JJ: Halfmax Triathlon Recap
I did the 1/2 Iron-distance "Halfmax" Triathlon on June 5th in Innsbrook, Missouri.
The day was sultry.......
During the wet drive to the race, I had visions of Jan Ulrich crashing his time trial bike in the 2003 Tour on the slick roads. But by the time we all gathered on the lake beach, the sun was out in full force and it looked like we'd have dry pavement.
I started in the first swim wave, which is always my preference, with all the male 30-39 year olds. The swim was uneventful. I seemed to drift to my left from time to time as we made our way counter-clockwise around the buoys. I also noticed a few colored swimcaps from the wave that started 7 minutes behind me! Doh! Swimming, I just don't get it.
The bike portion consisted of a good mix of hills, flats and wind. I felt good overall, except for the dangerous downhill where my bike began to shimmy out of control. I had visions, this time, of Joseba Beloki, going down in the Tour when Lance had to ride around him into the grass. Somehow, I managed not to hit the deck.
The run is where, as Lance once said, there was some serious gut checking going on. 13.1 miles of hills on gravel roads in the blazing heat? I knew that people would not be able to hammer the run, so I tried to keep it steady and when necessary, just shuffle up the hills. As much as I felt like the run destroyed me, it was my fastest ranking split of the 3 disciplines.
I came across the line significantly slower than 2004, but was succesful in qualifying for the 1/2 Iron distance National Championship later this year.
Activeness! friend Matt from Swimbikerunstlouis wrote a nice race review.
Next race, June 19th, Ironhorse 1/4 Iron distance, Springfield, Illinois. Stay Tuned.
-Jan
The day was sultry.......
During the wet drive to the race, I had visions of Jan Ulrich crashing his time trial bike in the 2003 Tour on the slick roads. But by the time we all gathered on the lake beach, the sun was out in full force and it looked like we'd have dry pavement.
I started in the first swim wave, which is always my preference, with all the male 30-39 year olds. The swim was uneventful. I seemed to drift to my left from time to time as we made our way counter-clockwise around the buoys. I also noticed a few colored swimcaps from the wave that started 7 minutes behind me! Doh! Swimming, I just don't get it.
The bike portion consisted of a good mix of hills, flats and wind. I felt good overall, except for the dangerous downhill where my bike began to shimmy out of control. I had visions, this time, of Joseba Beloki, going down in the Tour when Lance had to ride around him into the grass. Somehow, I managed not to hit the deck.
The run is where, as Lance once said, there was some serious gut checking going on. 13.1 miles of hills on gravel roads in the blazing heat? I knew that people would not be able to hammer the run, so I tried to keep it steady and when necessary, just shuffle up the hills. As much as I felt like the run destroyed me, it was my fastest ranking split of the 3 disciplines.
I came across the line significantly slower than 2004, but was succesful in qualifying for the 1/2 Iron distance National Championship later this year.
Activeness! friend Matt from Swimbikerunstlouis wrote a nice race review.
Next race, June 19th, Ironhorse 1/4 Iron distance, Springfield, Illinois. Stay Tuned.
-Jan
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