AG Nationals--Day 1

Going into this race I had a dilemma. Originally the whole goal of the season was to destroy the Olympic distance race. I trained specifically for it. But when the Sprint distance championship was added to the schedule, I knew I had a better chance to get a Worlds slot in that race. So then do I go all out in the Olympic and trash my body for the next days race?

I made it down to Tuscaloosa Friday afternoon and took care of all the logistics. Dan and I hit transition the next morning around 6:40 and got set up. It was a big field--1300+ with about 100 in my AG. I had about an hour before where I spent the time chatting with my dad and then getting loose.

Swim (1500m)

In contrast to last year, there was NO current to fight. I seeded myself in the middle and let the fast fish go. I found good feet and followed them out to the first turn buoy. But then I had an odd feeling. I was tired. I really felt like I was having some shoulder fatigue which made no sense whatsoever. On the back stretch of the swim I was locked on this guys feet. And he was pissed. It cracked me up that he would power kick every 30-40 seconds to knock me back. It didn't work at all. I rode him all the way to the exit. And he was spent. But I was a bit beat too

Time: 28:38

Transition

Big area but I had a solid marker. Grabbed my stuff and was out.

Time: 1:45

Bike (24.9 miles)

I felt good when I hopped on the bike. I cruised for the first few miles feeling strong. But I kept hearing a noise that didn't sound right. I couldn't figure it out until I hit a big bump in the road. My aerobottle came straight out of the bracket. I secured it with my left hand and wedged it back in the holder. I realized that the strap that secures it was unbuckled. Hmmm. I fidgeted with it for a few moments but wasn't about to secure it. So my contingency plan was to pull off the course at the next median and reattach it. Try getting that velcro to slide through the eye when you heart rate is at zone 4.

I spent the rest of the bike trying to mentally reset. I tried to hold an aggressive pace and felt really good. But I didn't have any pop in the legs. I hammered the downhills and took the climbs relatively easy.

As I approached T2, I knew my goal time of 2:15 wasn't going to happen. I was a few minutes off pace and even my bike came in behind schedule. I wasn't going to make it up on the run so I made the decision to shut it down.

Time: 1:05:48 (22.7 mph)

Transition 2

Got in and out with little trouble.

Time: 1:13

Run 6.2 miles

I convinced myself to run the first mile just in case I changed my mind. I ran a 7:57 and still didn't feel like the legs had a sub-45 in them. So when I hit the first hill, I shut it down. I decided it was time to prepare for the next day. I walked all the uphills and ran the rest. I just settled into a comfortable 8:30-9:00 pace.

I stopped at every aid station and hydrated well. Then I picked it back up and ran. Along the way, I chatted with a number of people. It felt like an easy long run. I felt loose and didn't feel like I was working much at all.

Time: 55:24 (8:53)

Overall: 2:32:xx

I wasn't jumping up and down with the results but felt like I made the right decision. And I didn't think my time was all that bad given the bike malfunction and the fact that I didn't try on the run. Between the two, I am confident that I left 10 minutes on that course. But I wanted to focus on Sunday's event and make sure I secured a slot.