You wouldn't know it from reading here, but I've done Devil's Lake twice. The first was in 2010, the Fall after the girls had arrived. Training had dwindled to one or two short workouts per week and sleep was still in fits and starts. But I'd signed up for it long ago and damned if I would DNS. So we spent the night before with friends Nancy and Superstar Chris, whom I believe rolled out of bed that morning, registered for the race and finished in half the time. Good thing he's a nice guy or I'd be really jealous.
My abysmal performance in this race wasn't all my fault. The course is a challenge. That lake was super hilly. Or so I tell everyone.
The reason there are no other triathletes in sight in this photo is because I am most likely dead last.
Onto the bike. No kidding, this leg actually does kick one's ass. I had prepared for this. (And by "prepared", I mean mentally. I mapped out the bike course online to view the grade of hills. It's the closest I could get.) But it wasn't enough. Two or three times I did the unspeakable: I dismounted and walked up parts of the hill. The end result was a second-to-last-in-my-division bike time and an embarrassing MPH-average barely in double digits. I think my athletic supporters had assumed I got lost out there.
The run was redeeming, but only slightly. I maintained a pace I could live with, but unfortunately so did everyone else. End result: 17th in my AG. Out of nineteen. But I finished, dammit. I never got around to writing the post however; it fell by the wayside along with my training.
The next year I was back, ready to reclaim some pride. I knew what to expect this time and was relieved that it was literally impossible to do worse than 2010. We began the day with a contender for the website "Awkward Family Photos".
Is that me, with an actual smile and a wave as I dash to T1?
T1 time was lengthened to add a layer--it was a chilly drizzly day--but not enough to offset the bike ride nominated for Most Improved. Not once did I dismount, already a bonus. Better mental strength and more experienced strategy resulted in shaving a full 15 minutes off the bike split.
And this run meant more than just "do better than last year". For a few years I've wanted to break 9' miles in a race and this run course provided the best opportunity to get it. I gave it everything. My face here shows it:
The run was nearly a 3 1/2 minute improvement and clocked in at 8:37 per mile.
I'll take it.
I'm not planning on Devil's Lake in 2012. I wouldn't want to push my luck. I'll just let this one sit for a while and bask in the glory.
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