A few days after finishing IM 70.3 Florida, Karel was itching to race again. He enjoys racing a lot more than training so his ideal strategy is to race himself into great fitness. Knowing that our athlete and good friend Alvi was racing an Olympic distance triathlon just outside of Atlanta two weeks after IM 70.3 Florida, Karel decided to join him (I stayed home with the furry kids).
After a solid night of sleep on Thursday (allowing extra time to sleep in knowing that race night is never a good for sleeping), Karel had his daily pre-workout oatmeal before heading out on the tri bike for an hour ride. He followed it up with a 20 minute treadmill run. I packed up a cooler and bag of food for him (also booked them a hotel with a microwave and fridge) and he left around 11:30am to pick up Alvi.
Karel had a really rough night of sleep. His leg was bothering him (sciatica/disc issue) and even his Oura ring gave him all the signals that he should take it easy on Saturday (race day). I received an early text from Karel about his horrible night of sleep. I felt bad for him but knew he would be able to put together a great race - even if really sleep deprived.
The race day routine was fairly normal - rack bikes, set up the transition area, go for a jog, bathroom, warm-up some more, one last potty stop and then head to the swim start for a warm-up swim. Around 7:15am, the first group of 50 athletes (by bib number) started the race. This group included Alvi and Karel.
0.93 mile Swim - 25:03
Prior to the start of the race, Karel was shocked to see a fly-over above him. This was just the start to an incredible race experience organized by Tri Peachtree City.
The swim was pretty straightforward. Swim out, make a right turn, swim, make another right turn and head back to the finish. There were several sighting buoys but Karel focused only on the turn buoys. He noticed several swimmers moving to the left of the lake but Karel just stayed straight as he made his way to the first turn buoy. For the majority of the swim, he swam by himself. He didn't feel fast but just held a steady effort (all that he had in the water for the day). As he was nearing the end of the swim, he caught up to the supersprint triathletes and that caused a little slow down but no biggie - Karel just made his way around those athletes as he exited the water.
T1 - 1:05
The transition from swim to bike was uneventful. A quick 65-second transition and Karel was on his way out of the transition area and on to the bike course.
25 mile Bike - 1:03.54
After passing one lady at the start of the bike, Karel rode the rest of the bike by himself. He couldn't believe that there were mile markers every.single.mile of the bike - for all 25 miles! The course wasn't closed to cars but there was very little traffic on the course. The road condition was excellent (well - anything is better than our road condition in Gville) and the roads were really smooth. The course had rolling hills but nothing too steep or technical. Karel settled into a good rhythm and he was so relieved to have no back pain. This was one of his better bike performances in a really long time as he was able to just ride his bike without having to deal with his back. The recent changes he made in his bike fit have really helped. Nearing the end of the bike, Karel had to slow down as a golf cart got rather close to him - he was a bit thrown off his game but all was good. I was really happy to have our friend Eedee out on the course cheering for Karel and giving me updates. She was also there to support her hubby and our athlete Joshua who was racing.
T2 - 1:20
Nothing major to report here. In and out. Karel didn't wear his Naked hydration band for this race but instead, just carried his flask with a sport drink in it.
6.2 mile Run - 37.09
Karel didn't feel the best on the run. His legs felt a bit flat. He was hoping he would find some snap in his legs as the run went on but that dull feeling just lingered. But that didn't stop him from giving his best on the day. The run course was out and back, which allowed Karel to see the leaders. After Karel passed Alvi and a few other athletes, he was on the hunt for the leaders. Karel managed to get close with the fastest run split of the day, but only managed to get 3rd overall - 50 seconds behind 1st overall and 8 seconds behind 2nd. Not to shabby for Karel's almost 45-year old body to race with the young kids (well not super young but the first place guy is 32 and the 2nd place guy is 37).
Total time: 2:08.30, 3rd overall.
Results
Karel really enjoyed being finished with a triathlon race before 10am. After Alvi and Joshua finished, it was time to exchange race stories before collecting their awards and making their way back to the car for the drive home. Although Karel was tired from the race + drive, the excitement of watching the live coverage of IM 70.3 St. George (pro race) got his heart rate up as we spent the rest of the day watching the race. I had already watched the race earlier in the day but I couldn't wait to watch it with Karel as he had no idea of the race results.
Racing is back and it feels so good!
Side note: Karel and Alvi were super impressed with this race - the organizers and volunteers were incredible and the race was very safe. They highly recommend it! And thanks Eedee for the pics!