Greetings from Park City in Bridgeport CT.  This Olympic distance tri finds me in the middle of my season when I am suppossed to be "resting" but in order to stay in shape and have some good ol' raceing fun, i decided to test the wheels.

Swim:
-Starting from the second wave, M16-29 I run down the beach to the first buoy.  Oddly the swim starts at a diaganol across the beach and in order to reach the first buoy you can run or swim!
-I decide to slow my run rather than sprint into the water in order to keep my heart rate low.
-This put me in the second pack of swimmers and not up at the front where I wanted to be.
-The pack I swim with seems to be moving slowly so I make the pass only to find myself in no mans land!
-Sun is bright and in our faces as we make the turn; glad to have my dark goggles.
-Swim alone for the rest of the swim and as I come 100yrds from the finish I can see the lead swimmers from my wave in blue caps.
-Out of the water, "oh man my HR is maxed out!"  I make my way slowly into transition.
-T1 is slow... slower than last year but I take the time to get what I need an bike out onto the course.

BIKE:
-Hammer it, Hammer it.
-First lap I push the head down and pedal hard. My HR is so high I have to pedal and then stop to catch my breath and clear lactic acid.
-I back off a bit and try to collect myself.
-I can see some of the racers from the first wave on the return of the 5 loop bike course.  Hmmmm not down too far how much can i bump it up?
-Lap #3 take in some gatorade and start to feel my legs getting stronger as I warm up.
-After having done this course last year, knowing the turns I barrel through without touching the brakes.
-"Look out on your left!" as I pass other cyclists entering the bike course
-Head wind is not too bad on the way out and a nice n fast tail wind on the way back. 
-The disc sounds great and moves me foward at lightning speed.
-From the scouts on the course, "Your in 4th, two more just in front of you, go get em!
-Loop #4? No wait its five!  Good thing I set my watch.
-T2 much faster transition this time.. 

RUN:
-Grrrr this doesnt feel too good.  Grit my teeth and know just how little run training went into this one.
-No fear just dont stop.  Brain says stop.  Dont stop!
-On the loop out I chase down a couple folks.  (Im leading my wave but hard to tell how Im matching up against the first wave)
-Sip some gatorade at the end of each loop and pour a cup of water on my face and head.
-Its starting to heat up.
-Running along the beach towards lap #2 I can see the race leader from wave #1.
-He looks strong, (Go Arland)
-Run pace holds but not too fast here.  Feel ok and glad to be done with this LT workout!  ...ok I loved it.

FINISH:
-6th Overall, 1st AG M25-29
-Racing on base is hard to do. Mentally and physically
-It felt good to blow out some of the cobwebs from IM Coeur D'Alene.
-Foot feels a bit sore from the run, oh yea thats why I have not been running : )
-Looking at the powerfile for this workout shows that I increased my power each loop by ~10 watts. Nice.
-Back to base training for awhile...

**Post race anaysis; In chosing goals and achieving them rather than chasing them, I have decided not to do the Monaco Half Ironman.
This is the first race I am "pulling out of" in my racing career.  I have always said that I am in this for the long haul and I have bigger fish to fry later this fall at Ironman Arizona. This educated decision will allow me to have the proper build-up and recovery needed to throw down a deep effort again this year.  For now I look forward
to enjoying the rest of the summer!  See you at ITPman and IM Arizona.

Coach Cliff