Diamonds And Rough

Saturday July 12th was my official return to Triathlon at the Diamond In The Rough Race in Perryville, MD. Its a unique Tri because it has a very technical bike course with a big climb and many fast descents. Its also weighted toward cyclists because the bike leg is 27 miles, and the run is 5 miles. I was definitely worried about how I would feel after a few weeks of training hard and feeling tired. Ever since the Richmond XTERRA its harder and harder to get up in the morning. I was very excited because it was the first race with my new Cervelo P2 TT bike; what a machine! I used a Zipp Disc in the rear with a HED Tri spoke in the front; I was pulling out all the stops looking for a good result. I even broke out the aero helmet! I had to take off the race numbers from the 2005 race in Honolulu; after that race I sold my Tri bike and didn't even get a license until 2008. Now that is all in the past because I like the new ride!
The swim is actually really nice at this race and a big loop in warm water with good visibility. I have been swimming, but its never my strong event so I was suprised to feel so good. It was the first time I ever teamed up with a competitor during a swim too. I didn't know who he was, but he and I exchanged pulls just cyclists in a breakaway. When I exited the water I gave him a wave of thanks going to T1.
That was when the fun began! Armed with one of the fastest bikes in the race and some special gearing for the hills and descents I really pushed the pace as much as I could. I had left in the 2nd swim wave so the first 1/2 of the bike I was constantly passing other racers. I tried to stay smooth and in my aero position and spin as much as I could. Any time my speed dropped below 15mph I got out of the saddle and tried to raise the pace. Luckily for me by the time I hit the very technical descent and climb I was alone. I just wasn't getting tired on the bike which is a great feeling to have after a dismal month! Coming back into the park on the access road I saw a box turtle crossing the street; could that have been my spirit animal from the last month? I definitely shook off the past few weeks on the bike split and was happy entering T2.
My run was much better than I had expected, but I have been working on it since March. I wasn't catching many people, but I wasn't on the ropes either and felt like I could hold my own. I did get passed by 2 racers on the run, but I expected that with a strong bike split. I still have some work to do, but at least I am seeing improvements!
In the end I had a good day and ended up 8th overall and won the 35-39 age group. I posted the fastest bike split and was the only person to break 1:09:00 and averaged 23.6 which left me happy. I really do think my bike and the position had a lot to do with it! The run was my best average to date I think at a 6:53 pace. I hope to improve on that, but I am definitely happy! Next up is the Masters of MX race at Blue Diamond Park on Saturday 7/19, followed by the Monsters of Michaux Series' Curse of Dark Hollow 7/20. Hopefully I will survive the double and have some interesting stories. I will post some pics asap; thanks for reading!