Harvest Moon Half Iron has always been one of my favorite races but this year, maybe I should have sat it out. The season had been really good through the triathlon in Estes Park but lately it seems I lost my motivation. I've been racing and most of the time, my usual friends have been absent.
When I showed up at Aurora Reservoir, Steven was there set up ready to go. The swim sent really well for not having much motivation. I set a good pace from the start and swam pretty straight considering you have to swim staight into the sun. It would be really nice to not have to swim into the sun but I guess that's what you get.
The bike course had a small modification at mile one; the exit from the reservoir was modified and now exits like Rattlesnake. The first ten miles were typical eastern Aurora with the rolling hills to the turn around. The northbound leg to Watkins had a nice tailwind and I literally flew. Somewhere along the course, I had caught up to Steven and for some reason, I just settled in. I don't usually settle in on a race but for some reason today it seemed like the thing to do. Overall, the bike was ok, not a great performance, not a bad ride, just ok. I know it didn't take too much out of me so I should have had plenty left for the run.
I was in and out of T2 pretty smoothly and onto the long out and back that is Aurora Reservoir. The initial pace felt pretty good so I tried to dial it back a little. I know 13.1 is a long way to run and going out too fast at Harvest Moon is a recipe for disaster. The course has some small steady climbs but it has almost no shade and by the time the run starts, the temperature has climbed. About three miles into the run, I had to stop for a pit stop. Something had been bothering my stomach since mile forty on the bike and it was time for a stop.
I was running really well through the turnaround and heading back when the wheels or left calf literally fell off. One second I was running nice and smooth and the next the left calf was starting to hurt and then I was walking. I tried to stretch a little but nothing gave me any relief. With six miles to go, a short run turned into a long hike. After walking a couple miles, I was able to shuffle for a minute and then walk for a minute. It was the best I could do and it got me to the finish, not pretty but still a finish.
Saturday, October 6, 2012
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