What an Amazing swim today. My weakest leg usually I just seemed to fly in the water and it all seemed so easy I was in the first wave mens under 40. I get out after the first loop and there is like only 15 orange caps or so ahead of me looked behind me and there is like about 100 caps behind me. The second loop was amazing for me just settled into bilateral breathing and concentraing on my roll and really long arm strokes.Got out clicked my watch and it was showing 25.20 minutes. the rest of the time was the wade and run up to transition. I hardly got banged at all in the swim today as I was up near the front and my sighting was perfect today just hit every buoy bang on.




I noticed when I got out of the water and hit my lap time my average HR was at 177. That is my LT on the run. I wondered had I pushed too hard? I felt great though.

4th fastest transition in T1 despite my wetsuit getting stuck on my chip. In all my races I am always one of the fastest in T1.

Nothing

Jumped on the bike tucked into my aeros and then watched all the real fast bikers fly past me. Not used to this as I don't usually swim so fast. I felt a little stiffness in my hamstring but didn't think much of it. This course was completly flat for 5 x 5mile loops. on the 4th and 5th loop my right hamstring and and butt was so sore. I just couldn't wait to get off the bike. I carried on pushing as hard as I could but new I was slowing. On the 5th lap I got stuck behind 15 people or so spread across the road I couldn't pass them, next thing I know I look sideways and the race official is writting my number down. I talked to him and said they were holding me up there was no way I was drafting he carried on writting my number down at which point I lost the plot and called him a fu**ing idiot. He told me to come and see him at the end of the race. Anyway came into T2 did a flying dismount with the knowledge I was now heading into my strongest leg, my hamstring was really hurting now but I knew I had done enough to only have to run under 47 minutes to break 2.30 my time goal, easy for me usually and starting to think about a time around 2.26 - 2.27.

(The bike time included my 2 minute penalty so I actually averaged about 21 miles an hour)


Not do this race the bike course just really sucked..

Oh the pain jumped off my bike hit the ground and screamed the first step I took. Managed to hobble into transition rack my bike. My T time was slow as I couldn't bend to put on my shoes. Sucked it up walked out of transition screaming with hamstring cramps.

don't know

Tried to trot managed this but I couldn't get my leg to go beyond a certain extension watched my heart rate drop as I was running so slow It was all about finishing now. About 10 minutes into the run I had one of my team mates in my AG and 5 other people in my AG pass me I was so frustrated I was almost crying as I normally get passed by no one in my AG in the run these guy's were all the big built cyclist type guy's and I knew normally they wouldn't get close to me . I usually pass 5 to 6 people in my AG as well. But it was all about survival now. I ran the first loop in 25.30 and knew I had no chance of breaking 2.30. My hamstring lossened up a little bit for the second loop and I ran slightly faster. The heat was killing me and the pain was killing me and It all became about trying to break 2.33. (As I knew with the penalty of 2 minutes this would be 2.35)

Sprinted to the shoot to finish in 2.32.59.

This is my slowest 10k time ever. I felt really strong coming into this race and on this flat course with the additional speed training I have been doing I really thought I would go under 45minutes. But I was just happy to finish my family was watching and my 2 and 4 year old had been up since 4.30am I had to finish for them and my wife who was a fantastic cheerleader.

Got the best massage ever. Which was great I needed it. Talked to the Race official. He had me down for 4 violations but none of them included Drafting. (Crossing the centre line. Impeding and offical. Impeding faster riders, Swearing at an official)


My hamstring and the course. This wasn't an ideal course for me. The bike course was completly flat which favoured the tri bike riders. Also I am a good hill climber and do all of my training on hills. I am normally in the top 20% on the bike and Top 15% on the run in my AG. I was no where near this today.


This was a dissapointing race for me. I was really on track to have an excellent race up to half way through the bike. All my races this year I have finished top 10 except this race If I hadn't had the leg issues and had done a 2.27hour time I would have got 8th in my AG and about 50th over all. This sport is a tough sport after podiuming last race and experiencing today's results a lot depends on the day. In thinking what went wrong maybe I pushed too hard on the swim?. I think three main issues. 1/ I don't train on the flats and being stuck in my Aero bars for 25 miles without any break killed my hammy. 2/ In my race fuel I had Spiz and Water and no Electrolites I think I got dehytrated. 3/ My nutrition the week before the race was bad worked in NY a couple of days and went out for beers in NY on Thursday night...

The Positives:
-------------
1/ Swim has always been my limiting factor, today was awesome. If I can swim this good next season beware if you are in AG 35-39 and race in CT.8-)
2/ I managed to tough it out to the end. The Nutmeg Half IM I am doing in Sep will provide similar issues at some stage on the run. I now know I can push through this.
3/ Learning experience. First season of racing this can only make me stronger.

The Mossman team did and awesome job of organising this race. But the course just sucks. Only reason I did it was Cranberry was full. This is the hardest course I have raced and I wont be doing it again 8-)