Race Result

Racer:	Keith Bohnenberger
Race:	Reston Triathlon
Date:	Sunday, September 7, 2008
Location:	Reston, VA
Race Type:	Triathlon - International Distance
Age Group:	Male 40 - 44
Time:	2:21:17
Age Group Place:	30 / 75
Comment:	That's one way to get under 2:30

Race Report:

Hurricane came through the day before the race. The swim was canceled and replaced with a 2.3 (or so) mile run.

Stats:
Run 1: 16:17
T1: 1:37
Bike: 1:12:35
T2: 1:18
Run 2: 49:26

HR
Overall avg 160
Run 1: 172
T1: 161
Bike: 156
T2: 142
Run 2: 168

I went back to packet pickup to hang out with Kevin at the RATs table for a bit and I started picking up the word that the swim was going to be canceled and replaced with a 2.75 mile run. Not what I wanted to hear but not surprised at all given the crazy amount of rain we had. No swim makes me a faster racer but takes away some of the intrigue.

Got to wake up a littler later than normal. Had the standard bagel with jelly breakfast. Took care of business and headed over to the high school. I missed the normal bike ride from the high school over to the lake. That is one of my favorite parts of Reston Race morning. Instead it was replaced by a bunch of racers making their way over to the track. It was fun chatting with all the RATs and a few of my neighbors that were racing.

As my "wave" got ready to run I was trying to decide if I should take it a little easy on the first run or hit it pretty hard. I decided to hit it pretty hard and hope I had enough in the gas tank for the second run. As I came into T1 I glanced at my watch and saw 16:17. I laughed at the thought of me running 2.75 miles in 16:17. I felt pretty good getting on to the bike. I usually feel pretty rough transitioning from the swim to the bike. The bike was fun. I saw a bunch of neighbors cheering on Reston Parkway. I felt like I was having a good ride. I was passing some people that I don't think I normally pass. Of course I still got passed by the fast guys/girls like I was standing still. A few times I found it hard to find room to pass and felt boxed in but after the first lap it opened up a little bit.

T2 felt pretty fast and off I went running. Once again, I heard the announcer calling out finishers as I started the run. One of these days I'll make it to T2 before the first person crosses the finish line. As always I loved hitting the girl scout water stop about a mile into the run. They were cheering loud and looked like they were having a good time. I gave my daughter a high-five and kept on chugging. I like the out and back run because you get to see everyone coming back ... or going out. Lots of "go Rats." I enjoyed seeing Jeroen with his funny hat. I saw the 4 mile sign and started to feel it a bit but I hung in there. The 5 mile sign seemed to come pretty quickly. I walked up "the hill" and then started chugging for the finish line. It's always fun hanging with the crowd after the race and watching a bunch of RATs pick up some hardware.

I skipped Reston last year because I was "racing" my first 1/2 ironmand the day before. I was glad to be back and finally beat 2:30 ... although that doesn't really count.