Well another 2 weeks have gone by since my last post and all is well. The weather is starting to get a little colder, but nothing too serious. It's nice that the weather has stayed as warm as it has allowing me to train outside more so than I anticipated going into Clearwater. I'm still doing my computrainer workout once a week, but trying to get outside on most of the other days. I have yet to retreat to the treadmill and this up coming week looks to be sunny on most of the days.
I traveled to Bowling Green this past weekend to visit the family and run in a little 10k that has a pretty fast course (and a little prize money). I figured since it was at the end of a recovery week that I might run a PR if I raced well, and maybe even dip under 33 minutes for the first time. After a good warmup with my brother, I headed to the start line just before the start at 8:30. At 8:30 the gun went off, and so did the Kenyans. I have never raced in such a deep field of Kenyans and I felt like I was out of my league even 100 yards into the race. I knew I wasn't there to compete for the overall victory as the last 3 - 4 winners have all broke 30 minutes, but I was simply there to be as competitive as possible and run fast. Well, after about a 1/4 mile, I was in about 25th - 30th position and falling back from the main pack. They were absolutely flying and there was nothing I could do to hang on. I went through the first mile in 5:00 and realized that, yes, they were running fast as I was a good 20 - 30 seconds back from the leaders. The 2nd mile gave me an opportunity to pass a few of the competitors who wanted to be in the lead group, but were not in shape enough to do so for very long. I passed 3 - 4 guys during this second mile and went through the 2 mile in 10:11. The pain set in and I realized that I wasn't far off of my 5k PR pace. I managed to get away from another competitor during the 3rd mile and made my way up the biggest hill on the course. It's about a 1/2 mile long but very gradual. I went to 3 miles at 15:30 and the 5k at 16:05. I knew the 4th mile would be the hardest with the hill, but it is always the hardest mile of a 10k anyways. I tried to keep my rhythm, but fell off pace a little and went through 4 miles in 21 flat. I sped up a little, but was chasing 2 guys who were a good 30 seconds up, and trying to get away from a guy who was about 20 seconds back from me. I was in no man's land and just trying to hold on for dear life. I went through 5 miles in 26:25 (which is a best for me). One thing I love about this race is they have the mile and kilometers marked throughout the course. I went through 9k at 29:43 meaning I had to run the last kilometer in under 3:17. It is mostly downhill and I had just enough in the tank to do so. I crossed the finish line in 32:53ish.
A 10k is extremely painful when compared to a triathlon. You are running at top end speed for a good 30 minutes and this hurts your lungs A LOT. In a triathlon, it is more painful for the body as a whole, but I am never that close to my VO2 max during a triathlon (especially during a 1/2 IM).
I spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out at Jackson's Orchard, my grandparent's orchard in Bowling Green, and watched a little football. Sunday morning came around and my brother and I got in a great ride through the flat country in Warren and Logan Counties. It was a little windy, but was a good prep for Clearwater.
Less than 3 week to go before Clearwater, and then its time for some downtime.
Tony
Monday, October 25, 2010
Monday, October 11, 2010
The Adventures of T-Bird
I had a great week of training this past week but I did make a silly/amateur mistake. The week started off pretty simple with some simple workouts. Thursday came around and that is my usual day I have efforts on the bike. I had a 2 hour threshold set and it is extremely useful to have the computrainer at Swim Bike Run of Ky to use. I definitely put myself in the hole during that workout, but had the strength to finish it which was encouraging. It was definitely the hardest bike workout I have ever done, but having the strength to successfully finish it made it even better. Now I did have trouble walking for the rest of the day, ha. Friday came around and I skipped out on my tempo run in the afternoon since I had a long day at work, so I decided I would just include it into my long run the following morning.
I met up with an old friend, Ali Grace (or maybe its Morgan, she just got married about a month ago), Saturday morning to do my tempo/long run. She runs professionally for ZAP fitness and made for a great running partner this morning. I met up with her about 10 minutes into my run and we headed out to the new "Legacy Trail" to start our workout. I ended up running 5 miles before we even started our workout and then our tempo session started. I helped pace her for her efforts. She had a 3 mile effort at 6 minute pace, and then every effort after that got a 1/2 mile shorter and just a tad faster. After our 2nd effort, I realized that I was 12 miles from home. I never once thought about the total distance of how far I was running until this point. I didn't freak out at first. We turned around right after the 2nd effort and started our recovery jog. I helped pace her for her next effort and then that still put me about 6 - 7 miles from home. So I just ran the most direct route that I could back to Swim Bike Run of KY (since it was 2 miles closer to my current location than my house was). Luckily, Jeff Buhr was about to leave the shop so he gave me a ride home. I ended up running 20.4 miles miles when I was only scheduled to run 13 - 14 miles total. Needless to say, I took the following day off from running, ha. I still got in a solid bike ride with Kevin on Sunday to finish off a great week.
One encouraging thing about that run on Saturday was the fact that I didn't take any kind of nutrition and a lot of the run was at "tempo" pace and I never "bonked." Don't get me wrong, I was extremely tired and hungry but I guess the intense training that I have done of the past few years is helping and making me a stronger/fitter triathlete. And the fact that my "best" distance of a triathlon takes around 4 hours to complete and this run only lasted 2:15. It is still my longest run in almost 3 years.
Today was a nice recovery day and I'm back at the hard stuff tomorrow.
Tony
I met up with an old friend, Ali Grace (or maybe its Morgan, she just got married about a month ago), Saturday morning to do my tempo/long run. She runs professionally for ZAP fitness and made for a great running partner this morning. I met up with her about 10 minutes into my run and we headed out to the new "Legacy Trail" to start our workout. I ended up running 5 miles before we even started our workout and then our tempo session started. I helped pace her for her efforts. She had a 3 mile effort at 6 minute pace, and then every effort after that got a 1/2 mile shorter and just a tad faster. After our 2nd effort, I realized that I was 12 miles from home. I never once thought about the total distance of how far I was running until this point. I didn't freak out at first. We turned around right after the 2nd effort and started our recovery jog. I helped pace her for her next effort and then that still put me about 6 - 7 miles from home. So I just ran the most direct route that I could back to Swim Bike Run of KY (since it was 2 miles closer to my current location than my house was). Luckily, Jeff Buhr was about to leave the shop so he gave me a ride home. I ended up running 20.4 miles miles when I was only scheduled to run 13 - 14 miles total. Needless to say, I took the following day off from running, ha. I still got in a solid bike ride with Kevin on Sunday to finish off a great week.
One encouraging thing about that run on Saturday was the fact that I didn't take any kind of nutrition and a lot of the run was at "tempo" pace and I never "bonked." Don't get me wrong, I was extremely tired and hungry but I guess the intense training that I have done of the past few years is helping and making me a stronger/fitter triathlete. And the fact that my "best" distance of a triathlon takes around 4 hours to complete and this run only lasted 2:15. It is still my longest run in almost 3 years.
Today was a nice recovery day and I'm back at the hard stuff tomorrow.
Tony
Saturday, October 2, 2010
RJ Corman Duathlon RR
Yes, those are real.Well, I "officially" competed in my first duathlon today and it turned out to be a GREAT idea considering this was my trophy. I have done several in the past, but only because the swim leg got cancelled from a triathlon. The Chrysallis House and Swim Bike Run of KY teamed up to help RJ Corman put on this high dollar event. They are really looking to make it a big event next year. The owner, Rick Corman, put up $6,000 for prize money but did not necessarily want to make it a professional race. He wanted it to be a "Go Big or Go Home" kind of deal. And it definitely was. You either received $1,000 for 1st, or (originally) nothing for 2nd place (Swim Bike Run of KY stepped in and donated some gift cards for 2nd and 3rd place so they wouldn't go home empty handed). The winners of the Duathlon and 5k would each receive $1,000 and then there would be 8 $250 drawings for random people who competed in the race (either the duathlon or the 5k). As it turns out, that kind of money will get people to stick around for awards. It was one of the biggest award ceremonies I have seen at a smaller race like this.
Anyways, I have been struggling all week trying to recover from last weekend. I did an easy bike ride Wednesday which didn't feel too bad but I still didn't feel normal. Thursday had some easy swimming and running involved in it but both workouts took all of the motivation I had stored up inside of me to get out the door. Friday morning I did a 1.5 hr computrainer ride and then rested for the rest of the day. I wasn't sure what to expect today but I felt pretty decent. It was 43 degrees this morning so it was a little chilly at the start. The first 5k felt A LOT better than expected. We went through the first mile in about 5:12 and I had no idea I was running that fast. We slowed down a little over the next 2 miles but I managed to get a little gap on the next 2 competitors going into T1. I think I ran around 16:40 for that first 5k. I hopped on the bike and was off through RJ Corman's property. He owns A TON of property and the first 3 - 4 miles of the bike course is on his private property and then the last 3 - 4 miles of the bike course is on his property. Two of those last miles are on his Runway for his jet. Crazy, huh? Anyways, the middle section of the bike is pretty technical. We go down a fast decent into a hard right hand turn. They did a great job warning us about the course but the 3rd place finished had a bout of bad luck with his carbon brakes and didn't make it into that turn.
I came into T2 with about 2.5 - 3 minutes on the next guy and I was off onto the 2nd run. It was the same course as the first run so I knew what to expect and I just kept a good tempo across the finish line. It was a 5k / 15 miles / 5k Duathlon and my finishing time was 1:16:something. I was extremely pleased with how I felt and the effort for the day. My legs felt a little heavy on the bike but nothing too terrible. My roomie, Kevin Ryan, finished 2nd overall and then Jeff Buhr came home in 3rd. He ended up with a little road rash, but nothing too serious from his spill. Allison Stewart brought home the W on the ladies side.
Now its time to hit it hard and get in a big block of training for Clearwater. I plan on running a 10k in Bowling Green here in a few weeks but there will be no taper or rest for that race. Then my season will be done.
T-Bird
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Augusta RR (rest and recovery)
Well today is day 3 since Augusta, and I have not done much since. I took Monday off and yesterday was filled with a short swim and a short run. Today I'm hoping to get out on the bike and ride a little of the RJ Corman Duathlon bike course before Saturday.
One thing I forgot to mention in my last post was my brother's new PR for a 70.3 distance race. He dropped about 8 minutes from his previous fastest race and went 4:18. And also, Congrats to Jamie Johnson for completing his first 70.3.
I'm really looking forward to is getting back into the swing of things (or maybe not looking forward to). I have been sleeping in quite a bit and doing 2 workouts after work. Once the hard workouts begin, I won't be able to get away with that. Usually the week of a race, or even the week following a hard race, I'll sleep in a little more and tend to not worry about my workouts as much. I still get them in, they are usually shorter and easier, thus easier to squeeze in 2 workouts after work. I guess next week I'll have to break the habit and get my butt out of bed.
And in other news, I am 2-1 in fantasy football and I only lost in week 2 because my boy Chris Johnson was shut down by the Steelers. But I don't think he'll let that happen again, ha.
T-Bird
One thing I forgot to mention in my last post was my brother's new PR for a 70.3 distance race. He dropped about 8 minutes from his previous fastest race and went 4:18. And also, Congrats to Jamie Johnson for completing his first 70.3.
I'm really looking forward to is getting back into the swing of things (or maybe not looking forward to). I have been sleeping in quite a bit and doing 2 workouts after work. Once the hard workouts begin, I won't be able to get away with that. Usually the week of a race, or even the week following a hard race, I'll sleep in a little more and tend to not worry about my workouts as much. I still get them in, they are usually shorter and easier, thus easier to squeeze in 2 workouts after work. I guess next week I'll have to break the habit and get my butt out of bed.
And in other news, I am 2-1 in fantasy football and I only lost in week 2 because my boy Chris Johnson was shut down by the Steelers. But I don't think he'll let that happen again, ha.
T-Bird
Monday, September 27, 2010
Augusta 70.3 RR
Well, I have another 70.3 under my belt, and I learned that racing in the rain isn't really that bad. It was actually pretty nice. Last year at this race, it was in the mid 80's and sunny. This year it was in the mid 70's and raining. The wind wasn't too bad and I never really felt too overheated. My brother and I got to Augusta Friday evening and just hung out. We went for a little shake out run, and then met up with a buddy, Jamie Johnson, and his father at Mellow Mushroom to enjoy some pizza. Saturday was filled with a lot of hanging out in the hotel room, watching football, and doing a lot of nothing.
Sunday morning came and we set up our stuff for the race, and got ready to roll. I found out that the new rule change for the wetsuit cut off temperature would allow the pro's to wear wetsuits in the swim. I haven't raced (or even worn) in a wetsuit since Steelhead of 2009. So almost 1 year and 2 months!!!
I went to the start and at 7:30 we were off. I had a great first 100 yards but other than that, I never really felt like I was catching much water. I stayed close to the buoys hoping for a little help from the current, but I didn't stick to anybody's feet and that was a big mistake. I lost the only feet that I tried to stay on and I was having trouble sighting with my foggy goggles so I was relying on the splashing from the swimmers in front of me. I came out of the water in 17th position which was a huge difference from the 4th position that I came out in from Steelhead. At the time I didn't know what position I was in, but I knew I didn't have a great swim. Fortunately, I felt good on the bike and went after everyone. Chris Legh was right behind me so we paced off of each other to pass a few people and to catch the next bike pack. Once we caught them, he went right by them and was headed towards the main bike pack. I am not quite as strong as him on the bike so by the time I had recovered from our first effort, he had put a good 50 - 100 yards on me. I knew that it would take a really hard effort to get him, but I just didn't have it in my legs. He eventually caught the main pack as I got settled into that 2nd pack. We did not draft, we just used each other for pacing and to help each other stay motivated. We tried hard to catch the main pack for the first hour but we ended up losing almost 2 - 3 minutes on that pack over that last 25 miles or so. Patrick Evoe came by us with about 6 miles to go and really bumped up our pace heading back into T2.
I had an average T2 and was off on the run. I believe I was 15th starting the run and was a little demoralized at the time. I knew I was out of the money by a long shot and not even sure how far back I was of the next competitor (excluding the guys I came into T2 with). After about a mile of running, Nick Waninger was using his fleet feet to pull away from me, and I had pulled away from two other guys. I was just trying to keep Nick close and hoping we would catch a few guys. I went through 6 miles in about 34:30 and didn't really feel too terrible. I caught 2 more guys around mile 7 and then I started my 2nd lap of the run. At this time, a lot of AG'ers were on the run course so I couldn't really tell too much of a difference between guys that I was catching, or guys that were 1 lap behind me. It really helped to have some of them (people to pass) there because around mile 11 I thought about walking and again just about 1/2 mile from the finish*. I had some really rough patches and I know those last 2 miles were significantly slower than the rest of my run. I found out at the finish line that I ended up passing another 3 - 4 guys and finished 7th overall. I was really happy to see the finishing clock at 3:53 and change as I have never been faster than 3:54 and I haven't done that since 2008. I crossed the finish line in 3:53:51.
My finishing spot wasn't what I had hoped for, but there were some really fast guys there. I have never gone that fast in a 70.3 and I found out that it hurts A LOT to go that fast. I am really looking forward to Clearwater and hoping that I can have a similar result on the bike/run while putting together a better swim.
Now I just need to focus on recovering fast since I have a duathlon this weekend here in Central KY.
Tony
*One of the hardest aspects of racing professionally is the fact that you are by yourself for most of the race, so you are fighting that little voice in your head the whole race. When I raced as an AG'er, I always had a lot of people to pass, which gave me a lot of reinforcement for how fast I was going, and a lot of times it would help me continue going that same speed. My wave always started kind of late compared to everyone else, so that gave me hundreds of people to chase after. Now that I start first, you are either in first place and by yourself, or somewhere in the top 10 - 20 hoping that you are close to the other professionals that you are racing against. For example, at Kansas this year, I rode for almost 20 miles without seeing another competitor, so that little voice in my head telling me to slow down did not help matters, ha.
Sunday morning came and we set up our stuff for the race, and got ready to roll. I found out that the new rule change for the wetsuit cut off temperature would allow the pro's to wear wetsuits in the swim. I haven't raced (or even worn) in a wetsuit since Steelhead of 2009. So almost 1 year and 2 months!!!
I went to the start and at 7:30 we were off. I had a great first 100 yards but other than that, I never really felt like I was catching much water. I stayed close to the buoys hoping for a little help from the current, but I didn't stick to anybody's feet and that was a big mistake. I lost the only feet that I tried to stay on and I was having trouble sighting with my foggy goggles so I was relying on the splashing from the swimmers in front of me. I came out of the water in 17th position which was a huge difference from the 4th position that I came out in from Steelhead. At the time I didn't know what position I was in, but I knew I didn't have a great swim. Fortunately, I felt good on the bike and went after everyone. Chris Legh was right behind me so we paced off of each other to pass a few people and to catch the next bike pack. Once we caught them, he went right by them and was headed towards the main bike pack. I am not quite as strong as him on the bike so by the time I had recovered from our first effort, he had put a good 50 - 100 yards on me. I knew that it would take a really hard effort to get him, but I just didn't have it in my legs. He eventually caught the main pack as I got settled into that 2nd pack. We did not draft, we just used each other for pacing and to help each other stay motivated. We tried hard to catch the main pack for the first hour but we ended up losing almost 2 - 3 minutes on that pack over that last 25 miles or so. Patrick Evoe came by us with about 6 miles to go and really bumped up our pace heading back into T2.
I had an average T2 and was off on the run. I believe I was 15th starting the run and was a little demoralized at the time. I knew I was out of the money by a long shot and not even sure how far back I was of the next competitor (excluding the guys I came into T2 with). After about a mile of running, Nick Waninger was using his fleet feet to pull away from me, and I had pulled away from two other guys. I was just trying to keep Nick close and hoping we would catch a few guys. I went through 6 miles in about 34:30 and didn't really feel too terrible. I caught 2 more guys around mile 7 and then I started my 2nd lap of the run. At this time, a lot of AG'ers were on the run course so I couldn't really tell too much of a difference between guys that I was catching, or guys that were 1 lap behind me. It really helped to have some of them (people to pass) there because around mile 11 I thought about walking and again just about 1/2 mile from the finish*. I had some really rough patches and I know those last 2 miles were significantly slower than the rest of my run. I found out at the finish line that I ended up passing another 3 - 4 guys and finished 7th overall. I was really happy to see the finishing clock at 3:53 and change as I have never been faster than 3:54 and I haven't done that since 2008. I crossed the finish line in 3:53:51.
My finishing spot wasn't what I had hoped for, but there were some really fast guys there. I have never gone that fast in a 70.3 and I found out that it hurts A LOT to go that fast. I am really looking forward to Clearwater and hoping that I can have a similar result on the bike/run while putting together a better swim.
Now I just need to focus on recovering fast since I have a duathlon this weekend here in Central KY.
Tony
*One of the hardest aspects of racing professionally is the fact that you are by yourself for most of the race, so you are fighting that little voice in your head the whole race. When I raced as an AG'er, I always had a lot of people to pass, which gave me a lot of reinforcement for how fast I was going, and a lot of times it would help me continue going that same speed. My wave always started kind of late compared to everyone else, so that gave me hundreds of people to chase after. Now that I start first, you are either in first place and by yourself, or somewhere in the top 10 - 20 hoping that you are close to the other professionals that you are racing against. For example, at Kansas this year, I rode for almost 20 miles without seeing another competitor, so that little voice in my head telling me to slow down did not help matters, ha.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Off to Augusta
Here is a couple of photos from Tri for Sight.
And I guess it's never a good sign when you have to create a new password to log on to your own blog considering I forgot my old one. I am sitting in Corbin, KY right now and am headed to bed. My brother and I are headed to Augusta, GA tomorrow for the 70.3 on Sunday. I'm really looking forward to racing this weekend. Training has been going really well the past 3 - 4 weeks and my running in particular has felt good. I have put in over 200 miles of running over the past 4 weeks which I haven't done in a long time. And I've also put in about 620 miles over that same period on the bike. My swimming isn't as consistent as it once was, but I still feel decent in the water. Especially with the race course as it is in Augusta, the swim is the least of my worries. It is a down river swim and considering I swam under 21 minutes last year in the middle of a "rough patch" of swimming for myself, I'm looking to do about the same this year with stronger bike and run legs. Saturday, we'll probably just hang out and watch a lot of football and I'll make sure my fantasy football team is ready to play.
I'm really looking forward to testing out my new Kiwami Uniform. They really did it up for me and I got an all red uniform with my Kiwami gift certificate that I won at the Tri for Sight. And I also have some new shoes, but they aren't broken in yet so I wait to test those out a few weeks from now. I got the new color of the Brooks Green Silence. Check 'em out:
Well, off to bed. You should be able to follow the race on Sunday at www.ironman.com.
There will be a link to the Augusta 70.3 and it will bring up athlete tracker. Race starts at 7:30am
T-Bird
Monday, September 6, 2010
Dusting off the Ole Cobwebs
Well, I competed in my first triathlon in over a month yesterday here in Lexington, KY and it was a blast. It was a lot different than what I'm used to. I'm usually traveling to a race that is at least an Olympic distance and it usually takes up my whole weekend. But the Tri for Sight offers me a great opportunity to break up the monotony of training and get in a solid effort for a shorter triathlon while staying at my own house. This means I have to hang up my "distance" legs and find my "sprint" legs. Unfortunately, I was unable to find them, in 2 of the 3 sports. My run training has been going really well the past few weeks and I felt pretty solid on the run yesterday but that also might have had something to do with the weather. It was a cool 52 degrees when the race started yesterday.
I got in a solid week of training this past week and was a little tired going into the race but I knew that Augusta and Clearwater are the two "big" races left for the year. Ben and Dana (his girlfriend) traveled to Lexington for the race on Saturday so we all had a nice lunch and dinner while watching the Cats take down the dirty Cards in football. Casey, Ben, and I all woke up on Sunday to get everything ready for the race and to travel down to the transition area (which is less than 1 mile from my house). I racked my bike in transition, got everything set, helped Casey set up her transition area, and we were ready to race.
I was number 101 so I was first in the water for the time trial start. Annie Fryman was swimmer number 2 (a girl that I coached last year) and then Casey was number 3. I knew that I had to swim fast enough not to get passed by either of these two fast swimmers.
I got out of the water where I started and had a quick T1 and was out on the bike. The bike was pretty uneventful even though it was a different course from last year. I could really feel my "dead legs" during the 2nd half of the bike which was coming back into town and is mostly uphill. I stayed within my zone and made it back to T2 still maintaining the lead. I had an average T2 (had trouble getting my new shoes on fast) and was out onto the run. It is so nice to have cooler temps to run in. I went through 2 miles in 10:50 and realized that I haven't ran that fast in a triathlon in a long time. On the way back, I had a little digestion problems, but nothing too serious. I just slowed a little and made it across the finish line in a decent time. I ended up running 22:10 for a legit 4 mile course which was nice considering some of my recent triathlon run splits. I loved the Brooks T6 racer. They were light and fast and helped me run as fast as I did.
A few minutes later, my brother crossed the finish line and ended up 2nd overall. He also ran in the T6 racers, so I'm sure it was no coincidence. I put on a little clothing since it was a little chilly, and jogged back out on the run course to cheer for Casey. She came through a lot faster than she expected and finish in an hour and 50 minutes which was 10 minutes faster than her goal time. This was her first triathlon and she finished FIRST in her AG and 6th overall.
Overall it was a great day and always a pleasure to compete in such a great event. Beth Atnip does a great job with this race and puts a lot of effort into the event (even after she put on IM Louisville 1 week ago). Congrats to my bro and to Casey for racing well. And to George Van Meter for winning his AG at IM Louisville and getting a slot to Kona.
Up Next: Augusta 70.3.
P.s. I was going to race a 10k this weekend in London, Ky for a chance at winning $10,000, but it was canceled because they didn't have enough people signed up for the race. This race offered $30,000 of prize money to the top 3 male and females but less than 100 people had signed up for it so I guess they couldn't cover the cost of putting on the race. It has been delayed until 2011. I guess that is what happens when you don't put a lot of effort into advertising.
Tony
I got in a solid week of training this past week and was a little tired going into the race but I knew that Augusta and Clearwater are the two "big" races left for the year. Ben and Dana (his girlfriend) traveled to Lexington for the race on Saturday so we all had a nice lunch and dinner while watching the Cats take down the dirty Cards in football. Casey, Ben, and I all woke up on Sunday to get everything ready for the race and to travel down to the transition area (which is less than 1 mile from my house). I racked my bike in transition, got everything set, helped Casey set up her transition area, and we were ready to race.
I was number 101 so I was first in the water for the time trial start. Annie Fryman was swimmer number 2 (a girl that I coached last year) and then Casey was number 3. I knew that I had to swim fast enough not to get passed by either of these two fast swimmers.
I got out of the water where I started and had a quick T1 and was out on the bike. The bike was pretty uneventful even though it was a different course from last year. I could really feel my "dead legs" during the 2nd half of the bike which was coming back into town and is mostly uphill. I stayed within my zone and made it back to T2 still maintaining the lead. I had an average T2 (had trouble getting my new shoes on fast) and was out onto the run. It is so nice to have cooler temps to run in. I went through 2 miles in 10:50 and realized that I haven't ran that fast in a triathlon in a long time. On the way back, I had a little digestion problems, but nothing too serious. I just slowed a little and made it across the finish line in a decent time. I ended up running 22:10 for a legit 4 mile course which was nice considering some of my recent triathlon run splits. I loved the Brooks T6 racer. They were light and fast and helped me run as fast as I did.
A few minutes later, my brother crossed the finish line and ended up 2nd overall. He also ran in the T6 racers, so I'm sure it was no coincidence. I put on a little clothing since it was a little chilly, and jogged back out on the run course to cheer for Casey. She came through a lot faster than she expected and finish in an hour and 50 minutes which was 10 minutes faster than her goal time. This was her first triathlon and she finished FIRST in her AG and 6th overall.
Overall it was a great day and always a pleasure to compete in such a great event. Beth Atnip does a great job with this race and puts a lot of effort into the event (even after she put on IM Louisville 1 week ago). Congrats to my bro and to Casey for racing well. And to George Van Meter for winning his AG at IM Louisville and getting a slot to Kona.
Up Next: Augusta 70.3.
P.s. I was going to race a 10k this weekend in London, Ky for a chance at winning $10,000, but it was canceled because they didn't have enough people signed up for the race. This race offered $30,000 of prize money to the top 3 male and females but less than 100 people had signed up for it so I guess they couldn't cover the cost of putting on the race. It has been delayed until 2011. I guess that is what happens when you don't put a lot of effort into advertising.
Tony
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