This was the third and final race of the Boulder series this year and I was hoping to put out a good effort to see where the fitness was at leading into IMWI. (IE- hoping the fitness is good and not having to put in a crash course the next 3 weeks).

Swim: 28:13, and right on track. This is a bit on the slow side but I think that the 5430 races are actually “true distance” vs. other swims which yield remarkable swim times. The main drama of the swim was the goggle choice in the morning since our wave started a good 30min after the pros and was unsure of the cloud cover. I ended up going with the Aquasphere tinted lenses thinking the cloud cover would burn off and leave us staring into the usual glare; good call #1.

Bike: 2:15:42, again right where I wanted to be. I was in 3rd place (I think) after the swim and gained the lead before the halfway mark on the bike. This is a deceiving course with no big climbs, but long false flats that can really slow you down if you lose power. I think I took it out a bit too strong, and didn’t take in enough early calories… more on that in a bit.

Run: 1:36:15, a bit of a disappointment. We will break this into two segments. Miles 1-7, feeling great, clipping off avg of 6:32 miles, perfect!! Take some H20 at aid stations and thinking will coast it in last 5 miles. Wrong! Miles 8-13; hit a brick wall of dizziness, light-headed, salty arms, and no energy!! Came out of nowhere and bit me in the arse! My pace dropped to 8:35/mile Ouch! The mistake here is not fueling when appropriate (even if feeling good at the time), lesson learned.

Total: 4:22:02, 25th overall, 4th AG

I was very happy with my fitness and with a few caloric adjustments should be right where I need to be for IMWI. A few more weeks of hard training, then taper time :)

Hats off to Tim Hola for a fantastic race and being the Amateur Champion!

Also good to See the “Timex Family” out cheering including Will, Trista, and Dennnis!! Thanks for the support guys.