Little delayed on my race report of Dallas but here it is....The top 10 athletes I was up against have competed at world cups, several at the Olympics and many regard this race as an important one with so much money on the line. It was a big big pay day for some. It was also a non-drafting race which makes it completely different from ITU races as well. You have to be strong in all three disciplines as opposed to being stellar in swimming and running and good at biking. Unfortunately with my new run focus, I am not swimming or biking much so had to just manage the first 2/3rd of the race.
Had a few hiccups along the way. First lost a screw for my bike seat so had to find a bike shop otherwise I would have had to ride with my knees hitting my chin. Then morning of the race woke up to a flat tire. Unfortunately I forgot tire levers but found that the spoon and fork I had brought were very useful. Then after getting off the bus to the first transition area (this race had two) I was missing a plug on my handlebar. So getting to the start line was a little rocky but with each thing I sorted it out and moved on. I had also had the most awesome pasta dinner the night before in my room while sitting in bed and watching a movie..... what better race prep!
The morning was colder than Pacific Grove (PG) and misting enough to feel like rain. A perfect combination of PG and Westchester - lovely. The swim was uneventful. I think I started too slow as I started to really pass people on the last 500m. I must have made up some good ground and came out with the pack. I should have been in the lead of the pack but as I am not working on the swim right now I will let that go. Needless to say I froze on the bike. The winds were pretty good too to top it off. The course was pretty ugly through industrial areas and typical american shopping centres, not to mention the pot holes that left more than a few people with flats. There was also this chick who kept drafting after every guy that passed. When I finally passed her I kept looking back to make sure she wasn't drafting me. Grrr.
So the run... have you ever tried to run with two bricks at the end of your feet? Oh my goodness. It was horrible. I could not feel a thing and when I started to get some feeling (around 3 miles) it was so painful! I didn't know what was worse - the bricks or the thaw. I kept thinking of all my runs that I have been doing lately and thinking that this is really quite a short distance. It was over quicker than I thought which I have NEVER thought before. But then again, I did it under 40minutes (barely)! It was faster than most of my tri-runs this year! yippee the run focus is working
So with that done, I am officially back to winter training. I took last week "off" which means that I didn't let Ken tell me what to do.. I went with what I felt like doing - funny how I still found myself running or swimming most days. The weather didn't inspire me to get out for a bike and the trainer just doesn't sound "fun". I also went to two amazing concerts. It is wonderful to appreciate and be inspired by others passions. So what is next? Maybe a 10km race this weekend if I am feeling better (have a cold). One thing is for sure though, I have my work cut out for me. I am ready.
