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 Swim
Comments: The chute into the water was narrow and I was late joining my wave group, so I was forced to start toward the back. After the horn sounded, I had to wait several moments before I could even enter the water and even then it was crowded in the early going. I immediately chose an "inside" track and kept steady focus on form, keeping in my mind my dismal swim at Lake Mills last week. Before long, we were at the first buoy, and for the first time in several races, I found a good pair of feet to follow and just held on. Really, I wasn't looking to set a new PR on the swim, I just wanted to conserve energy, keeping in mind the remaining soreness in my legs from Friday's ride and the formidable bike course that lay ahead. Rounding the final outer buoy of the trapezoidal course, we began swimming directly into the bright morning sunshine, making sighting nearly impossible. I saw a group slightly ahead of me and picked up my pace a bit to join them, hoping at least one of them knew where the heck we were going. At last, the final two buoys that marked the final turn into the beach appeared. We made a soft left and quickly arrived at the beach. I checked my watch: 30 minutes on the nose-- solid but unspectacular. Solid but unspectacular. Yep, that would basically become my theme for the day. What would you do differently?: Not much. Solid training swim. I was actually kinda shocked to see my age group rank-- usually with a swim like that I'd finish at least MOP, but then having just 7 racers in my Age Group isn't much of a sample, is it?  Transition 1
Comments: OK, after Lake Mills, this is one area I did want to improve on in this race and I did. My T1 ranked second in my AG, and if you add up both my T-times, I was tops overall. So as soon as they start handing out hardware for best transition times, I'm all set. What would you do differently?: Nada. Zip. Zilch. Except maybe buy a waterproof Garmin, so I don't waste 3 extra seconds putting that on.  Bike
Comments: Well, after Saturday's test-drive I knew what I was in for and now it was time to pay for that "free" race entry. From the start, I was a little peeved because my computer wasn't working. During pre-race check-in, we were told there would be a separate "King of the Bluffs" prize for the fastest split going up the Garvin Heights climb. That's a great idea, but it meant dealing with a second timing chip, which we were instructed to put on our bikes by unscrewing the Quick Releases on our front tires and inserting the chip there. If there's one thing I do not like, it's screwing around with anything remotely mechanical on my bike on raceday and this is exactly why. I apparently did not or could not close my quick release tight enough to get my wireless speedometer receiver close enough to the magnet on my spoke. That meant I would have no info on speed or distance throughout the race. Oh, well, computer or no computer, the bike goes on. Right out of transition, you head straight for the bluffs, getting a preview of the "fun" to come. But instead of heading straight up the nastiness, you take a left and head into the long, slight inclines that skirt the bluffs-- you know, to "warm up" the legs. Having previewed the course, I knew better than to hammer this section, but I still seemed to make good progress on the riders ahead of me. One thing that was strange about having so few total racers, was the bike course seemed empty and I neither passed nor was passed by many riders throughout the day. This was especially true because the Sprinters followed a much different route, avoiding the big climb up Garvin Heights. Before long, I reached the turnaround in the foothills and headed back toward the river, knowing full well that fateful left turn up the GH climb-- and 1.25 miles of an average 9.5% grade-- still awaited. Finally, it was time. Before I even made the turn, I flipped into my small ring, knowing the nastiness started right away. When I was previewing the course, I almost regretted bringing my tri bike instead of my road bike because of the sheer intimidation of this climb. It's the kind of climb that stares you right in the face and dares you to climb it, but doesn't reveal all it's challenges at once. Instead, it twists and turns so that every time you think you've finally conquered it, it reveals another torturous incline, just sucking the wind out of your legs-- and morale. However, my previous time spent in the Pyrenees served me well and I knew how to pace myself for such an ascent. I knew I wasn't going to be any threat for the "King of the Bluffs" competition, but I just wanted to make the climb without embarrassing myself-- and saving something for the run to follow. And I accomplished that mission. Yes, the climb was brutal. Yes, I had to get out of the saddle. But I was never in any real danger of having to put a foot down. And it was awesome to be greeted by fans lining the final ascent to the summit. Finally, I reached the crest. But this course wasn't done throwing challenges at us. I swear, just as sometimes it feels like your ride into the wind no matter which you go on a ride, on this course it felt like you kept riding uphill no matter which way you turned. Even after cresting Garvin Heights, it seemed like the course threw unending slight inclines our way until finally relenting into a sharp descent back toward the river and transition. In the pre-race meeting, they warned us we'd have to ride our brakes heavily on the descent, but I never once used them. Not having a computer, I don't really know what kind of speeds we reached-- I'm sure they were fast-- but I never once felt on the edge of losing control, as I did in Spain and France. Instead, it was just... fun. Being built like a bowling ball, I also passed quite a few riders along this part and really felt like I was putting in a good ride, despite my sore legs from Friday's ride. Finally, we turned onto the St. Mary's College pedestrian path, cut through some residential areas and were back at Transition. I got my feet out of my shoes, jumped off the bike, and bolted into Transition, anxious to see what I still had left in my legs and whether I could repeat my stellar run at Lake Mills the week before. What would you do differently?: Nothing. I think I rode this smart. But once again, I was really surprised to see how poorly I fared in my AG. I was only passed by two other riders on the course, by my count. But I did hold back a little, knowing this was just a training race and I was already pretty exhausted going into it. I saw later, I was also 5/7 in my AG on the KOTB climb and 37/75 among all men, so I'm nothing if not consistent. Like I said, my theme for the day was "solid, but not spectacular". Transition 2
Comments: 1/1 in my AG. Yep, no one was going to our-transition me today, baby! What would you do differently?: Nap.  Run
Comments: In all honesty, even though I held back on the ride, my legs were pretty trashed from the accumulation of my recent training, the travel and just life recently. The sun had really become hot by this point and I knew I didn't have the juice today. I also knew I wanted to get right back after my training the next day, so I just picked a relatively comfortable pace and stuck with it. I also took the opportunity to cheer on my fellow racers on the course along the way, which felt really good and I think a lot of them appreciated it. The nice thing about the small race size was that it seemed everyone was really supporting each other and no one was really out to "beat" the other guy. Besides cheering on folks, I took the time to enjoy some really nice views of the lake and surrounding bluffs. That really passed the time nicely, even as my legs grew heavier toward the end. About a quarter mile from the finish, I spotted Terri and the boys walking back from the truck to try and meet me at the end. My 5-year-old, Rainer, instantly broke into a dead sprint to try and keep up with me and I waved him up as we neared the finish. He clearly was giving it all he could and wanted to give up, but he kept sprinting as the crowd at the finish cheered him on. Finally, I grabbed his hand and we crossed the Finish Line together, bring an ideal close to a great race and great (but tiring) weekend. What would you do differently?: Nothing. I was smart not to kill myself on this run, even though I would like to have turned in a better split and finish with a higher result. Post race
Warm down: Downed a couple bottles of water, grabbed lunch (BBQ pork) and waited for the awards/giveaways... After handing out the awards and several giveaways, they announced the final giveaway-- a new Hed rear carbon racing disc. You had to be present to win, and by now most of the crowd had bailed. They announced one race number, then another with no one claiming the winning ticket. I remember distinctly thinking "the numbers they've called aren't even close to me-- not only do I never win anything, I'm never even close." Of course, that's when they called 385-- my number. I knew a lot of people had stuck around specifically to have a chance at winning that disc, but I had no idea of its value. I told Terri on the way home I think it was probably worth about $300 - 400 bucks. So when I finally got home and looked it up online, I was pretty surprised to see similar Hed discs retail for around $1000! Now I just have to figure out how to put it on my dang bike. All in all, a great race and a fun weekend. Now it's time to get back to the IM training. What limited your ability to perform faster: Not tapering and refusing to kill myself for a training race. Event comments: Folks, this is a GREAT new race. The venue is ideal-- with one of the most challenging and unique bike courses in the country. And the organizers and Race Director did a FANTASTIC job not just in putting together the marketing, but also organizing the entire event. Everything seemed to go off without a hitch. They also gave out the best T-shirt I have seen at a Tri-- finally a shirt created by someone who actually knows good design. I HIGHLY recommend this race to everyone! Last updated: 2009-06-14 12:00 AM
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United States
TRINONA, LLC
70F / 21C
Sunny
Overall Rank = 42/99
Age Group = M 40 - 44
Age Group Rank = 6/7
I'll begin this RR by admitting I'm as deep-down, to-the-core exhausted as Scooby after a 10K run at Lapham Peak so a little of my usual humor may be missing. However, I also probably won't be looking to plop down to cool my belly in a mud puddle anytime soon.
A couple of months ago, I got an e-mail from the Race Director inquiring about my availability for doing a screening of "The Distance" before their inaugural race. So we hashed through the details and I said if they threw in a free entry for their Olympic race, I'd be there. Little did I know what I was getting myself into...
My prep for the event actually started on Friday, as the plan was to roadtrip with the whole family, visit and stay with Terri's Grandpa in LaCrosse on Friday, then make the drive to Winona on Saturday for the screening and registration for Sunday's race.
But since I'm keeping my eye on the prize in September, I wanted to minimize the impact on my IM training as much as possible. So Friday morning I got up and got in my 4-hour bike ride followed with a 40-min. brick run. Then I quickly showered, packed, loaded up the kids, and made the 4-hour drive to LaCrosse. On the way I took a conference call on an long, ongoing project I've been working on (absolutely nothing exciting.) Finally, we check in, take Terri's Grandpa out, try to settle the kids into bed... yeah, not exactly the relaxing Friday that's recommended before a Sunday race.
Saturday was just as busy, taking Terri's Grandpa out for breakfast, making the hour drive to Winona, checking into the hotel, finding the venue, checking the screening set-up, getting the family fed, etc.-- yeah, it's all enjoyable especially with the family but it also all takes energy and it all adds up. By the time of the screening at 7pm, I was just beat.
Having driven the bike course earlier on Saturday (another treat with two grumpy toddlers in the truck), I knew the bike course and the climb up Garvin Heights lived up to its billing as one of the "Top 100 Climbs in America". This sucker is a beast, very reminiscent of some of the toughest climbs I've done in Europe, including the Tourmalet. Sure, it's a lot shorter than the Tourmalet, but steeper and just as twisting and winding-- every time you think you see the top, it turns out to be just another curve leading into another torturous climb.
So, just like the other racers, I wanted to get a good night's sleep. That made the scheduling of my 3-hour movie at 7pm the night before the race a little dubious. I knew it would affect turnout, and, as usual, I was right. There were probably about 25 people who came and went throughout the screening, and I even introduced the movie telling the audience I wouldn't be offended if they wanted to duck out at any time. Heck, I wanted to duck out early.
However, just as at the premiere, those who attended seemed to really enjoy the movie and even though who left early came over to express their regrets to me personally and several picked up a DVD to take home and watch later.
Finally, 10pm rolls around and the movie ends. I quickly thanked those who stayed, packed up and scrambled back to my hotel room to get in what sleep I could. It was a rare race where I had next to no trouble falling asleep-- I was completely and utterly exhausted.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! The alarm came waaaaaaaay too early. But I quickly got up, showered, got ready, packed up the kids and wife and we drove down to the venue. And even in my bleary, red-eyed daze, all I could think to myself was, "This is gonna hurt"...
And, as usual, I was right.
Thankfully, unlike Memphis, we woke up to a picture-perfect summer morning. Blue skies, wind low, and just a few puffy clouds hanging in the air. The venue for this race is idyllic. The swim takes place in a small spring-fed lake between the Mississippi River and the huge bluffs that overlook them both.
For the kids, there's a huge playground area, with several impressive huge new play sets, which excited the kids.
As a first year event, I knew the turnout would be low-- there was a total of 350 racers, only 99 of which would be doing the longer, Oly distance.
That meant there was a small, but very well set-up transition area. A divider meant all participants would have to run up or down their whole row and complete a full horseshoe to get to the exit, which made things fair for all racers.
I quickly set up my T-area, chatted up several the racers around me and headed to the water for a quick warm-up dip. Although the lake was weedy, it wasn't silty like Camp Whitcomb, and the temp was perfect-- 70 degrees-- and dead calm.
In total, there would be 9 waves of racers-- I, of course, would be in Wave 9. That meant I had a long wait before our wave's start and that the sun that felt so warm already at 8am would be blazing hot by the time we hit the run. I passed the time helping Terri entertain the kids and speaking with folks who attended the screening.
Finally, it was "Go Time"...