Left Friday afternoon from west El Paso for the 183 mile drive to Socorro, NM. Got there at 8 pm just in time to pick up the packet at the race venue and then checked in at the Holiday Inn Express which is half a mile away from the starting point. Had a late pasta dinner in a restaurant next door and then got ready for the next days event.
Woke up at 0500 for the 0700 start and grabbed a bite to eat at the hotel. Rob Lovett was there and we finally met in person after following each others blogs. We walked to the venue instead of driving and some people were riding in. Arrived at 0600 got body marked, picked up timing chip, and set up my transition. At 0630 there was a pre-race briefing and then we were instructed to line up according to bib numbers which were based on our estimated 400 meter swim times. They allowed groups of 60 into the pool area and it was there that I met some guys lining up with me. 162 Michael from Socorro and 165 Adolfo from El Paso and 167 Lowry also from El Paso.
The Swim 400 meters 9:32
As my turn arrived, I was instructed to jump in the pool (no cannon balls) and wait for the start. The outdoor pool was around 77 F, wet suit legal according to the official. They separated each swimmer by 10 seconds, a little long in my view, I think 5 seconds is good enough. Felt good to be swimming and passed two people and 1 guy passed me. Not very crowded for me and it was 50 meters out and change lanes for 8 lengths of the pool. Saw Blanca on the side of the pool towards the end and gave her a wave. There was good crowd support and I reached the end feeling pretty good.
T1 1:11
There was a seemingly long run to the transition from the pool. The bike racks had letters on the side, mine was F, and I made what felt like a pretty smooth transition. Shoes first, no socks as I had put baby powder inside to soak up the moisture which I recommend. I did not put on a top to save time for the first time. Helmet, glasses, and then off to the mounting line.
I have been practicing T1 but would really like to improve, the top 10 finisher's T1 ranged from a screaming 38 seconds to 1:42, so I am in the middle of that fast pack.
The Bike 12 miles, 36:04, 20.79 mph average
One thing that I did not know was that the bike course is hilly in Socorro. The first portion has a 90 degree turns and then it is straight up hill for half a mile at 4-5% grade. It levels out a bit but it's still up hill with 2 out and backs where you can see who is in front and behind you. From mile 5 to 8 its out up hill 2-3% grade then the last 4 miles is down hill for the most part with some short inclines. At the turn around point from the second out and back, I had a chocolate GU and Gatorade then went for it the last 4 miles. My speed was up to 30 mph during this portion except for the two 90 degree turns. So the bottom line is expect hills for this event and make up for it on the return. As I arriving to T2, finished my Gatorade and got ready for the run.
T2 0:56
I had dismounted by leaving the shoes in the clips, so I ran to my transition spot and mounted bike, helmet off, cap on, and then slipped on my Spira XLTs for the run. I use no shoe laces and no socks. The top 10 finisher's T2 range was 42" to 52" so not too bad there for me.
Felt good starting the run. My goal was to keep my pace at 8:00 min/mile which I found in training I could maintain. The run is flat and after the first mile you run on gravel next to an irrigation canal. It was getting hot by this time but there were some large trees providing shade. At the half way point, I was passed by Michael who was 162 and I had met on the swim line up. He was running faster at 07:30 min/miles. I saw his calf and his age was 47 and so I realized we were in the same age group. I jokingly told him I thought I was going to be second in our age group but now I would have to settle for third. Since he had started the swim ahead of me, all I had to do to beat him was finish close to him, even if he was ahead. I used him to pace me the rest of the run and completed the event pretty satisfied with my time and performance.
Total time was 1:12:13. I was 9th in my age group (45-59) out of 19 men and 65th overall out of 254 finishers. The winner in my age group had a time of 58:14 a 49 year old from Los Alamos. The competition in this event is very strong as the athletes from Albuquerque and Northern, NM are quite fit.
Post Script
Last year at Eagle in the Sun my time was 1:14:28 in what I consider an easier bike course. With more training, I should be able to improve the T1 time and hopefully the bike and swim. All I need is more motivation on the run. I agree with what Brooks V wrote on his blog, that these events with the chip timing and the swim first (in a pool instead of open water) only amount to a time trial. You never know where your place is along the way to push you to compete.
