This race has a special place in my heart simply because of the location. It starts and finishes in Freeport, ME right on the shores of Casco Bay. It reminds me of all the Maine vacations my family and I took when I was younger and it really showcases some of the best that the state has to offer. Crystie and I have made it a bit of a tradition to camp out at the park for the weekend and it really just adds to the allure of the race. Watching the sunrise over the bay race morning is always a sight to see.
This race is the last time I'll really be pushing my limits until my final race in Utah so I was hoping to see how my bike and run stack up going into Nationals. It was unseasonably warm on the day which ultimately affected all the competitors. First off, the bay which is usually a brisk 62 or lower was well above 65. I almost regret wearing a wetsuit as I was definitely starting to get hot towards the end of the swim. However, it didn't seem to affect me as I was out of the water in just under 20 minutes (19:56 exactly as I planned and trained for).
I grab my bike and run out to the mount line. As soon as I mount my bike and before I clip in, my chain popped off. This rattles me but despite shaking figures I get the chain back on and speed away on the bike course. Several super bikers came up on me and made it look like I was riding backwards and I let them go. There's no point in burying myself before I even make the first turn on the course. Once I got out of the hilly road out of transition, I was able to get into a good rhythm and made my way towards Brunswick. While I've done this course before, Crystie and I pre-rode it 2 weeks before the event and I definitely paid off. I knew exactly what was coming and could plan any passes and shifts beforehand. Other than the lost chain right out of transition, the ride went well and after an hour and 6 minutes I was back in T2.
By this point the heat was taking its toll. On the bike I usually drink a bottle of 1 bottle of fluids (typically it alternates between a bottle just for water and the other is a mix of Herbalife 24 hydrate and 2 powerbar gels and the rest is filled with water) per hour. I had gone through double that in just over an hour. Fortunately there were aid stations just about every mile which helped. However, the cups were ridiculously small and I just felt more and more dehydrated as I went on. 2 runners passed me at various points on the run. All I could do was just keep working. I finally got to the 6 mile marker and was excited to be getting close when I heard footsteps behind me. I was going to have to fight for the finish. I sped up to see if I could loose him but no luck. Finally we get to the finish chute and we both start sprinting. He edged me out at the last second but I was not aware he was in the wave ahead of me so I was able to still hold my overall position.
Overall, I was pretty happy with how the race went. The heat slowed me down a bit but I was able to finish with an overall time of 2:13, good for 7th overall and second in my age group. However, since the winner of the AG also won the race I was able to back in to first. This was a great indicator that my fitness is still good going into Utah and with a little rest I feel like I can do well out West in the mountains.
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