Nawlins 70.3 Race Report

New Orleans was a great experience: I met up with old friends from Team USA, got to see my favorite brothers and sisters from anotha motha (the Gollnicks!), and enjoyed New Orleans for the first time ever. The race, however, was a different story...

I'm not quite sure why I'm writing this report as it's going to consist of a bunch of whining about how bad I felt and blah blah blah. It was a bad race, it just wasn't there. The venue was beautiful, the spectators were great, it was well organized... but my race just wasn't there. You've been warned, here it is.

I felt really prepared and fit going into the weekend. Saturday I rode, ran, and swam with Heather and it felt good to have my legs under me. I practiced my start several times, made sure my bike was ready to ride, and practiced pacing on the run.

Sunday morning came after a good nights sleep. I arrived in plenty of time, got setup, ran through transitions, walked a mile to the start, and warmed up with Jill (in our wetsuits, my parents have some great pics!).

SWIM - I don't really know what to say about this besides it was just plain long! It was a point to point swim and just went on forever. I found it sooo hard to stay focused and it was obvious when I checked my watch at the exit... a whole 5 minutes slower than usual. Not a great start.

BIKE - Now in my comfort zone I made my move. I wanted to have an aggressive ride and since my swim was a joke I figured I had nothing to lose. I went out hard and tried to hold it, only to find out my groin had other plans. I've been having it out with my groin since December and it decided to speak up during the race... perfect.

It was a cool ride though! We went out the Bayou (I have no idea what that means but that's what I was told) and saw snakes, turtles, and gators throughout. We went through some of the devastation, had an aid station manned by men in red dresses, the locals offered up their beer, and Regis and Kelly were taping on the course!

RUN - The run started out much better than expected considering how my legs felt on the ride. The first 6 miles ticked away pretty steadily and I ran through the 10K mark right on pace. My feet started to hurt pretty bad but I wriggled my toes and ran on. Finally it got so painful that I stopped and pulled my shoes off. I tried to adjust my socks and rub my feet in hopes that I would feel my toes again. I loosened my laces and ran on. I ended up having to pull my shoes three times and by the time I made it to the finish I couldn't walk. It was no good.

Now I'm sitting on my couch sick as a dog! After every race I manage to get a nasty cold/sinus infection that completely knocks me out. On a brighter note it was a great weekend spent with great friends and the worlds best parents. I learned a lot from this race and know exactly what I need to do for next month.

Congrats to everyone who finished the race! There were Louisvillians, Florida Campers, Team USAers, and so many others I knew out there! It was great to have so much support on the course, congrats to all and train on!!