The ninth iteration of the Steelman Triathlon took place on August 11, 2013 at Lake Nockamixon and was my seventh time racing here, with my first race in 2007. Unless I have an Ironman scheduled that keeps me from racing here, I'm here come race day. Dale has done a good job of growing this race and making sure there aren't any surprises come race day.
I am drawn back here every year for a number of reasons. Being local, it is an easy add every year, which brings out a big contingent of local triathletes. And with local tri club Endurance Multisport entering the scene a few years ago, the contingent of local racers has only grown. I enjoy traveling to races, but having a local race where a lot of your friends are competing is always a good time. Of course, having the local knowledge of the track and the ability to get down and ride the bike course is a nice bonus. From a training/racing perspective, being here year in and year out also enables me to see where my fitness/race readiness is before the Fall racing season.
My goals were the same as every year - finish in the Top 10 overall, win my age group, have one of the top five bike splits, run solid off the bike. I know, the only goal I have any control over is the run ... but that's life. At this race I want to win my AG, I want to have one of the fastest bike splits, and I want to place top 10.
Now let's dig right in ...
Pre-Race
I love me a race where I can do packet pickup the day of the race. Especially a local race. Saves at least two hours on Saturday, not to mention the gas and hassle of getting to and from the race venue. Thank you for that Dale!!!
On the other end of the convenience spectrum is race morning, specifically the parking situation. You have to be there early. Real early. Like pre-sunrise early. Did I mention you had to be there early to get a parking spot? The Queen, The Mayor and I rolled into the park around 5:20 am and were relegated to the upper parking lot. If we were 10 minutes later we would have been even further away ... or maybe down at the marina where the race is held. My one big complaint every year is how they decide on parking. "Get there early" we are told so you can park at the marina (and not have to navigate up and down the hill). And every year I get there 90+ minutes before the first wave goes off and I end up parking in the upper lot. This would not be a big deal if ... and I do mean IF ... every year when I am walking down to the transition area there are not cars being sent down to the marina to park. And I'm not talking about handicapped parking, I am talking about race participants.
End of Rant ...
Once on site everything was laid back and enjoyable. Looked to be a good weather day with cloud cover and temperatures in the low 70s. Talked to a lot of friends and hug out until my swim wave (#3) went off at 7:15 am.
Swim: 1500M 22:38
Water temperature was 76 so it was wetsuit legal swim. There was a little bumping in the first few hundred meters and then I found some space and a comfortably hard pace. With only two waves ahead of mine, there were people to swim through but it wasn't that bad. I swam a relatively straight path and got out just behind two other 40-44 men. Lost a couple of seconds getting out of the water due to congestion, but no big deal.
T1: 1:59
Best perk of the day: On my way out of the water one of the staff members helping you out of the water unzipped my wetsuit for me. This. Is. Awesome!!!! Moved efficiently through with just a minor delay getting my wetsuit off (gotta work n that).
Bike: 40K 1:05:29
Normally heading onto the bike one would want to let the heart rate settle down during the first few minutes of the ride. That is not an option here as there is a sizable climb out of the marina before you wind through the park. Once onto the two loops on Rt. 563 you have a chance to get settled in.
When I made the right hand turn I found myself behind the #2 man in my AG and I settled in on the decline at an appropriate (legal) distance. Knowing he was a better runner than I am I made the decision to pull ahead of him at the first turn and see if I could get a buffer before hitting the run course. As we hit the first climb and then the flat I managed to get 20-30 seconds on him, but he closed that gap during the second loop. At the final turn of the second loop, I dropped my chain while shifting and he gaped me. I headed into T2 sitting third in AG40-44.
T2: 1:26
No problem running into transition and finding my bike. Forgot to put some lube on my Brooks Adrenaline GTS 13 running shoes and lost a few seconds futzing around.
Run: 10k 42:39
Out onto the run course my legs were immediately under me and I felt pretty good. I hit the 1 mile mark in 7:05 and picked it up a notch. Knowing I wasn't going to catch the two AG40-44 men in front of me my goal of top 10 overall and a solid race was the motivating factor. I was able to maintain my pace and intensity right to the finish line.
The fact that there is nothing more to discuss here is a very, very good thing.
Overall: 2:14:10 9th Overall 3rd in AG40-44 (But Won My Age Group)
I am happy with how I performed on Sunday, technically meeting all of my goals, even though I was really the 3rd person in my age group to cross the line. For those who don't know, if you qualify for the overall top three you are removed from the age group awards. The two people ahead of me were removed and I technically won. In reality, whatever!!! I was top 10 and my bike split was 5th best on the day. My run was solid and it should improve in the next few months.
If I'm being critical I would have to say that my bike split could have been better. The one mistake I made was not pushing as hard as I could on the longer, steady climbs. I was working, but pacing my effort. Last year I was faster on the bike because I basically just rode right at the line all day. Last Sunday, I was more tactical which cost me some time.
I also want to give a quick shout out to my Saturday morning crew who had some great performances as well. Emily and Cassie walked away with 1st in their respective age groups, Allison was 2nd in her age group, while Barb had a solid day and took 3rd in her age group against some real tough women.
Up next: A few weeks of solid training, then some Fall racing.
Train hard, stay focused.
Jon
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