Re-cap 1 of 3

re-cap 1 we will start with FL

re-cap 2 (separate blog post) will include pics from FL and QBS end of season celebration dinner.

re-cap 3 (again separate post) will include kick off to off season and Born to Run book review!

70.3 championships was a successful race and a great way to end the triathlon season. it was flat both on land and in water and fast. they changed the swim start the day prior which lead us triathletes to a time trail start. besides not getting to see the course in the water the day before, i really did enjoy that type of start to a race. no sprint start just myself to do my own race.

with the crazy swim change up i am guessing i passed a few more people in the water then i would have normally. there were no 5 min breaks between age group waves... just a constant flow of people leading me to enter the water almost 30 earlier then i would have had we had those breaks. it made for a crowded day!

both transitions were crazy crowded but the volunteers were insane! even though us tri-geeks came running through the volunteers stayed hard at work. i am very happy i met by goal T-1 and T-2 times of 2:30ish!!

the bike was crowded! i am sure combo flat water, flat land and more people at once created the mess. i felt great the entire ride. at 1/2 way i saw my split and just thought 'whoaahh' that is way fast. but i settled back in my groove and went for it. there was no option to not draft. groups and groups on the bike formed and with just 1 car lane of road it got crowded. there were times i got 'over it' and sat in and other where i tried to get ahead of some cyclists. there were times i was frustrated because there were no way around people. id pass people then get passed again. all in all i just had fun and ended up with a killer split of 2:20. too fast to be my own time but had a fun time doing it and thats what matters most.

the run was fun and tuff all at the same time. there are 4 major up hills on the causeway and 4 major downs. a lot of flat too! i settled in a 7:30 pace first loop and felt really good. starting slowing second loop. maybe a lack of nutrition on first half was main reason for it... last two miles i had myself too much coke and got a nice side stitch to finish of my day. with a 4 min PR on the run, same course as last year, i was pleased. and 1:44 counts as 'low' 1:40's for my original goals.

all in all FL was a great trip with my mom and sister. we enjoyed the warmer weather and white sand beaches. not sure ill be back next year. while we were there both my sister and i entered the lottery for NYC marathon next fall. its a long shot but would be a great excuse to head to the big apple in november!

pictures later.

to your health,

C