I'm going to preface this RR with a warning: DO NOT DO HOME IMPROVEMENT 2 DAYS BEFORE A BIG RACE. I made this mistake on Friday. I was nice and helped out a friend building some bookcases. Ended up going to bed around 2:30 or so Saturday morning, up around 8 and never really slept. BIG mistake. I definitely paid for it in spades this weekend.

Anyways, I did make it out this year for the Boulder Peak. This is a fun, competitive and CHALLENGING race. Honestly, it is one of the most, if not THE most, challenging tri I've ever raced. Why? Well, read on.

Swim

The swim was nothing special. Standard open water swim in Boulder Res. It seemed REALLY long, though. I think this is more a result of the course layout as opposed to the actually distance. The first two legs are relatively short. The third leg is REALLY long, the fourth a short one again. This gives it the illusion of being longer than it really is.

Anyways, 7:25, my wave finally goes off. 55 minutes after the first wave. Grrr. That kinda sucked. Nothing special on the swim. In the water, out and into transition in 33:11. That was the first warning: longer swim, must be a bit worn out. Out of transition 4:37 later. Too long. This could be a long day.

Bike

The bike course is what makes this race so challenging. It involves a climb over Olde Stage Rd. Olde Stage involves a rather arduous climb over the course of about 2 miles. It can really be killer on the legs. So, of course, I decide to make up for lost time here.

Following the advice of my coach and others, I stay seated for the majority of the initial ascent. I finally get out of the saddle and hammer up the last 200 feet of the big climb. At this point, the road levels out some, with some relatively easy ascents to follow. Then comes the fun part: the ride down to Lefthand Canyon. Only downside is that this year they've put in a 35 MPH speed limit. I get it, people do take a lot of risks on this descent. But still, do I really need to be stuck behind the woman who decides to take a turn at 10 MPH? Please.

The rest of the ride is uneventful. Gorgeous ride down the canyon and then out east along Nelson. Heading south on 63^rd, the course throws you a bit of a curve ball. There's some rollers along that stretch. Normally, they're not too bad. Having just climbed Olde Stage, though, they can be killer. Thankfully, I had planned for this and just hammered on through. By the time I get back to the res, my average speed is up around 18.7, 18.9 after about 1:23:23. Given the course, I'm VERY proud of that result. Of course, knowing me, I was figuring I would pay for it on the run. Boy, was I right. Out on the run course after 2:36 in T2.

Run

Starting the run, I already can feel this is going to be a challenge. It's already into the upper 80's, humid, and my legs are groaning a bit. The run is just an out-and-back over the dams and then along the Certain Death Ditch. Nothing too special, just no shade to speak of. At times there was a little bit of a breeze, but not much.

Along the run, I see a bunch of my teammates. We cheer each other on, which was good. For me, the run was uneventful, but I could feel I just didn't have the energy in me. Between the ride and the weekends activities, I was just feeling worn down. I did manage to hold my own for the run, despite walking the aid stations. Only one guy managed to pass me. So, at least I was consistent. Well, until the last 3/4 of a mile. At that point, you're back on the pavement. And let me tell you, it was absolutely sweltering there. AJ, my coach, rides by and says hi. I hardly notice him. I'm just starting to shut down. Thankfully, I finished in 1:04:09 and managed to spring the last 100 feet.

Final times:

Swim - 33:11, 830/1422
Bike - 1:23:23, 18.7 MPH, 633/1422
Run - 1:04:09, 10:20/mile, 1111/1422
Overall - 3:07:57, 21/42 class, 924/1422 overall

First, the bad. I'm really not proud of that run. I just tried to do too much this week and it came around to bite me in my race. I admit it. My fault, pure and simple. On the upside, I know its not the distance. I can do the distance, and longer, and have done it well. It was just the cumulative effect of a bad work week and everything else. At least I held my own.

As for the good, I was smack in the middle of my class for a VERY competitive race. Overall, pretty much the same. The bike was a great ride for me. I just need to keep working on that pacing, same as always. I went out too strong and paid for it. Still, I'm damn proud of that ride.

Now its time to focus on the 5430 in 2 1/2 weeks, followed by MOO a month later.

UPDATE: Cause some people can't calculate pace, it was an Oly, meaning 1.5K swim, 42K bike, 10K run. :P