I approached this race hoping to build on the momentum I gained from the National Championships the previous week. I was undeniably still excited about that result, but in the 72 hours leading up to this race, I did a pretty good job of redirecting my focus. Lesson here: when racing frequently in a short period of time, it is important to have a short memory. This was a true short-course race, with only 20K on the bike. The subsequent plan was to temper the first run, but then to push hard from the minute I got in the saddle and carry that energy over into the second run. Things came to fruition nicely. I went 1:10:56 [6:04/23.2mph/6:05] which was good enough to win my age-group and place me 6th overall.
Race conditions were great. 55, sunny, and very little wind. In combination with a pretty flat course, the day had potential to be very fast for the entire field.
The First Run [5K] wasn’t perfect. I went out with the lead pack and felt fine, but when we clocked a 5:45 first mile, I knew I was running way too fast. Although I could have held that pace [for the first 5K] just fine, it would have put me in a bad place just a few miles into the bike. I quickly dropped back and slowed things down a lot. Another athlete [John Kahler] dropped back with me, and we basically ran the last 2 miles together, coming into transition in 5th and 6th position. Things netted out to a 6:04 pace. Still kind of fast, but the decision to run those last 2 miles much slower had me feeling fine getting on the bike.
The Bike [20K] was an out-and-back on flat roads. It didn’t take long for John to create separation from me, and only 2 minutes into the bike, he was gone [I wouldn’t feel too bad about not hanging with him, he averaged 24.7mph, the fastest bike split of the day]. This left me totally alone on the bike. When I hit the turn-around, I was a minute back of 5th place, and over 2 minutes ahead of 7th place. Without anyone to race, I told myself just time-trial hard, and that’s what I did. Nothing too heroic here, I simply bit my lip and put myself in pain for a little over 12 miles of flat road. I locked into a cadence of 90-92 rpm and hammered away, which worked out to be a 23.2mph average. Good split for me, although I think the course may have been a little short, which means I was probably a bit slower than that.
The Second Run [5K] was the best part of this race for me. I got into a good groove right off the bike, with the Garmin telling me I was running a 6:00 pace. It hurt, but not to the point where I even thought about slowing down for a second. I stayed consistent for the entire run, never going faster than 6:00 or slower than 6:15. I made good progress on the racer in 5th position throughout the run, but when I realized I was still about 40 seconds back with a mile to go, it sunk it that I probably wasn’t going to catch him. I ended up averaging a 6:05 pace here, which is a new PR coming off the bike for me.
Overall, a just-fine result in a field that brought out a lot of Michigan’s best. Although I really don’t like short-course racing, and am much more built for long-course stuff, the experience I am getting at these distances is great, especially in regards to the “just-right” execution and steady suffering it forces. And while I had no problem in my age-group [or with anyone under 35 for that matter], it became clear that the majority of Michigan’s strongest short-course duathletes are a cadre of men 35-50. When one of these guys told me “I am an up-and-comer,” I remember thinking I want to make the “coming” period as short as possible.
*Note: Transition(s) One and Two can be summarized by huge improvements. Went under 40 seconds for both of these. Again, neutral against the field.
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