Atlantic City is a special place for me. It has a lot of significance. I have been there in many different points in my life and for many different reasons. From 21st birthdays, to bachelor parties and now my most recent journey triathlons. No matter the reason I love going there. On saturday before the race, I was driving across the bridge and I saw the city and the swim start etc for the race and an instant joy came over me. I was ready to go for this race. After pre race check in, bike, marking etc etc I just went to my hotel to settle in.
Race morning came early as always but I was ready to go. I woke up ready to go. I was looking for some strong results for this race. Last year I went 1:05 which was solid for a first timer but this time I was looking for more, I wanted to shave about 5 minutes to get closer to that hour mark for a sprint race. Unfortunately I knew the bike leg was going to be tough because it was a windy day. I got all my gear set and was just listening to music, getting in the zone and getting ready.
Unfortunately I was not paying attention and couldn't hear Steve on the mike too well so I missed being one of the first in the water. Once I got in I realized it was going to be a challenging swim. It was dead low tide, there was a ton of sand and it was just a tough swim. When I rounded the bouys and started heading back I was feeling good. I went to climb out and sunk into the mud! Thankfully there were guys there to help us out which was awesome of them.
Candid post swim shot!
On to the bike and I was feeling strong. I had that hour mark in the back of my head and I knew I just needed to red like the whole time. The wind on the way out was a bear. I had zipps on my bike that I borrowed from a friend and I was still only about 30 seconds faster this year because of the tough wind! Coming off the bike I looked down at my watch and I knew I was so far off that hour mark I just had to hammer the run to finish with a solid time.
Bike leg from AC.
The run from t2 to the start of the run course was a bear so I just started easy and then hammered the course. I knew I wasn't going to hit my goal but that was out of my control to a point(more on that in a min). The run is completely flat and I knew I could drop the hammer. When I crossed the finish line I knew I left it all out there and that is my goal for every race. When I stopped my watch I was almost scared to look. 1:08 was my final time for the day which was good enough for a 4th place finish in my AG. It is not what I wanted but it was still better than last year. Yeas my time was 3 min slower but that 3 min was in the swim alone. I know from my races this year, my swim is what I really need to focus on this year. The bike leg is what it is, I can't change the wind and I was still faster than last year.
The greatest moment and memory from this race was when Steve called my name to come get my AG medal. He gave me a huge shoutout in front of the entire crowd for my weight loss and is was incredible! The crowd erupted with cheers and it was like nothing I have ever experienced. Yes my times were slower over all but it was a learning experience and I still walked away with two medals.
AG podium shot.
Receiving congrats from the mayor of AC!
The last thing I want to share is this photo. This is one of my favorite pictures of all time. Blog family, meet my wonderful and amazing girlfriend. She is at every start, every transition and every finish line for me. I can hear her screams louder than anyone on the course. She has been through so crazy times with me including freezing her toes off on this morning all to cheer me on. She motivates me and keeps me going through all of the rough training spots. More importantly she understands the long training hours that are needed to accomplish what I want to do and she supports me every step of the way. She is the most amazing girl I have ever met and I can't thank her enough for being there every step of the way. Love you!
Next on the list is Marine Corps Marathon Recap. My first ever 26.2 so settle in for that one.
Until then thanks for reading and sharing!
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