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At the first turnaround, I slow for a bottle of water and notice that the people just in front hammer out of the corner and put a material amount of distance on me. This must be a race trick like "finishing your hills" and I decide that for the rest of the race, I too will hammer out of the corners.
On the second lap of the ride, my heart rate has settled and I am feeling much better. It is not too hot and I am pushing a solid gear. I also try something that I noticed in all those IM videos I watched. Many of the pros sit right on the edge of their seats and pedal from a very aggressive position. I do this for about 15K and enjoy the extra power it seems to give me. The front of the race starts lapping people fairly quickly but given the course size (and the FULL road closure) there is lots of room to pass. As expected, the surface is fast and everyone is flying along. I am feeling good and getting back to my observant self, I start to look at the faces of the guys just ahead and just behind me. They look like they are really hammering and this gives me comfort that all is not lost and I can pull something back from this race. The awards go down to 6th place and although I am well out of it right now, I realise that a good run could get me back into things. I start to focus on my hydration and food. Over the course of the ride I manage to get four GUs and 4L of fluids into me (including 2.3L of sport drink). 15K is a long way to run in tropical heat, and I know that a lot can happen. Besides, it is my only hope. I roll into T2 and there is a lady waiting right there with my bag. Somebody else grabs my bike and I think to myself, I could get used to this! Shoes on, cap on, and I am away. Probably my fastest transition ever. Heading out on the run course, my stride is short and I can feel all the fluid in my stomach. I get about 500 meters into the run and a stitch starts in my side. I had this before in a tri in Malaysia and decide to back off while my stomach clears out. My HR is still fairly high but I am very disappointed in myself for not being able to push the pace up. I can see an Asian guy two or three minutes up the road. I don't want to see what is going on behind me and don't dare look back. I expect to get passed any minute, my pace is slow. I get to the 2K marker and see that I have taken about 11 minutes for the first 2K. The thought of a >1:15 run depresses me a little, but I notice that I may have pulled in the Asian guy just a touch. My stitches are better, and while it is very hot, I am dealing with it. |
Heading out |