19 July 2011
I had debated for a while if I was going to race DC Triathlon this year. Being in my back yard, I could hardly resist, and a discount coupon procured from a vendor at the Shamrock marathon expo a few months ago had sealed the deal.
Let me set up how I approached DC Triathlon by briefly explaining what happened seven days prior. Last week at Laurel Hills 50K ultra (done as as relay) I took a pretty big fall. The damage is not what you’d think (gashes, blood, bruises on knees, hands and face) but rather in a place unexpected. Shoulder, neck, and back. During my fall I grabbed a sapling to my side and torqued my arm back. My rhomboid was on fire, but I saved my face from the rocks it was heading for. Without turning into a different race report, I’ll finish this off that saying I stayed with the lead runner for the 11.2 miles of my leg before I had to hand off the my next runner.
During the week prior to DC Tri I couldn’t swim and could barely ride because the whole area between my spine and shoulder blade was next to destroyed. By Thursday I snuck in a light swim and rode once. Running had been slow.
I stayed with my friend Jack so he could drop me off in the morning then pick me up later. 0345 came and loaded up with my new breakfast regimen of banana and peanut butter sandwhiches. Jack and I hopped in the car, headed to transition and he dropped me off. It was hot and humid for 0430 in the morning and didn’t bode incredibly well. I tried to run a bit and warm up my back to loosen it up. My neck felt surprisingly good.
The water that morning was 77.2 degrees and wetsuit legal, so I decided I may need a little help to get me through if my neck gave out. The time trial start was certainly a change of pace from my races earlier this season. Surprisingly I thought the TT start was great. No kicks to the face or flailing arms, so I liked the space. Additionally, having distance markers every 100m was great mental part for keeping my confidence up. I started kind of rough but found my groove about 400 meters in. From 700-1400m I was rocking, passing a number of folks. I upped my tempo and tried to get out of the water fast. 31 mins. Better than expected considering I could barely move my head.
T1 was fine, and only mildly muddy. Getting on the bike felt great. The course was fairly uneventful until my neck and shoulder started to cramp where I had injured it. I focused more on the road to keep my mind off the road. While I liked the course, a didn’t like the hairpin turnarounds on Rock Creek Park as well as on Ohio Dr. My neck cramped hard around 30K in and my speed dropped since I had to spend so much time upright. Aero was killing me at that point. A slow 1:09 on the bike, and back into transition.
My run started alright but I knew as soon as I got my shoes on it was going to be a struggle. My back had completely tightened up and my neck seared with every step. About 4K in it started sprinkling and I was getting passed plenty. The course took us on a less than (mentally) ideal set of streets that teased us with the finish line. Every time we approached the finish line the course branched out for another out-and-back. It did this 3 times, looking like a clover, right at the finish line. I crossed the finish at a less than desirable 2:33 but was glad I didn’t push it any harder.
The finish line festivities were great, lots of food, drink, and what I wanted the most - a massage (which brought me nearly to tears).
Followup: Two days after the race my neck snapped while stretching and send unmanageable pain down my neck into my back. I have been in a neck brace for almost 2 weeks and can’t even train. How will Rocketts Landing turn out? I just don’t know.
I had debated for a while if I was going to race DC Triathlon this year. Being in my back yard, I could hardly resist, and a discount coupon procured from a vendor at the Shamrock marathon expo a few months ago had sealed the deal.
Let me set up how I approached DC Triathlon by briefly explaining what happened seven days prior. Last week at Laurel Hills 50K ultra (done as as relay) I took a pretty big fall. The damage is not what you’d think (gashes, blood, bruises on knees, hands and face) but rather in a place unexpected. Shoulder, neck, and back. During my fall I grabbed a sapling to my side and torqued my arm back. My rhomboid was on fire, but I saved my face from the rocks it was heading for. Without turning into a different race report, I’ll finish this off that saying I stayed with the lead runner for the 11.2 miles of my leg before I had to hand off the my next runner.
During the week prior to DC Tri I couldn’t swim and could barely ride because the whole area between my spine and shoulder blade was next to destroyed. By Thursday I snuck in a light swim and rode once. Running had been slow.
I stayed with my friend Jack so he could drop me off in the morning then pick me up later. 0345 came and loaded up with my new breakfast regimen of banana and peanut butter sandwhiches. Jack and I hopped in the car, headed to transition and he dropped me off. It was hot and humid for 0430 in the morning and didn’t bode incredibly well. I tried to run a bit and warm up my back to loosen it up. My neck felt surprisingly good.
The water that morning was 77.2 degrees and wetsuit legal, so I decided I may need a little help to get me through if my neck gave out. The time trial start was certainly a change of pace from my races earlier this season. Surprisingly I thought the TT start was great. No kicks to the face or flailing arms, so I liked the space. Additionally, having distance markers every 100m was great mental part for keeping my confidence up. I started kind of rough but found my groove about 400 meters in. From 700-1400m I was rocking, passing a number of folks. I upped my tempo and tried to get out of the water fast. 31 mins. Better than expected considering I could barely move my head.
T1 was fine, and only mildly muddy. Getting on the bike felt great. The course was fairly uneventful until my neck and shoulder started to cramp where I had injured it. I focused more on the road to keep my mind off the road. While I liked the course, a didn’t like the hairpin turnarounds on Rock Creek Park as well as on Ohio Dr. My neck cramped hard around 30K in and my speed dropped since I had to spend so much time upright. Aero was killing me at that point. A slow 1:09 on the bike, and back into transition.
My run started alright but I knew as soon as I got my shoes on it was going to be a struggle. My back had completely tightened up and my neck seared with every step. About 4K in it started sprinkling and I was getting passed plenty. The course took us on a less than (mentally) ideal set of streets that teased us with the finish line. Every time we approached the finish line the course branched out for another out-and-back. It did this 3 times, looking like a clover, right at the finish line. I crossed the finish at a less than desirable 2:33 but was glad I didn’t push it any harder.
The finish line festivities were great, lots of food, drink, and what I wanted the most - a massage (which brought me nearly to tears).
Followup: Two days after the race my neck snapped while stretching and send unmanageable pain down my neck into my back. I have been in a neck brace for almost 2 weeks and can’t even train. How will Rocketts Landing turn out? I just don’t know.
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