Little fish in a big pond.

Last week we did Steelhead. Some clients and I drove up there on Friday for the Sat race and were ready to go! Weather, while hot seemed to be good for racing. When we woke up for the race, it was clear skies, but quite windy. So windy they had a hard time holding the swim buoys in place and had to cancel the swim. I think it was swim able, but understand the RD’s caution in calling the race.

As soon as I heard the news I knew absolutely I was just robbed of a historically strong leg for me. Not only a strong leg for me, but a leg my main competition is not traditionally strong at, so it was in effect a double whammy.

My first reaction? Oh well, I guess we are running twice. Remarkably, I didn’t care too much in a negative way. One thing I have learned about triathlon is anything goes. We compete in an outdoor sport, so weather is just part of the deal.

Race went well all things considering. 10th overall a couple min out of 5th and I was very happy with that. Could I have out swam those athletes? Who cares, there was no swim that day, so it doesn’t matter. The athletes who beat me raced damn well and were better then me that day. Well done to all of them.

I had several athletes do well as well, and 3 of them were able to secure their Clearwater spots, so it was a good day. Lindsay, pulled her hamstring, and was not able to finish. That was a bit concerning to me as I do not know any other athletes with her determination and willingness to deal with pain. One of only 3 DNF’s in a 15year plus career meant she had some major issues going. She has been working so hard to get the injury solved for her run at AG Nationals.

I’m off to Boulder this week to do some training with some pros out here. There is definitely a level beyond what even good age groupers train at. Today we went for an “easy” run and I was dropped going 6:30 pace up a 3 mile hill at altitude! The easy run continued after they waited for me and we ran 6:00 flat pace for several miles on a slight flat and downhill. I am a bit nervous to see what a “tempo” run feels like. It is a good lesson in humility anyway.

I'll be brushing up on survior tactics the next few days in case I find myself lost in the wilderness out here.

Ahh, all in good fun though.