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| From Tri Buddha |
Prologue
After the tornado ravaged Windsor, CO last year, the Pelican Fest triathlon is back with a new venue. The morning doesn't look promising but hopefully the rain will hold off for the race. It's cool, almost cold, it's been raining on and off for days and it looks like rain again today.
Act 1 - The Swim
The swim this year is point to point which seems strange in Colorado. It's only 750 meters across the south side of the lake. I'm swimming in my new Synapse wetsuit, it's a full wetsuit which promises to help on this cool May morning. I've heard that full wetsuits constrict the shoulders and make it actually harder to swim. I line up near the front since it seems no one else wants to and I'm off with the lead group.
The swim is pretty non-eventful until I reach the exit and T1. You have to climb up the bank which by now is wet and slick from the earlier wave. Fortunately there are volunteers to help you exit the water.
800 meters - 13:31, 1:41/100
Into T1, I have a decision to make, to jacket or not. It feels cold now that I'm wet but do I want to waste the time with a jacket? I opt for the jacket since hypothermia isn't my idea of racing. It cost me a little time but hopefully it's worth it.
T1 - 2:20
Act 2 - The Bike
I'm riding the newer P2C. It was the bike I had on the trainer all winter so this is going to be the carbon summer.
I thought Windsor and the Pelican Fest was supposed to be flat. The course is basically a big square around rural Windsor. It starts with a long, steady climb from T1 to the first turn. It's not steep but I can't find a good cadence or rythym. Maybe it's the cold and I'm must having trouble warming up. The most fun part of the course is went it detours onto the bike path. It's narrow and winding so you really have to watch your speed. Speaking of which, I failed to produce any speed on the bike.
10 miles, 26:29, 22.7 mph
I'm glad I grabbed the jacket but it's time to run and lose the jacket in T2.
T2 - :45
Act 3 - The Run
The run is out and back around the lake so it's really flat. The only bumps are little bridges crossing creeks. I settle in early and pace off a man and woman who are running pretty good. After about 3/4 of a mile, she drops him so I pick up the pace to stay with her. She's running strong so I just focus on keeping contact. I hang on for most of the run and she only gets away on the last 1/2 mile so I don't worry to much about it. Overall the run was really good.
5k - 19:34, 6:18/mile
Epilogue
The rain held out long enough for Holly to finish and for me to grab some dry clothes. That was about it and then it started to pour. I feel so sorry for the people still coming in because the temp is dropping and everyone is getting wet. After the race, I meet Steven who won the age group. It was pretty close between us. He had me a little on the swim, a lot on T1 and a little on the bike. I closed the gap on the run but he had too much of a lead. Still, you can't complain about second at a sprint when you've been training for Ironman. Oh yeah, I moved up an age group this year.
1:03:09, 21st overall, 2nd M45-49
