Beaver Freezer 2014

What a difference a year can make.

Before my family and I headed out to Corvallis I swung by Jaime’s house with a

little gift. It had been a year since he’d put the triathlon bug in my ear and I

wanted to express my gratitude with a growler full of Deschutes Cinder Cone

Red.

I was excited and he told me I was ready to go. “Just go do what you are trained

to do. Don’t waste time or energy on anything during the race. Stay organized

and precise. But have fun!” I reminded him that last year he told me to look up

every so often and smile. He noted that it was “ok to look up but to make sure I

stayed in aero.”

The Beaver Freezer is one of the largest if not the largest triathlons in the nation

with a pool start. Actually, it starts in two pools. It sells out in a matter of hours.

This year there would be over 600 participants. It was the same weekend that

my wife was doing the Mudslinger, a large mountain bike race, just down the

road. It would be a family weekend.

We stayed within walking distance of the race so I was able to walk over to the

registration area, pick up my race packet, and head back to the hotel with plenty

of time to eat, get dressed, and head back to the transition area with my bike.

Last year I was nervous and full of self-doubt and uncertainty. I was

overwhelmed with how large the transition area was and I didn’t know what to

expect. This year I came in with a lot more focus. I got rid of the extraneous

stuff and tried to concentrate on the task at hand. I found a place for my bike,

laid everything out, double checked everything, and headed for the pool.

The trouble with a triathlon pool start is that you are sharing a swim lane with

others. It is understood that during the swim, one should pause at the wall if the

swimmer behind you is trying to overtake you. I was in the third slot of four and

we would go five seconds after each other. When the race began I saw the guy

ahead of me shoot off quickly. I thought to myself that I wouldn’t need to worry

about overtaking this swimmer. I began my race with a relaxed stroke. It felt

good and strong. After one lap (there would be nine more) I realized that I was

coming up on the swimmer in front of me. I touched his leg twice and held back

a bit, waiting for him to pause when we reached the wall. It didn’t happen. He

kept going. I flip turned and saw that the guy behind me was still a ways back. I

was concerned about running into him should I try to go around the swimmer in

front of me. I just decided to bide my time, touch his leg a couple more time, and

wait for the wall. He reached the wall and again kept going. That was all I

needed. To hell with this I thought. I kicked it into overdrive and swam around

the guy. Thankfully the guy behind me wasn’t close, nor was the lead swimmer.

I was able to now relax and swim my race. I emerged from the pool right behind

the lead person. I didn’t even bother to see where the swimmers behind me

were in the lane.

I ran out of the pool, down the sidewalk, and into the large transition area. I

zeroed in on my bike, dried my feet, threw my gear on, and began running my

bike out of the transition area. I hopped on my bike, clipped in, and I was off

through the Oregon State University campus, and out into the countryside that

surrounds Corvallis. All I remember about the bike portion was thanking the

volunteers I rode by, staying in aero, and a dude named Del. Del and I met up

about a quarter of the way through the bike portion of the race. For a while we

played kind of a cat and mouse game. I’d pass him and then he’d pass me.

Each time I’d pass he’d yell out, “You’re setting a great pace Laughing Dude!”

Once I hit the last turn around I put the head down and started cranking. Back I

came into transition. I was feeling good because I wasn’t passed by anyone. I

threw the shoes on quickly, stripped off the gloves and jacket, and I was off on

the run.

The run portion of the Beaver Freezer covers three loops around the old part of

the campus. It’s fun because people are coming into the race and leaving it

depending upon their number of laps. There are a lot of folks cheering you on

and there is a festive atmosphere to this final portion of the race. I felt great and

with each lap I pushed just a little bit faster. On the last lap I heard Del shouting

out behind me, “Awesome pace Laughing Dude. Keep it going!” I made the final

turn into the Union Quad and sprinted hard for the finish line. I crossed the line in

1:12:29. More than 18 minutes better than my time from the previous year.

I got my results and a drink. I slowly walked around the quad and cheered on

runners as they crossed the finish line. I felt a hand slap my back and turned

around to see Del ready to give me a high five. I obliged and he said, “Dude,

awesome pace, I tried to catch you but you were just too fast. You helped me

run a great race.” We chatted for a bit, fist bumped and then I made my way

back to transition area. I had hoped to see my wife and daughter but I completed

the race a bit faster than I had estimated. They arrived at the finish area as I was

walking down to the transition area. We met up by a campus building and I

texted Jaime my results. I relished in the afterglow of a race well run. My first of

the year was in the books and it felt really good. All the training was worth it, and

as I later learned from not only Jaime but from a few other athletes that shaving

18 minutes off a sprint race is something to definitely be proud of and is quite an

accomplishment. I hope that this begins a great race season full of continued

improvement, wonderful experiences, and of course, fun!