This was the sophomore attempt at Tri Latta. While not literally in the backyard like Jetton, Latta is only about 10 minutes down the road in a fantastic setting on Latta Plantation. Won’t go into too many details as I provided them in last year’s write up. I was really looking forward to doing this race again. They did change the run course a little from the previous year, which I think ended up being for the better. I was also going to be riding the new bike – Look 576.
Setup and prep for the swim were business as usual. Like the previous year, Mountain Island Lake was hot. Like high 80’s. Really too hot. It is one of those swims you can’t wait to get over. And it really takes it out of you. I sat in the water in that lovely first age group 35-39 wave waiting for the horn. The field looked pretty stout and I was worried about the swim start being rough. The first 50 yards or so definitely were. Got kicked and punched a few times, but surprisingly it thinned out pretty quickly and I found myself toward the front of the pack, which was cool. And not a common occurrence. Swim split was almost exactly a minute faster than the previous year. I’ll take it.
I came out of the water and made the trek up to the TA. No issues on the transition and off on the bike. I felt really good on the new ride. And overall, was very pleased with the bike. There was one guy I ended up trading off and on with for a good bit of the bike, which really helped. We took turns jumping out front and setting the pace. All legal and non-drafting of course. I didn’t get caught by anyone from the next wave until the last couple of miles. Ended up turning in a 45:06 on the bike, which was 4:00 minutes and change faster than the previous year, which I’ll definitely take. And other than some mild calf cramping (which I often experience on the bike, especially after swimming in hot water) I felt great off the bike.
Then it was onto the off-road sprint. About 95% of the new Latta run was off-road. And the new part that was added was pretty much a big downhill then uphill. I was pretty stoked because I actually saw the leaders on the course. Typically on these sprints, the front few finishers are done. I actually passed the winner on the out and back, which boosted my spirits.
Coming off White Lake a month prior, I didn’t feel fast on the run, but I put the pedal to the floor and went for it. And it was hot. Shaded, but hot. I love out and back courses because you get to see where everyone is on course. Got to high-five lots of friends coming the other direction. Good times. The big hill they added took quite a bit out of me. I struggled the last quarter mile to the finish and ended up turning in a 21:17. Actually 10 seconds slower than the previous year. But given the great bike split and swim improvement, I’ll definitely take it. All in all a 5:00+ improvement from one year ago.
Allyson was with me at the race. Also, we were able to set up all of the FCA Endurance stuff at the race, which was fantastic. We had some great traffic at the tent and opened some more doors with the folks at Run For Your Life for future events. Nearly everyone from the area does this race, so it was a big social event for the hour or two after the race. Despite the improvement, I was still way off placing in my age group. Welcome to the real world of 35 to 39ers.
Another really cool thing about this race was attending the novice day on Sunday. This race and now the Lake Norman Tri are both done as two day events, with Saturday being pros and age groupers and Sunday all novices and relays. I went out Sunday to work the FCA-E tent and cheer some folks on. I actually ended up running into three people I knew from my childhood in OHIO. Yes, Ohio. Brad and Molly Snyder are brother and sister and attended the neighboring Wooster High School. They were doing a relay with Brad’s wife. And Alex Johnson, who attended Northwestern High School where I gal I dated went. Such a small world sometimes. And very cool to see them.
Not sure I have any major takeaways from this race. Quite honestly, it zapped me. I was completely spent after the race and pretty much the entire week afterwards - more so than the White Lake Half six weeks prior. These sprints are hard. You pour it all out for an hour and a half. Full bore anaerobic. Not sure I am wired best for that type of racing. I had also been wrestling with a plantar fasciitis issue since White Lake that was really flaring up around the time of Latta. The week after the race, I realized I definitely had an issue on my hands and was going to need to do something about it. Stay tuned…
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