Kinetic Aquabike

It was very strange to simply STOP after the bike. There was no real 'finish' line - very strange. I think I got out of the race what I was looking for - a check in on my swim fitness and a chance to really push the bike over 56 miles - something I haven't done in a really long time.


Swim was tough, and the times include T1, but this was definitely the weakest 70.3 swim I have had. I have been slacking in the pool, and need a swift kick in the butt ASAP. Comparatively with the field, it was competitive, but it took way too much energy and I need to swim double the distance in 10 weeks.

This is how the bike went:

Miles 0-5 : Oh great, it's pouring rain.

Mile 5-10: Stuck behind 2 large truck of manure. Smelled GREAT. I wanted to vomit. The trucks were not being annoying on purpose, they simply couldn't pass the bikers in front of them, but it made for about a 10 person back-up with no room to pass on the inside (no shoulder). One crazy girl went around them (2x) on the outside, across the double yellow line. Seriously - so stupid - into oncoming traffic. I was able to get around on the inside finally, and they eventually passed everyone back. Overall, this section was REALLY trafficy and the race wasn't stopping traffic at a pretty large intersection (right turn onto Courthouse from Lawyers) and it was a bit scary.

Miles 10-20: Things started to thin out and I was finding a good rhythm.

Miles 20-40: Riding strong, riding my own race, keeping legal pace with another woman. A line of 4-5 men would hammer past me, get in front of me, and coast. So I would have to either get stuck in their draft or put a surge in to pass 2-3 of them again - REPEAT FOREVER. Dudes, you are so annoying.

Miles 40-50ish. HOLY WIND. It was so windy and every time we turned I would wait for a shift and/or tailwind, but nope - stayed a headwind. At this point I was holding above a 20mph average, but I just lost motivation and willpower in this section and I was very much alone on the road. It's funny, looking at my 5 mile lap splits - they weren't THAT much slower, but it was just energy-sucking wind.

Mile 50ish-end: During the winds I had given up on breaking 2:40 on the bike, which I thought was a realistic goal, but I realized it would be very close as we turned back into the park a few minutes before I expected it. So put my head down and worked the last few miles as hard as I could. According to my Garmin the course was about 1 mile short.

Picture stolen from Caroline.

Garmin said 2:39, (non)chip time 2:40.Very happy with this. I haven't done a HIM since 2010, when I did 3: I road 2:53/2:52 on two very different courses (Eagleman and Syracuse) and 2:31 on a dead-flat course that I don't really count (Clearwater) because you literally couldn't avoid drafting on the course. I haven't really had a desire to do another HIM since that year, but now I am tempted to see if I focus on training for it, how I could do.  As I was cheering at the finish line, and as all my teammates had stellar races and results, a large part of me wished I had signed up for the whole race. Maybe I should have had a bit more confidence in my fitness at this point in the season, and see how it had turned out? However, I would likely not have biked so hard if I knew I was running. Good lesson for any future HIM, as I didn't feel THAT bad after the bike - push the bike as hard as you can.

2 OA in Aquabike

I remember asking one of my best friends how she paced a 70.3 before my first - her answer was "I don't pace - I go as hard as I can the entire time".  At the time her response made me laugh - this was coming from a girl who has qualified for Kona 2x at the 70.3 distance - but as I progress I can see that if you want to be competitive, she is indeed right, you need to go hard from the start and see how long you can last.

Lastly, between the last two weekends - I realized how lucky I am to have joined such an incredibly group to train and race with this year. Ignite Endurance, with the support of Tri360, had a stellar showing in both the Half and Sprint this weekend and I can't wait to keep racing with this awesome group of athletes.

Wine for everyone!