Rusty

Man, what a tough day.

Today I hit the Lowell YMCA triathlon. To say that I felt flat would be an understatement. I guess that 2+ months of no racing have really bogged my system down.

This was the smallest event that I've been to in quite some time, but there were a few talented athletes in the field, most notably swim stud Bill Reeves and ex-elite marathoner Paul Gompers (a great guy by the way). The race consisted of a 1 mile swim in the Merrimack River, a 2 loop, 22 mile bike course (flat/gently rolling), and an out and back 6 mile run (flat).

As expected, Reeves unleashed a monster swim, clocking 16 mid. and leading by nearly 90 sec. into T1. I was 10th out of the water, but a ways back (also as expected) in 20 low. I never felt particularly good out there on the swim, and to make matters worse, felt AWFUL as I began the cycling segment.

Today was one of those nightmare type rides where you just can't get up to speed. 2 months ago I averaged 25.5+ mph at Eagleman for the 56 mile bike leg, and today, I was struggling to keep my velocity up around 24 mph! I felt so weak during lap 1 that I was seriously contemplating pulling out of the race altogether.

However... by lap 2, the system began opening up again and before long, those around me were soon far behind. I felt fair, although far from "on," but managed to take some time back from the 2 remaining leaders.

I rolled into T2 about 2:45 behind the 2 men still out in front of me. I was far from being in a good mood, and as I tore out of transition, was greeted by immediate abdominal cramping.

Great.

I spent the next 2 miles simultaneously squeezing my sides while trying to run down the guy in front of me. By the time I caught him around mile 2, my cramping had subsided a bit, and I made a bid to reel Reeves in. However... by mile 5, it was evident that I had run out of time. By the time the dust had settled, Reeves had beat me by 42 sec.

Frankly, I could care less about winning and losing. My only objective as an athlete is to perform up to my capabilities on race day. Today, however, I guess that it just wasn't in the cards for me.

I'll be honest in saying that I'm bit unnerved by today's race. Granted, I felt rusty as hell at Mooseman International 8 days before Eagleman, but I was really expecting a bit more out of today's performance.

I may have to deviate a bit this coming week and jump in the Nahant Tri on Thursday. The transition between swimming and cycling just killed me today and I need to make sure that my body is completely awake and razor sharp next Sunday.

On a positive note, I'd like to give a shout out to one of my athletes, April Bowling, for going out of her way to come up and watch me race today. I hope that I didn't disappoint you too much April with my lackluster performance! I was hoping to put on a good show. Perhaps next time. Thanks again for being there!!!