swim, you feel like you were just in a washing machine and I’m literally blowing salt water out of my nose, round one the swim leg was way more contact his year than the prior year.
Have you ever tried to run in your dreams where you mind knows you can go faster but there is something strange going on making everything go in slow motion. Well that is the T1 transition experience. Even pro’s feel like they are going slow because you go from competing in a water environment and have to get used to gravity again while at same time blood rushes back to the head as you move from a horizontal swim to a vertical run stance. I run past a lot of people in transition knowing this is foreign to a lot of them who never practice it until race day and I don’t wait in the line that forms but rather zig zag next to the barriers etc. Since everyone is on a single line carpet track, I must look like a crazy train fallen off the track ready to run through barrier walls to make my T1 time. Most spectators don’t see much of the triathlon itself but they do see all of transition so given this sample of how I race, I must look like I’m trying to run through the gauntlet at the old high school football practice, fast but bumping into everything.
Directly out of the bike course I grab a gew to start fueling. After the event, I practically loose my voice from saying on your left hundreds of times. As the course evolves, I grow more confident barely slipping between bikes on the right and cones on the left taking race day risk tucked tight in the aero position assuming they have got to know by now faster age group will passing them. As we climb many of the rollers, I enjoy giving encouragement to those I see pushing it. In return, as passed a group and hear some one yell out lets put a bungee on the back of that guys bike, ha! My favorite was on the big climb of the day everyone does not look like they are having much fun so when I pull up, I think to myself how do I get these guys going. All of a sudden I hear this bell, who the heck has a bell on their bike at an Ironman race. Well it was an very old guy, with a big old Texas cycling jersey. Of course, the century type rider. I make my way to him and loudly state this guy took a bell to Ironman, lets all rally with him. I shook his hand and make my will to tackle the hill. At this time, I notice everyone around me has changed spirits to follow suit. Misery loves company and I got people going on the hardest hill the day changing their look of pain to a smile either laughing at me, the bell or the fact that I’m playing around on the hardest part of the course. After that hill, the headwinds were felt and everyone says this portion slowed their time down significantly from their former years time. I went aero and brought a lot of people home who after I passed tried to latch on if not drafting behind me for a brief moment at least remembering to keep pace with me as their pace was faded. I finished the bike course strong.
Not much to be said about T2 transition. The velcro on my bike shoes and the quick laces on my shoes affords a speedy switch to the run.
On the run course, I felt the effects of hammering the bike and my legs were heavy. I only sustained a pace of 8:30 min miles, however, I could run that same pace this half or an ultra so I feel very confident endurance wise and need to refine my brick speed. Finishing the race, I like to jump at the finish line and touch the clock for that final kick finish.
The overall time was as follows:
Swim 35:29
T1 3:23
Bike 2:48:51
T2 1:54
Run 1:52:43
Overall 5:22:20
Next up on the race calendar, Wildflower on April 30th. See you then.
Leading up to the race on Wednesday March 30th I used my pre-race equipment and pre-race nutrition checklist so everything needed was at hand to execute my race plan. Nutrition wise, I was well stocked to fuel my race with a good amount of prep time going into it for items such as pre-cut individually bagged fruit & veggies fueling my 2,000 calorie reserve you take into a race. On a road trip, fast food just makes you slow and their is no real food convenience to be found at a convenient store so its important to pack the right food you will be burning on that race course.
A lot of professionals do things in a well rehearsed, scripted fashion and I quite enjoy pulling off such a hat trick that looks amazing at the moment. My hat trick this weekend was juggling both a weekend Disneyland vacation and Ironman race with the family. But behind the curtain, truth be told that good multi-tasking is not performed ad hoc but rather there are weeks of planning leading up to script out foreseen scenario’s & optimize this exact time.
On Thursday during my taper, I took time out for the kids to bring them to Disneyland along the way. When I arrive at the finish line, having my family there is a priority to me so I involve them in my race plans so every kid including myself gets a turn getting their energies out.
On Friday I pick up my race packet at the expo and spend the majority of the late afternoon by the pool relaxing in vacation mode enjoying the 90 degree Southern California weather.
Saturday is the day of the race which I will walk through below. In addition, Saturday after the race I drive straight home to be there on Sunday to volunteer on the course at our local Visalia Triathlon. That same triathlon community spirit I whiteness the pro’s bring from Ironman Kona Hawaii to Oceanside, I hope to pass along from Oceanside to Visalia.
Saturday morning before the race I wake up at 3 am. I feel great having crashed out at 7 pm the night before. Managing a good night sleep and waking up early is key. My morning routine consist of visiting the hotel lobby for some coffee with a little extra time to enjoy a conversation with fellow athlete’s doing the same. I eat a raisin bagel, OJ and banana with my coffee right on schedule for breakfast to digest 3 hours before the race. Next, I foam roll and stretch while listening to my ipod. I arrive at transition when it first opens and secure the best location on my designated the rack. I proceed to sip on water with my salt/electrolyte & spotlegs supplements at this time. After my transition area is set up, I make my way to the ocean to spend some time gearing up for this environment which is different than the environment I train in at home. Putting my toes in the water the water temp is 58 degrees. I’m ready for today’s onslaught because next to the ocean, I’ve found that calm state before the storm of the race begins.
The 1.2 mile swim loop is in the Oceanside Harbor. The swim start wave for my age group this year is slated 2nd to last which means I’ll have a sea of prior wave start participants to navigate past. The Pro’s are the first swim wave which kicks off a 6:40 followed by the next swim wave every 3 min. My swim wave was number 22 placing it second to last starting at 7:45. Waiting in line for the swim start was over one hour, with the pro’s starting first, so my warm up routine consisted of some light running drills along side the ocean but I did not want to get too warm then go idle during the expected wait time so I made the decision to stretch more instead. I found a comfortable position at the entrance of transition with plenty of room on the rug to lay out and sit next to coach Faron and his wife. During this time I stretch and made light conversation achieving a very calm, no pre-race nerves state. Going by the book I would prefer to warm up and even jump in the water but at Oceanside, entering the water pre-race is not permitted plus given an hour wait for my age group, the best choice I can make to prepare by body for whats to come is to get as relaxed as possible.
I have a tendency to look my age group peers in the eye and get a little bit in their heads to see if there is some knowledge to steal vs. scenario’s to avoid. As I stand in line watching the pro’s finish this poor girl was discussing how stressed she is about racing in the ocean given the ocean may have sharks. I believe she put it this way, there are no sharks in a marathon so a marathon is mentally easy but swimming in the ocean I get so worried about sharks. As the pro’s come in, I recall that sea otter I observed playing next to the harbor boats earlier but apparently she did not. Now sea otters like to swim on their sides and leaving one fin out of the water mimicking a shark fin. As the pack of pro’s swam in, this sea otter though it would be fun to circle behind them fin up. Now as the girl was talking she looked out of the corner of her eye as someone said here come the pro’s and terror struck as she mistook the sea otter for a shark! Of course we immediately corrected her informing her of the sea otter but that would be the worst pre-race jitters anyone could imagine.
First out of the water for the pro’ is Andy Potts by like a minute. This guy has many qualities I would like to emulate as an aspiring athlete. First, watching him leave the ocean and transition to his bike you can see he’s a big guy, not a marathon build but a swimmers upper body build. The epitome of strength. Second, I watched Andy before at Wildflower finish carrying his kid across the finish line to win Wildflower and that speaks to priorities I value being able to do both family and triathlon. Third, before before the pro’s get to put on their sunglasses to disguise their eyes you get to look at them in the eye after a swim and see struggle, they may make it look easy but looking in his eye’s he is experiencing just as much struggle as any one of us will on this same course the only difference is he’s going faster. I’ll take that fire I notice in Andy Potts eyes and apply it to my game face as I enter the 58 degree ocean harbor for my swim start, no complaints, no worries and prepared my focus for the onslaught to come.
To start the swim, I position myself second in line where there is about 20 rows deep. The person I am standing behind is someone I’ve selected like a race horse who would appear to have the qualities I would bet on to win the swim. My game plan is to follow his heels and draft. The attributes I notice is not just the swimmers build and wetsuit & google gear but he is greeting others in the front of the line as if asserting himself as the alpha male swimmer meeting up with competition he last meet at this same venue last year. The harbor entrance is a start but they tell you to stop at the first buoy for a second start. This serves as a great couple minute warm up to gauge my strategy and practice drafting in my selected position. After stopping at the first buoy, I get to regulate my breaths to normalize breathing in cold water. After the second start, my strategy works very well until our age group catches the age group that started before us. Its now a complete traffic jam, I find my self literally swimming over people not doing a straight line to the next buoy & forcing a line between people to go past them. When I look up to spot, I am not only trying to spot the next buoy but make observations on the swim caps people are wearing as anyone not in my same silver cap is someone to pass and anyone in my silver cap is to be followed as they spend the extra effort to cut through the chaos. At the boat basin entrance, the water goes through a lot more up and down wave current which I am familiar with from surfing so I spot during the peak of the currents wave to navigate. Existing the ocean, the prior age groups slowed down and it literally felt like football practice trying to break the line to make my way in. Exiting the swim, you feel like you were just in a washing machine and I’m literally blowing salt water out of my nose, round one the swim leg was way more contact his year than the prior year.
Have you ever tried to run in your dreams where you mind knows you can go faster but there is something strange going on making everything go in slow motion. Well that is the T1 transition experience. Even pro’s feel like they are going slow because you go from competing in a water environment and have to get used to gravity again while at same time blood rushes back to the head as you move from a horizontal swim to a vertical run stance. I run past a lot of people in transition knowing this is foreign to a lot of them who never practice it until race day and I don’t wait in the line that forms but rather zig zag next to the barriers etc. Since everyone is on a single line carpet track, I must look like a crazy train fallen off the track ready to run through barrier walls to make my T1 time. Most spectators don’t see much of the triathlon itself but they do see all of transition so given this sample of how I race, I must look like I’m trying to run through the gauntlet at the old high school football practice, fast but bumping into everything.
Directly out of the bike course I grab a gew to start fueling. After the event, I practically loose my voice from saying on your left hundreds of times. As the course evolves, I grow more confident barely slipping between bikes on the right and cones on the left taking race day risk tucked tight in the aero position assuming they have got to know by now faster age group will passing them. As we climb many of the rollers, I enjoy giving encouragement to those I see pushing it. In return, as passed a group and hear some one yell out lets put a bungee on the back of that guys bike, ha! My favorite was on the big climb of the day everyone does not look like they are having much fun so when I pull up, I think to myself how do I get these guys going. All of a sudden I hear this bell, who the heck has a bell on their bike at an Ironman race. Well it was an very old guy, with a big old Texas cycling jersey. Of course, the century type rider. I make my way to him and loudly state this guy took a bell to Ironman, lets all rally with him. I shook his hand and make my will to tackle the hill. At this time, I notice everyone around me has changed spirits to follow suit. Misery loves company and I got people going on the hardest hill the day changing their look of pain to a smile either laughing at me, the bell or the fact that I’m playing around on the hardest part of the course. After that hill, the headwinds were felt and everyone says this portion slowed their time down significantly from their former years time. I went aero and brought a lot of people home who after I passed tried to latch on if not drafting behind me for a brief moment at least remembering to keep pace with me as their pace was faded. I finished the bike course strong.
Not much to be said about T2 transition. The velcro on my bike shoes and the quick laces on my shoes affords a speedy switch to the run.
On the run course, I felt the effects of hammering the bike and my legs were heavy. I only sustained a pace of 8:30 min miles, however, I could run that same pace this half or an ultra so I feel very confident endurance wise and need to refine my brick speed. Finishing the race, I like to jump at the finish line and touch the clock for that final kick finish.
The overall time was as follows:
Swim 35:29
T1 3:23
Bike 2:48:51
T2 1:54
Run 1:52:43
Overall 5:22:20
Next up on the race calendar, Wildflower on April 30th. See you then.
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