My day started at 05:00. I woke up early to get in a solid breakfast. Around 06:00 I left the house heading toward the race with my gear in a backpack. The ride to the race ended up being just over 17 miles. A good warm-up. It was pleasant and traffic-free with little wind. Just what I needed. I arrived at the Beach House just before 07:00.
Having been pre-registered and already with a good bike warm-up in I had time to relax and chit chat. I did get out for a short run to get the legs ready for the 3 mile sprint.
I started out near the front not knowing what to expect. From the gun I felt pretty good but knew I should save myself for the bike. No matter how much I told myself, however, I just couldn’t hold back knowing that I would be close to setting a 5K PR. As the mile markers went by I remained about 10 seconds behind Danoh and tried to use him as a target. I faded toward the end of the run but still managed a PR of 19:45.
My transition was apparently slow, although at the time I didn’t feel that slow. Immediately starting out on the bike my legs felt the run. I knew it would not be a good day in the saddle. I was passed by rider after rider. Never could I get into a rhythm. I was extremely happy to see the finish line and finished the bike portion with a miserable 20.8 mph average.
Overall, I placed 22nd. Not exactly stellar but I was happy with my run split. I need to work on my TT skills. Defeated, I headed out for the 17 mile ride home.
