Still alive, but just barely

Between working in La Crosse for the first part of last, or wait two weeks and traveling to Ohio for a wedding I haven’t had much time to update things here. So here is a rough recap to keep you up to date if you are interested.

La Crosse – Cool river town that I would like to get back to while it’s still nice around here with the bikes. Seem like there would be some great roads in the region with some solid climbs and great views once atop. The downtown was kinda cool. You couldn’t walk a few feet without finding a cool little bar or restaurant. I found and old fashioned soda shop with excellent homemade ice cream.

Ohio – 4 days of hard core drinking with the crew for Brett’s wedding. Seriously every night we were up till like 4 or 5. The night before the wedding and the wedding itself were the worst for the body. Friday was the rehearsal dinner and then bars. Gianna got sent home early because she was not fit for public. I apparently walked home, though I have no recollection of it. Saturday was a slow start, though we were all in good shape for the church. Once to the rehearsal we found the bar and set ourselves straight. We closed down a neighboring bar with lots of dancing on the bar, with clothing being shed at an alarming rate. Good times.

So over the course of the time in La Crosse and Ohio I got in about 2 workouts. Neither of which were on the bike or in the water. So needless to say I was less than prepared for yesterday’s race in Buffalo. So here it is, the first tri report of the season.

Swim – I was just a matter of survival. The swim to the first buoy was good. I was feeling good and I was starting to catch some of the folks from the wave that took off before mine. At the buoy we took a left hand turn, and with it came the wind. The wind picked up and the chop was coming right into my face for each breath (I can only really breathe on my right side). It sucked, but I managed. The next left turn we headed for home. We were kinda with the wind now, but it was more like a cross wind and it kept pushing me off course. I made it in at just over 27:00. I was thinking it would be more like 30:00, so I though hey, not too bad.

Bike – Well lets see, no time on the bike in over a week, no hoping for much here. Out on the course the wind was kicking pretty good. I eased into it and then started to crank. The HED 3’s really showed their stuff when the wind was coming at and with me at an angle. It was really weird to feel fast in a slight crosswind. After a long section in a really tough head wind and rain, I started to feel it. I did what I could to finish strong and still have something left in the tank for the 10K. I finished somewhere around 1:12, though I would have like to be around 1:07.

Run – Sufferfest, the first HALF of the run is uphill, with mile 2 to 3.1 being a really decent grade. On the way back down I tried to keep my quads in control so I wouldn’t shred them and be stranded on the course for the last 2 mile. Coming to the finish I was feeling pretty strong so it seems I could have pushed it a little more earlier on. I came in around 45:00, again a little slower than I would have liked.

Overall time was something like 2:27:00. Pre-Ohio and La Crosse goal was 2:24:00 or less. I’m thinking I would have been under that for sure. Looking at the big picture though, I would gladly trade those 3-5 minutes of the race for the time I had with my friends and family in Ohio. Next race is at the end of the month. Next post, sooner than two weeks from now, I promise.