Back to Back Weekends

Part 1 - 2013 Xterra Lake Tahoe

I have a love-hate relationship with this course. It is a great venue. Swimming in Lake Tahoe is amazing. The water is crystal clear and the setting is very picturesque. The bike course is mountain biking at its' best incorporating two famous trails - Flume Trail and Tahoe Rim Trail. The run is classic Xterra - rolling course on dirt trails complete with logs, rocks, stream crossings, bridges.

On the other side of the coin is the difficulty level. The bike course is just hard; there is no other way to put it. The climb up Tunnel Creek Fire Road seems never ending. There is time for fun on the Flume Trail, but the course gets hard again at the turnaround at Marlette Lake. From there the climbing resumes as the course follows the Tahoe Rim Trail back to Tunnel Creek Fire Road. By the end of the bike, the run is all about survival. I had a good swim, tried to maintain good pacing on the bike, and struggled with the run. The finish line photo does a good job capturing my state of exhaustion.

Splits:

Swim (1.5km) - 0:29:19 (~1:47/100; includes a long run from the beach to T1)
T1                    - 0:01:51
Bike (22 mi)    - 2:30:33 (~8.8 mph; I said it was tough!)
T2                    - 0:01:03 (where are those salt pills)
Run (6 mi)       - 1:09:28 (~11:34 m/mi; survival mode)
Total                - 4:12:12

Placing - 9/16 in my age group.  65/113 overall.

The highlight of the day was watching my brother Eric cruise to a win in his age group! He made it look easy.  Here's his podium shot:

Twins:

Part 2 - 2013 TBF Granite Bay Tri

I raced again the following weekend on September 24 at Granite Bay.  This race felt good.  TBF Racing really did a great job putting on this race.

I started the swim near the front, then dropped to a comfortable spot between the leaders and the main pack.  I was the first person in my age group out of T1, and had the 12th overall fastest swim time.  The water was lower than I've ever seen it at an event at Folsom Lake, so they offered a wetsuit drop at the water.  I borrowed a page from Brother Eric's playbook and took advantage of the wetsuit drop.  It is MUCH easier to run without the wetsuit, and it is MUCH easier to take off while you are still wet!

I enjoyed the bike leg.  It's a nice winding, rolling course.  I was passed by one person in my age group on the bike.  I left T2 in a hurry and all alone.  I ran hard and it was at least 1 mile before I saw anyone else on the run course.  Eventually the fast runners started to catch me.  I gave it all I had and managed to secure second place in my age group.

Splits:
Swim (0.75 mi) - 0:19:46 (~1:29/100; fastest in age group)
Bike (13 mi)     - 0:44:58 (~17.4 mph; good enough)
Run (5 mi)        - 0:45:28 (~9:05 m/mi; just enough to hold on to second)
Total                - 1:50:12

In the end, I managed to beat 3rd place by 13 seconds.