I’m Back – Wildflower Race Report


Yogi B and Monet kickin’ it Wildflower style. Yogi B had one fine long course race last Saturday

Wildflower Triathlon – A Tough Race In A Beautiful Place

The day’s temp was about the same as the last two years, maybe even a touch cooler but the wind was a major factor. After a fun Friday night, I got to sleep around 11:45 PM. I don’t need much sleep before a race and who really sleeps well the night before a big race, so I say, “Why force it?” I stay up late like I do almost every night.

Stephanie and I were one of the first participants at the transition area. I laid out my stuff, found Steph and got on an empty shuttle back to camp for breakfast. Us old men don’t start until 9 AM or later. I had plenty of time for the PRP and to get my pre-race thoughts in order. I headed down with Bruce, lubed up and put on my wetsuit.

The swim was choppy and crowded, especially when you start that late. I had the best drafting swim of my life and only sighted about 50 times the entire race. I took it easy and felt good. I swam a 35 min, which is average for me.

In my T1 rush I made a terrible mistake, I forgot to stuff my singlet with food. I need solid food on the bike and I drink water. I was forced to use the gels on the course and shorted myself about 500 calories compared to what I had intended. I paid for it.

Talk about the wind again. I don’t get much practice in the wind and I found my upper back very tight because I was strongly gripping my aerobars and horns. This prevented me from being in the aeros as much as I wanted. It almost felt like I was learning my bike handling skills all over, being blown around. I certainly wasn’t as relaxed as I usually am.

I still have to download my Power Tap® but I am willing to bet my average watts were down 25 – 40 from last year. The bike took 3:02. This back injury slowed me down. I got off the bike and my legs felt dead, I mean really dead. If I didn’t have the bike to hold me up I would have collapsed. I limped over to my rack and had a slow T2. It took 2 miles, food, Advil and Thermalytes to get my feet turning again. My steps were short, I mean grandpa using a walker short, until I hit my first downhill around mile 2.75 when I put my ChiRunning techniques into speed. At that point, I changed my goals. It wasn’t about finishing, it was about running up every hill. The Catalina Marathon had primed me for these hills, I knew I could do it. I started off slow but focused on my techniques and just kept running except through the aid stations. I would walk for gels and water.

I knew I had a little hill at the top of mile 9 followed by a nice downhill then to the toughest part of the race for me, the climb up mile 10. I never looked more than 25 feet in front of me up that hill and prayed, for real. I got my second wind and nobody passed me from mile 9 on. I flew down Lynch hill. I must have past at least 50 people. I ran though the shoot faster than ever before. I hoped to salvage a sub 2-hour run but ran a 2:03. It doesn’t matter because I found my run out there, when it counted.

I finished 33 out of 185 with a final time of 5:46:09. Looking back, I will fix a couple of things. First, buy a Bento Box for my food. Second, I had a negative mindset with the wind. There was way too much focus on how I couldn’t PR in that wind. On the positive side, I finished stronger than ever. I feel good and I was able to find that spirit inside me that got me going when I was thinking how tough it was going to be finish. I was able to let go and get into the moment.

It was great hanging with the Pasadena Tri Club and great people. I am proud of everyone who made the trip.

Side Note: I lost my challenge to Brandon Hament aka Yogi B, who beat me by more than 14 minutes. Congrats Yogi B, great race.

Train Focused – Steve Mackel, USA Triathlon Coach

May 8, 2007 | Filed Under Steve's Posts 

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