Festival of Flowers Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic

Disappointing. Started off well, right with the lead pack, but for some reason, I have a really hard time drafting off of people. 300 meters in, I lost contact with the lead pack and ended up swimming in space the rest of the way. If I would have maintained contact, I would have been 2 minutes faster. Still, fastest swim in my AG by nearly 2 minutes.

Keep contact.

Good T1...tie for fastest in my AG.

Not much.

Suckish for the first 10 mikles or so. Couldn't get into a rhythm, and my back was hurting. Somewhere near halfway, though, I kicked it in and felt awesome. Last 14 miles were above 22mph, and that includes a trip back to pick up a water bottle I had dropped (costing me at least 30 seconds). Repassed a bunch of people who had passed me earlier. Maybe this is why I doo better in long course races.

Get into that groove a bit earlier. Not drop a water bottle.

Good T2. Lost a few seconds drinking, but man was it hot...so better off starting out with some fluids in me.

Not much.

So...good so far. Probably in the top 20 overall out of T2. My goal for this race was to finish in the top third of my AG to qualify for nationals. And, I figured I was in the top 5 at that point. So...would my calf hold up?

The first mile felt good. Not great, but good. It was hot...easilly over 90 at the start, adn the first part was shaded, but up hill. Went through the first mile maker in 7:10 (awesome!). I wanted to run sub :45, and I was ahead of pace. Even though it was so hot, I didn't feel it at all. I really felt good. And, my calf was great.

Maintained pace and went through mile 2 in 7:03. Still felt great. Breathing hard, but comfortably. At this point, I had passed 2 guys in my AG...figured I was top three at that poitn (one guy wh osaid..."you're pretty strong...you should be racing Clydesdale". wtf?). So, my plan was to gradually start picking up pace in teh next mile and, after the turn around just run as hard as I could. Visions of at sub 43 minute 10K, podium finish and sub 2:20 Oly were flashing through my head. Did I mention I felt great? I was so pumped...feeling no pain at all.

But then...POP! It felt like someone shot me in the back of my right calf. You know how you see sprinters or maybe wide receivers pull up in agony? That was how it was. I looked around to see what had hit me, but there was nothing. Just seering pain in my right calf. Then I figured out. Fuck. Stopped...through my glasses down in disgust and limped around. It really hurt.

Man was I pissed.

Stood there for a minute wondering what to do. That was the firsdt time I'd ever injured myself in a race. I've never DNFed, but what was I supposed to do? I strtetched it for a minute, thinking that would help. It didn't. So trhere I was...2 miles out on the race course. I could turn around, limp back in (I didn't want an ambulanece ride). Or, I could keep going. It was probably dumb in retrospect, but I kept going. Hobbled along, doing aweird imitation or running on the flats and downhills, limping up at walking pace on the uphills...too much strain on my calf to do anything else. Got passed a lot. Started looking at my watch, thinking if I could get it together, I could still finish in less than 2:25. BUt that 12+ minute mile was a killer. Oh well. Hope it rehabs quick.

Not have run most of the R'n'R marathon the week before on my injured calf.

Med tent. Ice. Traction.


Blown-out calf.


So...back in Augusta, I made an appt with my sports med doc who suggested an MRI (which happens Wednesday). He's thinking I rutured my soleus, adn that surgery may be in my future. I'll know on 6/26 for sure.