Steelhead 70.3

Since I got the official word about the 70.3 World Championships, training has been going really well.  I guess knowing that I'll be lining up with the best in the world was definitely a motivator.  The weather down here in San Antonio hasn't caused much of a problem.  The exception has been those few days that are superbly hot and dry, so when I'm on the bike I'm always thirsty; but for the most part a good 96-99 degree temperature is the norm.  

There are some great triathletes who are pretty hardcore down here, which makes it fun to get the workout knocked out at anytime. San Antonio has turned out to be a true gem for training, most recently I moved across the street from a new park (Phil Hardberger Park).  This particular park has some great trails for running and a spot to stop and get some filtered/purified water, talk about sweet!  Another great asset I've had since moving here was access to a master swimming group, coached by Susan Ingram.  She has been a great help and I'm excited about making another step up in my swim. 

This past weekend marked exactly 3 weeks out from the 70.3 WC in Las Vegas, so I decided to head up to Steelhead to have one more solid race.  I feel like I'm finally starting to get a good feel for the distance, not to mention that I'm excited to take part in another midwest event.  I wasn't looking forward to the cold water, but I have to say them temperature was perfect both in the lake and the air.

I was really lucky to stay with a great Family, who have been a part of the Steelhead race forever! Kathy and Matt Davis and their two sons Gordon and Mitch.  I should mention the lads are super fast swimmers! Matt and Gordon did the relay and a posted a great result.

Onto the race details !! at 7am we made the mad dash from the beach to Lake Michigan, we had a decent bit to run/drive before the water was deep enough to swim, I stayed in the mix for the run part and then just focused on hanging in the group and wait for the pace to settle. I was pleased with my swim, coming out only 3:00 min down. But still lots of work to be done, as I want to be in the mix starting the bike.

 After a solid T1 I caught the 2 guys who were just ahead of me on the swim as we rolled out to chase. I was cold on the bike and my calves were cramping during the first 15miles, it was still under 60 deg, which is something I haven't been pushing in for a while. I probably should have brought Calf sleeves (note for cold races, when training in heat) It took me a long time to felt my normal pop on the bike, not until 20miles to go did I actually get going.

Going in I was hoping for a sub 2:12 split, hitting T2 I felt. Really good both mentally and physically, I got the word I was 9th from my friends.  So. lots of work to do on the run, with the cool temps and amazing feeling in my legs I was ready for the chase. I hit 5:33 at the top of the hill for the first mile and could see 2-3 guys up the road. I keep the pace right around 5:40 average until 9mi and then fell off to 6:00 flat for the next 3, I had 3rd in sight however I was starting to not feel good ( with the cool temps I did a bad job with nutrition . My estimation is I was about 500cal off my normal 70.3 intake.  With a mile to go I shut down and focused on just getting across the line. Zach Rubble put in a great effort to kept 3rd, he runs himself to the red, I must give this guy credit as a tough competitor! I ended up splitting 1:17:10 on the run, goal was 1:15:30 so looking at the splits I lost 1:20 from my average pace in the last mile and 10 secs per mile for miles 10-12. So I got 3 weeks to nail some good workouts before Vegas.

I can't complain as I finished with a PR by a min, and had a good race before 70.3 Worlds in Vegas.

Now the shouts outs.

Thanks to my amazing homestay family The Davis's, I plan to come back next year. To my teammate Chris Ganter for saving me the day before when I ripped my pedal off, that would having been a great YouTube video.  The Ironman crew for all the support on the run. I love when they call my buddies and I get the "Kyle said run faster!".  

Finally to my great support system, Snapple, Superfeet, Immunotec, On Running, Hed Wheels, Rudy Project, Tri-sition Area, my wife for pushing me out the door to get the work done, Wes, Carlos and Sean for being superb training partners.