Attempted
07/22/2023
After failing to really do a race until July, Donner lake was the start to my 2023 triathlon season with a bang of a race. A very short sprint (400m swim, 10k bike, 2 mile run) it is a 110% effort at altitude the whole way through.
The swim was a little silly since I swam really wide of the first bouy and had to adjust course. Definitely lost un-needed seconds to this silly mistake, but the goal is always a smooth start to the high altitude swims so I’ll take it instead of blowing up or getting punched in the initial brawl.
The bike was FAST. Averaging 24 mph on a bike with clip-on aero bars, I love riding at altitude. I quickly passed the swimmers who were right in front of me and slowly boiled down the field to only 2 people ahead.
The run is always a game of how hard can you push without blowing up your HR too much. I am still not there in terms of run shape, so off my sub-7 pace from years prior, but I still managed to get close and reel in the other person in front of me. After a big final push to stave off anyone behind me I finished second place in the group I took off in, and third place overall.
Hopefully I get some run strength back and maybe a little better swimming sighting, but overall no complaints about a fast fierce race.
