Collegiate Nationals Race Report from Mac Johnson

From: Mac Johnson

I suppose the day before finals start is a good enough time to write
this bad-boy.

First of all I have to say thanks to all the idiots willing to get in
a Texas-bound van with six people, five bikes and about 10 bags, go to
dumpy Lubbock, race, and then come home without a shower. Most people
would rather catch Syphilis, but that's why I'm friends with you
guys. You're hardcore.



As for my own experience on the trip, I managed it like a complete
space cadet. I left my pillow, phone charger, and wallet in Texas. I
threw my borrowed bike down in T1, and ripped a hole in Steve's
wetsuit that a tennis ball could fit through. I had nothing to drink
before the race except what I could steal from the army that was Cal.
I knew I'd messed up when I was stretching my quad on the start line,
30 secs. until blast-off, and my hamstring cramped on me.





Somehow, despite the shit show I created for myself, the race was
still a watershed moment for me. I don't know exactly how to word it,
but I finally felt like I belong in the sport. At every race prior to
last weekend's I've felt like an outsider, stuck in the middle of a
big fight that didn't involve me. In Lubbock I spent more time
drafting in the swim than not, I wasn't afraid to get physical in the
water, I executed a sweet flying dismount into T2, etc. Most
importantly, I got to be an aggressor. The run didn't work out for
me, but while I still felt good I had the physical tools and the
confidence to look at the people I caught, size them up, and dispose
of them. By no means was I racing at the front of the pack, but I was
racing nonetheless... finally.

So the run totally blew for me, and I wasn't happy with my overall
time. But I have to temper my response to the result because I gained
infinitely more hope for my chances in the sport. 3-4 weeks ago I
would have told you that I felt close to peaking with what I can do in
an endurance sport, but now my mindset has entirely shifted. I'm
nowhere close. I fully expect to keep grinding at this for the next
3-5 years and just see what happens. I want to win races. I want to
become known around whatever local circuit I end up in as "the guy to
beat." How good can I get?



Again, thanks to everyone for making the trip a blast and a special
thanks to Steve for all of the coaching. It's great to have someone
nearby to crack the whip when necessary, and to be a great resource
for all of those pre-race questions.