Sunday morning came way too quickly, as my alarm rang at 5:00 AM. I took care of feeding myself and starting in on hydration as I made my final race preparations, and then drove out to the race site. I got there at 6:00 AM, and got the aisle spot on my assigned rack, exactly where I was hoping to be. The 20-24s were on rack A, the first rack on the right as you enter transition from the first run and the bike - the perfect location for fast transitions.
It was already around 70 degrees as we neared the start of the race, and the humidity was as bad as it had been for the pros, so I ran about a mile or so to get the legs loose but still keep from over-exerting myself. The first traces of doubt hit me when I realized I might not have enough fluids for the bike, since all I can accommodate on my race rig right now is an Aero Drink bottle. Too late to do anything about it, I thought, and just shrugged it off and figured I'd deal with the consequences when the time came.
The adrenaline hit a few minutes before the start, and before I knew it, the siren sounded to send us on our way. I was in the first wave of four, each starting two minutes apart: men 20-29, men 30-39, all women, and men 40+. We took off in a hurry, and as everyone settled into their paces, I found myself just behind the top ten in my wave. The run course was an out-and-back, and we ran it twice for a 10k opening leg. I made up a little ground on some of the guys in front as their paces slowed, but without a watch or mile splits, I was unknowingly slowing just a bit as well. I entered T1 at 36:12, my fastest 10k time ever (although I haven't run a standalone in 7 or 8 years), and 25th fastest on the day. I was out underneath the exit balloon exactly 30 seconds later.
My flying mount was a minor disaster, because there was a sharp left immediately after the timing mat, necessitated by a couple concrete curbs, and I had to brake and restart my mount after nearly hitting one of them. Slightly embarrassed, I managed to get on without incident on the second try and I was off. The bike course was fairly hilly, and although it lacked any signature climbs, it made up for it by also lacking any flat spots. The only truly mean-spirited part was the last stretch from mile 20 to the finish of the 40k route, which was mostly uphill. It was a suffer-fest out there, with temperatures rising to 80 degrees and the humidity continuing to suffocate. I did manage to pass some of the guys in front of me, and saw three who were out of shouting range miss a turn, so I ended up getting off the bike in the top 6 or 7 in my heat. My time was 1:05:57 for the 40k course, 28th fastest on the day.
One of the highlights of the day was my 23-second T2 split, the fastest of any age grouper that day. It pays to be meticulous about practicing transitions, and to have a plan for getting in and out. They didn't make the difference between one place and another for me today, but they have in the past, so I was happy to see that even when I'm hurting, I can keep it together enough to fly between disciplines. That being said, I launched myself onto the run course and was immediately racked with one of the most intense side stitches I've ever felt. I'm pretty sure this was because a) I was fluid/electrolyte deficient getting off the bike, and b) I drank some water right off the bat, instead of waiting to settle into my running rhythm first. The cramp slowed me down for most of the first mile, but eased up as I worked on controlling my breathing.
I'm not entirely pleased with my final run, although I did manage to pick up the pace in the second half. I allowed one guy to pass me near the end, but he was 27 and not in my age group, and I wasn't concerned with my overall performance at that point (I really just wanted the hurting to stop). My second run time was 19:20, 27th fastest in the race. I rounded the stadium track to the finish and rejoiced in the pleasure of being able to stop.
After a nice shower back at the hotel, I checked out and headed back for the awards ceremony. I ended up 3rd in the 20-24 age group and 18th overall with my 2:02:23 finish, only about 6 minutes behind the winning time. This was good enough for a sweet little trophy and it qualified me for a Team USA slot for the short course world championships in Australia, an honor I had to turn down this year because my budget can't accommodate a trip like that. I made some mistakes and learned from them, though, and I also know that with a bit more work, I should be able to contend for a top ten spot, perhaps even next year since the race returns to the same location in 2006.