Waterman's Half Iron Triathlon - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

Glad I wore the neoprene hood, 64F felt fine. Grr, R goggle kept leaking, had to keep draining and readjusting (seemed to settle itself after the 2d or 3d adjustment). 1st wave, was crowded but not too much bumping. Backed off a bit 200m after the start (remember, this IS an HIM). Was able to draft pretty well on 2d lap off of Mr. "Red Stripe" (red stripe along his suit). Grr, got stuck in the hydrilla field on the 3d leg of the 2d lap (was below me and EVERYWHERE ON THE SURFACE), looked up and my left calf cramped up, had to breast stroke my way 15 ft. back into the clearer water. Found Mr. Red Stripe again and drafted some more until he drifted way right on the last leg. Kept the pace nice and easy to the finish, then 100m walk/jog up to the timing mat in front of the transition area.

Other than double check my goggles before a swim, nothing: was a good swim, good pacing, good drafting when I could find someone to pick off, and didn't panic in the hydrilla.

T1 good overall, light jog into T1 (paved parking lot 100 yds uphill of water), toweled off, applied some Assos chamois cream, jersey on, struggled a bit w/ the arm warmers then decided to HTFU and dump them. Put shoes on in T1.

Don't worry about the arm warmers

First off, need to thank all those BT'ers who advised me to stay below 75-80% critical power. Was too excited the first hour on the hills and kept attacking (353W max?? Yikes! forgot it was an HIM), then realized my Norm. Power was WAY TOO HIGH (around 177W): didn't want a "great bike, terrible run", so I backed off and Norm. Power came back down to 150W (75%). Learned to take it easy going up the hills, and keep the power on during the downhills (max speed was 37mph).

Had insulated bottle of 3:1 Infinit concentrate on seat tube, two bottles of water in the rear. Took plenty of sips of Infinit mix followed w/ water. Water bottle handoff was smooth: remove cap from empty bottle while it's in the holder, put cap in jersey pocket, grab water bottle and fill open bottle in the rear holder, dump empty water bottle and re-cap. Only needed 1 bottle in back, never used the second one, and filled the one bottle only once (at the middle station at mile 35).

Something got stuck in between the front tire and fork. Stopped to get it out. 30 seconds lost, but the noise was driving me crazy and didn't want a "brake" on for another 20 miles. Started feeling the fatigue in the left quad around mile 45, but got really pumped up at mile 50.

Don't get too excited when you start out, remember to pace yourself, especially on the hills -- NO HAMMERING. Keep the second water bottle only half full if there's plenty of water stops and the temps are cool.

Decided NO flying dismount, was a bit fatigued and didn't practice enough with the rear water bottle mount (in contrast, the dude next to me was dropping everything, as announced by the DJ). Quick text to the wife that I was in T2; fumbled a bit with the compression socks. Grabbed my stuff and off I went.

Nothing.

Started off slow (like a training run) on the first mile, then picked up the pace as my legs came alive. By mile 6 I was feeling SUPER STRONG, averaging 10:15/mile. Just sips of water at each water stop, except some oranges at mile 5. Hit the porta-potty after the first lap (good news, drank enough water to have to urinate).

2d lap was where I learned how tough an HIM can be. Legs started to fatigue after mile 7, just kept my focus and tried not to slow down, had a Gu gel followed w/ water. Sunny, course was getting warmer. Had Chex mix w/ water at mi. 8, Coke at mile 10. Legs felt really heavy, bottom of feet getting sore, but everything still working. Ran the whole way without having to walk!

At mile 11 I knew I was going to finish without walking! After the last part running through the trail, heard the announcer, got really pumped up, finished with a big grin as my family cheered me on.

Nothing. BarryP's 3:2:1 run training really make this run stronger than I thought possible. I honestly didn't think I would break 2:30 on the run.

Hugs and kisses from the family, walk around for 5 min., 20 oz. Infinit recovery, pizza, water, Oreo's, water. (Put on some clean clothes in transition after wiping down w/ baby wipes).


Nothing.


I cannot believe I finished an HIM, let alone beating my goal by 20 minutes!!! SetupEvents always puts on a great race, and the volunteers (and especially the Police on the swim, bike, and run portions) keep the race enjoyable and safe.

There are so many kind and generous people to whom I owe my deepest thanks: I could not have made it to the starting line without their help. Coach Beth, who turned my pathetic swimming into a fast, efficient technique. My neighbor, Andy, who got me into triathlons and always is happy to give me some advice on training and race prep. My PT, Robert Gillanders, who got my achilles back in shape in record time. The wonderful BT members who always had good advice for the zillion questions I always had, including Jorge who had a terrific winter bike program that laid the foundation for this strong season. BarryP and all his BT friends, who saved me from my running injuries and taught me how develop strong running fitness without injury.

Finally, I could not have reached this milestone without the faithful and endless support of my daughter and my wonderful wife, who tolerated the early-morning wake-ups, the endless training hours, the sleepless nights, and my obsessive antics whenever I discussed ANYTHING triathlon, especially if I suffered a setback or injury. Thank you for your unyielding love and support.

Update: Pics at http://chessiephoto.com/?q=wh135
http://chessiephoto.com/p10979720/h26e83b1a#h26e83b1a
http://chessiephoto.com/p21991687/h30352a16#h30352a16
http://chessiephoto.com/p21991687/h1c2e04fc#h1c2e04fc