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 Swim
Comments: I can't complain about the swim. This was a tough swim. All the wind really kicked up the chop on the lake and it was more like an ocean swim. Since they delayed the race, I think they may have had the waves starting closer to each other. It definitely felt that way. About 300M in, we started catching people from the earlier waves. The crowd never really broke up unfortunately. What would you do differently?: Considering the current and the waves, I'm pretty happy. I hit my goal time. I'd like to become a better swimmer and I'll do that with better technique over the winter.  Transition 1
Comments: I don't have a lot to say about T1. I didn't intend to have to remove multiple garbage bags from my bike, wade through mud, pull my bike stuff out of a sealed ziploc bag, and dance into my socks without my feet touching the ground. It is what it is, you know. What would you do differently?: Bike in my wetsuit.  Bike
Comments: I'm honestly a better biker than this. I didn't feel this slow. Throughout the ride, the rain constantly fell harder and harder and winds became stout (especially on the way back into town). The course is tough enough without all that nonsense. It's not all that steep but it's constantly rolling up and down and you don't get too many breaks. During the climbs, I rode well. I passed many people on the uphills. However, for every one person I passed on the uphills, two people passed me on the downhills. That's where I got killed. I was too nervous because of the weather conditions to really push it on the descents. Biking is all about risk assessment. For many reasons, I wasn't comfortable taking on the risks that day. I rode conservatively. I fully expected to turn in a 2:45 bike but I wound up 15 minutes slower than that. For much of the first 12 miles, you're constantly climbing. I was on my goal pace at that time. I was truly on my goal pace until the fast part of the course! Oh well, I survived it and didn't wind up in an ambulance or with a flat. What would you do differently?: Better bike handling skills for more confidence in conditions like this. Transition 2
Comments: Changed into dry socks. Socks were soaked before leaving transition because of the mud pit. I don't have much commentary beyond this. Transitions were a joke today.  Run
Comments: After a three hour bike, you damn well better have a good run! This is a tough course. It's always either up a long hill or down a long hill. Running in Atlanta really gets you ready for this type of run. I felt good and relaxed for the run and just put it all out there. I saw my first few splits around 7:45 and decided I could keep that pace. It was faster than I planned on running but decided to call an audible after my bike. I made the first lap in 50:00 and really wanted to do the second in the same time. I lost 2 minutes on the second lap but that's ok. The support on this run is amazing. There were a ton of volunteers out there dressed in crazy outfits cheering everyone on. The aid stations were stocked to the gills with goodies. What would you do differently?: Nothing really. I passed on putting on dry socks after the first loop. What's the point? Post race
Warm down: I just got a coat and waited on my brother to finish. Drank a couple of bottes of Recoverite. What limited your ability to perform faster: Bike handling skills. Event comments: This race is spectacular. It's put on like no other race I've been to. There are dinners, parties, QA with the top pros, first class expo, and a beautiful course. There is a Timbercamp for your kids while you race or spectate. These guys truly thought of everything! Next year, do this race. I hope you have better weather than we did this year but that didn't spoil my taste for coming back at all. Last updated: 2006-05-08 12:00 AM
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United States
EndorFun
Precipitation
Overall Rank = 360/1368
Age Group = 25-29
Age Group Rank = 47/82
Got up at 4:30AM to find decent weather outside. I toasted a bagel with PB and fixed a cup of coffee. We got in the car and headed to the race feeling pretty optimistic that all the weathermen got this storm prediction wrong. On the way, the skies opened and the downpour began. And yes, New England is quite cold under these conditions. I didn't have any sweatpants so I only had a running jacket to wear over my racing attire. Once we got to the park, we discovered the huge mud pit that was to be transition. All we could do was try to keep positive - and keep warm. We quickly rushed to bodymarking and then to check on our garbage bag covered bikes (checked in the night before). I found a guy with a pump and a crackpipe and inflated my tires to 110 (I usually run 120). By this time it was about 5:15AM and the race wasn't set to start until 7:30AM. We were soaked to the bone and freezing so we ran back to the car and blasted the heat and classic rock. I don't know what it is about New Englanders, but they love classic rock, country, and the Red Sox. There is nothing on the airwaves but those three things. We sat in the car until 7:00AM or so and headed back out into the elements. At that point we started hearing about how they were delaying the race and starting praying they wouldnt' cancel it. There was a steady stream of folks heading out of transition with their bikes resigned not to race that day. We'd covered too many miles and spent too much money not to at least start this race. We finally heard they were delaying the race about an hour but the race would go on! I decided to go ahead and get into my wetsuit an hour before I started racing. I was quite happy to do that. It's hilarious to see a ton of triathletes walking around with full wetsuits, swim caps, and goggles an hour before the race but that's what we did. About 15 minutes before the race the rain really let up and we all prayed we had dodged a bullet. That didn't happen. We later heard that the towns in the area reported 2 to 4 inches of rain per hour during this storm. Yuck.
Warmup - yeah right.