Age Group Nationals. Omaha 2017.
Age Group Nationals, 2017. This had to be one of the best races to date. I wasn't expecting too much from Omaha because I was training to peak at 70.3 Worlds in Chattanooga, Tennessee this upcoming September. My goal at nationals was just to improve from my performance from last year and to really just enjoy the trip with my sister (because brother sister bonding time is a must!).
My sister and I on the pit stop at Notre Dame.
We got to Omaha that Wednesday before the race. I got to see the zoo, go to rib fest, and see some of the historical site of Lewis and Clark.
Now to the race. Race morning, everything was pushed backed about 30 minutes. I was the last wave so I spent the morning just relaxing and making sure the body was going to respond well for the race.
Swim:
The swim is always my weakest point. I tried to hang on the feet of someone I knew and I knew was a good swimmer, Dan Meehan. I was able to hang on his feet for a good portion of the race and didn't finish too far behind him. Swim finish was 24:23. Compared to last year, it wasn't much improvement in time, however I think the water was much slower than last year.
Swim Exit (My thoughts were, thank God the swim was over).
Bike:
Here is one of my biggest strengths in the sport. I had a goal of breaking the hours here and did so. Being the last wave, it made this legs also a little more difficult since I was passing athletes that started before me. My new kit from Castelli is one of the best kits I've ever raced in. Not only that, but it saves some time on the bike. I finished the bike in 59:48. I started to realize that I was in a position to podium in my age group if I had a good run. All I had to do was leave it on the course.
Finishing the bike
Run:
The last part was the run. Even though this is my strength, I knew I had one challenge, the heat. The blacktop we ran on was pretty new, which meant a dark black in color, holding in more heat. I went out trying to hold a 5:50 pace and decided to see how I felt from there. I held the pace for about the first three miles and had to pull back a little after the 3rd mile. I didn't die off too much though, I finished the run in 36:45. I'll take it.
Overall:
I finished 29th overall and 5th within the age group of 20-24. My overall time was 2:04:37.
I was ecstatic to have really improved this race and finished so well on the National podium. This race always brings the nations best, and to see the talent in this sport at a level where we all work full time jobs or are full time students, and still find the time to train 15 to 20 hours a week is truly awesome.
We got to Omaha that Wednesday before the race. I got to see the zoo, go to rib fest, and see some of the historical site of Lewis and Clark.
Now to the race. Race morning, everything was pushed backed about 30 minutes. I was the last wave so I spent the morning just relaxing and making sure the body was going to respond well for the race.
Swim:
The swim is always my weakest point. I tried to hang on the feet of someone I knew and I knew was a good swimmer, Dan Meehan. I was able to hang on his feet for a good portion of the race and didn't finish too far behind him. Swim finish was 24:23. Compared to last year, it wasn't much improvement in time, however I think the water was much slower than last year.
Bike:
Here is one of my biggest strengths in the sport. I had a goal of breaking the hours here and did so. Being the last wave, it made this legs also a little more difficult since I was passing athletes that started before me. My new kit from Castelli is one of the best kits I've ever raced in. Not only that, but it saves some time on the bike. I finished the bike in 59:48. I started to realize that I was in a position to podium in my age group if I had a good run. All I had to do was leave it on the course.
Run:
The last part was the run. Even though this is my strength, I knew I had one challenge, the heat. The blacktop we ran on was pretty new, which meant a dark black in color, holding in more heat. I went out trying to hold a 5:50 pace and decided to see how I felt from there. I held the pace for about the first three miles and had to pull back a little after the 3rd mile. I didn't die off too much though, I finished the run in 36:45. I'll take it.
Overall:
I finished 29th overall and 5th within the age group of 20-24. My overall time was 2:04:37.
I was ecstatic to have really improved this race and finished so well on the National podium. This race always brings the nations best, and to see the talent in this sport at a level where we all work full time jobs or are full time students, and still find the time to train 15 to 20 hours a week is truly awesome.
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