Last weekend was the first triathlon of the year, the HITS half iron distance in Ocala, Florida. It was great to get away from the cold and indoor training for a few days, brush off some cobwebs, and see my family for the first time in weeks.
The weekend started Thursday with a flight into Orlando, where I met up with my mom and Annie, who also flew in from New York. Once we got back to DeLand, where we were staying for the weekend, I got outside in the beautiful Florida evening air and loosened up the legs with a half hour run, followed by a delicious homemade spaghetti dinner. Friday brought more sunshine, so we took advantage of the weather and lounged on the beach in New Smyrna.
Early to bed, early to rise. Saturday morning we were awake at 3am and out the door at 4. At 5 we arrived at the park in Ocala, where I picked up my race packet and laid out my transition area. After a short warmup run, it was time to put on the wetsuit and head to the water, but I was wet before I got there... around 6:30 we were hit with a torrential downpour. So much for dry socks for the run. Fortunately, storms blow over pretty quick in Florida, and in about 15 minutes the sky was clear as if it never happened.
An abbreviated warmup swim and race briefing later, it was time to go. By the time the gun went, there was just enough sunlight to see the first swim buoy for us to chase after. The water was choppier than expected, but otherwise the swim was uneventful, just the way I like it. My swimming has felt just a touch off this season, so it was no surprise to clock a 30:10 split for the 1.2 mile swim. Into a smooth transition and onto the bike, there was time to make up but plenty of miles to do so.
Ocala flats made for a a great course to drop into the aerobars and hit the power hard. I spent the first 5 miles in my target power range and settling into a good groove, content with the beautiful Ocala scenery, until the second downpour. The rain was just as brutal as it had been before the swim, and now we were cycling through it. Awesome. The only consolation to be had from the weather was knowing that every single competitor was riding through the same rain. At target power, I began to pick off racers one by one. I was very content with my pacing strategy, until eventual winner Stephen Patterson went cruising by me about 10 miles in. Stephen is an incredible amatuer athlete I met last summer at the Skidmore College pool. He has been to Kona multiple times and never ceases to impress me. He is a model athlete whom I aspire to be near as good. With that said, after he made his pass, all I wanted to do was keep up with his cycling pace. Swaying away from my original power pacing, I found myself able to keep Stephen in sight on the 56 mile bike course with a time of 2:18:03, averaging a blistering 24.3 mph! But it did not come without a hefty cost...
Into second transition much sooner than anticipated, my goal was to run the half marathon course at least at a 7 minute mile pace. Knowing that I had pushed the power harder than planned on the bike, I was in for a world of hurt if I wanted to keep to that run. the first 5 miles of running went very well, with all splits in the 6:50-7:00 range. The next 5 miles were a bit tougher, and the extra bike work was really doing a number on my legs, so the pace slipped to 7:20-7:30 pace. Reasonable, I told myself, as long as I kept my legs moving. The last 3.1 miles were just absolute torture. Cramps began setting in, my stride fell to pieces, and all I could do was grit my teeth and dig my way through the now brutal heat (gotta love Florida weather!) while praying nobody saw the bullseye on my back. Over the course of the 13.1 mile run, which I finished in 1:39:31, I passed one runner and was passed by two, falling just one place back in the overall finish. I held on for 8th place overall in a net time of 4:30:59, my fastest half in the first race of the season!
Overall it was an excellent race weekend, and even though the race was not executed flawlessly, I couldn't be happier for my friend Stephen, who won with a time of 4:20:36. It's nice to have a low pressure race early in the season to test my Winter built fitness, but I do hope that I will ride more conservatively in my next race to keep the legs competitive come running time. With a month until the next race, 70.3 St. Croix, its time to get back to heavy training and prepare to race hard and smart. I'm already faster than ever, I have a detailed training and racing plan, and I'm just getting warmed up.
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