So I wasn't going to do this race this year. I did it twice last year - the SBR Series 1 & 2. Had great results with both including an AG win. But it is a sprint distance and my focus this year is on Half and One full iron. But when TriRock Gettysburg got canceled and I needed to drop Timberman 70.3 I felt like I needed a race in August to keep the race motivation up.
I am so glad I did this race! Why you ask? A couple of reasons.
1) Any time you can race is awesome regardless of distance (so a sprint or two will be on the schedule next year)
2) I pushed through some serious pain/ funk on the bike and ended up having the 10th fastest bike.
3) I finished 10th OA and 2nd in my AG- Qualified for 2012 nationals and got some great hardware.
4) TriRock is a cool experience- kinda like doing an IM/IM70.3 with all of the swag/ pre and post race hoopla, plus a beer garden!
On to the details.
Swim- 800M out and back lake swim. 3 waves of about 100-125 per wave. Rough scrum the 1st 300 M and I had a header with a guy at the turn around point. No real issues, but what was good is I swam right on the buoy line- no wasted effort. Swim was wetsuit legal (74 degrees) and I felt reasonably good. I have not gotten enough swim practice in this year, but I am still middle of the pack.
Bike 15 miles of hills, bumpy roads and tight turns. The first 4 miles was pretty much a consistent climb- I struggled (pace was okay but I was hurting/ breathing very hard). I really felt like I needed to vomit, but couldn't. The next few miles lead into a very steep and fast downhill- I hit about 45 MPH, but knew the bottom had a very sharp 180degree left turn right into a hill. The Climb was 2 miles of hurt- not fun on a tri bike designed to go fast. Soon after cresting the summit I got passed by Sebastian Blanco (the eventual winner). Once he passed me, I snapped out of my funk and increased my cadence and gearing and followed him (about 25 yards behind) for the next 7 miles. Him passing me was key for me to push harder and I felt so much better once I started hammering- go figure.
Run- 5K out and back on an old jeep trail- somewhat hilly and very rough ground. I ran a solid pace and felt strong. I knew at the turn around point I was in the top ten and felt I could hold that placing as long as I kept my pace the same. During the last mile, a guy fell in front of me- I helped him up and told him to run with me to get his legs back. He was younger so no AG competition. He was shaken, but I kept him on my heels for about .5 miles. He recovered and pushed past me a bit- I decided to let him go as there was no one behind me so we each could enjoy the finishing shoot alone. Great feeling.
So times
Swim- 14:44 - 58th place
T1- 1:40- 12th place
Bike- 47:11- 11th place
T2- :35- 5th place
Run- 21:09- 18th Place
Overall 1:25:15
10th Overall (out of 289)
2nd AG (35-39)(out of 37)
Lastly- the race organization/ swag/ awards rocked, especially the real podium. This race will likely be on the calendar for next year.
