General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Clydesdale 70.3 New Orlens HIM race report Rss Feed  
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2010-04-19 3:48 PM

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Subject: Clydesdale 70.3 New Orlens HIM race report
Folks, I wrote this up for my family and friends. They seemed to really enjoy it. This is a HIM from a clydesdale view at the back of the pack. I know it doesn't belong here but I stuck it here due to the clydesdale perspective. I hope you enjoy it.

So, I guess I did it. My time was 7:45:59 total.
 
To start off the race was a total of 70.3 miles. There were roughly 2700 people participating and because of that you start in waves according to age. People were starting this race for about an hour and a half. The first to start were the pro's. When they started the water was flat and easy to swim in. I started over an hour later. When I started the swim it was different.
 
 At the start of the race a guy standing next to me said "is anyone here wearing a heart monitor" I said I was and he said "relax", my pulse was 116 before I ever got into the water. Apparently he was picking my heart monitor up on his heart monitor watch. The start of the race gives you the feeling that you might be in over your head and up against something formidable. Since my days as a paratrooper I have come to enjoy this feeling a bit.
  
The swim was an absolute beating. There were waves and they were kind of big for an open water swim. I saw some folks get to the first buoy and say "screw this" and wait for a Kayak to bring them in. Seeing someone quit when you are having so much trouble puts a small doubt in your head when it happens. You always think "am I really better prepared than this guy","do I really want to do this". You shut out the doubt and keep swimming anyway. You only concentrate on the 10 feet in front of you.
 
My problem upfront was that it took me about halfway through the swim to calm down and "stroke-stroke-glide". Once I did this I felt more comfortable. Due to the current and waves blocking my vision, I swam all over the place and turned a 1.2 mile swim into about a 2 mile swim. At one point I was swimming at a 45 degree angle to just go straight. All total the swim took me 57 minutes. This was about 13 minutes longer than last year and that really ate into my time.  I finally got to the beach and had the pleasure of running past Tammy and Samuel. Tammy's big smile was welcoming. I stole a kiss from Samuel, who didnt' look happy, and continued on my way.
 
Once out of the water I put on my bike shoes and jumped on the bike. As I did this I heard the announcer say that the lead pro was entering the bike area shortly. He was almost done with his ride. As I left the transition area I saw that there was only a handful of bikes there. That means I was one of last people to start the bike leg of the race. There was a very real possibility that I was going to be dead last in the race. Seriously, dead last. The first hour was really bad. I was riding into a slight headwind and really couldn't make any power. I was topping out about 14-15 MPH which is slow for a road bike. This was really discouraging. The only thing going through my mind was that I was going to get slower and actually be last. I REALLY didn't want to be last.
 
At this point it's a total mind game, hit a stiff breeze and you think "I'm not going to finish". After an hour into the bike something unexpected happened, I picked up speed. I felt great and started passing people. I felt a little better about my chances of finishing at a position other than last. I did have a touch of a leg cramp during the ride but due to the fact I took electrolyte supplements it was much better than last year. I should have been faster this year, but all of the training I did took place on a bike trainer. To be honest, it didn't transfer to the road as well as I would have hoped.  All together I did the bike in 3:30 and I guess that's respectable.
 
Once I climbed off the bike I wanted to walk to the bike rack but my legs had other ideas. I literally couldn't walk, I had to run using short steps like I was still pedaling. I finally got to my bike and sat down and got my running shoes on. I forgot to take my aleve for muscle pain and was off to the run. I decided to pop an electrolyte tablet to ensure I didn't cramp and ended up scattering half the tablets I had for the run across the first half mile because I had trouble getting the container open. You don't go back to get anything. You never go back. This is a sport that is all about forward momentum. High dollar equipment littering the bike course is proof of this. Folks don't want to take the time to stop and pick up the 30 dollar gadget that fell off of their bike. No one else does either so there it sits.
 
Running at the rear of a big race like this can be rough. There is a certain social aspect to a race like this and if you are at the back, the social aspect isn't there. There aren't any crowds and other encouraging stuff, just you the heat and the road. Starting the run I didn't really feel great. My "legs" weren't where they needed to be. They call the first running miles after a bike ride a brick. There is a good reason for this. Your legs feel heavy and uncooperative. You run the best you can but everything feels against you. Pretty soon you come up on the first aid station and get some cold water and realize that one mile out of 13 is already down and your outlook gets better. Pretty soon my legs started feeling ok and I put on a pretty good jog and started passing people.
 
Like last year I got to the point where I would run until I cramped and walk for a bit. I ended developing a plan and I ran half and walked half. This kept the lactic acid from building up in my muscles and kept the cramps down while still moving forward.
 
After a while the miles rack up and you realize that you only have a few miles to go. The final run down Esplanade isn't too bad and then you turn onto Decatur St. for the final 500 yards. It's all gravy from here on out. Your steps get a little lighter and folks cheer for you from the sides of the street. Even the drunks respect the effort. I crossed the line at 7:45:59. This is 20 minutes faster than last year and I finished about in the middle of my division which is respectable. On top of all of this, other than a pretty good sunburn due to some underperforming sunscreen, I feel pretty good.
 
For those of you that think that this is took an extraordinary effort you are wrong. Unless you have some kind of permant injury that keeps you from doing this, it's possible. This is a sport that attracts old and young, fat and thin. I even passed by a guy with a orthopedic boot on his foot on the bike. It's all a mental game and the person you are really competing with is yourself. Doubt enters your mind constantly, you just have to shut it out and concentrate on the 10 feet in front of you.
 
If you look at the total distance at the start it will be overwhelming. If you can just concentrate on what is directly in front of you and not worry what is 10 miles down the road you have it made.
 
See you at the finish line,
 
Jason


2010-04-19 4:16 PM
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Subject: RE: Clydesdale 70.3 New Orlens HIM race report
This is very well written, congrats. I too completed a 70.3 recently and as a clyde it is quite an accomplishment.  I loved what you said about doubting your preparation compared to others.  I'm sure there were a number of "skinny" guys that you beat by close to a half hour.

Like you said, this sport attracts people of all types and if you train properly there's no reason that a clyde or anyone else can't do it.

Well done!
2010-04-19 7:32 PM
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Subject: RE: Clydesdale 70.3 New Orlens HIM race report
Nice report and thanks for posting it here.

Kevin
2010-04-19 9:00 PM
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Subject: RE: Clydesdale 70.3 New Orlens HIM race report
Thanks for saying the report was well written. As someone that had to go to summer school for english for each year of high school I take that as a compliment.

I started out writing a details report for the family but realized that this sport is 100% mental. I tried to capture some of that and hope I did. I have done this race twice. It is the only two tri's I have done. The first time was a little harder but the second I had something to compare it to and realized the mind game aspect of it. Self doubt is always trying to creep in.

I have two friends that did it. One girl put up a 5:38 and the guy put up a 6:30. Each of them said the same thing. Although they were pretty fast, each of them said they didn't know if they had what it took to finish and they continually had to fight self doubt. Keep in mind the girl has done 2 Full Ironman races.

I think the mental is almost more important than the physical when it comes to this.

Edited by eitek1 2010-04-19 9:06 PM
2010-04-20 11:27 AM
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Subject: RE: Clydesdale 70.3 New Orlens HIM race report
I too, enjoyed your write up. I enjoyed this as I related it to the Crescent City Classic that I ran just a few weeks ago. The mind game thing is real and you have to override the negative thoughts that go throgh your head.
I ran a 1:02:14 in the race and had to fight the mindset of if I was going to make it. I have ran over six miles before, many times, and yet the thoughts enter your mind. I run 5K races on occasion and it was a different feeling to see the 4, 5 and 6 mile marker boards. It made me think about "why in the world did I sign up for this?" I practiced at a 1:06:00 - 1:10:00 pace and beat that during the race.
It just goes to show that if you train your mind along with your body, you can accomplish many things. I plan to run the next New Orleans Ironman 70.3, as it is my goal for next year.
I have my first sprint triathlon this wekend and I hope to do well.
2010-04-21 6:10 AM
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Subject: RE: Clydesdale 70.3 New Orlens HIM race report
thanks for posting man.. those last two paragraphs are exactly what i needed to read right now.


2010-04-21 8:46 AM
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Subject: RE: Clydesdale 70.3 New Orlens HIM race report
Well done!  I'm impressed that your only two races have been HIM's.  It took me many years to get the courage to make that leap!  You are correct about the mental aspects of our sport.  Last year @ Longhorn HIM was the first time that I seriously  thought about dropping out of a race.  On the run, I was cramping to the point that I did not know if I could walk much more.  I broke the race down into 10 step segments; once that was okay, I expanded it to 100 steps.  Soon I found myself shuffling again and by the end I was running down the chute.  Being able to overcome those dark moments is what makes us better athletes. 

Congratulations on a race well run and thanks for posting this!
2010-04-21 12:07 PM
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Subject: RE: Clydesdale 70.3 New Orlens HIM race report
cornchexs - 2010-04-21 8:46 AM Well done!  I'm impressed that your only two races have been HIM's.  It took me many years to get the courage to make that leap!  You are correct about the mental aspects of our sport.  Last year @ Longhorn HIM was the first time that I seriously  thought about dropping out of a race.  On the run, I was cramping to the point that I did not know if I could walk much more.  I broke the race down into 10 step segments; once that was okay, I expanded it to 100 steps.  Soon I found myself shuffling again and by the end I was running down the chute.  Being able to overcome those dark moments is what makes us better athletes. 

Congratulations on a race well run and thanks for posting this!
2010-04-21 12:07 PM
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Subject: RE: Clydesdale 70.3 New Orlens HIM race report
cornchexs - 2010-04-21 8:46 AM Well done!  I'm impressed that your only two races have been HIM's.  It took me many years to get the courage to make that leap!  You are correct about the mental aspects of our sport.  Last year @ Longhorn HIM was the first time that I seriously  thought about dropping out of a race.  On the run, I was cramping to the point that I did not know if I could walk much more.  I broke the race down into 10 step segments; once that was okay, I expanded it to 100 steps.  Soon I found myself shuffling again and by the end I was running down the chute.  Being able to overcome those dark moments is what makes us better athletes. 

Congratulations on a race well run and thanks for posting this!


Cornchexs,  not to sound like a tool or some kind of poser but I was a paratrooper in the Army in my youth and had to do stuff that was harder for longer. It mentally conditions you to accept hardship I guess. Because of this I didn't have a lot of worries signing up for the first one.

I had a friend that did the last one as his first one too. He said that looking back his time in the military helped a lot from a mental standpoint. I know that seems a bit off but it's real.

Congrats on your finish!





Edited by eitek1 2010-04-21 12:27 PM
2010-04-23 1:32 PM
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Subject: RE: Clydesdale 70.3 New Orlens HIM race report
Thanks for sharing this.  Very inspiring!  Congrats.
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