This was my second time racing the
Crossroads Triathlon in DeWitt, IA. It was the first (and only) sprint I have won,
so I returned to defend my title.
Despite
having completed multiple races, I still had some pre-race nerves. That all went
away as I jumped off the dock to start my swim.
Swim 500 yards: 8:13, Rank 5
Last year, I didn’t swim straight and cost myself some time. I
made it a point to sight more often and not swim extra. Even with my new
strategy of backing off the last 50 yards of the swim, I managed to drop 22s by
swimming straighter.
T1: 57s, Rank 1
It was unfortunate that my bike was on the first rack with farthest
distance to push it, but I still put down the fastest T1 of the day. While my
T1 was great, I made a huge mistake with the flying mount. I left my shoes Velcroed
shut and had one heck of a time getting my feet into the shoes. I shaved 21s
from last year.
Bike: 38:24 (23.4mph), Rank 3
The time I saved in T1 was probably added into my bike split
as I fumbled to get my shoes on for the first half mile. While I was fumbling,
my buddy Matt Drobney blew past me and yelled pick it up! Once I got my shoes on
I sprinted after him, but could only hold on for a mile. I slowly watched him
drop me until he had a solid 2 minute lead going into T2. I dropped 34 seconds
from last year despite my mounting issue, but this was most likely due to less
wind.
T2: 36s, Rank 6
T2 was executed incredibly well for me, and I took a slight
risk going sockless. Dropping some baby powder into my shoes before the race
definitely helped. I sprinted out of transition and started to chase down Matt.
Saved 34s from last year with a flying dismount.
Run: 17:40, Rank 1
By far the best run I have put together in a sprint. I ended
up catching Matt around the half mile mark to take first. I was led by an old
motor scooter that made breathing a little difficult running through the
exhaust the entire time. I felt strong and I knew I was holding sub 6:00 min/mi,
but I wasn’t expecting to see a 5:42 avg! I dropped a whopping 54 seconds from
last year.
Finish: 1:05:50, Rank 1
There wasn’t a tape for me to break this year, but I finished
incredibly strong. Within a few minutes of finishing, I had my trainers on and
was ready for a quick 4 mile cool down. I love running back onto the course to
cheer on the other athletes while they’re out working hard.
Takeaways:
I need to pay closer attention to detail when I am setting up
transition. I forgot to open my shoes and spin my wheels
All 5 splits were faster than last year thanks to training and
experience. I AM getting faster, and I AM improving my race strategy.
Overall great execution and a great race! Maybe I’ll go for
the 3-peat next year =)
