Tuesday, October 4, 2011

The Good and Bad

Since I’ve had a little over a week to digest the Elephant Man 70.3, I’ve been able to put this race season into perspective and reflect on the ups and downs of the many different races that I entered. First, the things that I liked this season:

1.       Really enjoyed my new bike. Getting a full carbon bike and aero wheel set made a huge difference in my bike splits. On the average I improved 8-10 minutes on a 30k course.

2.       This season I raced in 8 races that I never had raced in before and was very pleased with the Milkman race in Dexter. Great race staff, awards, ice cream and honey milk for everyone.

3.       I loved the diversity of the Southwest Challenge Series races. You have everything from super flat courses to hilly, cold to hot, open water to pool, and near and far. The many different race locations provided a great mix of racers and many opportunities to race.

4.       New friendships. Getting to train with Gretch, Bobby, Rob, and Art made the season fly by and each one of them has different strengths and approaches to a race. It was great to absorb all that knowledge and also have someone to look forward to seeing at the races. I also, can’t forget getting to know Cody Hanson from Santa Fe and John Gardea from right here in El Paso. Both gentlemen are seasoned racers and even better men.

What I didn’t like about the season:

1.       Time trial races. Either put the swim last or open water, but please no more races that have everyone starting at a different time in the pool. You lose the race aspect of the event and it becomes more of a glorified workout.

2.       The races at White Sands not being USAT Sanctioned. I know it would make the cost of the race more expensive, but not having it USAT Sanctioned just about eliminates it from a race that I will enter.

3.       Skimpy goodie bags. I don’t want a bag full of flyers for upcoming races, I want a water bottle, GU, Powerbar, or at least a candy bar.
4.    Bike shops that treat customers like idiots. I know I'm not an expert, but just because I don't have as much knowledge as you doesn't mean you should treat me like an idiot.
As you can see I don’t have much to complain about this season. The race directors at all the different races have a tough job and I appreciate all their time and effort. I look forward to next season and during the winter I will keep training and race  a few 5k’s to stay sharp. I hope to blog about some of the different products I used this season and also pass along any workout tips that I come across.