5150 National Championship Race Report

I am the 5150 19 and under National Champion. It feels pretty good to say it too. I was thinking about how much I have accomplished over the past three seasons, how far I have come and how much work I have put in to get here, it is really unbelievable. 

I want to thank a few people who helped get me to this point...

First and foremost, my family, Mom, Dad and Jillian. My coach, Craig Strong. Mark Kolar, Chase Baraczek, Mark Frick, Claire Geiger and all of my other training partners who were there through the painful computrainer sessions, the 5AM sunrise workouts and the 100+ mile long rides. Without all of you I do not think I would have come so far in such a short amount of time. 

Now as for the race itself. I had a conversation with my coach a few days before the race and he reminded me of a few things that stuck with me the entire race, leave everything you have on the race course.  I have nothing to loose. My season ends with this race and I am there to win.  

The day started with a nice 4:20 AM wake up call and the traditional banana/ Clif bar combo.  We made our way to the race site and I set up my transition area. At the race briefing the night before we were told that the water was a balmy 85.4 degrees and it would be NO WETSUIT. I thought of this as an advantage and I was pleased.  As I was checking the last minute details on my bike I heard over the loud speaker, "the impossible has happened, with the heavy rainfall last night, the lake has dropped 10 degrees and the race will now be wetsuit legal." Wow, this would have been fine if I hadn't left my wetsuit in Iowa City thinking there was no way the lake could even possibly drop 10 degrees in 1 day. Well I got on the start line, no wet suit and all and put this behind me.  I was not going to let it ruin my day. 

Mom and Dad surprised me with a new race suit too!

The gun went off and I was in the front pack. Trailing some of the faster swimmers and working hard. The 1.5k flew by and I hit the final turn in no time. I exited the water and then it happened again. Cramps, both hamstrings and calves. I limped out of the water and started running. It was 60 degrees outside and I had no idea why this was happening. I made my way over to my bike and the cramps went away. I spun out my legs for the first few miles and the legs came around. Now I was truly off on the 40k and ready to work. 

I had driven the course the day before and had known that it was going to be hilly and challenging, that is why it is the National Championship.  I really had no idea that it was going to be this tough.  It was up and down, rolling hills and the winds kept everyone honest. I quickly realized that my bike split was going to be slower than I had planned but again, it did not matter, I was not there to set a 40k best bike split, I was there to win.  As I made the turn around at the high school I was able to see my competition. Not far behind I saw what I was up against. A few strong bikers and an up and coming ITU star, all in my division. I knew now was the time to tuck and go. I ended up passing four athletes in my division on the ride and did not let a single competitor pass me. I came into T2 feeling strong and in 1st place. 

I was onto the run and feeling good. My dad stayed around to see me off the bike and he reminded me of a few things as I passed by, high cadence, head position and forward lean. He also yelled out one thing that really got to me. "Sub-40." So far this season I had yet to accomplish one of my goals and this was to break 40 min for a 10k run in a triathlon. I took my gel and got some energy. I flew through the 1 mile in 5:52, the 2 mile in 11:55 and did not look until mile four where I was at 24:31.  I was right on pace to do it but then realized that it would not come easy, the last two miles of the run are the most challenging and they are mostly up hill. My form was still strong and I had some left in the tank.  I knew it was time to go.  As I made the turn around with about 1 mile to go I saw my closest competitor about 800m behind. I knew if I stayed strong I would have it. I killed myself in that last mile.  That is the most amount of pain I have experienced in a run.  I went up the first of two hills towards the finish and as I rounded the corner to finish on the blue carpet, I was reassured that I had done it. 19 and under National Champion with a 38:00 10k run. As I ran across the finish line, the feeling is really indescribable.  I just new I had made it. 

The prize for the days efforts was a gold medal and a $650 dollar gift card to Orbea/Orca. All I have to say is it was an easy drive back to Iowa City.... 

Also, I want to say thanks to all my fans! After a little break I will be back at it again training for next season. Expect some big things coming from Team Metzler. Stay tuned for 2012....

Some more race pictures: