BSF RACING: 70.3 World Championship Race Report & West Coast Adventure Photos

This report is way overdue, but better late than never..
(Additional Redwood Forest, Oregon Coast Pics at page bottom)

I don't have much time to explain the race so I will keep this short and sweet and provide a few pictures..
Pre Race
I got into Las Vegas 2 days before the race. I had just spent a week driving across the country and hiking and exploring some amazing national parks as my previous post and dropbox pictures obviously portray. Before I left VA I had a solid month of race preparation. Only a month because I spent June-August dealing with a multitude of injuries. My mindset coming into this race was just to enjoy it and experience one of the toughest race courses in the world. I was not in race mode at all.. mostly due to the fact my head was still in Bryce Canyon and Arches NP but also that I knew I was not in super great race condition. Dealing with everything listed in my previous blog really prevented me from training like I needed. But it is all good. I did not even shave my legs for this race ;)

The Swim
I felt comfortable the entire 1.2 mile swim in the Las Vegas Lake. I found some feet to draft off of for a good half of it. Upon looking at my swim split apparently I was too comfortable. I guess I drafted behind a relatively slower swimmer. I was a good 4-5 minutes off my usual 29-30 minutes. Transition from the swim to the bike was a good 600 meters.

The Bike
I'm not going to explain how hard this bike course was, but just say that there were no flat sections.. mostly all uphills into the mountains. It was crazy hot and the dry air killed me. I pretty much gave up biking hard at mile 35. Everything else after that was just finish mode.. easy training pace. I was done trying to "race", I lost all motivation. The bike course was beautiful! I would enjoy training on it more.

The Run
Did I mention it was 107 degrees out during this race. Yes it was that hot. Truthfully I think racing in 95 degrees and 100% humidity like in Virginia Beach is tougher, but its never easy racing in extreme heat. There was zero shade on the run course. Also many many long uphills on the run course. I started the run with debilitating cramps in my quads I had to walk almost the entire first mile. Unfortunately I did not bring enough salt tablets to last me through the bike and through the run. I walked a decent amount the first 6 miles. I was more than ready to just be done. As I has said, I was just going through the motions. Although I finally woke up around mile 10 and stayed at a 6ish mile pace till the end. I crossed the line feeling like I had just had a good training day in tough conditions. I was not tired like I had raced one of the toughest courses in the world.

Finished

The End
I was a bit disappointed with myself for racing so shitty, but I did have a 5 page list of excuses. Mountainous hills and dry, hot conditions are not my thing.. yet. I'll be back racing the World Championships in Vegas again. I'll be prepared next time to actually race. It was a fun experience and I met some good people.