Circle Triathlon Race Report

Somehow summer is almost over.  How is it that January, February and March never go by anywhere near as fast as June, July and August?  I'm not quite ready for cooler weather yet.  Especially since I've been existing in beautiful weather basically since February thanks to my winter excursions through the southeastern part of the country, so it's sure to be a pretty big shock to the system.  But it has to happen eventually, and somehow it's Labor Day weekend, which means it was time for the fifth annual Circle Triathlon.

You've probably never heard of it.  It's the kind of race you only know exists if you happen to live nearby.  I think the way I learned of its existence the first time was a small, hand-painted sign by the side of the road on one of my bike rides.  This is not the usual way people get information on races to sign up for.  It's a very low-key sprint race right down the road from Mom's house on the lake which makes it nice and easy to get to and race and thus has become a tradition. 

Last year I completed it while wearing the boot.  I know that doing a race with a stress fracture isn't highly intelligent but I had already signed up and I was going to race no matter what.  I had also challenged my cousin Jeff to come up and race, and given that he was obviously able to beat me last year, I wanted a rematch so he brought his family up for the weekend.  He did not do himself any favors by drinking more than just the "taste" of wine he initially planned on and staying up a whole lot later than I did, but we all make choices we have to live with.

I woke up before my alarm to darkness, keeping my eyes closed and wondering if it was still the middle of the night or if it was late enough that I should stop trying to go back to sleep.  Those thoughts were distracted by a distinct noise outside my window that made me wonder, "Is that rain?"  In the history of this race I'm pretty sure it has never rained, and there was no hint that it would that morning, either.  But a few minutes later when my alarm went off at six it became apparent that regardless of what the forecast had said, it was certainly raining.  A check of the radar online told me that it should stop soon, and when we converged downstairs for some breakfast and some moaning about how early it was and how racing in the rain sucks (not from me) we saw the rain dissipate and got ready to make the big trek three miles down the road for the race.

I opted to ride my bike down while Jeff got a ride from his wife.  I had no problem giving him that slight advantage.  The moment I started riding my bike down it started raining again, although it didn't last that long.  Racing in the rain really isn't that big of a deal, it's all of the other stuff surrounding the race that is a lot less fun in the rain.  I spotted Jesse not long after I arrived, who would also be racing.  We chatted a bit and of course I was about 99% sure he was going to win the race.  Preparations were quick and painless and I managed to get down a double latte gel (I HATE double latte gels, but I needed the double dose of caffeine) before putting on my skin suit and heading for the water.  Again I decided to go without the wetsuit both because I wasn't sure I'd be faster given time lost taking it off later and because the thing is starting to fall apart and I need it to last at least through November.

I was in the first wave.  This may be the only race anywhere in which numbers, and subsequently, swim waves, are assigned in the order in which you sign up for the race.  This means that as soon as I hear that registration is open, I sign up, and for the second year in a row I was wearing #5.  Jesse in wave #5 and Jeff in wave #6 were not thrilled with their assignments.  I'll have to tell them when registration opens next year... after I sign up myself.  Anyway, we made it down to the beach and it was dry at this point and it was a very casual start but eventually we were finally told to go.

I dived in and started swimming good and hard.  Looking at the people starting with me, I really had no doubts that I'd be one of the fastest ones and likely wouldn't have to worry too much about swimming with a crowd.  It was a bit tight for a minute maybe, but then three of us broke away.  There was one guy in a wetsuit who basically was a fish and there was no hanging on his feet.  I was swimming right behind a woman wearing just a regular swim suit and had a feeling that she may have started a bit hard and I wouldn't have to worry about her for very long, and after we made the turn at the first buoy I was proven correct when I moved around her and left her behind for the rest of the swim.  I swam good and hard and had no issues following the course and before I knew it, I had made it out of the water.  The guy in front of me seemed to have a substantial lead already, though. 

I looked down at my watch as I hit the beach and saw 7:02, which was my fastest for that swim.  Of course, on any given year the swim probably varies quite a bit in distance, but being faster is still a good thing.  I changed as quickly as I could, opting to skip the sunglasses and hitting the course.  I wasn't paying that much attention and I couldn't tell if the guy in front of me was already on the bike or not.  I assumed he was given the amount of a lead he had on me coming out of the water.  I put my head down and went pretty hard, starting the heavy breathing as I tried to push the pace.  I am terrible at pushing the pace but I'm trying to be better, which is why races like this are so good for me.  Some guy passed me when we were going up one of the first little hills but I immediately passed him going down and didn't see him again. 

While this race very much caters to the beginner triathlete, just given the nature of the area by default the bike course isn't going to be easy.  But it is literally one of the toughest bike courses of any race that I do.  I had the distinct advantage of having ridden it a bunch of times in training, so I know where the worst hills are and I know which sketchy, twisty downhills I need to worry about and which ones I don't.  No wondering which way to turn, just follow the course I know so well.  The past couple of times I've raced there I've not been in a good spot and therefore found myself getting passed by people on the bike.  It was a pleasant change when this did not happen.  I kept waiting for it to, but it didn't.  I was completely alone and would occasionally turn around to look behind me to confirm that that wasn't going to change anytime soon. 

I still thought there was someone else in front of me somewhere out of sight but later found out that I was actually leading the entire field.  That's a new one for me.  In the past there has been a police car escorting the lead biker, but that didn't happen this time.  About halfway through it started raining pretty hard again, but then stopped again at some point.  It was one of those mornings.  I continued riding as hard as I could manage, impatiently awaiting a certain point on the course I thoroughly enjoy after you ride up the last somewhat nasty hill by this little farm and you can really settle in and push hard.  With about a mile to go as I turned onto the final stretch of a few more little hills and some of the worst pavement you'll see anywhere, Jesse finally passed me... after having started eight minutes after I did.  "Wow, this IS really hilly!"  Yeah, I wasn't kidding about that.  I got passed by someone else not long after as I pushed it the final stretch to transition, barely getting my feet out of my shoes before I dismounted. 

I took a moment to try and wipe the exceptional amount of dirt off the bottoms of my feet before slipping on my shoes, grabbing my race belt and visor and taking off on the run course.  Running and I have had a tumultuous relationship in the recent past, but we're starting to reconcile.  I wasn't looking at my watch or anything, I was just trying to run fast... or whatever my approximation of "fast" is these days.  The good news is, I actually felt like I was really running for the first time in a very long time.  Sure, Timberman was a good start, but this time I was actually trying to be speedy, and it almost felt successful.  This was a nice change not only from most other races I've done recently, but also last year's outing at this race in which I donned the boot and proceeded to get passed by almost everyone else in the race. 

A few people passed me and reminded me that yep, I'm still slow, but I'm at least less slow than I was.  And while probably more than half of the people I know can run marathons at the pace I completed that 2.7 miles, I have to at least remind myself that it is good progress, and at least it wasn't my legs giving out on me that might have slowed me down a tad, but rather the feeling that if I'd tried to push any more I just might have thrown up.  Did I mention that fast and I don't get along?  Anyway, I crossed the finish line and regardless of any outcomes I was quite happy with how everything went.  It was nice not to spend the run wondering if there was some way to become invisible so nobody could actually watch me trying to do the race at such a slow pace. 

It was my fastest overall time at that race, although 2009 included a much longer swim and faster bike and run splits, but it still felt good.  I am disappointed that I missed the overall win for the women by 18 seconds.  I was thinking that looking back I don't know where I could find 18 more seconds though it turns out I was 22 seconds slower in transition and maybe wearing my wetsuit would've made the difference, so I think next year I'll definitely be wearing it.  But it's still nice to walk away from a race feeling good about the result and, more importantly, having fun doing so. 

Wait, I almost forgot about the real race, the one against my cousin Jeff!  Well, I won.  He biked past me when I was closing out the run (run and bike courses intersect for about the last half-mile) and I saw him hitting the run course just as I was finishing, but I brought the title back where it rightfully belongs.  And by a solid twelve minutes.  And of course the whole family was there to witness it.  My brother even made it down, all the way from the house that five-minute drive away.  He's seen me race one other time, and that was in Hawaii.  Also, as predicted, Jesse won the race outright.

The rest of the weekend was spent with the family.  They all enjoyed a feast last night of lobster, steak, sausage and steamers - all things I don't eat.  It was sort of amusing to eat my chicken in ten minutes and then just sit there as they all kept eating and eating for a good ninety minutes.  I didn't feel bad later when they were all moaning about how their stomachs were about to explode and I still felt just fine. 

And now everyone is gone and I'm staying here until tomorrow.  It was a good distraction for the weekend.  It's not going to be an easy week, but at least I have a lot of training to get me through it.