The Nation’s Triathlon – Back to Back Weekends

November 30th, 2017
From Lincoln Memorial

From Lincoln Memorial

The second stop for me on the Escape Tri Series was The Nations Triathlon in Washington D.C. It was only a week after Des Moines. I have not raced back to back triathlons since 2014. More importantly, I was also going to meet up with Louis Tharp, my old swim coach and still mentor.  I had not seen him since October 2016, also in D.C. during the Army Ten Miler. I always enjoy my time with him and wish I could do it more.

IMG_7763

This race course was pretty similar to Des Moines with smooth water (added small current), rolling bike course and mostly flat run course. No steep hill at the finish though. Hooray! The Pro field was a little smaller this time since there were several other major races on the same weekend. I had a starting number of six but there were only eight of us.  We were not called by name to line up like in Des Moines, so I was caught off guard and did not get a spot next to the faster swimmers.

Pre Swim.

Having fun before the preswim.

It did not matter though, since I had a good start and was swimming fast enough to eventually make it on the lead swimmer’s feet, Jason West.  I stayed there until about halfway through the swim, until other swimmers started passing me and I fell off the swim group. In the last 200 meters of the swim, I was caught up by another swimmer and stayed with him until we exited the water.

Bigger picture Transition

Bigger picture Transition

It happened to be Robbie Deckard who is a solid young up-and-coming all around triathlete.  There was just one more swimmer about fifteen seconds ahead with the leading swimmers about 30-40 seconds ahead, all of which were great cyclists.  I tried my best to stay with Robbie and the other cyclists but lost them only miles after hopping on the bike.

Tired

Tired

My legs just did not feel as strong as last weekend and my muscles felt a little tight from the cooler conditions.  Hard charging behind me was the last male pro and the first female, Sarah Haskins. Girl, can she ride a bike.  The bike was on pretty good roads with varius technical turns.

Transition

My Transition w/ T Blocks

The only sketchy parts were a right turn after an uphill that looked like a dead end because it was blocked off by dump trucks. You could not see the turn until you got to the very top of the hill.  Shortly after this turn was a U-turn on banked plywood built to help us clear the concrete median. We had two loops but with a smaller loop first.  I did better on my second loop at these turns because I knew what I was expecting.

Bike Finish

Bike Finish

I eventually got passed by the other male pro and was the last male pro to enter transition. I knew the two athletes ahead of me and that I was a much faster runner.  I went out at a quicker pace than usual. I did have a little trouble with my shoe`s tongue rubbing my feet wrong. I eventually had to stop to fix it before it rubbed me raw. Even with the adjustment my ankles were still blistered at the end.

I did not catch the guys in the first few miles like I wanted. It took me until mile four to pass one and to mile five to get into striking distance to the other.  Unfortunately, my Vastus Medialis (inside quad) started cramping and I had to ease off my pace a little to keep it from locking up.  That caused me to not only stop gaining but start loosing time on him.  I also was running out of gas throughout the last mile too. I crossed the finish line seventh overall.  Just like Des Moines, the other competitors put a lot of time on me during the bike leg.

Finish!

Finish!

I’d have to say that I am just as fast as before but stronger since I can run faster off the bike.  I’ll have to continue to work at getting stronger and faster on the bike if I ever want to place well enough to be in the prize money. Not that I worry about that part of racing.

Washington Monument Eclipse

Washington Monument Eclipse

After the race, Louis and I went back to the hotel to regroup and decide how to spend the rest of our time. Do we go to the spa or get a massage? Neighter, it was a Sunday and it was hard to find a good therapist and I was not in the mood for anything hot that the Spa would offer. So we do what we normally do and go to WholeFoods for some food and to people watch, playing: who will that college student grow up to be?  Not any less expensive if you were wondering, even after Amazon bought them and said they would start slashing prices.

Put the O in ferris wheel.

Put the O in ferris wheel.

I am a true believer of eating and promoting a plant-based diet for maximum nutrition, performance and recovery. Furthermore, I encourage the pursuit of living life and searching and holding onto quality relationships—be true to yourself and live life with others.

Art. I'm Edumacated.

Art. I’m Edumacated.

Revel in the journey, not just in the destination. I’m pleased to be apart of the club team US Military Endurance Sports and race in The Escape Triathlon Series this year. I would only be half the athlete and man if it were not for the wisdom of my coaches and mentors, Tim Crowley and Louis Tharp and all my family, friends and supporters, like Vasa and Sabble Water Optics. Go chase your dreams too!

I'll give the A.O.K. for Washington D.C.

I’ll give the A.O.K. for D.C. and The Nation’s Tri