Vermont Half Journey --Race Report

Lake Dunmore Vermont -- Vermont Sun Series . My first triathlon was the sprint here in 2005. So it was really cool to be racing here again, these events are well done --Nice job Jerod. The race-- the swim was smooth and I found myself in a place among the top 10-15 ,this is very unusual for me. I exited the water in 29:15 -a good swim for me. The waters of Lake Dunmore are crystal clear and beautiful .you can see the bottom at most points during the swim. I fumbled around in T1,trying to peel my wetsuit and was pretty slow getting out. Out on the bike I passed a few guys early on, including a friend of mine Andrew Kinley - a very strong swimmer. He informed me that there were 4 or 5 guys out in front ,I knew Kevin Bouchard Hall was among the front guys , Kevin is a very strong cyclist . I was just hoping that my swim put me in a position to be within a few to several minutes of him heading out on the bike. I was in luck at the moment,at the first turnaround he was about 2-4 minutes in front and there were just two other guys in front of him. The goal now was to execute Jesse's (my coach www.qt2systems.com) race plan--pace the bike so you can run well. This at times can be difficult,but crucial in order to run well--hopefully it pays off later! The bike was tough heading south, as there was a stiff south wind. I passed the second place guy around mile 35 and at the second turnaround I could see that Kevin was pulling away , but the gap was not huge . Overall I was feeling pretty good ,but could feel the fatigue in my legs from the weeks bike/run volume as I prepare for Hawaii. I was patient on the bike and executed Jesse's plan--now how would the legs react on the run. I also knew there was a guy making some slow progress on me ,I held him off at least for now. As I rolled in to T2 , a spectator informed me that I was 5min back --WOW! That number just sounded BIG! T2 was quick ,but the first few miles are uphill, not steep ,but up. OUCH- a bee sting to the right ear ..... shades go flying as I swat at him. I'll get them later! Anyway, my legs felt okay as I tried to dial in my pace. The course was challenging,but mostly shaded and really beautiful! It was an out and back course along the lake on both paved and dirt roads--really nice run. As I approached the turnaround I could see the leader was heading back , i was now about 50sec back. Overall I was feeling good and holding my pace . Around mile 8-9 I took over the lead ,finishing in 4:15:22. A good day !

I did find my shades ! Thanks for reading.