If you weren't in Birmingham this past weekend, you missed out on a good time. It was
Powerman Alabama, my favorite race in the US. I skipped this race the past two years for lame reasons that I don't remember. Now that I came back, I was reminded of all the great reasons I love it. Its mainly the people--they're so darn nice, polite and caring! As you might know, I'm from Georgia, which has some "Southern Hospitality." But without a doubt Birmingham, Alabama, is the Capitol of true Southern Hospitality. Go there and you'll see.
My Mom drove up from Florida and picked me up at the airport on Friday afternoon. We checked into
the hotel--the people there were super nice! Then I went out for a run up the hill by
the Vulcan. I remember coming here once as a kid (before its recent reconstruction), so its always fun to come back. Its a gorgeous view over the city and just a good ole relaxing place to be. Plus it is fun to learn about the local iron ore history--worth the trip when you visit. The legs were feeling good despite just traveling all day long.
On Saturday I went for another easy jog, but this time on some of the flatter streets downtown. After breakfast, I got on the bike to check out the new course. I got a bit lost getting to the transition area... trying to find a map since I forgot to print one out at home, doh! Luckily, I ran into another Elite athlete, Kathryn Kasischke, who was smart enough to bring a map! The course was fun as it weaved through the warehouse district, then
Sloss Furnaces, then newer skyscrapers before finishing by historic
Kelly Ingram Park. Unfortunately, about half the roads were extremely rough and bumpy...which makes for a rough ride on the bladed aero bike! After checking out the course, I just HAD to go cruise by the home of
Confederate Motorcycles. Yes, being the "geek/aficionado of fast toys on two or four wheels" that I am... well, their industrial avant garde motorcycles definitely are high on my lust list. So, I took a photo of my current 'chopper' in front of their place:
{photo coming soon!}
Saturday evening was the mandatory Elite athlete meeting. Usually these are a bit tense. I'm always a bit anxious (but that just means I'm still passionate, yes?). Almost everyone seemed happy and chatty. It seemed odd (since unrelaxed is the norm)... but really just made me happy to be racing with those athletes. It pretty much sucks that there are so few duathlons, it will be a while before I see many of those folks. Regardless, we just have to do the best with what we have and be thankful for that. Speaking of thankful, I was given race number 3. I was super stoked. To be racing the
number 3 in
Alabama is pretty
darn cool.
Race morning came soon enough. The weather was looking gloomy. Would it rain or not? I wasn't in the mood for rain, but kept remembering that I've race well in the rain. The race start was tame for a bit, then the runners lit it up. [Note to self: get your a$$ running faster!] I came into transition in 4th, about 2mins behind the next guy. Onto the bike, I felt fast even if a bit rattled by the 'bama Pave. Before I knew it, I had 3rd place in my sights, it was Matt Russell, the defending Elite Du National Champ. I passed him and put the hammer down to get out of his sight as quick as possible. It must have worked, because after a while I couldn't see him yet I could see 2nd place just ahead of me. So I focused on getting ahead of him. I was able to do that, but not enough time since he was a silly fast runner. I came into T2 in second place, and started off on the second run feeling rather sluggish. After about a mile I started feeling better, but by then I was back to 3rd place. I knew I had to run good to hold that position. Basically if I wasn't in agonizing pain and out of breathe, then I wasn't running hard enough. Somehow I was able to maintain that to the finish for
3rd place. I'm pretty happy since that is my best ever finish at Powerman Alabama. But I still feel disappointed that I didn't run faster. It is what it is and I'll take the good and the bad to be stronger next time.
On a really disappointing note, one of the female Elite athletes cut the course [went straight instead of doing a proper out and back section]. Course marshals and spectators saw this happen and informed the referees & race management. Unfortunately there was no timing mat on the course and nothing could be done since the athlete in question told a big fat lie to cover herself. Its a shame that people this disgusting are in our sport. Its a shame that cheats like this are taking away from the true honest athletes. Karma will always come back, and you know what they say about
payback...
After the awards, I convinced Mom to go to the
Barber Motorsports Museum. This is a beautiful new museum full of hundreds of really cool motorcycles, plus a few cars and one bicycle. Some of the most exotic motorcycles in the world are here. Plus they have one of three
Lotus 108 track bikes built for Chris Boardman's individual pursuit gold at the '92 Olympics. These three are very special in that they have a single sided front fork and single sided chainstay! Very sick bike indeed. I didn't get to see the
Birmingham Museum of Art, but I'll save that for my next visit.
That is me relaxing with my feet up. By now, you've probably done a good bit of hard training and racing this season. Make sure you get plenty of rest between the mad sessions. Its good for the body. And good for the soul when you can reflect upon the work you've done or the challenges that lie ahead.
