Mike and I qualified for Worlds at 70.3
Austin last October. It was a tough day—late season race, 42 degrees race morning,
chip seal the whole bike route—but we managed to grab our slots. More than ten
months and endless hours of training later we arrived in Vegas, psyched to race
with four Ignite teammates and some local training partners.
“Vegas” actually starts in Henderson, NV,
about 25 minutes’ drive from the Strip. Our rental house was right next to the
host hotel, walkable to T1 on race morning, the practice swim Saturday, and the
athlete dinner. We’ve grown to prefer rental houses to hotels because it’s
quieter and allows us to cook familiar foods. It was a lovely house and a
decent location, though we had to drive back and forth to T2 each day to do
check-in and bag drops. Everything went smoothly and efficiently, the expo was
huge, and we ran into a ton of pros (Crowie even held the door for us!). We got
in some practice runs and rides, missing the nail that our teammate’s tire
found—ouch, and had an awesome swim at the community center’s outdoor pool. We
were definitely in fast company: everyone on the roads, in the water and at
Whole Foods looked tanned and super fit. While there was a strong field at
Austin and Mike has raced ITU Worlds with a deep field, this was my first
Worlds experience. It would be a tough day!
Race morning arrived with the disorienting
sound of rain. We’d only seen brief rain in the afternoons since arriving and
none in the forecast. We’ve had plenty of practice racing in rain, so while it
changed the game we were ready—and it least it would keep things cooler. We
walked down with teammate and housemate Brian, set up T1, and headed for the
covered bridge to stay warmer and drier for the hours until our waves went off.
Finding most of our teammates helped the time pass.
Swim:
36:03
We knew from the practice swim that the
water was impossibly murky, so I wasn’t counting on following any feet but
rather swimming my own race on the straightest course I could take. In a
competitive field like this you didn’t see the weak swimmers; everyone was
pretty clustered and willing to be aggressive.
Bike:
3:07:27
What a humbling ride! I knew this was a
rolling course, which I thought I was prepared for from riding in VA, but those
rollers got to me especially in the last 10 miles. We had a considerable run
both into and out of transition, including a switchbacked climb out, and then
of course it was still raining. I was glad to have my glasses to keep the rain
out of my eyes and didn’t have fogging issues. The first 10 miles or so were
familiar from tune-up rides the few days before and manageable except for the
roads being crowded and rain-soaked descents a little nerve-racking. The
temperature was pretty comfortable and it was good to get inside Lake Mead
State Park with little wind, watching the pros who started way before me
already on the return. The desert is a different kind of beautiful in the rain;
focusing on the scenery and my pedal stroke helped me focus. It was tough to
get passed again and again, but I knew about what effort I could sustain for a
hilly ride and I’d have plenty of time to kick it up a notch if I could. The
sun came out a few miles after the turnaround, around mile 35, but it wasn’t
scorching. After leaving the park the course heads into downtown on a flat
straightaway and then winds around on a seemingly endless false flat with a
little climb or two. I just didn’t feel strong the last 15 miles or so,
frustrated at my slow pace while I still felt the burn in my legs (didn’t even
break an hour? Ouch!). Lesson for next year: more strength training and hill
repeats, like Mike does so well!
Run:
1:43:35
You never know if your run legs will show
up until your feet hit the pavement. While I didn’t have the bike split I
wanted, it still took a lot out of me, and I knew the three-loop run course was
essentially three two-mile repeats. Luckily we started on a downhill and my
legs came around pretty quickly. It helps me to focus on reeling people in on
the run, once I’m off the bike and in my strong suit and can afford to take
risks. The BEST Vegas advice I got was to grab ice diligently at every aid
station—ice water to drink, ice in the sports bra—because with the sun in full
force now, core temperature control was crucial. With this strategy I stayed
remarkably comfortable, allowing me to power up the hills and take downhills
aggressively. The volunteers and crowd support were helpful, and it was neat
hearing the announcers on each loop when the course passes near the finish. The
miles ticked by and I kicked by women one by one—about 100 on the run leg, it
turned out, and XX in my age group. That last downhill mile I was almost
falling forward, using the momentum to carry me to a strong finish—almost an
hour ahead of
Overall:
5:35:49, 29th age group
29th is not where I wanted to
come in, but it had turned out to be a much faster field than even last year.
We were in Vegas to savor the experience and put together strong races we were
proud of, and all in all it was a good day for Ignite. Tough competition brings
out our best on race day and inspires us to train harder and smarter for the
next race. This was the last triathlon for me and Mike in 2013 and a nice
climactic note to end on. We’re switching gears for the Marine Corps Marathon October
27, then enjoying a much-needed offseason!
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