There was no joy in Mudville, mighty Scott had struck out.
On what turned out to be a very cold Easter weekend morning, the epic battle between John and Scott took place. Their steps like thunder on … Yeah, anyway.
The biker ran faster. That’s a pretty accurate description of the race. As the race started, we both took off running. Within 10 seconds John popped up beside me and while I was able to pull away from him, it did unnerve me a bit to see him there. I was only able to get 1:17 ahead of him on the run. My transition time of 50 seconds (8th fastest) gave me another 20 seconds lead on him. Going into the bike I had a 1:37 lead.
We all know John is a fast rider. My hope was to hold him off until mile 8 or so, if I could do that, I thought I had a shot at beating him. During our mini Du race a few weeks ago, John passed me 4.27 miles into the ride. Saturday, I held him off until 4.3 miles into the course. The bike loop is 4.35 miles long, so just before the first lap was complete, he pulled ahead.
I never saw him again until the run. My next 3 laps were seemingly consistent. I would pass people riding up the hills and most of them would pass me on the flats. This went on until the last lap. On the third lap on the bike, I slowed down for a minute to eat a Gu (gel calorie food) and chase it with some water. On the fourth lap that energy kicked in. I had a really good 4th lap and on the biggest hill on Patterson, I managed to pass almost a dozen riders and at the top of the hill a minivan of screaming Rojas’ were cheering for me. By the time I finished that lap, I passed another 20 or so riders.
Starting the run, I had no clue how far I was behind John. John managed to pick up 6 seconds with a faster 2nd transition time. Carrie was yelling out splits to me on the bike which I never heard, or even expected. She told me before the race that she wouldn’t tell me the splits and I thought that was a good idea. As I passed her on the run she yelled out, ‘He’s ahead by 6 minutes!’ Six minutes ahead with 2.85 miles to run, I’m not that fast and he’s not that slow. I decided to settle into a pace that would allow me to run the entire distance without any fear of walking.
It seemed that everyone I passed on the bike was now passing me. And really, that was ok with me; I was looking forward to crossing the finish line and resting.
As I ran up to the finish line, I saw the cheering section that had been there all race, Carrie, Jay T., and of course, John’s Kin (Lori and clan left a little earlier due to the low temps). They all let out a big yell as I passed them by and I was grateful for it. I saw John at the finish cheering me on and finally, thankfully, I crossed the finish.
I didn’t realize how cold I was until I tried to talk. All of my words were slurred and I couldn’t speak quickly or very distinctly. I felt like a young child just learning to speak. For a few minutes after the race, John and I were able to stand in the sun and warm up a bit. Jay T. pointed out that when the sun went behind the clouds, the wind picked up and no sooner did he say that than the sun disappeared. I was more cold waiting to pick up my bike after the race than at any time during the race.
This race was tough. The training was tough, the competition was tough, and the weather was tough. I am really happy to have competed in it, and to have finished. The race was a lot harder than I thought it would be. The hardest part was running again after riding hard on the bike. The legs just didn’t want to move correctly and it wasn’t so much running, as shuffling that last 2.85 miles.
Finally, I would like to congratulate John on is terrific race. That guy is fast as all get-out on the bike. To the victor goes the spoils, and the spoils of this race, is a night out for John and his wife Jean with Carrie and me, at La Grotta, our treat.
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