Traditionally,
I start my triathlon season with a race in Knoxville. This season, I
decided to roll south to warmer weather (and warmer water). Xterra
Blackwater in Milton, Florida looked like a great way to start the
season. A sprint distance Xterra race, it consisted of a 800m lake
swim, 16 mile bike and a 3.75 mile trail run. I was a bit anxious to
test out my fitness and also see how my left knee would hold up (
I've been fighting with a bit of Tendenosis for the last month or so)
but also excited to get the season underway.
The
Florida weather was everything I hoped it would be. The morning of
the race, the water temp was hovering right at 76 degrees and the
ambient temperature was in the high 60s. It was a perfect morning.
I opted for the full sleeve wetsuit for two reasons... first and most
importantly, it's the only one I brought. Second, it's supposed to
be faster and I guess, thirdly it's more comfortable. I lined up
near the front. The race was a mass start from the boat launch. I
lined up near the front but somewhat conservatively. Definitlely a
mistake. I got held up BIG TIME on the swim start putting a sizeable
gap between myself and the leaders by the time I got free. I still
managed to come out of the water in the top 10 overall and 2nd in the
AG.
Swim
Split: 11:11 (1:24/100yrd)
After
a slightly longer T1 (due mostly to the added steps of the hydration
pack and the clumsiness of MTB shoes) I was off on the bike. The
bike was fun and fast. Focused on keeping smooth through the corners
and maintaining as much momentum as possible. There was another
athlete (not in my age group) who I came up on riding at a similar
pace. We would end up trading positions a couple times. Another guy
came up on us quick and asked for a pass. We let him by. He rode
off into the sunset never to be seen again. Turns out, he passed me
for 2nd in the AG which NORMALLY I would be annoyed with, but he beat
me on the day by around 8 minutes so I don't feel too bad.
Bike
Split: 46:01 (15.6mph)
T2
was smooth and quick. I was out of my shoes before hitting the chute
and the flying dismount was flawless. Threw the pack off, put on my
shoes, grabbed my belt and was off. The run course was mostly flat
but much more traditional single track with rocks and roots and some
more technical trail features. Per the map it was a 3.75 mile lap
but the Garmin only registered 3.4. The run felt good. I started
out pushing the pace to see what I could hold. Around mile 3 or so I
started to feel a bit of a pre cramp twinge in the left calf. I
backed off slightly and maintained as high of a pace as I could. I
knew there was someone not too far off behind me so I just tried to
keep an ear out and listen to make sure they didn't get too close. I
had a great run all in all and my knee didn't give me any issues
during (or after) the race.
Run
Split: 29:25 (7:51/mile) * Garmin registered a short course at 3.4 mi
putting my pace in mid 8's which felt much more accurate.
Takeaways
from the weekend:
I
had a really great time at Xterra Blackwater. The race was extremely
well run and all of the staff and volunteers did an exceptional job.
I stuck around after the Xterra that morning and volunteered for the
afternoon off road super sprint. It was great seeing all of the
first time athletes in an off road triathlon setting. The family
atmosphere of Xterra is something that I truly enjoy and one of the
best things about the series in my opinion. I got to meet and hang
out briefly with Yaro Middaugh who was an amazingly swell dude. In
fact, everyone at the race from athletes to race staff were super
friendly. The whole weekend was a great experience and a great way
to kick off the 2017 season!
No comments:
Post a Comment