Miami International Race Report
Last weekend, Kaleb and I went down to Miami for the Miami International. First off, Miami is actually a really nice place. I was really surprised- the water was green/blue Caribbean style, the sand was white- there was a lot of traffic- but out on Biscayne Bay it was really nice. We are going back there for the first race in the Lifetime Fitness Series in 2 weeks and I am really excited about returning.
As far as the race, there was some really great competition and I was happy to be in the mix for most of the race. My swim went really well- for the first time ever I figure how to draft most of the way. Last year, I would lose the main top swim pack after about 400m- this race, I made it to about 1000 m before falling off the back- a huge huge improvement for me! I had tons of endurance and felt very comfortable the whole way- totally a new open water experience for me. I came out of the water only about 25 seconds down off the main lead group- which is not a huge deal in a non- draft race. The best part of the swim was our really incredible new speedsuits from Profile Design. These things are AMAZING- and I think they might have been a big factor in my swim. They fit perfectly, came off easy and just felt really comfortable and fast compared to other speedsuits I have had. http://www.profile-design.com/profile-design/wetsuits/wetsuit-category/all-wetsuits/mako-speed-suit.html I highly highly recommend this suit. I am a huge fan.
The bike went great as well. I have to figure out how to not grind in a low gear during a race. In training, I am able to maintain a cadence of 90rpms + for harder efforts since I have been with Greg. In the race I reverted back to my old ways of grinding in the high 70s and low 80s…I definitely need to fix that and just have the confidence in my cycling to know I can catch people with a cadence of 90. I caught everyone on the bike except the top two girls and backed it down a bit coming back towards transition because I was trying to spin a higher cadence. Most of the girls I caught stayed up right behind me so we all came into T2 together. I am really really excited about my cycling this year, I think I am going to have huge improvements in this area this year! Miami was a great indicator of that considering what we have done on the bike so far. Greg has a very long term vision on the season so we are building slowly with everything and I am happy to be where I am already. The other great product that came out of this race that I have to share is the Rudy Wingspan TT helmet. This helmet has been getting a lot of buzz because it is supposed to be more aero, according to wind tunnel testing, than the long tails for anyone who does not stay in perfect aero position the whole race (ie most triathletes). The helmet was incredible. It is the lightest on the market, comfortable and fast- huge huge different from my last helmet. Practically all the pros were wearing this helmet so the best in the world have really bought into it and I think for good reason- this is an incredible new product: http://www.e-rudy.com/index_inner_detail.php?group_id=3&cat_id=79&item_id=HL506961US
The run- felt terrible. I thought I was going soooo sooo slow. My legs felt heavy and my cadence was so slow (I think because of the grinding bike issue). I got outkicked in the last 100m by a college miler and just felt blah. I knew I might not be super fit yet for this run and I was disappointed when I finished- but then I saw my time and how close I was to the fastest split and I was pumped. I ran awesome! Especially for not doing practically any run workouts yet this season- I was in absolute shock! Goes to show you the benefits of a slow build and a long term vision of the season. I know I have tons more fitness to gain yet on the run this season and I am already in a great place. This is all Greg- I was a little nervous when I started with him last December that I would not be ready for race season given his model- now I am a total believer. Because of my background as a college running coach and athlete- I know that you start a limited window on your running season when you start working out hard- you can only get faster for so long, and then you just get slower or kill yourself trying not to. Greg really understands that and I am shocked that Lauren, Kaleb and I are doing so well right now given what we have done so far- but we are! I can’t wait to see what happens later in the season because I know what we are doing is outside the box, but I think we are seeing that less might be more sometimes. I am so happy where I am for many different reasons right now. =) Best of luck to all early season racers!!!
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