Team Member: Sam Morgan

Race Name: St. Anthony’s Triathlon

Race Date: 4/25/10

Race Placement/Time/Qualification: 2nd Elite Amateur / 27th OA

Tell us about your race (limit 500 words)…: This race panned out very differently from last year when the swim was canceled. I was first out of the water with a rather slow 18:42 partly due to the chop (fastest pro was 18:30, although no wetsuits for the pros). I hopped on my bike expecting a sick bike split similar to last year (when I rode 26.8 MPH), but ended up at just 24.0 MPH. Even though my FTP20 power has gone up since last year, I missed a lot of my longer rides, and I could feel it. Got passed by 4 people on the bike and was 5th headed into transition.

Here’s where it really gets weird… I passed two people on the run to cross the finish line 3rd. A drafting penalty was given to a competitor in front of me and I ended up 2nd (goal was top 3, so I almost didn’t care about the upgrade in placement, but it did come with an upgrade in schwag). My bike was 48th overall, my run was 43rd… that’s right… my run relative to the field was stronger than my bike. I’ve been saying all along that I’ve worked my run hard this past off season. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised by the results, but I’ve got to get that bike fitness back as well.

Although I moved from 10th last year to 2nd this year, my time “feels” a lot slower than last year (despite the chop, wind, and humidity). The pros showed up and got it done that day. If I ever want to be competitive against them, I’ve got to learn to do the same. At least I set out what I intended to do and qualify for my pro card, and come home with some schwag.