HOMETOWN RACE

IT’S THE FINAL STRETCH BEFORE IRONMAN WISCONSIN AND MOST PARTICIPANTS ARE IN TAPER MODE. I’VE NEVER BEEN A FAN OR FOLLOWER OF THIS TAPER THING SO I PLANNED ON RACING THE WEEKEND BEFORE THE BIG RACE. SURE MY PERFORMANCE MIGHT BE BETTER BUT I JUST LOVE RACING TOO MUCH NOT TO, ESPECIALLY AT HOME. THE RACE WAS THE HARVEST DUATHLON, PUT ON BY A LOCAL CHURCH ORGANIZATION AND A WELL RAN RACE. IT’S ALWAYS FUN TO BE AT THIS EVENT. FOR ME IT WAS RACE DAY, FOR SHERPA KIA, IT WAS GAME DAY FOR HER HUSKERS. EVERYTHING WAS LINED UP TO BE A GREAT DAY!

​TRAINING FOR THE 140.6 MILE EVENT DOESN’T LEAVE MUCH ROOM FOR SPEED WORKOUTS BUT I’Ve been trying to focus on bike speed and running fOr short course raCes since the crash. I’VE MANAGED A FEW GOOD CENTURY RIDES AND BRICK WORKOUTS AS WELL AND CAN’T WAIT TO GET IMWI OVER WITH.

THAT BEING SAID, I WANTED TO CRUSH THE HARVEST DU AND GET A LITTLE CONFIDENCE BOOSTER. I KNEW I WOULDN’T WIN BUT WAS AIMING FOR A TOP 5 OR AT LEAST PLACE IN MY AGE GROUP. THE PRE RACE FESTIVITIES CONSISTED OF A NICE MESSAGE FROM A SPEAKER AND A BEAUTIFUL NATIONAL ANTHEM WHICH IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE PARTS.

THE GUN WAS FIRED AND WE WERE OFF. I HAD A GOAL OF 6:50 MILES AND HAD A FEW GUYS INCLUDING JOE LEAVE US IN THE DUST! I STUCK TO MY PACE AND MAYBE ENDED THE FIRST RUN IN 9th PLACE AND JUMPED ON THE BIKE. THE FUN PART, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU JUST PUT ON NEW ARM/ELBOW PADS THANKS TO THE CRASH. SOMETHING NEW A WEEK FROM IRONMAN IS ALWAYS TERRIFYING. THINGS WORKED OUT WELL AND I EARNED MYSELF THE 2ND FASTEST BIKE SPLIT AND PAST 7 OR 8 RIDERS AND FELT GREAT.

​A QUICK T2 GOT ME ON THE RUN AND I WAS MAYBE 3/4 OF A MILE IN AND WAS PAST BY A RUNNER. IF IT WASN’T FOR THE UPCOMING RACE, I MIGHT HAVE TRIED TO KEEP UP BUT DECIDED TO PICK MY BATTLES. I KEPT A STRONG PACE AND WAS COMING UP THE LAST HILL AND LOOKED BACK, SOMETHING I NORMALLY DON’T DO AND THERE WAS A GUY HOT ON MY TAIL. KNOWING JOE WAS IN FIRST AND BEING PASSED BY THE OTHER GUY I KNEW I HAD TO KEEP HIM BEHIND ME. I BURNED WHAT LITTLE ENERGY I HAD LEFT AND STAYED IN FRONT OF HIM BY A FEW SECONDS. I CROSSED THAT FINISH LINE KNOWING I DIDN’T LEAVE MUCH ON THE COURSE AND FINISHED 3rd and taking 1st FOR THE 30-39 AGE GROUP. IT WAS A GREAT DAY SPENT WITH SOME GREAT PEOPLE.

THE RACING IS FUN BUT THE CONVERSATIONS YOU HAVE BEFORE, during and after the race are equally great. I HAD A NICE TALK WITH JAKE FROM JAKE’S BIKES AND JOE SCHNEIDERHAN, SPEEDY MR. FIRST PLACE. IF I’VE LEARNED ONE THING IN TRIATHLON, IT’S THAT THE PEOPLE ARE GREAT. THE GUY WHO WINS THE RACE WILL STILL BE AROUND TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE LAST RACER. WE MAY ALL EARN PLACES IN THE RACE BUT WE ARE ALL EQUALS OUT THERE JUST DOING WHAT WE ENJOY.

NOW FOR A WEEK OR RELAXING AND STAYING LOOSE. A FEW MORNING SWIMS AND MAYBE A FEW 5K RUNS. OTHER THAN THAT, IT'S GOING TO BE THE FOAM ROLLER AND RELAXING WITH THE SHERPA. THE WEEK BEFORE IRONMAN IS ALWASY CRAZY. SO MANY EMOTIONS AND DOUBTS ABOUT YOUR TRAINING. NOT MUCH CAN CHANGE IN ONE WEEK, JUST HAVE TO ENJOY THE RIDE! I GUESS I'LL HAVE TO GET USED TO THIS NEBRASKA GAME DAY THING TOO!

#JAKESBIKES #TRIBEMULTISPORT #TRIBERULES #WATTIEINKHITSQUAD #TREKBIKES #IRONMAN #IMWI #IMOO