Lake Logan Preview

Tomorrow is the Lake Logan International Distance triathlon and I have some very specific targets to hit for this race. It's in Canton, NC which is about a 4 hour drive from Raleigh, so we're heading down there tonight after work. Race starts at 7 am, so we'll be there bright and early. Packet pickup and bodymarking stops at 6:30. That is way to early for my taste.

1500 meter swim
The swim has an in-water start and is only one lap. The lake is supposed to be around 72 degrees, so it will be wetsuit legal. I think I'm going to pass on the wetsuit though, I don't want the transition time to get it off. There are about 450 people in this race, so the start could get a little hectic. My goal time is to break 30 minutes. If I can come anywhere close to that I'll call it a win.

40k Bike
The bike course is a lollipop. Canton is just west of Asheville NC, and that is what I call the "lower mountains". The elevation is only about 2000 ft above sea level, but it's certainly mountainous. There are very few flat roads. Apparently, all of the flat roads are on this bike course. There's one rolling set of hills that we hit coming and going near transition, but the rest of the course is surprisingly flat and very fast. That's what all the reviews say. I'll believe it when I see it. Mountain people have a different version of "flat" than I do, but we all know what "fast" is. My target time is 1:10. At the Beaverdam oly I did a few months ago I rode in 1:25, so where am I going to make up 15 minutes? Well I was actually riding that one in 20+ mph winds during a tornado, and I got hailed on for part of the ride. My average speeds were at 2009 levels, but the course was great. If this course is more like my version of flat and not like the Mountain version of flat then I should easily be 3 mph faster than that, and come somewhere close to 1:10. I'm also going to try and take my feet out of the shoes before hitting the dismount line to save some transition time.

10k Run
The run is a straight shot out and back with a false flat the entire way. Apparently, it's so gradual of a grade that you don't really notice that the first 5k is uphill until you make the turnaround and really notice that the return adventure is downhill. So I'm expecting to negative split the run and turn in a time around 45 minutes. I've hit 45 plenty of times in practice now.

Transitions
There is a run from the lake to the TA after the swim, so that could take some time. Transitions should be less than 90 seconds, but I'm giving myself 5 minutes total anyway. T1 is just the run, throw on socks, bike shoes, helmet and get out of there. For T2, I'm going to try and leave my shoes clipped in and take my feet out before hitting the dismount line, so I should just have to take off the helmet in transition and throw on the running shoes.

Finish time: 30 + 1:10 + 45 + 5 = 2:30 total

My current Oly PR is 2:52 set during the tornado/rainstorm a few months ago. So really any PR will be acceptable. But I really believe that a 2:30 is within my grasp. Now I just have to go out there and get it!

The Best Part
What I consider to be the best part of the whole deal has to be social. Kelley's dad is keeping the kids so we get a whole weekend in the mountains just me and her!!! This is amazing. It's wonderful to be able to see the kids more now that I'm working from home again, but that also gives me a new appreciation for having a few days without them hanging off of me all the time. Ashley actually found this race, and was trying to talk Caitlin into signing up when I horned in on their friendship time. I just totally busted in on that, but I don't think they will mind. Blogger meetups are the best! After being blog friends with both of these girls for over 3 years I will finally get to meet them in person! Kelley is going to be the race photographer for all three of us, so we'll get to hang out at the race site before and after. They actually have shower facilities onsite, so I think we're going to check out of the hotel before the race, shower there, grab lunch with A & C in Canton, then we're heading to Asheville for the rest of the day and staying at a friends house saturday night. The whole weekend is going to be epic, and I have been looking forward to this one for a long time (written while Evil Genius screams and cries at me for not letting her eat candy for breakfast)... a long time.