Seafair Sprint Triathlon

My mood going into Seafair Triathlon this morning could only be described as ballistic. The past two weeks of minimal training for my mid-season rest were wearing on me, and all the excess energy (I was sailing, and playing volleyball, and hanging out with friends, sure, but nothing makes you feel quite as good as a few level VI hill repeats.) went into my excitement for the most popular triathlon in the Northwest (2100 competitors!). I convinced the race director to let Brian into the elite wave of his first legitimate race, so while Brian asked me about every detail of setting up his transition area I poked fun at all the other competitors and tried my best not to let him mess up too badly (he had bike shoes this time, so I couldn’t be blamed for a slow bike split).

Swim: With Brian Davis around, leading the swim would be silly. I stuck on his feet for as long as I could (which was tough because he was holding an unprecedented pace), but at the same time easy in the sense of sighting because he hasn’t quite figured out that an 18inch 6 beat kick is not the way to prepare for a bike ride – even in a sprint tri. I came out of the water about 10 seconds back, and with flat water separating the second pack.

I passed Brian in T1, and took off on the 20k bike course. The bike was fun, and 20k was perfect for the mood I started off with because I really didn’t feel like holding back. I didn’t let off for a second. At the turnaround I saw that Chris Tremonte had taken 2nd position, but I had left my broken Casio at home and had no objective measurement of my lead. The most notable part of the ride was the crossing of the I-90 floating bridge. With a fairly strong side wind, I was able to put my Stinger 60’s to the test. They handled beautifully. It took concentration to keep a line, but I never lost control, and I flew across the bridge. I’m also really happy with the way my bike feels cornering on my HEDs, and on the winding Lake Washington Boulevard I felt like I could easily accelerate through every turn. This was really my first windy test of my wheels, and like I said, I’m really happy.

I came into T2 asking myself if I had left enough in my legs for the lightning fast 5k I was hoping for (after my last few races I really wanted to keep the press from reporting that I “held on” in the run.). I did. Adding another minute to my lead I cart wheeled over the finish line to a new course record of 57:13, and a three minute gap on 2nd.

Mike’s thoughts: “We need to find a way to make you feel like this without so much rest.” I agree, bring on the training for Worlds! Bring on the competition, and bring on the fun!

Next week: Back to stay with The Legend, Loren Pokorny, his wife Greta, and his two daughters, Sada and Piper (2 and 4 years old). It’s my mission for the week to teach Sada and her friends to swim so they can enjoy the peanut shaped pool in their back yard.