From: tjensen@cbnewsk.cb.att.com (todd.r.jensen)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.triathlon
Subject: REPORT: Mt. Horeb Biathlon
Date: 5 Oct 92 15:28:00 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: AT&T

Mount Horeb Biathlon - October 3, 1992 - [2M run|14M bike|2M run]

Mount Horeb is a small town outside Madison, WI, full of Scandinavian
ancestry and surrounded by many hilly rural roads.  This was the 6th annual
running of the biathlon, and would be my fourth start.  Since the race
started at 10:00 AM, we decided to do the three hour drive the morning
of the race.  When we arrived at 9:00 AM, the sky was clear and the
temperature was already in the high 60s, a beautiful fall day.  The
weather has always been variable for this race - some years sunny and
warm, others near-freezing and raining.

The mechanic doing the mandatory bike inspection decided my bottom bracket
was loose.  I thought he was just tightening the lockring, but then I looked
down and saw he had loosened the lockring and adjustable cup and was starting
a major overhaul on my bottom bracket.  I started sweating heavily when he
said he couldn't get it retightened.  Thirty minutes before the race and
this guy has just deconditioned my bike.  I rode it around for a few miles 
and it seemed OK, so I put it into the transition and ran a few pickups to
finish warming up.

The mass start was low key with the race director asking us if we were ready
and then firing the gun.  The start of the run went up a small hill then
through a city street before turning onto a bike path.  I felt good running
with the lead pack and ran at their pace.  Every time I looked down at my
heart rate monitor it read 191.  It's weird how much harder you can push
your body during a race - 170 BPM is usually painful when I'm out training.
I stayed with the lead pack and cruised into the transition at 11:28 on the
clock in 10th place, about 30 seconds behind the leader.  I lost a few places
to the guys with pedal adaptors, but quickly settled into my pace on the bike.

The bike course is very hilly.  At times I was barely doing 10 MPH, and
other times I was coasting at 45 MPH.  The last time I did this race I
blew up on the bike from a lack of hill training and hill gears - amazing
considering the short distances.  This year I used a different freewheel and
spun up the hills.  I didn't feel too great on the bike but was still gaining
on some of the guys in front of me.  Maybe I was enjoying the autumnal scenery
too much to concentrate on the task at hand.  With about four miles to go I
stood up to climb yet another hill when I heard a load clunk resonate from my
bottom bracket.  I looked down and saw my crank arms moving left and right as I
was pedaling.  I assumed my bottom bracket was trashed already, so I just kept
up my pace.  I rode into the transition in 5th place at 49:58 on the clock.

I changed my shoes and set out for a very painful second run.  I was quickly
passed by a few guys, and it took a mile before I finally regulated my
breathing.  I started reeling back some of the people ahead of me, but a
mile wasn't enough distance and I crossed the line at 1:02:59 in 8th place
overall including teams, the 5th individual.  Mark Andrews won by almost
4 minutes in 57:xx, a new course record.  Lauren Jensen was the first female,
also setting a course record with a finish time of 1:06:30.


Todd Jensen                                  o
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Newsgroups: rec.sport.triathlon