Playing catch up -- Troika and CDA Olympic

Well, its been way too long since I blogged, and a ton has happened since my last post. So, in an attempt to get back on track, I'll do an all-in-one summary of my last 2 tri's of the season.

First up was Troika, a local 1/2 Ironman that I did for the first time last year. That race didn't go so well, mainly because that was the race where my plantar faciitis started. Foot pain aside, I really didn't have a good race in 07, so this year my goal was to do a more consistent, smarter effort. Other than that, I didn't have any time or placing goals in mind...this race was going to be purely a race against myself.

2 other things weighed on my mind going into Troika: one, I absolutely despise this distance, because I have never figured out if I should try and go fast (like an olympic) or go slower and enjoy the day (like Ironman). My 2 previous 1/2's have been miserable. In fact, I think they were both tougher on me than any of my 3 Ironmans. Second, I was still getting used to my new, more aggressive bike position, and I was a bit worried how my body would hold up over 56 miles.

All things considered, however, I felt great race morning: rested, confident in my training, and ready for a good day. We got to Medical Lake very early, to secure a primo transition spot, and I spent a good hour trying to stay warm before the sun came up.

Feeling relaxed, ready for a good day.

Hmmmm, these arms look a bit wimpy...no wonder I get killed in the swim

Speaking of the swim, it was ok, but nothing to write home about. My effort was nice and even, and I felt like I stayed on course pretty well. By this point in the season, I know that I am going to be way down coming out of the water, and I've learned to not get stressed or bummed about it. So mentally, it was a good swim. Got some good cheers from my Tri Fusion friends on the way up to T1 and was out of my wetsuit and on to the bike in no time! I am really happy with how my T1's have improved this year...I'll attribute it to my awesome B70 wetsuit (way easier to get out of) and clipping my shoes onto my bike before the race.

Off I go!

This year, I held myself back on the first 15 miles of the bike, and it really paid off. I still passed a bunch of people, but I didn't feel like I was pushing.

Me and my new, more aero bike position. I like the looks of this waaaaayyyy better than in the past...much less upper torso exposure to the wind.

Hmmmm, still looking a little upright, but could be the fact that I'm 40 miles in....still smiling at least!

My bike time was 2:33, almost 5 min faster than last year, and coming off the bike I felt amazingly fresh.

My "steady/consistent effort" goal went right out the window when I started the run...I blazed out of T2 at close to 7:00 pace (aka way too fast for me in a half). The good news was that I caught up to a guy who seemed to be running my pace, and I settled in next to him. Imagine my good fortune when I asked his name. Steve! It just would not do to be racing with anyone whose name was anything other than Steve. Again, more awesome cheers from the gang, including Trish on the mega-fusion, kept me clicking along nicely. I still have not yet gotten used to the idea of hearing my name before I can even see the cheer squad :) In fact, Troika Steve even commented once on how many people out there seemed to know me. I told him I was famous. Ok, not really, but still, its pretty freaking cool to have a ton of support out there. I was doing fine until I hit Mile 8, and then I had to struggle to get home in one piece. After leaving Troika Steve in the dust, "local Steve" and Team Thompson found me and were nice enough to yell some encouraging words out the car window. Something like "it hurts the same whether you are going fast or slow, so you might as well go fast". Ha. Whatever. Their presence, although annoying because it meant I couldn't walk, was awesome, and I'm sure was the main reason I was able to get to the line in under 5 hours. Barely. My finish time was 4:57:50. All in all, a darn good day. I still don't like 1/2's, but this one was the best one of the 3 I have done.

The next week, it was time for the long-awaited rematch between Steve and I, and there was quite a bit of friendly trash talking in the days leading up to the race. It sounded like there were going to be quite a few Tri Fusion folks out either racing or watching, so there was a little added pressure.

My mom-in-law Jennifer and my sis-in-law Megan happened to be coming thru town on their way to moving Megan to Seattle from Connecticut, and they were nice enough to get up at some crazy hour to come out and cheer me on. The weather was a bit dicey as we arrived at the race, with intermittent rain showers coming thru. Apparantly my cheer crew got caught in the middle of one......

At least they had their Starbucks to keep them warm :)

Phaedra tries to keep the peace between the combatants pre race.....

The start was the usual thrash, and even though Steve and I started sort of near eachother on the beach, I knew he was going to be outta sight in a hurry. So, imagine my suprise when, about 100m in, I caught up to him as he was treading water trying to fix his goggles. He got going again just as I was passing him (not sure if he knew it was me next to him at the time), and soon enough he was pulling away. For a moment I had a notion of trying to get on his feet and let him pull me thru, but a moment of hesitation and that good idea was no more. Oh well...I was prepared to give up some major time to him on the swim, cause he's been swimming like a maniac at the master's swims. Overall, I was happy with my swim (including the heavy downpour that went over us...kind of a cool feeling), and I just caught a glimpse of Steve-o heading to the mount line with his bike as I was getting to my transition spot. Ok, so at least he's within reach.

Once out on the bike, I put the hammer down to catch him as soon as possible. As another testament to how damn well we know eachother, Steve said his goal was to hold me off on the bike until we hit the hill on Yellowstone. Anyone care to guess the precise moment when I caught him? Yep, just as we turned onto the hill. I went by him pretty quick, and I heard him say something choice, but I couldn't respond because I was in major O2 debt. He responded very well and we pretty much stayed together for the rest of the ride. I'm betting that I only ever got 15-20 seconds ahead of him. After he passed me going down the last big hill (the road was wet, and its a scary descent when its dry, so I was too wussy to push it), I went back by him on the flats and was a whopping 4 seconds up on him going into T2. About 0.75 min later, we had both exited T2, with Steve dropping the top T2 time of the 669 racers, and me having the second fastest T2. Sweet! He took 2 seconds off of my lead, so it was about as close as it could be heading to the run. This run was going to prove to be a barn-burner, super fun to watch, and intense to be part of.

I ran my butt off out of the park, wondering if I could put any time on Steve-o early. Turns out I did (about 15-20 sec thru 3 miles), but not because of my "amazing" running speed. He had to stop and, uh, use the facilities somewhere around mile 2. Of course I didn't know it at the time. I just thought it might be my day. Ha ha ha. Even though I never once turned around to see where he was, I could just somehow :) feel that I was putting time on him. At mile 2, I decided to see how far I could get until he caught me, thinking that if I could hold him off until mile 4, I might have a shot, that maybe I would have run his kick out of his legs making him chase me. A few other folks passed me, and every time one did, I had a moment of terror that it was Steve-o, and then the glorious relief that it wasn't him! Until mile 3.5, that is. The gap erased, it was now him in control, and me hanging on for dear life. In another example of how split second decisions can make all the difference, when he went by me, I had to put in a surge to get to his shoulder, and if I hadn't, I am convinced that I would have faded fast and he would have beaten me by about 15 min. But, I survived the 10 sec of pain to stay with him, and then we settled into the closing acts of the battle royale. Stride for stride we went, with teammates going the other way cheering us on, and one guy even saying "hey look, twins!" as we went by. Mile 4, still together. Mile 5, shoulder to shoulder. I was hurting, but it was so much fun, I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. I felt like we were rock star pros out there, battling it out for the overall win. I had a quick flashback to fight-to-the-death high school cross country races, and I was loving it!

Into the final mile, Steve started testing me by putting in a few well-timed surges. I managed to cover them all, but it was painful every time. Had I remembered my old cross country tactics, I should have put in a re-surge once I caught him, but it was really all I could do just to get back to his shoulder. Coming into the final 800m, I knew there was a short downhill, and I sensed my doom was approaching fast. Steve can run down hills fast....I can't. Game, set, match. He surged at precisely the right moment, I couldn't cover, and just like that it was all over. I'd like to think that if the last elevation change on the course had been UP rather than DOWN, the outcome would have been different, but it doesn't matter. Today, Steve-o was 17 seconds better than me, and he deserves every bit of glory he wants to take. The great thing about training and racing with him, though, is the only glory he chose to take was a few lighthearted jokes. As soon as it was over, we were back to the friendly teammates we've always been. Awesome. It was a hell of a battle, and we were both trying to drive eachother into the ground, and as soon as we hit the tape, it was over.

So, now Steve has his victory, and its all tied up 1-1. Can't wait for the next one!!

En route to Maggie Moos, after an A+ day!!

P.S. Other than "beat Steve", my only other goal for this race was to finish anywhere OTHER than 4th in my age group. The last 2 years, I have been 4th, and it sucks. Once place away from the medal stand. Even though I know it really comes down to who shows up, finishing 4th for some reason pisses me off. So this year, I would have been happy with 5th, 6th, heck, 12th. Just not 4th!!! Please!

Because I couldn't bring myself to see it for myself, Steve was gentle as he broke the bad news to me...4th again! WHAT THE HELL?!?!?! 3 freaking years in a row?!?! You cannot be serious! The only thing that softened the blow was that I would have had to go 4 min faster to get 3rd, which I know is impossible. Oh well, maybe if this keeps up, in like 15 years they'll give me something for consistently being "oh so close" :)