Patriot was my first half in 2017 and I’ve raced it or relayed every year since. It fell on my birthday that year like it did this year too, so this one was extra special. My main goal was to beat my time from last year. There were a couple of ‘cool-ifs’ out of my control too that I tried my best to ignore: it would be cool if I got on the podium again; it would be cool if I beat the guys who beat me last year; it would be cool if I won; etc. I was a little nervous about all of it looking at the forecast in the days leading up probably like everyone else. I did what I could to focus on the things I could control. I got to transition fairly early and got my spot set up with plenty of time before the start. I wanted to leave time to get distracted talking to people while also still being able to go over to the start for some quiet time to focus up.
Swim
I like that they do a mass start group at this race. It’s also nice that it’s only like 20 people. I was pretty sure I had a chance to get away right at the start so I planned to hit it hard from the gun. I still lined up right in the middle to make it easier to keep an eye on everyone in case there was someone with the same plan who would give me a chance to draft. I followed the plan and gassed it off the line. One guy was next to me for 100ish yards before he fell back. I kept pushing the pace and held close to the sight buoys straight out to the first turn. About half way to the next turn, I realized I was having trouble holding tight to the course and had to correct a few times. I think I overdid it a little on the leg out which led to single sided breathing which I think led to one side of my body tiring out faster than the other from the gallopy stroke. I managed to get to the turn and backed off the pace for the return leg. I still wound up swimming off course a couple times. I still made it home without anyone catching me. I forced myself to keep my eyes forward out of the water. I knew I was alone, but didn’t want to know the gap.
T1
This was one of my better T1s. I got my wetsuit off quick thanks to Trislide on my ankles. My bike shoes went on easy and so did my helmet. My bike mount was awful, but that’s normal for me. I need to practice it much much more.
Bike
I love the bike and it’s super fun being the first out. There was no lead cop car or motorcycle or anything this year, so I’m very glad I loaded the course on my GPS. I was a little over the power target at first. I reeled that in after exiting the weird chicane thing behind Dunkin Donuts. I focused on holding aero, drinking my sugar, and holding power through the first loop. I ate a Maurten Caf gel a little before the merge to start the second loop. I usually have a bad mental low 2/3 of the way through the bike and thought the caffeine might help stave that off. It definitely helped. My stomach wasn’t really cooperating but I kept pushing the power and putting away sugar. It rained lightly for a little bit which cooled me down nicely. The second loop was a little less terrifying than last year. I still had to yell a lot to make sure people knew I was coming by, but it seemed way less crowded. I saw a lot of NEMS and BTT folks out there and tried to make sure to give all of the cheers. I eased off the power a little after splitting from the loop to try and prep my legs for the run during the last couple miles. I kept doing my best to think a step ahead and not get caught up with leading.
T2
The volunteer in transition was talking to me while I was trying to get my shoes on asking if he could look at my head unit to see how fast I rode. While he was looking at the thing the organizers were radioing something back and forth. I guess they were very confused where I came from. It seems like they were relying on the tracker and the tracker didn’t see me on the bike at all for whatever reason. He asked if he could borrow the head unit to go clear it all up. I’m pretty happy to not have to have dealt with any of it. T2 was a little slower than I would have liked but shoes and socks are hard. I think I need to practice that more too.
Run
I went out pretty hot. I remembered being in the same position as last year. I knew there were some fast runners coming for me and got caught up in the moment. Seeing the NEMS spectator group going into the first turn was so helpful in straightening my headspace back out. I felt like I was going as hard as I could at any given moment of that run. I was sure that if I got caught, they were going to leave me behind. My only option was to run my race and let the results shake out however they were going to. The rain started dumping somewhere during mile 3 or 4 and the guy on the lead bike looked pretty uncomfortable. It immediately got very puddly and a little slick in spots. I tried to count my blessings though. At least I couldn’t complain about it being as hot as usual. My stomach was very angry, but I forced down gels hoping they would stay down. I think I went a little light in my last race and didn’t want to make the same mistake. I heard footsteps just before the mile 8 aid station and got passed with authority. I held my pace and he made steady progress away from me for the next mile or so before he was out of sight. I was suffering but held on not knowing if anyone else was coming up. I was able to push a little bit harder in the closing miles. I knew the course and I knew the hills in the last mile. I was on the red line through the last stretch of the course, trying to avoid slipping in the mud before the turn to the finish. I was completely spent when I crossed the finish line. I was proud of hanging onto 2nd.