My race in Colorado went really well on Saturday morning, I got 16th place out of 40 elite-level men and some pro athletes. While this didn't qualify me for my professional certification, I got some super valuable experience in draft-legal racing, and I know the next race I do will be awesome :)
I was in the lead group on the swim, despite feeling loopy from the elevation and exertion, so I know that I can hang with most anyone out there. My first problem was putting my shoes on while riding my bike, which cuts down on transition time. I had difficulty getting my right foot in, and got dropped from the lead pack of 4 riders. I rode hard for about 3 miles by myself, trying to catch that group, which burned up a lot of my energy stores. I wasn't able to catch them, and eventually started working with three other athletes that were close behind me.
Halfway through the second of four loops on the bike ride, one of the athletes I was working with crashed right in front of me and I narrowly avoided running into him. At that point, me and one of the other guys from the group pressed on, while the fourth athlete fell back into a chase pack. Eventually, that pack brought me and my companion back and we all came into the second transition together.
The run was pretty tough after doing a lot of extra work on the bike course(since I wasn't in a large group), and of the three sports, the elevation really hit me the most on the run. It was crazy to be breathing hard, feeling on the limit of my cardiovascular capacity, and at the same time running pretty slow.
Overall, I felt like I had a good race and I've got several key things I can work on this winter. I'm pumped to continue with draft-legal, especially after having such a great oportunity to race the format somewhat-close to home. Thanks again to everyone who helped get me to the race! Give me a call, email me, text me if you want to hear more about the race or just to chat :)
-Eric
