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Comments: Lined up and there were only 20 of us. The banter in the Elite wave was pretty comical. We were jokingly discussing getting through the surf and regrouping and starting the race from there...lol. That way we could take our time. When the gun went off, I guess no one solidified that deal because everyone took off like a bat out of hell. Now, I have quit a bit of ocean experience and I do a pretty good job of getting through the surf but watching Luke McKenzie (biggest name there and eventual winner) fricken ATTACK the surf was simply awesome. He was just so powerful and aggressive....it was great to follow him out. I made it through the surf about 3rd-5th...somewhere in there...basically with the main pack. Once through the surf, the better swimmers started to real me in and pass me. By the buoy, halfway, I was just in the back on the main pack...and then there was Luke like WAY ahead. Got dropped a little more on the way back in and didn't catch any good waves to ride in. Just bad timing there. Arms were a little tight with the lack of warm up but before I knew it, I was out of the water. Swim time includes a LONG run along the beach which doubled back and into T1. That was a cruel joke. I thought we'd just run straight into T1...nope...ALL the way around. What would you do differently?: I don't know...just didn't feel solid on this swim. But when you look at the caliber of people that I was in front of or with at least to the turn around, I can't be too disappointed.  Transition 1
Comments: Solid T1...fiddled with my glasses for a sec but nothing too weird. I've gotten pretty good at getting that tight Sworks McLaren on. What would you do differently?: Figure out my glasses and helmet order.  Bike
Comments: Took off out of T1 and got up to speed. This was billed as a 20k bike but in reality was well under 10miles. I was also immediately passed by Rachel Challis, the lead Elite girl. But, she didn't go blowing by and it became apparent that this was my competition for the race within a race. I kept within legal draft distance for the first loop and my legs were burning....yes, burning putting out just over HIM watts...LOL. So lame...but hey, if I'm not going to take the time to warm up, what do I expect. I have only myself to blame. By the second loop, I started to feel a bit better but by that time she put a bit of a gap into me....about 10 seconds and that's what it was when we dismounted. I thought, hell, maybe I'll have a good run and be able to catch her. BTW, if you're wondering why I'm only focusing on Rachel, well, that's because no one else was around. The fast guys were well up the road and Rachel and I were just right smack in the middle. It is very cool though starting in the first wave as you know exactly where you stand in the race with the loops. Makes it super fun as you're not trying to figure things out the whole time. Back to T2...quick bike! What would you do differently?: WARM UP!!! Ride to the race from hotel....something! Transition 2
Comments: Horrible....couldn't get shoes on...I bet I left 10 seconds here. What would you do differently?: Practice with my KSwiss 1.5's as I don't normally run in them  Run
Comments: I really ran well....in fact, this is the fastest I have ever run for this distance. I was really wondering were my run is at with this last couple months of uninterrupted training and it looks like right at 6min miles for a 5k. This was actually the reason I wanted to do this race. I really wanted to run fast for ~3 miles and see what I had. I actually think I could go sub 6min miles for an open 5k based on this. Now, I know some of my friends and teammates are looking at this and laughing at a speed that they run 13.1 in HIM's but it's good for me and getting better...so you people can suck it ;) I wasn't able to catch Rachel....she ran 12 seconds faster and beat me solidly. I was able to keep my position throughout the bike and run besides her. Like I said, I'm happy. What would you do differently?: Nothing. Post race
Warm down: I don't warm down. What limited your ability to perform faster: Warm up... Event comments: Finished up and found Karin who told me she wasn't going to race. Saw a few Wattie Ink teammates but didn't stick around as it was early and we had a chance to get home and enjoy Sunday afternoon. Really fun race and I'm glad I got to experience the Elite Wave.... Thanks Sponsors: Wattie Ink, Reynold's Wheels, Scott Bikes, Kask Helmets, KSwiss, Power Bar, Speedfil, 454 Tattoo, Fuel Belt and ISM 101 Pipe & Casing, Kurt Orban Partners and Wins Wheels Coach Brian Stover Accelerate 3 Karin Langer: Chief Operations Officer Casa De Nabor Special thanks to Sean Watkins for getting me into the race and Heather Jackson for chickening out at the last moment and not toeing the line against me!!! Last updated: 2013-05-18 12:00 AM
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United States
Encinitas Sports Festival
65F / 18C
Overcast
Overall Rank = 20/500
Age Group = Elite
Age Group Rank = 8/20
This was a last minute decision to enter this race. I had to call in some favors to even get entered through my sponsor Wattie Ink. I was able to get a spot in the Elite Wave. This wasn't done because I felt I was too good to race my age group ( in fact my time was not the fastest in my AG but that wave went off almost an hour later so impossible to compare) but rather it was a time saving issue. You see, Karin had planned to race the 1 mile swim at 8:30am. If I went off at 7:36 (35-39) I would not have been able to see her start....or it would have been very close. So I asked if I could race in the Elite wave, because it was not a true Pro Card holding wave, just a pointy end of the field wave. They granted me this and I was able to start at 6:30am. That would give me plenty of time to finish and get back to Karin for the start of her swim race.
We came directly from Vegas where we were spectating the 10K Masters National Open Water Swim Champs. We were there to support fellow CVMM Teammates in their open water en devour. (Btw, They did EXCEPTIONAL!.) Got a good night sleep in Carlsbad and was up early for the event. We were greeted with awesome surf. We'll, if you're a former surfer turned triathlete like I am, it was awesome. If you're a Chicago native triathlete who has spent exactly 1 hour in west coast ocean, it was not very inviting. Karin decided after watching the triathlon start that it would be prudent not to race. She is an unreal swimmer but simply inexperienced in those conditions. This is the type of decisions that keep people safe. I wish more people would have the guts to walk up and hand in their chip and admit that it is not safe to race. I applaud Karin for making that decision even though she could probably out swim 90% of the competitors there. We are attending as many Tower 26 beech workouts as we can get to Karin acclimated. Even this past Weds at T26 Karin swam in very similar surf under Gerry's instruction and watchful eye and did fantastic.
Warm up was not good. There's a problem in my mind doing sprints...at least for me. 1. I don't really care...because, you know, it's a sprint. 2. That means I don't warm up...you know, cause it's a sprint. The fact remains that I do very poorly on the bike segment of these races because I don't warm up. I know it but what the hell. Karin mentioned after the race..."yeah, you should have done a sprint before the sprint."
I would venture to guess that had I finished, headed right to the line of the 35-39yo wave, I probably would have gone faster the second time through. Oh well...not that it really matters, this is all for fun.