Echo Race Report

My Echo race report comes 3 weeks late - better than never, yea?

July 11th was the Echo Reservoir Tri in Coalville - a race I was really looking forward to after my floppingly-bad swim a month earlier at the BAM race and the cold waters of Deer Creek. Echo reservoir was running in the high-60's water temps and the bike course (previewed the week prior) was nice and fast. I stayed in my tidy new tent a few miles south of the lake and rode up early morning of race to prep transition. The Sprint wave fired off at 7:30, and I wanted to be in the water by 7 to give me time to warm up, etc.

Pre-race nutrition: 1 banana, 1 cereal bar, 2 advil, and 22oz of water.

Swim: With the warm inviting water, I knew this would be a strong swim for me. I had a great pre-race swim of maybe 100 meters - enough to get the blood flowing and the muscles loose. We were stuck between two yellow buoys for the start wave, and I lined up on the far left so I could dart to the inside track toward the first race buoy. Gun fired - and I made a hard fast push to get ahead of the main pack and veered left slightly to avoid the washing machine. For a guy who can't swim a straight line to save his life, I did fantastic - my sighting was frequent and I wasn't doing much zig-zag. Start to first buoy felt great, second buoy slowing a little, finding my tempo, less and less bi-lateral but I was keeping a great pace and breathing 2 on each side before switching, then sighting. Rounded the third buoy and I realized there were only 2 or 3 people ahead of me in my wave - this energized me and I made a hard push the last 200 meters to shore. Time to T1: 14:19. This definitely felt like more than 750 - but the run up the carpet and into T1 probably took over a minute.

T1: 2:39 - Not bad considering that awful run from the shore. My rack was located on the far end of transition so I should make up time at the run exit. In retrospect, having to fight with sandles is a bad idea!

Bike: I've always considered myself a strong biker. Maybe not fast, but consistent and moderately good at climbing hills. The Echo course spits you out onto a hill the first quarter-mile, and it rolls along-side the reservoir until the East turn up the canyon. I was off to a strong start, but just like BAM I was passed by AG riders (not too many). This was my first race with my aero bars, and they made a difference but more on downhills and extended flats. Getting in aero is slightly uncomfortable with my road geometry, so it's not an ideal position. I climbed strong up the 4-mile false flat up the canyon, and hit the turnaround point feeling good. Tried to swig down as much propel + water as I could reasonably take after turnaround, maybe 12oz. Jammed half a raspberry hammer gel in before coming in on the bike finish. Total bike time was 38:59 (19.1 MPH), but after looking at my AG leaders, a 34-35 minute time would've probably kept me on the podium.

T2: I lost time here. The RD's ran the transition point to the same entrance as the swim-in, which means I had to run ALL the way around again (everyone else had to, so I digress). 1:37 and I'll call it slightly above average - the AG leaders were around 1:20-ish.

Run: Started off about how I figured - legs slightly tight and sluggish that first half a mile. The run course felt slightly downhill - which wasn't true - but it helped me get over the mental block that seems to hit you as you take off. That's why they call em "bricks". I wasn't exactly blazing a trail, but I felt strong and pushed a little on the second half of the run. Run time was 24:28 - not bad, but again just slightly above average. AG leaders were around 22:00.

Total time was 1:22:04 - good enough for 7th of 39 AG - 9 minutes of the AG winner Eric May and 7 minutes out of podium. I was ecstatic about how I felt - I know there were moments when I could've cranked up just a little more, but if I do that I run the risk of exploding on the course later. In retrospect, my swim is definitely my strength in these events - not my biking (which I always assumed). My bike time was only good enough for 15th AG and nearly a full MPH slower than the leaders. Gotta find a way to make up that gap!

Next race up is Jordanelle on August 22nd!