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 Swim
Comments: This was the first time I have ever done an Olympic with a single mass start for all the men. By the first marker, I was in a pack of 2 others with a lead group of another 3 infront of us. On the downward leg, I got right behind a big guy kicking like a champ! I tried to swim around him but it was too much effort, so I knew his pace was good. So I settled in and drafted off hime the whole way around. When we hit the beach, there was a VERY long run across the beach, up a long sandy hill and into Transition up in a parking lot by the hotel. The swim times included that run. On my watch, I hit the beach in the mid 21min range, so I was very happy. I knew I was towards the front, but we were now mixing with the Sprint men in T1. What would you do differently?: Nothing, great swim and 6th overall is one of my better swim placings.  Transition 1
Comments: My Transition spot was all of 20 feet from the mount line, so I decided to but my bike shoes on first and run with the bike to the line. It slowed me down a bit, but I didn't want to be messing around getting into my shoes as I left the resort. My plan was to be VERY SAFE on the bike and not have any problems again, I needed to finsih this race. What would you do differently?: Clip in my shoe's and not be so paranoid. :)  Bike
Comments: Once on the road, I settled down and focused on riding smart. My HR was in the low 160's and I felt comfortable with the effort. Heading out to the first turn around, I saw Patrick coming the other way, followed by Bryan and two other guys who looked like they were in the Oly and not the Sprint. I figured I would just keep an eye on Bryan and the gap between us to guage how I was doing. The course had sections of smooth pavement, sections of paving bricks which needed to be delt with carefully, a section of very rough pavement, and lot's of sand to ride around and avoid. Again, I was very catious at the turns and avoiding the sand. The course became more crowded after the first lap but most riders were staying right. Coming down the steep hill, you had to make a hard right turn which I also took slowly. Despite all that, I was able to power up quickly whenver I slowed down and kept Bryan well in check for the ride. I drank 1/3 of my bottle of water mixed with 3 GU Roctanes per lap and I cheered Jamie whenver we passed eachother. By the start of the 3rd lap, I had passed the guy's between me and Bryan and was now in 3rd. I felt very comfortable on the Orbea, although the bumpy stretch of pavement was so bad that in holding on tight to my aero extensions, I almost pulled the left one out! What would you do differently?: Nothing, I needed to ride conservative, I needed to finish. Transition 2
Comments: Got into T2, grabbed my shoe's, visor, and race belt, and headed out to the golf course. What would you do differently?: Maybe run with my visor and race belt and put thme on while moving, I tend to stand there and put it all on.  Run
Comments: OK, the run was short, here's what happened. They have a 5K and 10K race running concurently with the triathlon. The 10K racers missed a turn for an inner loop on the golf course. When the Red Rock people relaized this, they blocked it off so no one would do it and kept that in place for us racing the Olympic. They did a great job owning up to it and fixing the problem quickly, so my hat's off to them for being so decisive. We didn't know this while running, although when I finsihed and saw my time, I laughed as I knew the course must have been way short. I began my run and my HR was in the high 160's where it would stay. It was getting warm and the rolling hills kept me working. Heading to the first turnaround, Patrick ran by coming the other way follwed by Bryan. I was about 2 min behind Bryan. The next guy behind me was a good 2:30 back but I never felt comfortable anough to cruise so I ran as hard as I could. It was a tough effort but I knew my run was in good form coming into the race. I held good form and ran my ass off. The finsih was on the beach, with a long beach run to the line. It was tough running in the sand, but people were lining both sides and it was really fun. What would you do differently?: Nothing. Post race
Warm down: Jamie was waiting for me at the end of the finishing chute. She had a great race and was 5th overall, firts in her AG in the Sprint. I found Bryan and we talked and laughed about the short course and our times. Jamie and I left quickly to go home and let the dogs out for a while, shower, and get changed to come back for the awards ceremony and party at 2:00pm. When we got back, the party was in full swing with free kegs of Corona. We hung out with all our friends who were there, enjoying the beer and the band. During the awards ceremony, they gave us all shots of tequila when we went up! It was awesome! BEST post race party ever. We stayed until 5:30 sucking down beers and having a blast! We were toasted by the end! What limited your ability to perform faster: Nothing, this was a good result for where I am fitness wise right now. Event comments: Greta race, great venue, awesome post race party. We will be back for this one! Last updated: 2009-01-26 12:00 AM
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Mexico
Red Rock Company
75F / 24C
Sunny
Overall Rank = 3/184
Age Group = M40-44
Age Group Rank = 1/29
Thursday night, around 9:00pm, I was just heading off to bed. We were planning on leaving in the morning for the 4 hour drive down to Rocky Point. Jamie pulled out my passport and realized it had expired last July! We spent the next 2 hours going through all my files in a desperate attempt to find my birth certificate which is an accepted document for re-entering the United States at the border. We couldn't find it. We went to bed thinking our whole trip was a bust.
I woke up early and went into my office feeling very dejected. I was looking forward to the race after my crash at Havasu but even more, we had rented a place on the beach and were bringing the dog's to play in the surf. Around 9:00am, I got a call from my friend Robin who frequently travels to Rocky Point with her family and others. She said that she had friends who have been crossing the border with a valid drivers liscence and an expired passport for ages. I decided to take the chance, rushed home, gathered up our gear and off we went to Mexico joking about me being stuck there!
We arrived around 3:30 at our little casita on the beach. The race was being held at the Las Palomas Resort, about 15min away. We went over to pick up our athlete bracelet having already picked up our race packages a week earlier in Tempe. The bracelet would allow us into Transition and identify us as race participants for the free beer at the after party! We had an early dinner at Las Palomas and went home to get some sleep. Race start time was a nice and easy 9:00am.
We woke up around 5:30 and our gear into the car and baikes on the rack. It was a cool morning with a light breeze. At 7:00, we drove over to the resort grounds and drove one lap of the multi-lap bike course. Glad we did, it was easy to follow but there was a lot of sand and pavement issue's to be aware of. We entered Transition and set up our spots. I noticed that local pro Patrick Bless was there as well as Bryan Melnuk, a young newer guy who has worked with my coach, Nick. He had won Lake Havasu and although i am a faster IM athlete, he beats me out at the Olympic distance races. So there was 1st and 2nd place and I figured I would have a good shot at 3rd.