"Ain't No Rest For The Wicked"

"No I can't slow down; I can't hold back
 Though you know I wish I could
 No there ain't no rest for the wicked
  Until we close our eyes for good"

Cage the Elephant - Ain't No Rest For The Wicked

Today I competed in my 3rd sprint triathlon since Eagleman 70.3. As with the past two sprint triathlons, there was no taper for this week as I continued my high volume training in preparations for that end of the season 70.3 (or damn close to it) race. 

The Denville Sprint Triathlon was the race of choice for this weekend. The race consisted of a 1/3 mile swim, 9 mile bike, 3.1 mile run. The weather was warm and muggy and it rained for a good hour before the start of the race making the roads slick for the bike. I will admit, that since that accident 3 + years ago on the bike, conditions like this make me just a little timid about going balls out on the bike. 

Swim - 1/3 mile pond swim , 10:02

I was slightly surprised by my time as I felt really good the entire swim. I was actually the 4th person from my wave to hit the beach but I was hoping for a faster time. During the swim, in my head, it felt much faster than the pace that resulted in my time. Speaking with some people, who had did last year's race also said it seemed longer than last year. Regardless, it the same course for all and I need to continue to work hard on the pool, but I am feeling much faster than last year in the water.

T1 - 1:10 (about 50 yd run to transition area)

Headed Out On The Bike

Bike - 9 miles (2 loop course); 23:59 on Garmin/22.5 mph (24:46 in results counting 50yd run to road and 50yds back to transition after bike)

I was pretty quick to get into a good rhythm on the bike. I geared up and started hammering and was mentally pumped to take a few chances (within limits) on the bike. I scaled back on that plan when I got to the first left turn and a cyclist was picking himself up off the ground after sliding out. The roads were still pretty wet and I even felt my wheel slide a little on a bump. The hard part was that every time you seemed to get going, you had to slow for a turn. I passed a bunch of people and was moving up the ranks. 

T2 - :37 

Run - 3.1 mile; 20:25

The first mile of the run was completely up hill and I mean uphill. Even though I was passing people who started in waves before me and feeling strong, I kept saying to myself...WTF? Does this hill ever end? We literally hit the 1st mile mark at the top of the hill. The 2nd mile was downhill and I was continuing to clip off runners and doing so at a pace that nobody even attempted to chase. The third mile was rolling and I still caught 4-5 runners who had started the race 3-6 minutes to my wave. I just did not have enough time to catch one last runner who finished about 20-25 yds in front of me. I had been closing a gap of 200 yds or so over the last mile but just could not finish him off. 

Total - 57:02 - 4th overall/1st age group (my time would have won the race last year)

Overall I am very pleased with today's performance. I can honestly say, my legs felt a little heavy from the high volume of training over the past 7 weeks and not tapering for these sprint triathlons. Leading up to today, I biked 33 miles and swam 1 mile on Friday and followed that up with an 8 mile run yesterday. I still plan to train at this high volume while competing in 2-3 more sprint triathlons in August. 

Training over the last 7 weeks (including 3 races)

Bike - 29 rides/ 1076 miles/ 52.78 hours/ 20.4 miles/ 35,886ft of climbing

Run - 24 runs/ 164 miles/ 20.37 hours/ 7:27 per mile

Swim - 20 swims/ 17 miles/ 8.71 hours

Total - 73 workouts/ 1257 miles/ 81.86 hours

Per week - 10.42 workouts/ 179.6 miles/ 11.69 hours

Tomorrow back to the high volume training while I figure out the next race. Either this weekend or the following.....decisions?!?!?!??

As always, thanks to Wattie Ink for the coolest racing kit and teammates that keep me motivated with their performances! Also, thanks to a great list of sponsors of the team - Power Bar, Speedfil, ISM Saddles, Herbalife, Blue Seventy, Rudy Project, ! Your support goes a long way in helping me achieve my results!

Rock the W!

The Finish