WF recap

real quick update as i just pulled into Xantusia after driving all afternoon back from Wildflower, which is in the middle of California!

it was a solid day out there for me, but nothing noteworthy or special. i had a slower swim than i had anticipated as i was dropped by both the second pack where i usually find myself and another swimmer who passed me with around 1/4-mile left.

the bike here at WF is really tough and i like that. i wanted to make up the time lost during the swim but had been warned this week by the WF sages Mark Montgomery and Dan Empfield not to attack the course too early unless i was willing to suffer later on. i let a few perky riders blow themselves up during the five miles of climbers leading out of the San Antonio park and then started to turn on the jets. i worked through the race and hit the 3-mile climb up Nasty Grade with Ain Alar Juhanson (the big friendly triathlete, and the tallest pro man in the sport, and probably the nicest) and Rutger Beke and then opened up the gas on the climb. i think those two were sitting on their power meters and biding their time for the tough half-marathon and let me go and have my fun.

if the bike course is tough, the run course is a torture session. it is 60% rough trails and 40% pavement with LOTS of hills. i picked off a few blown athletes early in the run and wasn't passed until mile 8 when Scott Curry, Nick Thompson and Ain all caught up and passed me. i was able to run off Ain's shoulder and we joked around a bit how it was a rough course for big, slow movers like the two of us (Andy Potts, also a big guy blew out that equation by winning the race by 4-minutes today!). for the first time in over a dozen races, i didn't have to pull down my tri suit top in attempt to cool down. i took Jordan's advice and wore the Kiwami Amphibian which is so light you can pour water over yourself and it still wicks instantly. the only drawback is i am now sporting some funky tan lines that resemble Em's swim suit lines!

a few other runners caught and passed me on the final descent to mile 11 and the climb back up to mile 12 then no more changes. i ended up finishing in 18th or 19th with a run time four minutes faster than last year. Nick Thompson, who beat me last year to win the elite amateur race, passed me at mile 4 last year and not until mile 8 this year. so, i was aiming for improvement and i think i accomplished that (unless, of course, he had a bad race today, which i don't think he did since he finished 10th or 11th overall).

tomorrow i pack up the bike and ship it back to CO via UPS and then drive down to LAX and fly out. can't wait to see Emmy and the pups again. it was a long week away from them.

a quick shout out to Bjorn and Rappstar who had the two fastest bike splits of the day. that was a good showing for the Slowtwitch crowd! and Rappstar finished 4th overall in his first WF. also, nice going Joe Gambles for a close 5th place finish and proving he has indeed improved nicely on his swim this year, exiting with the first pack. he will be tearing up 70.3 race courses this season.

out,
LF