Race Coverage

No Tree Fiddy!

Friday, 03 May 2013 01:10

New Orleans 70.3 - Race Report

By Matthew Payne (mathew-payne.blogspot.com)

Holy crap, tri season really sneaked up on me this year. Since my DNF disaster at Vegas last September my head really hasn't been in the game. Training-wise I managed to string together a few 25,000+ yard weeks of swimming back in November/December, but then my shoulder blew up, taking me out of the pool altogether for a couple weeks and sharply limiting my volume thereafter. And then I got the flu in mid-January, which took me completely out of action for about a week and a half and felt like it took a solid month to really recover from. Our ass-tastic neverending Minnesota winter didn't exactly help things either.

Luckily everything started to come around by about mid-March and I started to feel more like my old self again. Next thing you know it's last Friday and I'm pulling the old Ordu down off of the hooks in the garage ceiling for literally the first time since September, only to immediately disassemble it and stuff it in a bag for a Saturday...

morning pre-dawn flight to New Orleans and my first race of 2013.

So suffice it to say I was feeling rather under-prepared and my expectations weren't exactly sky high for this one. Basically as long as I made it to the finish line in one piece and stayed out of the med tent/hospital I'd be satisfied. If I got a Vegas slot I'd be happy. If I won my AG and/or went under 4:10 I'd be ecstatic.

The Pre-Race Jams

Hatebreed may be the quintessential pre-race jam. Knuckle dragging mosh riff after knuckle dragging mosh riff? Lyrics that are basically a more profane version of the motivational posters in your dentist's waiting room? A style that is self-described by frontman Jamey Jasta as "all pit, no shit"? Yes please!

Race Day...READ MORE