1500 meter swim, 28 mile bike, 10K run
There is a reason this race is named what it is. I added the (s) on my header for dramatic affect because it was actually a couple of mountains that this stupid crazy hilly bike course took you over, but we’ll get to that… So this was the first kind of 'big one.' The two races so far had been a sprint and super sprint. Little guys.
The Olympic distance presented a whole new level of challenges, the first being the open water. As of race day, I had done probably 9-10 open water swims. The first time was on a week night with several other folks in Lake Norman and quite frankly, it was one of the freakiest things I had ever done. I got about a hundred yards into it and hit the panic button. I stopped and almost turned back. The water was freezing. The stupid swim cap was all wrong. I was completely disoriented and questioning whether or not I would ever be able to do open water.
I started settling in and getting comfortable. By race day, I was very comfortable in the water, actually preferring it in some ways to the pool. I was feeling confident going into it, that was until we actually got to the lake and I was standing there, waste deep in freezing water completely intimidated by the swim ahead. It looked really, really long. Though I had swam this distance a couple of times in open water and numerous times in the pool, it just looked longer for whatever reason.
We were in the last wave (in our cute little hot pink swim caps.) It was an in-water, treading start, which meant you walked through a chip check-in gate, got in the water and swam out about 30 yards or so even with a floating dock. So you sit there and tread water until you hear the horn. Then you are off. The treading water was a little unnerving, though that could very well have just been anxiety.
The horn sounded and off we went. I hit my first obstacle a couple hundred yard in. My right goggle was taking on water. I knew I was never going to make it filling at that pace. I had to stop in the water, let the water out and readjust. All of which took about 30 seconds or so. Fortunately I didn’t have anyone hit me from the back. Everything else was status quo until after the turn. The swim was an L shape across Moss Lake, so swim out 750, hard right turn and 750 to the opposite shore. Soon as we turned, the water seemed to get choppy. Then a couple of boats out there had their engines running and the fumes were choking. The last fourth was a little rough, but not bad compared to what we faced getting out of the water.
At the other side of the lake, we exited on a cement boat ramp at which point we were greeted by a hill. A very large, steep hill with a paved road up the middle. Did I mention it was steep?
So out of the water and straight up a crazy hill on a pretty rough surface. If I hadn’t mentioned it, I am a complete foot wuss. My feet are about as soft and tender as a baby’s butt, which doesn’t bode well for running straight up rough paved roads. I was eeeking, oooing, ouching the whole way up, along with trying to get my breath. My sweet wife was literally running up the hill beside me asking how I was doing. It was very comforting having her there at that swim. Just knowing she was on the shore brought some mental peace.The timing mat was at the top near the transition area. It was a fairly smooth transition. This race was a point to point to point race, so at the TA, we had to stuff all of our belongings into a bag that was numbered and would be dropped off at the race finish. Onto the bike and out onto what I thought was a grueling bike course.
About a mile in I almost ran over a kitten. Seriously, there was a little black kitten that had wandered out into the middle of the road. I swerved around it and proceeded past a few other riders. The fun started beginning around mile 7. At this point, we were in the country outside of Kings Mountain and making our way into Kings Mountain National Park, where at around mile 14, we started making our ascent up the first mountain.
The climb was serious. At one point I was on the small ring in the lowest gear pedaling my tail off going just about 5 miles per hour. There was really nothing to do at this point other than laugh. It was quite comical. I probably could have jumped off the bike and pushed it up the hill in my bike shoes and been going faster.
The course was absolutely beautiful though. Completely tree covered. The roads were in really great shape. At the top of that climb at mile 15 awaited a water bottle hand off, which was very welcomed. Though shaded, I was hot and the only thing on my bike was grape Gatorade, which gets a little sticky when sprayed on the head (lesson learned – always carry water, too.) Grabbed the bottle. Sipped a little over the remainder of the ride but mainly used it for cooling.
Around mile 22 we started the second big climb. Shorter, but more steep. Seriously, I could have pushed my bike up the hill faster. I chugged and chugged to the top, then started in on what was probably my favorite part of the ride. On the other side of that uphill was a seriously steep downhill. I layed on the aerobars, pointed downhill and held on. About 10-15 seconds in I started thinking, ‘dang, this feels a lot faster than I have ever gone on a bike.’ And I was right. I managed to look down at the bike computer and noticed I was going 42 mph. That’s right, 42. I started ‘woooooohooooo’ing really loud. There was no one around to laugh at me.
The ride ended in downtown Kings Mountain. I circled through Main Street and Allyson was there cheering me on. The run TA was a very long, narrow chute. I was the last bike rack on the left at the very end. So I clipped and clopped down the street like a carriage horse. I racked the bike, bent over to slip on the shoes and when I stood up, every cloud in the sky broke and it instantly was like 90 degrees. I was in for a hot run. Not all that long, but hot.
I started off too fast (there’s starting to be a pattern here, huh?) First mile was 6:48. Second mile wasn’t feeling much slower, that was until I got to the train wreck of a sidewalk. That’s right, a good chunk of the run was on a stinkin’ sidewalk. A very crowded, hilly sidewalk. Passing was difficult to say the least. To add to it, this was an out and back loop to be done twice, so I’d have to navigate this part of the run twice.
I came upon a few friends along the way that had started well ahead of me and were on their second lap, so a good 20+ minutes ahead. They were all struggling in the heat. I was hitting every water stop, sipping a little and mainly dumping cups on my head (which I feel bad about now having heard that two stops ran out of water. My bad.)
The pace was good until about mile 4 and the heat got the best of me. I pushed hard as I could until the water stops started walking through them to hydrate. I’d quickly get back up to a run and press on. Around mile 5.5, I had to walk a couple hundred yards. I was feeling pretty light-headed and a little nauseous from the heat. I pushed on and crossed the line at 2:54:27. A respectable finished for a first Olympic distance, I suppose, and good enough for second place in the Novice category. I was 4 minutes off my goal, nearly all of which was lost on the run. I laid it all out on the bike and paid for it running. Ironically, the first place Novice was, well, four minutes faster.
Lots of good lessons learned. I loved the race (except that one part of the run) and will most likely be heading back to this one. It’s local, challenging, great venue, and of course I have to go back and try to beat that time. Hopefully by next year I’m a little stronger on the bike and can make up some time there. I know what to expect on the run too, so that should help. On to the next race, a little sprint in my ‘backyard.’
Official results 111th overall, 2nd place Novice
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