My Own Race!

Well, it finally made its way here... Labor Day Weekend!!! I can't believe the official "end of summer" has snuck up on us already! Happily, though, it's Friday morning and we're off to the start of what will hopefully be a wonderful little vacation/long weekend.

Liz and I will be driving to Skaneateles, NY this afternoon for a two-day excursion in one of my favorite little lake towns - not far from where I grew up. After a night of lounging around on the town, we'll be up and out early tomorrow morning for the start of the first annual "SkinnyMan" Triathlon, right across the street from the Inn we're staying at tonight. I'm guessing the race was named as such either because: (a) the town of Skaneateles is actually pronounced "Skinny-Atlas" or (b) the organizers knew I'd be coming out to race and wanted to pre-dedicate the event to the anticipated M25-29 winner, me.

Sound a little cocksure? That's the point - this is an A-event race for me, and one of the last of the season where I'm truly fixed on taking 1st. The strategy, based on my learning experiences thus far this season, will be to pace the swim. Pace, pace, pace, the swim. The race is never won in the water, and that's the mantra I'll be repeating to myself every stroke at 8:00am tomorrow. On the bike, it's going to be a steady tempo, accelerating at the halfway split. My tendency has been to go out a little too hard on the bike and then have trouble on the run due to cramping muscles in my upper legs. This is the problem being a pure-cyclist at heart. Having done some experiments over the past month or so during my brick workouts, I've found I have tremendously better run-legs if I gradually up the tempo during the bike, rather than smash the pedals from T1. On the run, however, it's going to be full-out; something else I've had problems with over the summer. On account of heavy legs from the bike, I've found myself running the first split of the run much slower than my typical 5k pace, realizing it, and then compensating during the second-half of the run (when it's too late). But the goal tomorrow will be to leave T2 at a pace setting me up for a near 18min 5k, and then gradually settle towards a 20min 5k pace after the halfway point - ultimately targeting a 19 minute 5k. The plan sounds simple enough, doesn't it?

Beyond the race, Liz and I will be visiting family in Syracuse, and then taking the scenic drive back to Niskayuna where we'll live out the rest of our long holiday weekend. Come Tuesday, sport life as we know it will officially be in the "late-season" and before long, things will progress even further to the start of the off-season. I know the 2005 season isn't over yet, but already looking back, it's been an incredible year. Let's see if we can't start to close it off right tomorrow.

See you out there.