Before I forget

I need to write about TriHawk!

What a weekend that was. FIT represented big time with nearly 30 racers showing up to Coralville lake in Iowa. Most of us trucked it out there in a 3 car/church van caravan on Saturday afternoon. The four hours went by pretty quickly with all the company. We grabbed our packets, some dinner, and a bit of hatred for the swarms of hawkeye fans who were pouring from a train into the mall as we arrived. Things went smoothly, and we checked into our hotel to prep for the race. Unfortunately, Morgan, Todd and I had to wait up for our bikes, which came with one of our community members at midnight.

Race morning, we pulled up at about 6:30 for the 9:00 race, so we had more than enough time to get situated. We scoped out the start of the course, and were astonished that it started up a big ol' hill! And to top it off, the decent from the hill was into a spill way. It was the first time that I've felt like I was riding cyclocross in a race, I fishtailed through the loose gravel at the bottom.

After a brief run, we got into our swim gear (first time without my wet suit since I bought it!!) and took a warm up swim. I had convinced Morgan to line up at the front with me, so we settled into our spots.
"Hey dude, you know we're on the front, inside right? Isn't....like...everyone coming here?!" He was right. Before I had a chance to figure out what happened, I heard the "GO" over the loudspeaker and we were off. Five seconds later my left goggle did the same. I swam with just my right eye for a bit, and was out of the intense chaos within about 100 yards, but I kept trying to fix my goggle. In retrospect, it worked fine, and I never did reseal it. I could have saved an awful lot of time if I had left it alone: Moral of the story...over 9 minute 500...bummer!

I trotted up the beach and into transition. For the first time leaving without socks, I was able to clear transition one in under a minute for the first time. I took the first hill without my feet strapped in tight, and was able to rest a second at the top while I got situated. The bike ended up being the hilliest I have ever ridden. Iowa surprised me! There was never a time where I could get into a rhythm in my aeros. I was happy with a 21.9 average, sadly.

The run started pretty poorly. Again I was able to clear T2 in under a minute, and I shuffled up next to Todd for the first hill. A few kids stationed themselves at the top, and I gave em a big high five. That little bit of motivation got me moving. The run ended up going great, with about a mile and a half on the road, a half mile through a wickedly steep stretch of trail, and the rest back. All the guys were giving battle cries, so the run just flew by!

Overall, Iowa surprised me. The course was grueling and intense, but I felt good after the fact. I ended up 10th overall, and 4th collegiate (Robert took home 2nd!).