San Diego, California
This race is always fun because of the pro element. The host hotel is really nice too. I ran into Alistair Brownlee the fastest guy in the world just outside the elevator at the hotel. I can’t really explain why, but I had a great swim and I knew it getting out of the water. I followed it up with a great bike ride. I loved flying around Fiesta Island. This is a great bike course for me and my strengths. When I hit T2 I knew that I was on record breaking pace. I threw on my running shoes and flew out of transition and to my delight, my running legs showed up. My legs felt great. The run course is two loops on a 5k course. I flew through the first 5K and I kept thinking about how I was going to shatter my Olympic personal best record. I mean shatter. On the second lap I could feel that I may have run the first lap too fast. I wasn’t wearing a watch so I just picked a guy slightly ahead of me and told myself I would do whatever it took to stay with him. I began to hurt and I was pushing hard to stay with him. Then at less than a mile away from the finish it happened. My right calf just seized. I almost tripped. I had to stop and release it. I tried to keep going. Walking was more painful than running with a limp so I chose running with a limp. My last mile was pathetic. Later when I looked up my time, my 10K was still a 50 which means I was probably on target to run a 45 before the calf gave out. I learned not to run out of your ability or you may risk injury. With the new bike course, this has become a must do race in the future. Christian loved this trip last year and I got him in to do the sprint this year. I signed him up under a slightly different name and said he was 16 so he could. He wants to do this race next year also. Maybe we can get the girls to go in 2014. They would love this hotel.
