Green Lake Triathlon Race Report

Finally, it happened. I had the perfect race, start to finish, without any hitches and was able to feel great about it.

Can't win during the swim, but you can lose

Preface

Honestly, this race made me nervous. It was the first time I was going to a race completely alone. I made the seven hour trip up to Spicer, with only my fire Spotify playlist to accompany me. This race has had some hammers at it before, and I wanted to race them since I was unable to make it out to Cleveland. I biked the whole course as a workout on Saturday, and knew it was going to be a fun race. Once I made it up and worked out, I got my packet, and went out to dinner. It was weird being alone at an Italian restaurant, but hey, I loved the price. Went to bed at 8:15, and of course, woke up at 2:30 and was ready to go, great choice bud. Went out for a little walk, ate and apple, and then went back to bed somehow. Got up at 5:00, as transition opened at 6:30 and I wanted to be the first one there.

Pre-Race

For some reason, even though I had slept for almost 40 hours the last 3 days, I was pretty groggy until 7:45. A nice warm up bike and run, some caffeine and salt, and I was ready to go. I decided to do a warm up swim, per usual, but literally swam 18 yards and then called that good. The RD wanted a pre race meeting, which was great. I'd never been to Spicer, and it was nice to meet some of the locals. Very nice people, and a great atmosphere, and got some very good info on the course. I was told that even though the swim was listed as a 1200, it was consistently long, thank goodness. The RD was running behind, and with the chilly weather and no sun, your favorite 6'3 stick was freezing. But, at 8:05, the fun began.

Swim - 1200m at 1:16/100m

Boy, this was something. Water was nice and warm, but wetsuit legal. I got in, and not knowing the locals very well, and not looking to make friends before the race, took an aggressive line. I went out HARD, so hard I don't remember the first 4 minutes until I got to the 300m bouy. I did not feel anyone after 3 strokes, so I had to keep sighting to make sure I was still on course. Hit the turn around, looked up and saw no one within 200m. I put my head back down and gunned it back in. I got out, and did something I never do. I looked behind me, just for a second. I saw nothing, no one in 300m. Apparently I out-swam everyone by 5 minutes. Jeepers, I am happy Coach Dan is a swimmer.

Bike - 25.4mph for 22 Miles

I have had issues starting the bike before, my hamstrings love to cramp and ache relentlessly for the first 10 minutes. I decided to ignore this for this race, and went out at 265w. I had a goal of 280w, so I knew I had to go harder than normal. I shook out the legs, took the first turn and did not look back. Hammer time baby. I knew I had a little bit of a lead but I wasn't sure how much. I got to the turn around, which was a long flat, I looked back and did not see anyone. I passed the second place guy with a 4+ minute lead, but I am also a weak biker, so I knew I needed to keep the pace up. I hammered it back and averaged 300w for the last 15 minutes. I got off the bike, averaging a solid 288w, and could hear the MC telling everyone how serious my face was. I quickly apologized, smiled, gave them the hang loose, and racked my steed.

Run - 5:43 per mile for 6 Miles

My run has been lack luster this year, and I am not sure why. I have been able to do consistent 6:00 miles, but other than that, my best run was at Pigman, mostly because my bike was horrendous. This was different. I went out hard, and hardly faded. I honestly could have done a little better, but after Steelhead, I have been cautious of pushing too hard unless absolutely necessary. My legs felt great through the first two miles. A nice incline changed that quickly, but I was able to recover and feel a little at the top. I got to the turn around, which had some awesome volunteers, and grabbed a sip of water. I then looked up the road, knowing that the only man between me and a victory was somewhere on this road. I saw him eventually, and I had over three quarters of a mile on him. I knew then to just maintain, and it should be good. I picked it up in the last mile, and finished 1st overall, with the 3rd best time in 16 years, and the best under 30.

Afterwards

I was stoked, I had executed exactly how I needed to, hard bike into a season best run. I am very self-critical, but have been able to enjoy this one. It only sucked because I had a lonesome 7 hour car ride home. Happy to take the win, and thankful for the great volunteers, race course, and people involved.