Arrived at the site in upper Northern Va. at approximately 6:30am w/a fellow friend and competitor; arranged our transition gear within our designated area followed by a warm up on the bike-a quick quarter loop of the course. The 200 competitors began arriving soon thereafter as a slight rain began to trickle.
As we gathered by the water to hear last minute instructions, I was able to find my gf amidst a sea of supporters
(thankfully, calming my nerves
), a quick hello as I ran to the front of the pack. My race number was 11, based on my estimated swim time, which afforded me the opportunity to begin situated with the first wave of competitors and a transition area closer to the water. As the horn sounded, the first 50 meters became a complete blur. The water was unpleasantly cooler then I had anticipated as I sprinted for a tad bit, hoping to get blood flowing to my upper extremities. Two swimmers soon broke away from me, expected, as I knew they swum for the national squad for their club team. I opted to restrain myself from chasing, soon finding a rhythm and pace that suited me well.
Heading out of the water, I quickly glanced back while jogging to transition1, unable to visualize very clearly sans glasses, however as my gf confirmed later, the 3rd competitor was roughly 30-40 seconds behind.
The weather had drastically taken a turn for the worse, raining hard w/a slight cross wind. I slipped into my shoes, loaded my bike while jogging w/it to the bike mounting area, I was quickly turned back, making the rookie mistake of overlooking my bike helmet as I cursed myself while running to grab it.
The roads had become incredibly slick w/pellets of rain masking clear view as it pummeled the pavement.
Unfortunately, cyclists armed with disc-wheeled bikes complete w/aero bars began began whizzing directly by me; my mountain bike was no match vs. technology.
As I dismounted and headed into T2 transition to run, the feelings rumbling internally resembled one of being punched in the stomach with the winded being knocked out, and multiple people punching me in the thighs. I had practiced this transition quite a few times in training following biking sessions, however my legs had the sensation of tree trunks as I began the run.
As water sloshed from my running shoes with each successive step, I began feeling knots within both calves
(an obvious indicator of lack of conditioning on my behalf or quite simply, the cold, wet weather
), and immediately stretched while holding firm to a cone/marker in the road. Almost immediately, I was able to run while lengthening my stride as my leg muscles began stretching themselves out. In retrospect, I felt as if I had held back quite a bit on the run, with the possibility of cramping in both legs arising at any moment, slick pavement, rain and the fact that I had only begun serious training a month and a half before, I chose not to sprint towards the end as planned and ran w/a comfortable tempo towards the finish w/out injury. My gf and I then left immediately afterwards for a steaming bowl of pho
(vietnamese noodle soup
) before results were announced. From the amount of men passing me on the bike, I’m surmising that roughly 10-13 finished before me.
I'm looking foward now to building up my foundation and conditioning SLOWLY now. Takimg my time, hopefully injury free.
Things I would differently in the race:
1
) Begin training at least 5+ months prior to race quickly and competitively. I def. rushed the training.
2
) Stretched out my swimming stroke. I swam too hard, my pulse rate was elevated in T1 where I was gasping for air on the bike and run. I should have "progressed" into the race more steadily.