Powersprint Triathlon

The Powersprint Triathlon, put on by Richmond Multisports, continues to be one of my favorite races to compete in.  It was my first triathlon ever, and when possible, I like to come back and test myself on the course.  This year I had high expectations for myself, as I'm just now starting to round into some decent form.

I had my best swim ever for a 300m pool swim:  4:15.  I'm fortunate that I am able to just keep chipping time off of that standard.  I still honestly believe that I should be able to swim closer to 4:00 in a distance like that, but as long as I keep getting faster and faster, I can't complain.

I knew Dave Luscan would be tough to race against, as well as Ryan Peterson.  Ryan started way ahead of me, so I figured I wouldn't be seeing him for the entire race.  Dave, however, only started 20 seconds ahead of me, so when I passed a man wearing the same swimsuit as Dave after 150 m in the pool, I though, "could that have been him?"  That odd thought stayed in my mind all the way until I reached my bike.  When I noticed Dave's bike was already gone, I realized I had mistaken the other gentleman whom I passed.

The bike was fine.  I basically went as hard as I could, managing to pass all but Dave and Ryan by the time I got back to T2.  My split was right on par with what I was expecting, about 15 seconds off my best time there.

I felt good, got up and running, and for the first mile, things were going great.  The second mile was pretty awful, and the third wasn't much better, but I pulled myself together enough to keep it moving at a decent speed.  Luckily for me I caught up to Dave with about 200 meters to go, and we had a sprint the the finish.  Without that sprint, I would have finished second, as Ryan ended up finishing just one second behind me in the overall standings.  Dave finished a scant 20 seconds behind me.

Both athletes had super races, and I am very thankful to be able to come out of it healthy.  I believe this was the closest race for the top 3 that the race has ever seen, and probably 3 of the fastest times as well.  I know I've raced in the 50's and 49:xx a couple times, and Michael Harlow and Ryan have been in the 50's, but to have 3 guys do it on the same day was very impressive.

This was a great race for me.  It showed me that races don't always come easy.  Things pop up suddenly and viciously tear at you.  The demons were fighting against me yesterday.  Fortunately I have some demons of my own.  I worked it out and managed to overcome them.

So overall, I got some great things out of this race:
1.  My swim continues to improve.
2.  My bike is on par with where it has been in the past.  Avg 335 watts, for 27 minutes and change is pretty good for me.
3.  I was able to test my resolve and prove to myself that I am still a fighter in the midst of adversity.
4.  I have made some good strides since the Chasing Chics race in April, so my form is progressing, and that bodes well for the summer races.