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 Swim
Comments: From the start of the swim, I felt great. The wave I was in was small, so I wasn't bumping into people or having them bump into me. There were plenty of bouys, so there were incremental goals and checkpoints frequently. I swam off course a lot, so I am sure I added to the distance. However, I was having a great swim. I felt comfortable, smooth, and quicker than usual. Unlike previous races, I paused to sight - I didn't stop. Fatigue began to set in a little during the final stretch, but I was thrilled with how it was going. I knew it was going to be a PR, but just wasn't sure by how much. I exited the water and started up the steep hill into transition. I think that the steep run was included in the swim time, which hurts my overall time. However, it was still a PR by a few minutes. What would you do differently?: Sighted a little more frequently.  Transition 1
Comments: I saw Jenna and Karen on my way out of the water. Jenna greeted me with the good news that she had gotten clearance from a race official to put my aerodrink on my bike and it was waiting for me. (she was a great manager for me all day!). I told her I had a great swim and continued up the hill. Mom and Dad were midway up holding up a banner for me that they had custom made - so sweet of them! I waved and said hello and continued up to T1. I secured the aero bottle and changed for the bike. I took a little extra time to make sure everything on the bike seemed tight. It was a S-L-O-W transition. It baffles me that there are 12 people in the race whose T1 times were slower - hmmm. I took my time and went over to see everyone. I told them I would meet them downtown and grabbed the bike to head out. What would you do differently?: Nothing. I am more than willing to sacrifice a couple of minutes here. Everyone had come all the way out there to watch me race, and the least I could do was acknowledge them and let them know how much I appreciated them being there.  Bike
Comments: Having driven the bike course on Friday, I knew what to expect and when. I really wanted to put it all out there and see what I could do on a challenging course. When I got on the road, I got up to speed and kept pressing - not too hard, but consistently on the edge of the comfort zone - no resting. The hills kept rolling. The uphills were frequent but brief and rewarded with downhills. I kept pedaling and maintaining an even effort. I was chatting with people as I passed them and giving big congratulations to people who were passing me. The first 10 miles flew by quickly. I knew that the climbs were coming up but I felt ready. At mile 11 or 12 we entered the park and had a nice tree cover. It was sunny and starting to heat up, so the shade was welcome. I geared up for the climb to the water station at mile 15. The road began to rise at mile 14 and I dropped into a comfortable gear and kept the pedals moving. Before I knew it, I was grabbing a water bottle from a volunteer (the bottles were customized with the race logo, which I was pretty excited about). The rollers continued with some climbing as we made our way through the parks. There was one more substantial climb left and it would be coming at around mile 23. I was keeping up with drinking my Nuun and Infinit mixes and was feeling good, but was ready for the bike to be over. I was maintaining good discipline with statying in the aerobars except when on long climbs, but my back muscles were fatiguing. I would occasionally catch a new rider or two, but for the most part, I was seeing the same people - we were just passing each other back and forth. During this strech, I also noticed that the rubber bands holding my aerodrink in place had broken. While moving at around 20 mph. I managed to pull another one out of my bento box and re-attach it. I was kind of proud of myself for this troubleshooting while in motion, and it held through the end of the race. I finally hit mile 22 and was climbing toward Sherrar's Gap. After that it was downhill to the finish. I passed a couple more riders on the uphill and reached the crest. The downhill after the climb was fantastic. When I looked at the ride data later, I saw that at one point I reached 44.2 miles per hour. It was likely on the downhill after Sherrar's Gap. I rode the last couple of miles into downtown and pulled into transition. I looked at my watch and was coming in at just under an hour and a half - exactly where I wanted to be. In addition to meeting my time and effort goals, the course had been beautiful and a lot of fun to ride. In a day full of highlights, the bike was exceptional. I was in the top half of the field and second in my division. What would you do differently?: Not a thing. I rode hard but not out of control, had good discipline, and kept up with taking in water and calories. My mental focus was back. Transition 2
Comments: I saw Jenna on the side of the transition area and said hello. I asked her where Mom was and she told me that they were all at the exit at the start of the run course. This was perfect. Mom's birthday was on Sunday, and I had stashed her card with my run stuff. I changed my shoes and headed out of transition. On the way out, I found everyone and said hi. I handed Mom her card and began running. What would you do differently?: Nothing. I thought the card thing was a fun touch.  Run
Comments: By the start of the run, things had started to heat up. It was hot and humid, but I still needed to maintain my focus for another hour or so. Most of the route was through neighborhoods, and was a little hillier than I was expecting. When I passed mile 1, I checked my watch and was in great shape. Even though I doubted whether I would be able to maintain that pace for 6 miles, it was good to have the first one out of the way with some time in the bank. The uphills and downhills continued, and the uphills began to wear on me. I took two cups of water at the aid stations - drink one, pour the second over my head, but my pace was starting to slow. As much as I hated to do it, I had to slow to a walk on a few of the uphills. I promised myself these 'breaks' would be the exception rather than the rule, and I would have to make up time on the downhills. That system worked pretty well, but my overall pace was showing increasing splits - not a good sign. The hardest part was miles three and four, which were and out and back along one street. It was exposed to full sun, so the heat/humidity mixture was rough for that stretch. I finally reached the halfway point and knew it was only a few miles to the finish. I continued to press the downhills and take a brief break on a few of the uphills, fighting off emerging pain in my calves and the outside of my right shin. I finally reached the top of the hill where the mile six sign was located. After rounding the corner, I could see the finish. As I approached the chute, I saw Jenna and Karen on one side and Mom, Dad, Steve and Brittany on the other. I was both surprised and happy to see Steve and Brittany. I waved to everyone and crossed the line. The announcer noted that I had traveled further to do the race than anyone (Maine and Minnesota had been the two previous 'furthests'). It was nice to have that noted! What would you do differently?: Nothing - I maintained my focus despite fatigue and pain and managed to average less than 11 minute miles (PR for a hilly course). After five years of running, I am showing signs of improvement. I still have a long way to go but there is progress. Post race
Warm down: I grabbed an icewater soaked towel (also with the race logo!) and draped it over my head. I grabbed a water and started to walk back over toward the finish. Out of curiosity (and for the first time), I glanced at the prelim. results just to make sure that three people from my division had been posted already (I ended up in 5th - middle of the pack). I found everyone and talked to them for a bit. I went to grab my transition bags and my picture was taken. Someone from the local paper (the Gaston Gazette) asked me a few questions and recorded my responses (my photo and 'interview' didn't make the print edition, but I made the slideshow online). After my interaction with the 'paparazzi and media', we headed for the cars. After a good lunch, some Pedialyte and a nap, we met up with the extended family for dinner. It had been a fantastic race day. What limited your ability to perform faster: Nothing - this race was a perfect snapshot of my current fitness and ability. Event comments: First off, Setup Events did a fantastic job with the race. Point to point races are always challenging, and things were organized, on time, and safe. The race-specific towels and water bottles were also a nice touch. Since traveling across the country to do a race is a special event for me, I feel good about my choice to do a Setup race. Second, the course was fantastic. The lake was pretty, calm, and in a nice setting. The bouys were plentiful and placed well. The bike course was gorgeous - it went through country, mountain, and forest. The rolling hills and curves made it a fun course to ride. Just beautiful, and a perfect example of what a bike course should be in the Western Carolina area. The run course was challenging, but the multiple turns made the miles tick by quickly, and a lot of people who live in the neighborhood came out to support the racers, which was nice. Overall, this was a perfect event, and was everything that I hoped it would be. I loved the course, the weather and conditions were perfect, and I had a great race. I got to go (to my old) home to do a race, and the family got to see me at my best and the ideal that triathlon has to offer. It will be one of my most cherished race experiences. Last updated: 2011-01-04 12:00 AM
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United States
Set Up, Inc.
80F / 27C
Sunny
Overall Rank = 187/254
Age Group = Master Clydes
Age Group Rank = 5/9
Very little was 'routine' about the day(s) leading up to this race. Despite five years of doing events, this race had plenty of firsts. It was my first time shipping my bike for a destination race. It was the first time I was racing in North Carolina. It was the first time I would get to race in front of my family there. It was somewhat overwhelming, and I was both excited and nervous.
The bike arrived via Fedex at Mom and Dad Caldwell's on Monday. The box looked to be in good shape, but I would still be nervous until I got there and put it back together. I also knew I would still be nervous that I got it back together correctly. We flew overnight on Thursday and arrived in North Carolina on Friday morning. After a couple of rocky hours of sleep on the plane and breakfast with Mom and Dad, we went to their house for bike assembly. I got to work with the tools and put the bike together and went for a test ride. Everything looked to be in order. After a couple more hours of sleep, we checked into the hotel, went to packet pick up, previewed the bike course (it was definitely hilly, but nothing horrifying), and had dinner with Mom and Dad.
The night before the race, I noticed that one of my rear brake pads was loose. I tightened it, but it left me worrying that something else may be wrong that I hadn't caught yet. Despite my nervousness, I still managed to get about 5 hours of sleep.
I got up feeling good and prepared to go to the swim start to drop off my bike. Jenna was going to meet me in downtown Kings Mountain (T2 and the finish) to pick up my keys, wallet, and phone after Karen picked her up. I made it to the swim finish area ahead of schedule. It was then that my apparent lack of mental focus began to show and the morning began to unravel. I had left my Infinit and aerodrink bottle at the hotel. Ooops -without it, that would leave me going into the run having consumed zero calories and having to hold out for water until the drop at mile 15. There wasn't time to go back for it so I was stuck. Thankfully, I found a bottle of water in the back of the car that I had bought at the airport the day before. I put it on the bike to mitigate the situation. It was better than nothing. I also noticed that my bike computer was dead. Disappointing, but I would still have the Garmin to rely on - I just wouldn't be able to look down at my stem to see my speed at any given moment. I got back in the car to head to chip pickup downtown and Jenna called. She had noticed my mistake and wanted to know if she could bring the bottle to me. I told her there wasn't time and I would have to get by on the water I found in the car. She asked if she could give it to me when I exited the swim and we knew that it was a race no-no. We agreed that she could bring it and ask a race official if there was any way that she could get it to me.
I wanted coffee since there was a long time until I had to catch the bus to the swim start. I drove around and couldn't find anything open. I started back to what I thought was the highway, but took the wrong road. I ended up a little lost. My anxiety level was increasing, but I managed to find my way back around to the downtown area, coffe-less and with less time than before. I picked up my chip and dropped off my run gear. It was strange being at a race and knowing no one. I got a call from Jenna that she had arrived and would be able to get my things. She knew that I was melting down and talked me off the ledge. After she calmed me down and got my mind straight, she wished me a great race, told me she would see me at the swim finish, and sent me on my way.
While on the bus, I finally calmed completely down. I laid back, closed my eyes, and visualized having a great race. The lake looked peaceful when we arrived. I went and walked into the ankle deep water and the temperature felt great. Ideal swim conditions for me - calm water and good temperature. I talked to couple of other participants and went to the bathroom and it was finally time to get started.