Hindsight being what it is...
The trip to Ogden was awsome. I had the confidence going into this race of knowing the course because I raced it last year and the advantage of getting there a day early to check out part of the course and do a little warm up run at altitude with my Wife Jennifer. We drove out Thursday, 12+ hrs from Lincoln, opting to drive the whole way out and have a full day to unwind before the race. I liked that, don't get that advantage very often.
The race in Ogden takes place from 5000 feet up past 8500 + for the bike and run. The Swim in the PineView resevoir takes place below SnowBasin ski area on the backside of the Ogden at that 5000 ft range. Pretty sweet area up there, kind of a little valley of flatness that stretches out and holds this large fresh water resevoir and is surrounded by mountains. Already at the end of September the leaves are turning their fall colors and the water temp was following that curve...chilly to say the least...at least for this fair weather swimmer. They were saying water temps just above 60 degrees this time a little colder than last year. I spent some time trying to get used to it before the start, but suffered a little freakout for about the first 300m of the 1500 m swim because of the cold. I came out of the water in virtually the same time as last year. How on earth did that happen after all that time in the pool this year? Maybe it was the different wet suit combination I was wearing? I don't think the freak out put a bunch of time on, but surely a little bit because I couldn't get in the groove.
The bike transition sits up in a parking lot above the reservoir boat loading ramp...it's a long trot with cold feet on asphalt that feels like it's been imedded with glass. Seriously, I need to start doing some barefoot running to toughin up my feet, such a wimp!
The bike was good this year, I could tell the extra time I had devoted to riding my MTB and doing the Cross races at VanDorn park every Wednesday (thanks flat water guys and Bike peddlers) the month before left me comfortable on the bike and tuned the engine well. You basically climb a old fire road for the first 4 miles, I passed lots of peeps on this first stretch and set me up well for the single track. The single track climbs for another 6 - 8 miles with some downhill stretches thrown in there until you reach the base of Snowbasin ski area. Here you cross the base of the lifts, also here, Conrad Stoltz was finishing up with his bike as I had another 6 miles ish to go. Holy Crap batman...the guy was flying. He rode a newer Specialized full suspension 29er which worked perfect for the rocky terrain. It's also here, that the course adds insult to injury, they send you up this steeeeeepppp maintenance road, small gear sitting on the nose of the saddle steep...remember this steeeepppp climb it plays out later... So anyway I'm catching my age group all along the course...I can tell because in most tri races they put your age group on the back of your calf...this will also haunt me later...
I come off the bike and start the run...again, they send you up the first part of that steep climb I described above, but half way up, they send you into single track, beautiful, albeit loose rock meandering with basically two steep climbs otherwise just slight up and down. The last steep section sends you to the top of the climb...remember the steeeeeepppp bike climb...yep, up there. Now I know from Jen that I was roughly 6th place in my age group, but not for sure. It's hard work reading the back of the calf's of everyone and trying to keep track of places. But I know that the run is good and I'm catching people the whole way including that last section of steep climb where I catch up to one last guy in my age group. He was walking...what to do? I know this is 5 miles in and it's all downhill to the finish from our exploration of the run the day before. I figure basically I've got two options, I hang back and then try to come around him at the finish, or I go for the pass, he's tired right? He's walking. I go for it, I catch and pass him on the top and immediately the race dumps into an downhill single track...he's on me...like two jet fighters in pursuit of each other winding around this single track...I can hear him right behind me. Crap. We come out of the single track and turn onto that Steeeepppp climb...ya that one...except we are running down it. I accelerate down it...he's right there, it flattens out and he comes around me and punches it on the next downhill section. I stick with him. Keep in mind that this is uncomforatble, not only because we are going hard, but because we are one edge away from eating it. One edge away, thats the way a ski patroller explained it to me as I rode a lift with him skiing one day...He said, "see those guys pointing the skis straight down the hill there...They are One edge away from eating it." I'm sure those patrollers are constantly picking up the end result.
One edge, like catching an edge of the ski and losing your ski and piling into the snow going warp speed. Only in this situation we were one rock and mistep twisted ankle away from a face plant and slide. Anyway we go back and forth after he pulls through and sits up as it flattens out, I punch it again, and we do a 400 meter steep downhill section again with people coming up stream and downstream on bikes and foot as I try to drop him...to no avail. He comes by once more and I can't respond with less than 400 meters to go...took everything out of me to not catch an edge. There you have it, I'm happy, good race and good finish...that is until I get the results. Yep, he was 3rd age group, I was 4th...he got the podium and got nothing. Ah well...Hingsight? Maybe I should have hung back and let him dictate the pace on the finish steeps and tried to pop him at the end...
I've been basically happy with the result except my swim, will continue to work on it this winter. Also, knew I had a pretty good shot at making the Worlds selection on the roll down in our age group. I have been resigned to realizing I'm not going this year...and that's ok. It's really expensive to go and Noah has State cross country championships that weekend of Worlds so I know I want to be there for his race if he and the team makes it...
Today though I find out I got the slot to Worlds and that sets the wheels turning doesn't it? O well, maybe some day I'll get back there. This weekend I have the Market to Market relay with my running buddies. Always a good time and weather looks really good this year.
3 comments:
Enjoyed the write-up, Kevin. So many choices. I confess the xterra's sound interesting, but man, all the running. I'm still paying for venturing into that territory Saturday.
Thanks Syd - You might was well keep running since you're sore anyway...
I thought about that. We'll see. Might help for that run-up at Jingle CX.
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