So it may have taken me 21 years but I have finally found my niche. Endurance sports are definitely my cup of tea. The longer the better, cause when they're short people simply just feast on my extreme lack of anaerobic power. Thank god for races that last longer than 20 minutes. My slow twitch fibers definitely appreciate and thank events like todays. A year ago in anatomy i learned that it is actually possible to determine the proportion of slow twitch to fast twitch fibers in someones body, pretty sweet! I would almost even consider doing it...except I have no need, mine probably looks something like 99% slow twitch to 1% fast. Anyway, on to the race report, where, fortunately, my severe fast twitch fiber deprivation played no role.
The race was at 9am this morning and fortunately it was not far from campus, just across the river in Surry. Pretty sweet when the race is so close given that I've grown accustomed to driving for 3-4 hours for cycling races. Id like to thank Alyssa for coming with me to the race this morning and waking up at 6am after going to bed last night at 2am. Beda, you are awesome! I also attended Palm Sunday mass yesterday with Alyssa, so she wouldnt miss service this morning to come with me. Unfortunately the wind gods were not on my side this morning. Beda and I arrived at Chippokes state park this morning in Surry a little before 8. It was 45 degrees and pretty windy. I was desperately hoping for it to warm up so as not to freeze on the bike. Fortunately by the time the race started it has gotten up to a warmer 50 degrees, i was definitely dressed the least out of anyone but it turned out not to be a terrible decision as it definitely warmed up as the race went on.
The run went pretty well. Not having run a 5k in a VERY long time I decided to sit on the leaders for the first mile, we crossed in 538 and I felt VERY strong. I remember thinking at the start how good I felt and wondering if it was just going out slow. I definitely think lifting and biking have made me a stronger runner, even if I only run 2-3x a week, it seems to be working well for me! The second mile I picked up the pace and dropped a 533 and lead the race for the rest of the 5k. Coming into the transition I had a bit of a helmet mishap where I may have put my helmet on backwards and cost myself some time(greg, you are an idiot and this is why we cant have nice things).
The bike was windy as hell and the roads were certainly not smooth. I talked to many riders who discussed felt the need to check their rear breaks to see if they were rubbing, unfortunately it was just the gravely ass bumpy road. Going into the race I had discussed with Cory goals for the bike and we decided 21mph was definitely doable, so even though I got passed by a few people on the bike I definitely dont feel bad about my 22mph avg. I do feel the need to proclaim my hatred for rich asses riding Cervelo P3's with disc wheels or Tri-spokes, please go fuck yourselves and then give me your bikes? Love, greg
After the bike dismount my second transition went what i considered relatively well, although I must say in the state of fatigue i was in the difference between left and right shoes can be quiet hard to tell. Luckily I was able to figure it out and get out on the run. Starting the run I felt like SHIT. I reassured myself that I only had 18 minutes of this hellish jaunt left, then I reconsidered and compromised with myself, 20 max right? I was relieved to see my effort had paid off as i went through the first mile in the 530's. When hurting like hell it definitely feels good to know that your effort is being matched by the clock and knowing your not just hitting a wall. I began gaining on the guy ahead of me and finished about 20 seconds back, not bad considering at one point he had probably about a minute on me. I ended up finished the second run in 1750. Finishing the race in 1:38, 7th overall and 1st in my age group. Definitely psyched for the next one, who knows, maybe ill even put my helmet on the right way?
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