The Best of the Best Triathlon was an invite only event in which you must have finished in the Top 10 at a Dallas Athletes Racing event during the 2011 or 2012 season to qualify. There were a total of 196 competitors (69 female/127 male) and the competition was rather stiff. With the forecasted high exceeding 100 degrees, the start of the race was moved up to 6:45 AM.
This was a 250 meter pool swim at the Denton Aquatic Center (indoor 25m pool). I estimated my swim time to be 3:30 so I was a little nervous when I saw my bib number was 22. The swim was rather uneventful as I did not pass anyone and only one person passed me (who happened to have the fastest swim of the day 3:17). I came out of the water in 4:00 flat (1:36/100m), my estimated time was assuming this to be a 50m pool in which you can take advantage of the draft. I had the 3rd fastest swim in my AG and 23rd Overall. I could have pushed it harder on the swim and flip-turns would have shaved a few more seconds as well.
Running out of the natatorium toward T1, I was pleasantly surprised to see/hear Kylie, Avery & Kirby cheering me on. I always manage to push myself harder when my family attends...something about accountability and the fear of letting them down.
That said, I was in and out of T1 in :56, much of this was attributable to the location of my bike rack being within 10 feet of the 'Bike Out' (benefit of low bib number). I did the flying mount again, but struggled to get my shoes on. I completely forgot to grab the heel tab and was trying to do it by only using my foot. This cost me some precious seconds as the folks I passed in T1 flew by me as I had to slow down to slide my feet in my shoes.
Once strapped in, I started hammering to make up for lost time. The bike course was one of the best I've ridden yet as it was a simple out and back on FM428 with some rolling hills and no turns other than the turnaround at Aubrey Middle School. The highway itself was rough (chip-seal), but the shoulder was butter smooth (asphalt) and one lane wide which gave plenty of room for racing. I was soon passed by the eventual Overall winner, Benjamin Drezek, who happened to be the 2010 NCAA National Sprint Triathlon Champion!
I wound up riding the majority of the bike leg with a group of five (5) other guys. It was rather nerve wracking and difficult to get in a rhythm as there was a ton of passing and jockeying for position. I knew we were walking the line with regard to "drafting" so I was not too shocked or disappointed when I saw I was assessed with a 2:00 penalty. What did surprise me was that only myself and one other guy in the group was penalized when all six (6) were guilty at one point or another.
DRAFTING
Drafting - Keep at least three (3) bike lengths of clear space between you and the cyclist in front. If you move into the zone, you must pass within 15 seconds.
Position - Keep to the right hand side of the lane of travel unless passing.
Blocking - Riding on the left side of the lane without passing anyone and interfering with other cyclists attempting to pass.
Overtaken - Once passed, you must immediately exit the draft zone from the rear, before attempting to pass again.
Based on the timing of when the referee pulled up next to us on the motorcycle, I assume he nailed me for either Blocking or not completing a pass within 15 seconds. Oh well, I'll chalk this up to experience.
Once the Aquatic Center was insight, I backed off a touch to take in some fluids, catch my breath and let my heartrate recover before the run. I still do not have a computer on my tri-bike so I was unaware of our speed out on the course. My goal time for the bike was 45:00 (21.5 MPH) so I knew we were flying as I hit my lap timer crossing into T2 at 41:56 which was right at 23 MPH...like I said, we were FLYING!!! I had the fastest bike split in my AG and 5th Overall. The only thing that kept me from having the fastest Overall bike split is about $4,000!!!
I benefited again from the bike rack location and was out of T2 in :41. My legs felt squeamish and I gave Kylie a "I'm not sure about this" look as I ran by them exiting T2. The run was a flat and fast 2-loop course which circled the Denton ISD football stadium and then finished in the stadium with the final sprint down the middle of the football field. I kept the lead pack in sight and managed to overcome one of them and did not get passed on the run which is a first! I had a good rhythm going and felt strong but had no clue what pace I was clipping along at hoping for low 7:00's. Nearing the end of the second lap, I glanced at my watch and noticed I had a chance to finish in less than 21:00 so I picked up the pace and then sprinted the length of the football field across the finish line (oh the glory days!) finishing the run in 20:25 (6:48 min/mile) which was only good enough for 7th in my AG and 34th Overall.
My goal time was 01:12:35 and I crushed it by over 4:00 finishing in 01:08:00 and I was only :25 seconds behind the winner of my AG and 5:10 behind the Overall winner. Even with the 2:00 penalty I still managed to come in 2nd in my AG, but it dropped me from 7th to 16th Overall. I'll take these results any day of the week!
Considering my first sprint triathlon was a little over two (2) years ago, Gatorbait Memorial Triathlon August 2010, where my splits were 1:44/100m swim; 17MPH bike; 10:07 min/mile run, I'd say I've come a long way.....and to think, I thought I was in shape back then!
Going forward, I have officially registered for my first half IRONMAN 70.3 in Austin on October 28th. My parents have already booked their tickets and we have reserved a condo downtown on 6th street for the weekend.
Kylie also registered US for the Dallas Marathon...yes, the full 26.2 miles....on December 9th. This is a goal of her's and I want to help her achieve it (I'm second guessing this decision)!
Up next is the Disco Triathlon X-50 (1-mile swim; 40-mile bike; 9-mile run) which will be my first true endurance test and my longest race to date. I only have three (3) weeks to train, one of which we are on vacation at the lake, so I will need to remain true to course and take advantage of the challenging terrain in Southwest Missouri.
Wish me luck!
