After a few more good training rides and runs we arrive at our next race. Rocky Gap! This is a great race–it is short and fast. It is advertised as a 1/4 mile swim but I really think it has to be closer to 1/3 mile, along with an 8 mile bike ride followed by a fairly flat 3.1 mile run.
John Ankney and I were up early, although not as early as other years. We drove out the night before and only had a half hour drive in the morning as opposed to the usual 3 hour drive.
We show up and were some of the first in the parking lot. In fact we were so early the bathrooms were not even open yet. As is often the case the longest line is for the race packet pick up. Usually the line for the bathrooms is the next longest but that wasn’t the case since they are still locked. The rangers told the impatient racers that they were not authorized to open up the rest rooms. However, after some polite begging, sympathy won over authority and the rest rooms were opened.
After hitting the obligatory stops, we returned to set up our gear. Over the past 5 years this routine is becoming standard. Once ready, we were off to the pre-race meeting held in the playground. This would be my first race at Rocky Gap with a wet suit, so I was looking forward to seeing what the time difference would be.
John and I were in the first wave of swimmers so we headed out to the water. I already noticed a difference with the water temperature. As the horn sounded, the water around me erupted with the flailing of arms and legs that marks the start of any triathlon. I began swimming in as straight of a line as possible and was immediately greeted with kicks and punches. Working my way out of the pack, I had a relatively uneventful second half of the swim.
As I made landfall, I noticed John right in front of me. I would later find out that I shaved nearly 3 minutes off of my time, but at this point all I cared about is that I could see John in front of me! I took off and passed him again as we made our way into the transition area. We both got ready with John beating me out again. I made a mental note to make sure I practiced my transitions.
I was on my bike and began climbing the hill up out of the parking lot when to my dismay my chain jumped again! Grumbling under my breath I fixed the chain and took off. Frustrated, I began pedaling faster than I thought was even possible. I pushed it hard the entire time. My bike split was decent for me and I came rolling back into the lot for the second transition. I racked my bike and changed shoes.
As I start out, now running, I suddenly realized I had forgotten my number strap! I turned around losing about 15 seconds and grabbed the number. I clipped it on as I headed out and transitioned easily into my running pace.
I burned through the first mile and was climbing the hill to the halfway point when Wes blew by me. Wes is one of John’s friends and he is unbelievable. He had started in the 2nd wave 5 minutes behind me and had already closed that time gap!
Wes went by and I made the turn around point and began coming back. I actually felt pretty good, putting the hammer down for the last half to finish in a respectable 1:03:36.
This was also much better than my time last year. Another improvement from increased training! I came to find out that I finished 4th in my age group, one spot out of the medals. Just like the last race, when it comes to this race, next year won’t come fast enough for redemption.
