Toyota US Open and Austin 70.3
It was an exciting last month of the season. Early October brought the US Open, part of the LifeTime fitness series. Building on the good results I had had in August, and the strong training weeks leading up to it. This was going to be a good barometer of my readiness for Austin.
It was a cold weekend. With temperatures at the start barely climbing into the upper 40’s, jumping into the 73 deg water was a great feeling. My roomates started with the collegiate wave 15 minutes ahead of me. Once in the water, I felt strangely calm, and focused. Moreso than I usually do. After the normal craziness at the start, I found a groove and established a pretty hard pace. I was surprised when I was still holding the pace rounding the first turn buoy. What amazed me even more, was the fact that i was starting to catch the waves in front of me so soon. I started getting excited, and had to hold back a little so I didn’t overswim. Coming out of the water in 26:43 is by no means fast, but the amount of energy and comfort I had when i finished the swim was the big surprise. All the work in the pool has been paying off. Making the long run to T1, grabbing my bike and getting started I knew the bike was the most important part of my race. Its my strongest leg, so it can be a bad thing too, trying to make up too much ground would ruin my run. Out of T1 I got down on the drops and went. I began catching collegiate racers almost immediately. My HR stayed pretty even and I started to blow by people. About 5 miles into the bike I began to notice that i was catching a LOT of racers from two and three waves ahead of me. at the turnaround I had established a pretty good time and was hoping to stay comfortable and really be able to hammer through the last 12 miles. at mile 21 I caught Chas and rode the adrenaline all the way into T2. Posting a 59:40 on the bike (24.9mph) I was ecstatic at how strong I still felt.
Heading out on the run, I met a challenge I dont have a lot of practice with in Lubbock. Hills. I attacked them and made the most of the two loop course. There was very little level ground, I was amazed at how hilly the roads were. Never being able to find a good groove I struggled and started to get into my own head a little. At the 5K mark I made it a challenge to negative split my next one. I pushed and it got a little easier. The awkward feeling was unsettling and I was just praying my legs would do what they know how to do. with about .5 miles to go, it was all downhill. Quite steep one too. Blazing down into the finish chute and ending my day with a 2:10.
Overall this race was a great race for me. I learned what i needed to work on going forward to Austin, but I also had a 4 minute PR and finished 2nd in my AG. The workouts had transferred to a race, finally.
And now Austin.
The race has had a target on it for a year. Being pulled from the course by a volunteer last year still has a dark spot in my heart. This was simple. Revenge 101. My workouts leading into the weekend after Toyota were intense and I was right where i needed to be. One week before, because nothing is ever easy, I was hit by a car while heading to class. A bruised hip and shoulder weren’t going to stop me from getting down to Austin and having my revenge. Having some friends doing the race as well was nice. Gave me some people to talk to about it and really keep my nerves in check. I was the last wave to start, so i got to sit around for over an hour before i even started warming my arms up.
It was cold. Not gonna lie. I was shaking like a weed in the West Texas wind until I got into the water. It was a nice 72 degrees. At the gun I did the same as Dallas, found a pace I liked and maintained. This kept me out of the big groups and I started to pick my way forward through the waves ahead of me. The swim was uneventful, and slow for what I wanted to do. 33:13 put me in 29th place in my AG. A bit higher than I am used to finishing in the water. Running into T1 I found every goathead I could with my bare foot. grabbing my bike and carrying it to the pavement, I paused to pull 3 large goatheads out of my foot and mounted my bike. I spun up my legs and punched it. I felt incredible. The long bricks in the wind had prepped me for this. The only difference was the lack of wind on this course. Holding my cadence right around 100-105 I began passing anyone and everyone I could. Every now and again i would pass a group of drafters, who would try to grab my wheel. It was a good feeling knowing I was riding them off my wheel. The rolling hills werent as bad as the profile made them out to be and I was able to maintain an even ride for the entire 56 miles. 2:18:29 on the bike had propelled me into 5th in my AG.
I started the run with the plan from my coach to run under 1:45 for the 13.1 miles. Starting the run at a little faster pace than I needed to, I took some Shot Blocks to eat. Big mistake…. about 2 miles in they came back up and cost me 4 minutes of time behind a port-a-john. Grabbing a water at the next aid station i began to run again…. This was the biggest surprise of the day. I had life left in my legs. This is the first time I haven’t felt like I was “running backwards” It was a great feeling. Passing people on each lap, and seeing my dad and friends every time I passed the expo/finishing area, I negative split my second lap and held even for my third, coming in at 1:35:14 for my half marathon. Still not a fast time, but it was a minute faster than my time at the Panhandle Half-Marathon two months ago. With an overall finish of 4:31:35, a 10 minute PR. And confidence that I can do this, I was really happy. I finished 7th in my AG, 49th overall.
I want to say thank you to David, a great roommate and my best friend. He made the trip to just help and take pictures and cheer. I couldn’t have done any of the things I have this season without his help and the peer pressure from him as a roommate to keep pushing. Even on the days I didn’t feel 100% Thank you to Hydro-Train Outfitters, and HTFU for the kickass gear and support. To my friends and family for putting up with my ridiculous schedule and crazy workouts. Next year I look to improve on the finishes and have even more fun. Stay Tuned.
Cam's Corner 
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