Flintstone Triathlon #winning

It is with a much happier outlook than last time that I report my victory at the 2011 Flintstone Triathlon!

Where to begin? For starters, I was grateful at 6:30 a.m. to know that I would not be skulking around the race site alone, thanks to the friends I made last year. Life is a much happier prospect in general when you don't insulate yourself, and are surrounded by people who are cooler than you.

It's also fun to know that other competitors are trying specifically to beat me. I'm not sure whether it's respectful rivalry because we're on a level playing field, or because they think I'm a jackass for wearing a pink tri suit or, most recently, a mankini.

Scoping out 2nd place Tom Knopp, a 3-time Kona finisher. 

Either way, I've never been "the hunted." Pressure, schmessure. It's a 50-minute race (48:47, actually, but who's counting?)

I didn't use a watch, but by my estimate, I biked a few minutes faster and ran a minute or two slower. Put that down to a rockin' new bike and the fact that six miles still constitutes a "long run" for me. For what it's worth, I led the entire two-mile run course, so I focused less on churning my legs into butter, and more on maintaining good form and posture. And I'll be damned if, every time I gave myself a form check, I didn't run easier and quicker.

I missed my own course record by two seconds, but I also avoided a sprint finish. I'm just happy to be running and competing again without injury.

Thanks to: my dad for taking some great pictures and supporting me, even when I act like a brat; Liz, Drew and Tony for being awesome friends; Denny for the bike and the great race management; Ken and Scenic City Multisport for the great race and venue choice.

Charles Woodson? No, that's Liz Regnitz, Green-Bay packin' some serious moves.

The eyeball windtunnel says: aero achieved!

Small world: this guy works at Unum, too.

Drew scared off all the other M25-29 challengers.

An Unfair Trade: Early-Season Race Report

Summary: When you take 6 months off from running, you get a lot slower. When you spend most of that time swimming, you get a tiny bit faster. And no matter how nice your bike is, if you don't have the legs on a given day, neither of those things matter.

I'm not complaining. Really, I'm not. Competing, running pain-free, doubling over with side stitches -- I love all those things.

But if I could do them now as fast as I could have a year ago, I'd love them a tiny bit more.

In a remarkable and somewhat disappointing development, the swim at the Scenic City Triathlon was my best split. The cold winter months spent cranking out sets like 16 x 100m and 4 x 500m obviously paid off a bit. It was my hope that coming out of the water less fatigued would set me up for a better ride and, like always, I would seal the deal with a quick run. Aboard a real TT bike, how could that plan fail?

As it turns out, all it takes to derail that plan is three weeks of bad rides. I rode into form -- maybe too early -- back in February and March, but an ill-fated 70-mile ride sapped my legs for almost a month. My "training" was severely damaged (not to mention my psyche).

So I entered the race on the strength of two decent rides, which were apparently nullified by two days of cutting and hauling trees that were felled in the storm. I felt pretty good during the ride itself, and I rode without a computer or watch to let my body dictate the pace. Had it been a 9-mile course, my overall placement and sensations would have been higher. During the last five miles, though, all I could do was watch as stronger riders went past.

I left T2 with a small group. Again, the lack of miles in my legs was apparent, and I ran the short 5k with a double side stitch. I made up a few places, and unleashed a strong finishing kick to pass one more. Unfortunately, he had started three minutes behind me in the 40+ wave.

Overall, it was a great first race. Weather was awesome; my body felt fine, if not "great"; and I finished among some of Chattanooga's best triathletes. I think I will spend some time rebuilding my base, though, before I try to pick up speed. With no real target races, I'd rather train the right way than the easy way.

The Pink Panther is on the prowl.

Oh, and did I mention I wore a pink kit?