Beast of the Southeast off-road triathlon

BEcause of that injury I managed to get in during a pre-ride I had to opt out from Saturday's fun. The pro's raced in a grueling 1200m? swim, 4 lap bike course (approx 17 miles) and 4 lap run course (5+ miles). They did all this starting at NOON! As much as I wanted to race with them I was sort of relieved that I had some time to recover and that I don't be racing in this heat on Sunday morning. It was pretty awesome seeing Dan Hugo dominate the field however Josiah Middaugh wasn't too dar behind and one or two more laps and he could've caught Dan. My race on Sunday was a shortened version of the pro race. only 3 laps on the bike and the run to make things a little more human for the average person. Like usual I set up transition in the last minute when everyone was already in the water. Some 20 or so lined up by the first buoy. Shortly after the start I found myself just behind the leader and slowly caught up to him and passed just as we started the second lap. My new De Soto wetsuit is either really fast or my swim workouts are finally lining up or both. I didn't stay in the first place too long as I sam off-course towards the last buoy. I knew there was something off so I stopped, even asked the guy behind me if we were swimming the right way. He said yea so I kept swimming only to hear him again after a few strokes yelling at me to stop and look where the rest of the field was swimming. Sure enough I managed to get a good 30" behind had to take a 90 turn to swim back on course. I ended up in the transition in 2nd place. Not even a mile into the bike I passed for 1st and maintained that position for the rest of the race. On the bike I gained a lot more confidence as I entered in the third lap. My split also dropped and I held off Josh Lewis who was coming up from a 4+ minute deficit in his relay team after the swim. On the run I ran just enough to keep the hammer down and run smoothly and more importantly without injuries. I had a fun two weeks in Alabama then in Tennessee. I wish I could have stayed for the XTERRA East Championships but I had to come back to work. The plan is to work(out) as hard as I can the next few months to reduce the gap between me and some of the pros. I know I have it in me I just need to dig it out. These past weeks made me sure that I am on the right path I just need to get in some more intensity and a more structured workout schedule. Thanks to my wife, Anna whose continuing support helps me get through the tougher days.