Steve said, "I did everything in the plan. Get out there, [bike] like hell, be fresh for the run." The plan worked. "I couldn't even imagine my bike split would be 2:14, I thought It might be 2:25 or 2:30....And the bike made the run."
Steve zealously recounted how intense the handling was on the bike leg. "A guy went down in front of me. I locked up my disk wheel, skidding out of the way, then back on full power again."
The infamous packs were present at Clearwater. My advice to Stephen:
Whenever you go into a championship, race like you mean it. Be aware that people are going to race close, race hard, and officiating often gets a little sparse. Everyone knows the reputation at Clearwater, and Age Group Worlds is the same way."A highlight was going into T2 and knowing whether I was going to be able to run or not...I already knew. I could run, there would be no hitch there. And it was because of proper bike training." Steve has been incorporating power-based intervals into his bike training.
He got off the bike and had a strong run of 1:29. A major focus was HR pacing, and staying cool in the moderate heat.
I have amazing respect and admiration for Steve. In his 50's, he continues to get faster and faster. His 4:16 here smokes my half iron PR of 4:23. More over, Steve is steadily working at running 50 marathons / 50 states. He used this trip to nab another marathon-state. Unfortunately both the Philidelphia Marathon and a marathon in Baltimore were both full. So I got on the Virginia Happy Trails Running Club listserv, and found a trail 50K near Baltimore. This was his first 50K, and he got 2nd place!
Photo: Stephen Bourgeois finishing strong.
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