We arranged for some quaint yet Spartan accommodations thanks to JR's dad, in a very convenient location. We were two blocks from the beach and a third of a mile from Front Street. We had a lot of fun relaxing, sitting on the beach, etc., as well as an awesome training swim in the bay on Saturday morning while Ronda SUP'ed. Packet pickup was a disaster, having to drive to Bowers Harbor just to get race numbers, etc. was one thing, but then there weren't enough volunteers and the line was crazy long. In a field. Under the scorching hot sun. We decided that instead of complaining that we should just volunteer, a few of us walked up and eased the bottlenecks. Before we knew it, the line was mostly gone and the race directors showed up to help.
That's when the following exchange happened..."hey, you're the guy from the athlete guide! Thanks for helping us out." All joking aside, I did get put on the athlete guide, and my silhouette "graces" the event t-shirt along with the Half-Iron finisher medals. Pretty cool! I was glad we were able to help and being chosen to be the "Jerry West" of the Traverse City Triathlon is an honor and awesome. Thanks guys!
So taking my celebrity status less than seriously, we began to wonder as defending champion why I didn't get the #1 bib? Fuel for the fire, though I don't think that highly of myself, it's just a little thing. Apparently there was a little trash talk in transition on race morning, which is fine. I love some competition. I happily helped some newbies set up their transition space on race morning and focused on having fun, regardless of outcome. There's of course a serious side that comes out once the race starts, but being relaxed and laughing is a great start to race day. After a PB&J PowerBar (seriously tasty!), I ran for a few minutes, got some warm-up strokes in, and then it was go time.
Wow, the swim was choppy. Great practice for a few weeks from now. I lost JR's feet about 100 yards in, but found 4 other guys who were holding a nice pace. I tried to stay with them the best I could, not knowing who was "just a good swimmer", and who was a real threat. I practiced my shorter strokes and kept breathing (I have a bad habit of holding my breath even though I turn to breathe). Before long, the bottom came back into view and it was up the boat launch and into transition in 5th.
I ran past JR in T1, knowing he swam 5.3 miles on Saturday and was probably beat already, offered a little encouragement, and got to it. Wetsuit off, shoes on, helmet on, grab the bike, go!
What I didn't know as I mounted my bike and headed off for the hilly 12.4mi ride was that I had actually passed all 4 guys ahead of me in T1! So I rode like a mad man. I flew by tons of duathletes and Olympic distance competitors, but no sprinters. About 6 miles in, you ride down the center of the peninsula. Here it was super windy and it was all I could do to stay upright and going straight. It seemed as though the wind was coming from both sides, just jolting you around. Thankfully it isn't a long stretch and I was down to the final couple miles. Surprisingly, I was so focused on trying to catch whoever was in front of me that I never looked at my watch to see that I put down a PR sprint distance bike split over such challenging terrain. I was having a great race!
T2 was quick. My "real competition" did an OLY relay instead, and was in transition waiting for his team. A little encouragement from him as I slipped on my Saucony A6s and I was off.
The run at the TC Tri is special. It's more trail run than most would like, but it's a unique touch that keeps things interesting. I bolted down the road and settled into a comfortable rhythm. As I passed the first aid station, the volunteers shouted out directions for the other distances. I asked, "Sprint?" To which they replied, "Oh, right here! You're the first one!" I honestly thought I was still chasing someone, my parents and Kristin made no mention of it, which had scared me into thinking that maybe I didn't even stand a chance. Oops. Turns out I would have more than a 4 minute lead off the bike, which widened to nearly 6 minutes by the finish. I tried to not let up though, embracing the suck. Finally the finish was in view and I cruised in for what might be the course record time!
I had a great race, all of the disciplines combined were great. Last year I got lucky. I guess this year I got lucky, too, with Kyle not racing. I couldn't have done it without some amazing support though: my parents, my friends, my bride and Ironmate, Michigan Awesome, and of course PowerBar's great lineup of sports nutrition!
Next up is the MITI full-iron relay, featuring JR's swimming skills, my ability to suffer for 5+ hours on the bike, and Timmy's FIRST marathon (sucker!). Looking forward to it! Until then, keep dreaming!
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