Stats: 81st place; 2:45:46; 6'36" per mile; 9.08 mph (across all activities)
Run - 4.1 mi; 33'02"; 8'00" per mile avg. pace; 7.5 mph
Row - 4.1 mi; 1:01:24; 4'00" per mile avg. pace; 4.0 mph
Ride - 16.9 mi; 1:08:21; 15'00" per mile avg. pace; 14.9 mph
It was a lovely September Saturday for the 2015 Capital City Challenge. Around 200 people showed up for the event this year, plus kids for the fun run and spectators. I got the kayak and bike equipment setup and tried to relax during the 30 minute wait before the start. I lined up near the front with a knee brace on my left leg. Tendinitis, or something like it, had been hampering my training the last two weeks and I wanted to prevent some pain.
Ashley wished me well and I made small talk with another guy. Then, the gun went off. I got out to a good pace. We crested the bridge and one guy said, "I thought this course didn't have hills." Well, after that small blip it doesn't. The runners settled back into the flats on the Boulevard and stretched out toward Haddad Park. I ran the first mile in 7'26", which was probably too fast. This is the first year I've used my phone to track split times. Lots of other runners were doing the same and called out the mile markers to everyone else. Predictably, my second split was slower at 7'54", which I finished right before passing the Capital. Then, I really started to slow down. My pace setters from mile one continued at their 7'30" clip. I trotted out the last two splits at 8'13" and 8'21". I got that terrible feeling where I knew I had to keep moving for another two hours. After running four miles I knew on a normal day I could relax on the couch and feel good about my activity level; not today. Thus, I finished the run in 33 minutes and jogged down into Daniel Boone Park.
I had left my kayak next to a tree and spelled my initials on the back with duct tape to prevent anyone from taking it accidentally. A bit dizzy from the run, I grabbed the kayak and carried it to the boat ramp. The life jacket fell out of it, and a volunteer picked it for me. Thanks, man. I hurriedly suited up, put on the jacket and my cycling gloves, got in the kayak, and shoved-off. I was glad to get in the water at first and happy with the quick transition. My breathing calmed down to a reasonable pace. But the kayak was not my friend that day. The small muscles in my neck and shoulder were not conditioned for the task. I could only do about 20-30 paddles at a time before taking a 3-5 second break. I tried to get in a rhythm: 30 paddles then quick count to 5 then another 30 paddles. I would drift toward the bank a little and had to put in two paddles on the same side quite often. The gel packs in my cycling jersey came in handy. I downed the first one before I had paddled a mile. A myriad of quicker kayaks flew past me. It felt like I was moving at a good rate when I looked at the water flow behind my kayak. But being passed is deflating. One guy rowing near assured me, "Let them go and catch them up on the bike." "That's my plan," I said back. Three visual landmarks helped pace me to the shore: the Capital, Haddad, and the Interstate Bridge. I crushed another gel pack within the last two miles. Eventually, my rowing pace got better. I was able to do 50 or more paddles before resting by the time I neared Magic Island.
I hit the shore and was pulled up by a volunteer. My feet got pretty wet and muddy as I tried to find my balance. Sitting down in a cramped boat for an hour does not help your legs recover from a four mile run. It was hard to work up a jogging pace under the Interstate Bridge. I did manage it until I reached the walkway, then I had to walk to recover my breath. I was flat out exhausted at this point. Ashley handed me my bike gear and I went to the bathroom to change. It was difficult concentrating on changing shorts and putting on dry socks. I took a few seconds just to breathe in there and wipe off some dirt. Then, it was back into the sunlight and the last leg of the challenge.
Ashley handed over my bike and I lazily clambered onto it. I was so dazed that I slowly ran into a girl off to my right as I struggled to clip into the pedals. I apologized profusely, then course corrected. That shaky start gave way to a sterner revelation. I had no stamina left in my legs. That is a familiar feeling that I had avoided the previous two years. But darn it, it was back. I had to peddle in an easy gear and even at that I coasted on occasion. My first lap of the bike course came in at 23:27.
I may have gotten into a groove in the second lap. I tried everything I could to keep up the pace, including eating my last gel. Hydration proved crucial as I really needed water. Cresting the bridge hill on the way back, I felt my knee hurting when I tried to stand up on the pedals. That must have been what caused my knee pain two weeks ago. The second loop was an improved 21:52.
Usually you save something for the end of a race. But I was in no position to attempt this. I coasted more on the third loop than on the previous two, gulping my last reserves of the water bottle. But I finished it out with a final split of 22:02.
Wow, that was difficult. I dropped a whole 15 minutes from my time the last two years. Training is so important to this event; I have to prevent nagging injuries next year. I also want to get a faster kayak. If I can paddle 6 mph instead of 4 mph, I can cut 20 minutes off of the row. That may be ambitious, but the equipment makes a ton of difference. And if I am in better running shape, that will save some stamina for the bike. So I'm happy to finish but already plotting on how to take down next year.
