My goals the last two seasons have focused on building speed and power with short course racing. After all, you cannot race faster in the longer distance races if you're weak in one of those areas.
I learned last year that my friend Andrew and his friend were racing IM Boulder this year, and figured I would give long course racing another shot. My cousins in Fort Collins have wanted me to come visit them, so this felt like the perfect opportunity.
This race in Boulder Colorado was an eye opener. The mile high city for endurance athletes along the foothills of the Rockies. Despite doing short course training, it was neat to see my fitness still carried through for the long course. The altitude and heat (above 35 deg C) definitely killed me.
The course:
The swim was in the scenic Boulder Reservoir almost equilateral triangle in a CCW loop. The start was self seating.
The bike was a two loop course. This is the fifth year of the race and fifth consecutive year with a different bike course. The first stretch on the highway was mostly flat and you work your way into the foothills with 3 small climbs.
The run course is a reference to the flux capacitor from back to the future. One stick and then 3 legs and repeating 2 of the 3 legs for a second lap.
I was within touching distance from my friend Andrew in the race and he's in the next age group. I was placed near the back of mine. What luck!
The half way mark of the swim, I felt the zipper from the bottom come off with water slowly penetrating in. I got to T1 and luckily a volunteer helped me with unzipping the wetsuit. It felt like a long minute before I could move.
The bike was baking hot. I applied sunscreen on an hourly interval. I also put on the Dynamic Race Events series pass jersey on for good measure. The first 3 hours I was holding back and trying to maintain 180 watts. The latter half I could feel the quads burn. It was a complete sufferfest. The 3 climbs did help break things up.
Flying along Hwy 36 was a fast and single file stretch. An athlete involved in a tragic event on this stretch two years ago, I knew to take this section easy. The narrow shoulder and heavy vehicle traffic were things to watch for.
I tried hydrating as much as I can to the point of puking water out. I can tell my body was rejecting the fluids. I asked myself why I do this?
Getting into the Reservoir was a relief. I could feel the legs cramping up. Running into T2, my feet was cooking on the asphalt. It was a scorcher. Quads were still dead and ended up hobbling along at one pace 5:40per km. The Boulder community has a bike highway system, once getting off the roads from the reservoir, the bike freeway was nice. Lots of volunteers and spectators to support. I was walking through most aid station drinking as much ice water as possible.
Slowly but surely I was able to gain a rhythm. I picked the heavy cushion new balance 880s for good measure. Finishing the run in a PW but I didn't care. I was happy to finish. My back was saltier than the ocean!
I was happy with my execution despite my lack of training for this distance. I knew my strengths and weaknesses. This wasn't something I would enjoy without my cousins and friends coming to do this race with me.
