Yesterday, I went for a long bike ride--54 heat and water supply limited miles, including halfway up Mt. Lemmon--followed by the recommended "quick run"--usually 15-30 min. The previously discussed Elixir of Life worked wonderfully, and didn't get lost because I added a between the aerobars bottle for it. I arrived at my post big-bike run with tons of energy, and ran 5 miles in 98-102 degree temps.
As with the Olympic distance triathlon I did in May (I'm 55th), I didn't take a rest day before this one, mostly in the name of keeping the pressure off and the expectations low. We had out of town friends staying at our house, so it was easy not to think about it. Too easy, actually, as I forgot a floor pump, water bottle, and extra CO2 cartridges for the tires. Luckily, there was a kids' race first. Then, race participants left at 15 second intervals with the slowest swimmers first. I was the third to last starter, and I had 1 hr and 45 minutes to go back home and get the extra stuff after racking my bike. Next time, I'll use an idiot-box checklist.
My avowed goals were to keep a solid, yet sub-meltdown, HR Zone 4 pace, and not let myself get thrown off my game by my own competitive urges to pass or avoid being passed. The savage lurking within my limbic brain had other plans, though, and the minute I saw a competitor, I snapped immediately into I wanna kick your ass you skinny little punk mode. The last half-hour prior to the race was spent warming up and wrestling with my inner competitor. By the time I lined up for the swim, the beast was harnessed again. Goal #1 accomplished.
The only race SNAFU was a temporary failure of HR and cadence monitors, which left my inner data geek a little vexed. The swim went well and smoothly. My swimsuit-only pace was about the same as my wetsuit pace in the Tempe Triathlon. Both transitions were reasonably quick and screwup-free. The 12 mile bike was the fastest race pace yet, and my first time averaging over 20 mph (21.4. to be exact). My glutes ached a little from the previous day's exertion, but they didn't fall off. Despite the blossoming heat--probably 93 degrees at the finish--I finished up strong on the 5k run, holding sub 7 minute miles, with just the vaguest hints of heat cramps towards the end.
All in all, it was fun. Maybe next time I'll prepare a little more. My time was 1 hour, 8 minutes and 20 seconds, which was good for a first one. It's still a perspective shot to realize that elite Ironman Triathletes do a race that is essentially eight times longer at my pace or faster.
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