There is a first time for everything, and the weekend of the 20th was definitely a first for many things.
The morning starts at 3:00am. Up and getting the car packed for what I like to call a Racation; or a race vacation if you will. Destination; Boulder Colorado. Home of what John Denver likes to call the Rockies. A fellow Team Aquaphor racer informed me of this Boulder Trail Triathlon and since we were going to be in the Colorado area anyway racing in the Warrior Dash, well I just could not resist the double race weekend.
So back on the road.
4:00am, in the car and merging onto the freeway to hit the 80 East into Wyoming. Not the most prettiest of drives but I had the best of company.
Skip forward to the end of the drive:
At 1:00 pm we pulled into the parking lot of the Boulder Reservoir where the Tri was just a few hours away from start. Not only a trail Triathlon, but an evening trail Triathlon. Yet, another first for me.
We checked out the race areas and the beach and then sat down to have a delicious Pre-Race meal. Some killer bread with the best ham and turkey slices along with another sandwich topped with peanut-butter and a protein shake to wash it all down with.
After lunch we head back into town to find somewhere to sleep for the night. Ya see, we planned this weekend Racation to race, most everything else was just flying by the seat of our pants. We found a cute little hotel right off 28th street, checked in and back to the reservoir we headed. Around 4:00pm the packet pick-up area opened and we could then check in and transition our bikes. A couple short hours to get in a short swim and a nice little run. That was when it hit me like a ton of bricks that stood almost 6,000 feet high. Yes sir! We were in Colorado my fellow blog readers and were racing at a 5,430 foot elevation.( I really thought it was higher than that. Now I really didn't do as well as I had thought) I could not catch my breath at first during my warm up run and it was even worse when we hit the water and tried to swim. I must of psyched myself out with how high I thought it was. I will do better next time. :(
From out of the water we came and into the transition area we went. The run leg followed the swim on this particular course. Another first! I shot out of the transition area like a bolt of lightning for the first 1/4 mile and shortly ran out of breath again slowing to a brisk walking pace and moving forward to yet another sprint. I kept this pace up the whole 5k run; up the side of the dam and then down the dam road, (he he) turning around at the dam water check point and then running back down the dam wall, across the beach, over the catamarans, splashing through the incoming tide just in time to leap over the big ditch in the sand and back into the transition to head off on the bike.
Another first. Yes, I own a CycleCross bike and this would of been the first time I have taken her off road. Sad I know but the ole' girl did wonderfully. It is difficult to say IF anybody was "On Course" the whole bike leg. It was a little confusing at times and with the sun setting and the dust flying we just road till we were told to turn around. Half way through I look ahead and see this poor girl attempting to lift her big heavy mountain bike over this 5 foot fence so me being the nice guy I am helped her out with that dilemma. She was also in my way and so I had to move her bike so I could get across the fence myself. A little lift and a little hop and I was back on the trail only to find a hill I was needing to run up and attempt to ride back down. Now I am not sure if anybody crashed on the way back down this hill since all the rocks and what have you were in the way, but I hope nobody was hurt. Back around and making my way to the finish line where my lovely lady awaited my return. :)
So as a race of many firsts, it was an amazing race put on by the fine folks at Newton shoe triathlon and 24 hour events. I loved the whole race and the folks running the show were very helpful and had all the answers to all my corny questions. Kudos guys!!!
If you have yet to check out the awesome group from Now I Can, get on it!! http://www.nowican.org
They perform amazing work and rehabilitation for children with Cerebral Palsy. You can join us on September 11th for a really great benefit concert.
Jarrett Burns will be at the Now I Can benefit concert on September 11 at the SCERA Shell Outdoor Theatre!
Q: What do you get from a half black, half Samoan, half hippie, Mormon singer/songwriter from South Georgia?
A: Music for EVERYBODY that you swear was just for YOU! Bringing together the many faces of pop music, Jarrett Burns blends rock, R&B, soul, folk, reggae, and even jazz into songs with catchy beautiful melodies and clever yet meaningful lyrics. (See more about Jarrett Burns at www.reverbnation.com/jarrettburns.)
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