Beautiful Buffalo

There is nothing like a race day. They come in all varieties. This one just happened to be the picture perfect weather day. Buffalo has a great park setting on a hill over looking the lake. It dose not make for an easy race but it is great to hang out in after the race.

It was great to see so many familiar faces from TNT. Both past and current team mates. It is a bond like no other at a race. What a feeling to know that those people are there supporting you and cheering you on. Wes and Erek did fantastic in their first race. Erek cruised through like a seasoned athlete, wondering if he could have pushed harder. Wes found out that nerves play a huge part on race day. He, like me in my first race, hit the water and his heart rate jumped. As the champ he is, he knew he just had to keep moving forward, how ever he could. Of course after he got out of the water he burned up the bike and the run.
I was able to talk the race director into bumping me into the longer Olympic course last second. For some reason the mile swim looked shorter to me than it did at Disney. That is a great place to be in mentally going in. As my group went into the water I got in front and for the first time stayed in front. This was my first race with a wet suit and I felt really comfortable in it. My focus was to stay relaxed and consistent. No push, just relaxed and consistent long strokes. Before I knew it I was on the beach on my way to the bike. Not dizzy like all the other races coming out of the water. It was a proud moment for me to stay in my swim stroke from start to finish. 22 minuets in the water 9 minuets faster than Disney!
The bike was good. I did not feel strong in it, but I was happy with it. The competition was crazy good. This was my best bike ever, averaging 21.5 mph on a hilly course. That was good enough for 109th out of 357 competitors. I was happy but man the field was fast!
The run felt good too. I wanted to push harder because my heart rate was calmer than I usually see in a race but I know I could not push my legs any more than I was. That is a good sign for future training. It was difficult to let people pass but I knew it was wiser to let it go and enjoy my pace in this race. All that said it was my fastest 10k race pace yet. I finished 51st overall in the run with a 6:48 min mile pace.
In total my final finish time of 2:18:18 for the Olympic course was very satisfying. 58th of 357 finishers. I can't thank my coaches, Mike and Bob for the focus and technique that they have given me this year. They sacrifice so much to coach for TNT, we are lucky to be part of their team.
My focus during the race was a mix of specific POSITIVE things. In the water it was great memories of Adam and I. On the bike it was all the people that have supported my races and been so generous. I will always be inspired by all that support. When the bike got tough, I thought about Janet and our coming son. I though of how I want to be a father that my son can look up to even when I'm in my later years. In the run I always think about McKenna who was our honored team mate for the Phoenix marathon for TNT. McKenna lost her fight with cancer before the race and I will always do my best to honor her in my runs. All of those thoughts cross my mind through the entire race but my focus usually is stronger in those areas. When the going gets tough, I focus on the pain that Adam and so many others have to endure with cancer. The pain in these little races is nothing compared to that. I want to honor them and their courageous spirit when I train and when I race.