Anyhow, leading up to the race, I was feeling somewhat anxious. Although I've swum as much as 2 miles at a time in a pool, a pool is much different from open water. I'd never gone more than 1 mile in open water. Better yet, I've only had 3 open water swim races period. And I've never biked more than 40 or so miles, so 56 miles was getting into new territory. I kept thinking, or better yet hoping, that marathon training was "enough" as far as leg power to bike that far. I kept thinking, if I can just start the run with a bit of energy in the tank, my marathon training should carry the day. That strategy worked last year at Rocketts Landing and Naylors Beach -- but those were Olympic distance races. And I was worried whether I would have enough energy left when the run started. I was worried about fueling/hydration. I was worried about temperatures -- Eagleman started at 6:45am but I was in the 11th of 14 swim starting waves which did not start until 8:06am -- and projecting my estimated swim and bike times meant I would not start running until close to noon!
With all that anxiety, I packed up the car and drove out to Cambridge on Saturday for packet pickup and the mandatory pre-race bike check-in (unlike the two smaller tri's I did last year, you have to rack your bike in transition the day before). Easy drive and easy packet pickup. Got my bib (#1925) and timing chip. Went through the little expo and made two on-the-spot decisions that were the two best decisions I've ever made in racing. First, I knew the course was supposed to be shadeless and sunny, so I bought a nice pair of racing sunglasses. Second, I knew my experience with trying to eat GU gels on the bike was not the best, so I figured I would violate cardinal rule #1 (don't eat anything new on race day) and bought a bunch of Clif Shot Bloks -- little gelatinous squares, 6 to a package, mountain berry flavor -- for my on-bike fueling needs. Then I went to Great Marsh Park in Cambridge to rack my bike in transition. It was very hot and humid, and I was dripping with sweat just racking my bike. This did not bode well for race day, I thought.
My bike racked, I hopped back in the car for the drive to Bethany Beach (I was staying at my in-laws condo). Had a pre-race dinner of pasta and a beer. Laid out my race day gear. Got into bed around 9, and set my alarm for 4 am.
The next morning had an uneventful drive back to Cambridge -- amazing how much faster the drive went at 4:30am. Arrived at the local middle school around 5:45am, parked, grabbed my gear, and got onto the shuttle to the transition/start. I quickly became popular as I had thought to bring my bike pump with me. Quite a number of athletes became my good friend to borrow my pump --- that's what I love about tri's, everyone is so friendly. Anyhow, set up my transition area, got my body marking (for tri's, they write your number on your arms and your age on the back of your calf in permanent marker), and made my first visit to the port-a-johns (did not want any race day pitstops). Met up with some of my swim friends from Ancient Mariners and chatted with them: Ed was doing the aqua-vela, Amy and Debby were doing the swim legs of relay teams.
Around 6:40am, we all had to clear out of transition as the race was about to start. Ran into one of my MCRRC/Boston Bound friends, Owen, and we hung out at the swim start area chatting and comparing race strategies. He was in the 7th swim wave (7:34 start) so headed off around 7:25. I still had another half hour of waiting. Took advantage of the time to visit the port-a-johns again. Ate a GU Gel and finished off a quart of Gatorade (started that bottle during the drive -- tasty when washing down a PBJ and banana). Ran into more running friends, Al and Emily, both experienced triathletes (having done several full ironmen) and got some more last minute race advice -- particularly fueling and hydration advice. They were not competing, just there to cheer on the many MCRRC members competing. Finally at 7:58 they called the Men 45-49 group (neon orange swim caps) to the swim start and we waded into the water to wait for our 8:06 start. Nice thing about an in-water start is you can make that one last final pee without having to wait in a port-a-john line!
The Swim
Finally 8:06 arrived and the horn went off for our wave. I had tried to position myself near the back of the 283 other competitors in my age group but alas it was still a cuisinart start. At least I was getting used to it. I was never kicked in the head or face but did have to "fight" may way through to find a bit of open water to swim a good stroke. It took about 2 or 3 minutes until things started to thin out enough that I was able to get a good swim form going. The one thing that did NOT happen, though, was that I was never flustered like last year. I knew what to expect -- I knew there would be congestion -- I knew I would swim into other swimmers and get swum into myself -- and I dealt with it. As NBC says "Knowing is half the battle." I kept up a good stroke, broken up with the occasional breaststroke when I ran into another swimmer.
The other thing I noticed is that my sighting has improved tremendously. The course was basically three sides of a rectangle in the Choptank River. Keep the yellow buoys to your right and turn around the orange buoys. I never had any issue with sighting and swam pretty straight from buoy to buoy.
Around the first turn, I caught up and began to pass swimmers from the wave before me. Of course, that was also about the time when I was caught up to and passed by swimmers from the wave after me! So there you have it. Anyhow, I kept up a strong but conservative stroke for the first two sides of the rectangle. I didn't want to go out too fast and end up breast stroking the last half of the swim, or exit the water exhausted.
Somewhere between the two turns I accidentally gave someone a mighty kick to the head or face. I was swimming along when my right foot whacked into someone (or something). Mind you, it wasn't my fault -- you overtake a swimmer at your own risk. My foot hurt for about a minute or so and, I'm sorry to say, all I could think was "I hope this doesn't affect my run." Such is the swim.
As we rounded the second and final turn buoy, I started passing more swimmers -- both my own wave and those from the waves in front of me. Honestly, not that many swimmer passed me from the wave after me. I was probably in the middle of my own wave. I started to pick up the pace with the swim end in sight. There are no splits in the water, but I like to think that I swam negative splits. Reached the beach and headed up to the swim exit.
Pre-race, I predicted a 45 minute swim. My official time: 46 minutes even. My swim rank was 1038 out of 2515 overall, and 98 out of 284 for my age group.
Transition 1
Ran up the beach and into transition. Quickly found my bike -- luckily I was near the end of a row. Also, because I was in one of hte last swim waves (11th of 14), most of the triathletes had already left transition so it wasn't difficult finding my bike. Plopped down, cleaned off my feet (Helpful Hint: always bring a container of plain water to rinse your feet before putting on your cycling shoes), got my socks (I bought some nice Ironman logo tri socks at the expo) and shoes one, put on the sun shades, strapped on my helmet and race belt, drank about half a bottle of Gatorade, and off I ran with my bike to the exit.
T1 time: 2:59
The Bike
The bike course was really nice. Of course, there was not a linear foot in the shade (thank you for the sunglasses!), but it was pancake flat. And most if wound through farms (with corn and wheat) and the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge -- a large empty expanse of marsh and water. It was quite beautiful. True to the race name, I did see a couple of eagles circling above -- hopefully not looking for stricken riders! It was hot, but for anyone who's ever been in a saltwater marsh in the summer, you get a wonderfully delicious earthy smell of mud and water and salt. It can be intoxicatingly delightful!
Back to the race. This was my best bike performance so far, averaging 19.11 mph -- whether in a race or training. First, I was now very comfortable with my aerobars and spent most of the race in aero position. Not only does it help being in an aerodynamic position when riding in the wind, but it really does allow for faster pedaling cadence with less effort when in that position.
Second, and I think the key to my successful performance, was taking Al's fueling and hydration advice to heart. The Clif Bloks come 6 to a pack and I had 3 packs -- 18 chomps. I estimated I would be on the bike 3 hours, so I made a plan to eat one chomp every 10 minutes on the dot and wash it down with copious Gatorade from one of my two water bottles (which I planned to refill at one of the several aid stations along the course). I really think this was critical. I stuck to this fueling/hydration schedule the entire race. I was even able to refill my water bottle (without stopping much to my surprise) with Gatorade replacement. So I ended up eating 3 Clif Blok packs and drinking three 20 oz bottles of Gatorade. Note to self: invest in a behind the seat two bottle carriage.
Unlike my last two tri's where I was passed A LOT more than I passed, this was not the case at Eagleman. Certainly, I was passed by a lot of cyclists -- no doubt. But, I passed my fair share of cyclers as well. I can't be too certain, but I think I probably passed as many people as passed me. So not too shabby. And a lot of the bikes I passed were much nicer than my old Cannondale, but I kept thinking to myself "it's not the bike but the engine that powers it."
Unlike my last two tri's, this course was heavily monitored by course marshals on motorcycles looking for cycling violations -- drafting being the prime no-no. I saw at least half a dozen cyclists get a red car, which meant they had to stop at the next penalty tent and wait for 4 minutes before resuming. I made sure to slow down every time I was passed and kept trying to figure what long 7 meters was (minimum distance behind bikes to avoid drafting charge) -- I did not want that happening to me!
Riding 56 miles was quite a physical challenge. I never felt really tired but my skinny butt got very sore. I had to stand up in the pedals about every 5 mintues or so to relieve the ache. Youch!
I also found that, similar to ultramarathons, riding 56 miles can be a mental as well as physical challenge. I mentioned how pretty the course was? Well for the first half hour or so I didn't even notice, I was so focussed on looking straight ahead. Also, I remember when I passed the 20 mile mark thinking "crap, I've only gone 20 miles? That's barely 1/3 of the race! I've got 36 more miles!" Also, the beginning and end of the bike course shared some of the same roads as the run course and because I started as much as hour after the earlier swim waves, I could see many triathletes already on the run when I was still on the bike. So it was a mental challenge. I think my fueling plan helped because I really broke the bike segment into 10 minute blocks. Also, sighting other cyclists and planning how to pass him or her helped.
Eventually, I passed the 50 mile armk and knew the end was near. I figured it would take me about 15 more minutes -- but that was the LONGEST 15 minutes of cycling my achy butt every felt!! I was surprisly not feeling tired although getting somewhat nervous as to how my legs would actually feel after dismounting. I was also wondering whether I would bonk on the run, notwithstanding my feeling strong at the moment.
I reached the bike dismount line, dismounted and headed back into transition.
Pre-race, I prediced at least 3 hours on the bike. My official time was 2:55:47, for an average speed of 19.11 mph which is faster than I've ever biked before, so I was quite pleased. Then again, I was right in the middle of the pack: my bike time ranked 1051 out of 2515 overall and 104 out of 284 for my age group.
Transition 2
Very surprisingly, my legs did not feel like bricks when I dismounted and I ran my bike back to my rack spot, racked my bike, switched shoes, took off my helmet and cycling gloves, took a long swig of Gatorade, re-applied sunscreen, and headed out. Downed a GU Gel while running out of transition and washed it down with a cup of Gatorade.
T2 time: 3:00
The Run
Finally, I was in my element -- the run. Of course, it was hot and nearing noon. Many athletes were already done. The pros had finished about 2 hours earlier. I had 13.1 miles to go before I was done. I decided to start conservatively and see how I felt at the turn around (the course was out and back). If I felt good, I could kick it up a notch.
I saw Al and Emily around the 1 mile mark and got a welcome boost of energy from their cheers. "Give us a sub-1:30" they yelled. "We'll see" I thought. I looked at my watch as surprised myself with a 7:07 first mile. Way too fast for this heat, I thought. I don't want to end up walking like SO MANY of the runners around me. I ended up running the first 6.55 miles at a 7:26 average pace.
I ran this half pretty smart. Like the bike, there was not a linear foot in the shade. Luckily, for the parts of the course in Cambridge, many residents had set up hoses as misting stations -- very pleasant to run through. At every water stop, I drank a cup of Gatorade (these were full cups, not the half or quarter full cups I often get at road races). I also took a cup of water, took a sip, and poured the rest on my head. What a relief!
I remember the course passed by a golf course. We runners -- sweating, running, shuffling, walking -- watched as the "gentlemen" casually swung their clubs then plopped down into their little golf carts and motored along. "That's just a game! This is a sport!" someone yelled. Or maybe I just thought someone yelled it. I don't remember.
As I ran, I noticed that I was passing people left and right. Around the turn around I also realized that no one had yet to pass me. That became my goal -- I did not care about time. I was determined to NOT BE PASSED for the entire run. I downed another GU gel at the turn around and began to pick up the pace. Not by much, but I did run the second 6.55 miles at a 7:23 average pace, so I actually ran the mythical negative split.
It was clear that my regular noontime running was paying off -- I was used to the heat and the humidity. I was not fading. I did not feel like I did in the second half of Charlottesville or Potomac River Run. Was it the bike fueling? Whatever, it felt good. Mind you, I do not think I could have run at my normal half-marathon pace. Heck, I don't think I could have run at my normal marathon pace. But given the circumstances, having already propelled myself 57.2 miles over almost 4 hours of continuous motion, I was doing OK. And I kept passing people. To the very end, I was passing people -- even triathletes who had started as much as 1 hour before me! And I met my goal -- no one passed me during the entire run.
Pre-race, I predicted about 1:45 for the run. My official time was 1:37:15 for a 7:25 average pace. Not too shabby. My run time ranked 463 out of 2515 overall and 45 out of 284 for my age group.
Final Thoughts
My total race time for my first half ironman was 5:25:01. I finished in 463rd place out of 2515 overall, 45th out of 284 in the my age group (funny, same standing as my run).
I got my medal, downed 2 bottles of water, and draped a cold wet towel over my head. I was half an ironman. I also found a port-a-john -- for all the fluid I drank, I never had to pee once. Maybe it was the light coming through the green sides of the port-a-john, but I swear my pee looked blue!
Ate some post-race food, packed up my stuff and took the shuttle back to my car, thend drove it back to get my bike, then back on the road home. Long day.
So all in all, this was a great first half ironman. I was a bit nervous about doing that distance, but am very pleased with my time. The aerobars definitely have improved my cycling performance, and I think I'm slowly figuring out which gears to use to pedal most efficiently. AND, at least on the bike, I found the right fueling/hydration plan. Whether I can translate that plan to the marathon is another question. I have all summer with XMP to try out better fueling plans to keep from bonking (like I always seem to do) in the last 2 to 3 miles of the marathon.
Gratuitous unisexist comment: Triathlons are a great spectator sport because triathletes are really easy on the eyes. Lots of very in-shape athletes wearing very tight and often minimal tri-clothes. Winner! See for yourself some time.
What's on deck? Rocketts Landing Olympic distance triathlon on July 24. Using my new-found strategies, I would like to PR at the olympic distance. I am VERY excited about this race -- Jordana is trying her first tri and I am so looking forward to sharing the race experience with her.
So stay tuned, sports fans, there's plenty more action to come....
