Hickory Knob Tri

This is only about 2 months late but whatever. My last race of 2008 was the Hickory Knob International Triathlon in McCormick, SC. The 2007 running of this race was my first triathlon ever, so it was fitting to end my first year of competing at a place that would really tell me how much I’ve improved over the last year.

Everything leading up to the race went very well. I was pretty rested from a 2 week taper, and I was full of energy all week; exactly how I wanted to feel. The swim was a wetsuit legal 1500 m trek. Although it was not really that cold, I opted to wear my Orca anyways. For some reason, I just wasn’t feeling it during the swim. I don’t know why, but I just wasn’t. It also felt really long, which I later found out that it was. Oh well. The run to T1 was up a brutal hill, so I was pretty winded as I headed out on the bike.

The 28 mile bike loop was also extremely brutal, filled with a bunch of steep grades near the start and some long rollers throughout the rest. I was riding a rented Zipp 606 wheelset, so I could tell it was definitely helping me out on the descents due to better aerodynamics and on the climbs due to shaving over a pound off the total weight of my bike. Overall, the bike went well and I came into T2 ready to get owned by the toughest 10k in the southeast.

The out and back run is by far the hardest 10k I’ve ever run. Right before the turnaround, there is a really steep grade that we climbed on the bike course, and the last .75 miles or so is a gradual ascent to the finish. Just in case you made it through the whole course without dying, they try and kill you off at the finish line. I was able to stick with some guys about my speed on the run, so that helped me out as far as pacing goes, and I was able to push it strong up the last hill without dying, so that was good too.

In the end, I could really tell how much I improved over the last year. My swim time was about the same as last year, which means I improved a decent amount due to the unintentional lengthening of the course this year. They added 6 miles on to the bike loop this year, and my average speed was still almost 2 mph higher than last year. For the run, I shaved off about 4 minutes over 10k from last year. I think my transitions were faster too, although I can‘t remember exactly. In the end, I was pleased with the results. Next on the agenda is to rest my legs and start building some base!