It was another great weekend for a RACE. Well every weekend is a great weekend for a race if you ask me. This time around it happened to be the 25th Anniversary Wildflower Triathlon at Lake San Antonio, CA.
To my amassment no major issues flying into CA and getting the rental car! Have to love flying mid-week and not hitting the crazy traffic at airports with all those people who seem to NEVER fly. Sorry to those who don’t know the TSA rules. I fly to much for work I guess.
Back to the race and story at hand. The build up prior to Saturday long Course was good. Nice easy swim with new Zenith Wetsuit from Zootsports and a small shake out run and bike with my traveling friends. Everything was in working order and good to go. The night before the race (camping in a tent of course, only way to race wildflower, NOT) I slept the minimal amount needed for a race, due to turkeys, dear and other noises in the area. Part of the fun right? Being one with nature? So they say.
Race day is upon us and transmission was filing up fast and furious. The line for the Honey Bucket was long and not moving, sort of like sitting on route 36 here in Colorado if there is a snow flake falling. Good thing I was up early and a handful of firsts into TCB.
The swim great and I felt comfortable with my stroke and pace, given the tremendous headwind and chop we faced on the backstretch towards the exit. (sustained winds of 20-25mph the whole race). I exited the water at 30:03. Very pleased and right on pace for a race I was using as a training tool for IM-CDA.
The bike leg at Wildflower is known as a killer if you haven’t been there. Rolling hills and steady steep climbs at mile 1 and mile 47. Mile 47 is called “Nasty Grade” for good reason. 2 miles of climbing at 8% with a peak of 10% right at the end. With no-tailwind it was a great climb. Polar was also on course at this point of the race taking racers Heart Rates which was very cool to see. Due to the wind I held back a little on the bike but still had a great 2:50 ride on a hard course that is NOT forgiving at all.
The run portion is much of the same, some dirt trails along the lakefront, and through the campgrounds. Everything was moving along smoothly until around mile 4 when I chose to push the pace a little when I saw an fellow age grouper pace me. This proved to be not the wisest move. As I surged to pass him up a steady 1 mile hill climb, I felt a tightness in my left hamstring. I pulled over, stretched it and all seemed to be ok. Not so much as I tried to steady out my pace to the peak of the hill. As I reached the top it knotted up on me and then I could feel it start to pull. This is the worst feeling one can get, 4 miles into a race with 9 to go. A tweaked hamstring! Ouch. I tried to get medical to the aidsation to wrap it up. A NO-GO. I’d be DNF’d if they arrived. So my option was to forge ahead and make this a mental race (great preparation for Ironman Coeur D’Alene). I will not want to DNF at this race as my family will all be there and I have 17 hours to finish at the very worst. Right? The remainder of the 9 miles I walk/ran/hobbiled to finish line in 6:05:54. A very long, windy, hot, dry day for sure. Not one for the record books but for a mental achievement yes!
Along the run, a few other Team Polar Athletes passed me and gave words of encouragement to keep going, keep it up and such. A thanks to them for their words and for a great race they seemed to have.
Now the hamstring is feeling great thanks to my Chiropractor’s magic hands and care, so I’m looking forward to the rest of the season as it seems that more then half is behind me. Look forward to seeing you at some races soon during the season.
To my amassment no major issues flying into CA and getting the rental car! Have to love flying mid-week and not hitting the crazy traffic at airports with all those people who seem to NEVER fly. Sorry to those who don’t know the TSA rules. I fly to much for work I guess.
Back to the race and story at hand. The build up prior to Saturday long Course was good. Nice easy swim with new Zenith Wetsuit from Zootsports and a small shake out run and bike with my traveling friends. Everything was in working order and good to go. The night before the race (camping in a tent of course, only way to race wildflower, NOT) I slept the minimal amount needed for a race, due to turkeys, dear and other noises in the area. Part of the fun right? Being one with nature? So they say.
Race day is upon us and transmission was filing up fast and furious. The line for the Honey Bucket was long and not moving, sort of like sitting on route 36 here in Colorado if there is a snow flake falling. Good thing I was up early and a handful of firsts into TCB.
The swim great and I felt comfortable with my stroke and pace, given the tremendous headwind and chop we faced on the backstretch towards the exit. (sustained winds of 20-25mph the whole race). I exited the water at 30:03. Very pleased and right on pace for a race I was using as a training tool for IM-CDA.
The bike leg at Wildflower is known as a killer if you haven’t been there. Rolling hills and steady steep climbs at mile 1 and mile 47. Mile 47 is called “Nasty Grade” for good reason. 2 miles of climbing at 8% with a peak of 10% right at the end. With no-tailwind it was a great climb. Polar was also on course at this point of the race taking racers Heart Rates which was very cool to see. Due to the wind I held back a little on the bike but still had a great 2:50 ride on a hard course that is NOT forgiving at all.
The run portion is much of the same, some dirt trails along the lakefront, and through the campgrounds. Everything was moving along smoothly until around mile 4 when I chose to push the pace a little when I saw an fellow age grouper pace me. This proved to be not the wisest move. As I surged to pass him up a steady 1 mile hill climb, I felt a tightness in my left hamstring. I pulled over, stretched it and all seemed to be ok. Not so much as I tried to steady out my pace to the peak of the hill. As I reached the top it knotted up on me and then I could feel it start to pull. This is the worst feeling one can get, 4 miles into a race with 9 to go. A tweaked hamstring! Ouch. I tried to get medical to the aidsation to wrap it up. A NO-GO. I’d be DNF’d if they arrived. So my option was to forge ahead and make this a mental race (great preparation for Ironman Coeur D’Alene). I will not want to DNF at this race as my family will all be there and I have 17 hours to finish at the very worst. Right? The remainder of the 9 miles I walk/ran/hobbiled to finish line in 6:05:54. A very long, windy, hot, dry day for sure. Not one for the record books but for a mental achievement yes!
Along the run, a few other Team Polar Athletes passed me and gave words of encouragement to keep going, keep it up and such. A thanks to them for their words and for a great race they seemed to have.
Now the hamstring is feeling great thanks to my Chiropractor’s magic hands and care, so I’m looking forward to the rest of the season as it seems that more then half is behind me. Look forward to seeing you at some races soon during the season.
cheers, Jon R.
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