COLUMBIA TRIATHLON!!!

RACE!
Wow. What a weekend. What a race. It's in my nature, when looking back on things like this, to somewhat diminish the elation I felt. What exactly made this race so sweet, it's hard to say. But here's my little recap.

Saturday afternoon I drove down to Columbia to register, rack my bike, and check into my hotel. The hotel accomodations were provided by Team in Training which was nice. I suppose to have a roommate, but lucked out when his wife tagged along so they got their own. Pre-race bike racking is fairly common, but new to me. Nothing special about it, but I cover some parts with plastic bags in anticipation of the impending rain.

The race had an expo, which was a lot smaller than I expected. But of course, the only other race I've attended with an expo was the Marine Corps Marathon, which had over 30,000 runners (vs. only 2300 here). Still, I always enjoy these things because of the people watching, and the off-chance for free schwag. I also ended up getting a good deal on a gym/transition bag.

So the main event: THE RACE.
When it came to a race plan, as usually I didn't have anything particular set in stone except for the run. I didn't worry about the swimming because it's fairly innate, and I'm pretty decent at it. I didn't worry about the bike for the exact opposite: it's still not intuitive, and it's not my forte. What mattered to me was the run. I had a solid goal in mind. It's all strategy where I know how every move will affect me later, and it comes down to risk assessment: if I push it now, can I take the pain later?
So my swim strategy was to simply go at a decent pace, which was no problem; compared to the Nanticoke River, I was sliding on ice and easily broke through the swim wave ahead of me.
The bike strategy was developed en route. After a solid swim, the bike started quick and was fueled by adrenaline. I knew I was going a bit faster than I normally can and wanted to think ahead to the run. My plan ended up being to positive split. So I would push the first part of the bike leg, and then easy up later to let my legs recharge for the run. This seemed to be fine; in the later parts I could feel my legs aching and worried, but knew not much could be done at this point.
The run was simple: try to negative split, but push the pace; break 7:00min/mile. For me, negative splitting is not based on pace, but on perceived effort. Running a race like this is always a blur. But after a decent bike, and feeling great at the run start, I felt phenomenal and was cruising. I past many, many of the older age groups that had started earlier and probably got away a little on the bike. Passing was [and is] a great motivator. Also, the Team in Training presence helped a lot, from being encouraged by other teammates, and even a little boost from supporting those I encountered. I was hurting by the last couple of hills, but once we were back on the lake, I did my best to empty the tank for a good finish.

The final summary:
Swim: 23:35 >1500m, no more breakdown
T1: 2:40
Bike: 1:25:54 >41k, 17.8 mph
T2: 2:12
Run: 42:16 >10km, 6:49 min/mile
*BONUS: 5TH PLACE IN MY AGE GROUP

5th wasn't really a big deal initially. Most races do top three. However, it was a nice bonus to find about, just as I'm about to leave, that top five get awards. So I kind of clumsily mozy over to the award ceremony. I missed my part, and have to sneak around the sideline and try to be discrete.

My proud point is reaching my goal of sub-7:00 min/mile for the 10k. Now, as I've stated before, I've actually never done a 10k before. Sure I've done longer training runs and races, but never this distance. Previously, the closest was the Turkey Trot 8k, and I had yet to break 7:00 on that. But I was incredibly excited to learn I had reached this goal. It really boosts my confidence for getting closer to a Boston qualifier for a marathon.

Some short [hopefully] comments:
-The weather was rainy. It was steady almost right up to the start, but stopped and was really just wet for the ride and made transition a mud pit.
-Lucky for most people, I only saw one crash [post-occurence]. Of course, unlucky for that individual. I hope he/she is ok. Lots of flats during the race.
-Part of any race plan is how to deal with the unexpected. My relaxed bike plan fit the bill, when about halfway, I could feel a pending bladder need. It came down to making a pit stop or trying to wait out the rest of the race. My desire for a solid, comfortable run (comfortable from the bladder sense, not the exertion) and my relaxed bike plan reasoned a pit stop. I think this made a serious contribution to making my run work out as it did.

Final impressions: It was a great training cycle. I am so glad I was able to complete this with Team in Training. Overall, our group of 35 triathletes raised $120,000!!! This was a huge accomplishment and just made the race sweeter. I'm still up in the air about if/when I will join the team for another race. I would love to do this race again; we'll see how it fits into my future plans.

The one thing that always sticks in my mind is the question a fellow racer asked me: "So when's your next race?" which embodies the mindset I like of always having something in mind. In two weeks I'd like to do the Dreaded Druid Hills 10k, but I don't know how much dedicated training I'll give that. My next BIG races aren't until the fall. The Nations Triathlon, an Olympic distance in Washington, DC is September 13th. Then the City of Oaks Marathon in Raleigh is November 7th. My training plan starts second week of July. When does your's?