If you click on “View Details” below you’ll see the elevation profile. The middle of the route is basically straight up, then straight done. A good way to start the day.

One of my NOR PAC colleagues, Don, has been on my case for years to join up and I finally gave in this year. I thought it would be a good way to finish the racing season, since I did my last triathlon last weekend.

I underestimated how difficult it would be. Surprisingly, my legs felt strong through all three legs, but the sleep deprivation was brutal. It was like having a severe jet-lag while racing at the same time.

Would I do it again? Absolutely.

Thanks to the guys and gals in Van 1. It was a pleasure spending 27 sweaty and grimy hours with you in that Chevy.

I was too tired to use the camera much, but here are some pictures:

It was a cool feeling to race in a city, and for all you doubters out there: No, I am still not throwing up or showing any signs of E. Coli after swimming in the Willamette.

17th overall, and a bronze in my age group.

My personal photography staff (Lisa and Jeff) was on location, so I’ll post some shots later. Jeff even went through the trouble of designing his own double-mounted still+video camera setup! How’s that for good friends?

The weather was not optimal for a fast race. It was overcast and 60-something the whole time and I felt stiff on the bike. Comfortable running temperature, though.

A brief race report below the pictures.

Swim – 14:15 – 50th Place
Had secret hopes of breaking 14 minutes but was very pleased with 14:15, which put me in 50th place overall.

T1 – ?
The reason why I don’t have an official time is that I lost my timing chip during a fall on the way up to the transition area. Fortunately, my trusted Timex watch still works, so I was able to keep time myself.

Bike – Right around 34:00 (unofficial) – 5th or 6th Place
Didn’t feel great and held back a bit, trying to save some for the run. Still improved by about half a minute from last year.

T2 – ?

Run – 19:02 (unofficial) – 2nd Place
My best triathlon run ever. Felt OK coming out of T2 and really hit my stride at the 2 km mark. The final kilometer was awesome and I chased down a couple of competitors.

Final Time: 1:11:10 (official) – 4th Overall and 1st in my age group (35-39)!

Off to Portugal tomorrow. Will try to squeeze in a few runs but otherwise take it easy for a week between business appointments.

This year I’m not training specifically for this race but throw it in as a B-priority event to get some more race experience under my belt. It’ll be interesting to see how the focus on longer distance (Olympic) training will impact my ability to go all-out for roughly an hour.

I expect improvement on the swim from last year, a marginal improvement on the bike, and more or less the same run time. But you never know. Maybe I’ll surprise myself.

Sven and I went to Hagg Lake this morning for a swim/bike/run session. The weather was perfect, but very hot. If it stays the same for a week, the race conditions will be very similar to last year, which was fine. Just have to make sure to hydrate properly.

Time for 4th of July festivities now and a week of decreased training volume.