Iowa Games/Des Moines Corporate Games Triathlon

This morning I participated in the Des Moines Corporate Games sprint triathlon, held in conjunction with the Iowa Games triathlon. I'm going to just come right out and say that I had my best race of the year so far and I am VERY happy with how I raced today.

I arrived at Big Creek shortly after 6:00 am. The temperature wasn't too bad but it was extremely humid. It was clear at the time, but shortly before start time some fog set in forcing them to delay the race about 15 minutes. The extra time before the race didn't bother me at all, however, because I used the time to warm up and spend time chatting with the 20, or so, other Dupont Pioneer employees that were racing.

Set up in transition

Waiting out the fog with my coworker, Chris

The race consisted of a wave start (my least favorite kind of start). I was in wave 4, which turned out to be the largest wave. The water was very warm and the 1/4 mile swim seemed extremely short. I ended up setting a PR swim pace of 2:01/100 yards which put a smile on my face as I came out of the water. 

My swim wave heading into the water

Out of the water and heading to T1

Abigail got a lot of chuckles holding this sign as
racers got out of the water

I made it through T1 in under 2 minutes which is a great time. The bike course was 20 km (12.4 miles), which is quite short. With low winds and few hills, I was able to log an average pace of 18.4 mph which is my best pace this year and tied for my 3rd fastest pace ever. The one downside of the bike portion was that it was the only time that I experienced some back pain. Getting off the bike was the worst part and I'm happy to say that the pain subsided as I headed out on the run course. 

Heading out of T1

Finishing up the bike course and heading towards the dismount line

My time in T2 was just over 40 seconds which is outstanding and another PR for me. I headed out on the run course feeling pretty tired but I just kept moving. With the air still and sun beating down, I got quite hot on the run course and just never got into a good rhythm. I felt great as I finished strong across the finish line and knew immediately that I had run my best race of the year so far. It also helped that Erin and the girls were waiting for me at the finish line after cheering me on all morning. 

Heading out on the run course

Bridget all wore out from cheering

Coming in for a high five during my sprint to
the finish line

Finishing strong

Proud finisher with my beautiful wife

My official time was 1:2739 and I finished 175/251. I also finished in 4th place in my division/age group for the corporate games which brought home 35 points for Pioneer. 

Official Results

So many things made this race one of my favorites. I was very pleased with my performance today especially coming off a back injury and with little to no training for the past 2 weeks. With how much training I do out at Big Creek, it sort of felt like it was my "home course". It was also great to spend time before and after the race with some coworkers.My favorite part, however, was that Erin and the girls came to watch me race and cheer me on.

My next race is the Des Moines Corporate Games road race in Clive next weekend. I will be running the 5k and hoping to bring home more points for Pioneer. I am 5 weeks away from my next triathlon, which will be at Bluff Creek. My race at Bluff Creek last year is the best triathlon performance that I have ever had. I'm not expecting to replicate that this year because my fitness level is just not at the same level that it was a year ago, but I am planning for a solid performance.