White Lake Half - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

This was a nice swim for me, my goal was 45 minutes and so I was happy. I had only been in the water three times previously since last October, one ended in cramps, one was the infamous Beaver Dam Disaster (See Beaver Dam), and the other was my first time this year.

Not much, I was satisfied with the warm up and the swim overall.

The exit from the water was up a ladder onto a pier which we ran down then about 60 yards on sand and grass to the transistion area. I was able to get the wetsuit down around my waist fairly easily nad tried a trick that I picked up from here I believe, where you hold your cap and googles while pulling your arm through and leave the cap and googles in the arm. Neat trick and it would have worked well had I not pulled them through just a little too far and the fell out on the last half of the run into the transistion area and I had to go back and pick them up. I probably could have picked the pac up a bit but this is a long event so I just decided to take it easy.

Nothing, except, not drop my cap and googles.

This was a nice ride for me, my pace was a little slower then I had planned on, but the wind and the road had a little to do with this and I completed the course in under 3 hours which was the plan. I wonder if the new carbon rear whell would have helped out and I am still trying to get adjusted to the new Adamo saddle, no numbing of the taint area, but it is wider and caused some discomfort to the upper inside of my thighs.

I forgot to loosen the straps on my shoes before clipping them on pre-race and this slowed me down a little out of transistion, but not much.

Pretty smooth transition considering I was tired from the long bike ride.

Maybe hydrate a little more before beginning the run.

Now this is where my fatal mistake was revieled, and it began well before I began the run. Since my son and I had arrived a little late to the venue, and then could not find the camp ground after packet pick up, it was late once we actually got to the State Park. We could not find a park ranger but did see that the gate was to close at 8:00 and not open again until 8:00 am. This would not work since I had to be at the event at 6:00 and it was almost 8 miles away. It was late and I was hungary and the only place open, available, and fast was McDonalds. Now let me make this perfectly clear, no matter how they package it, McDonalds does NOT = healthy, not even the Big and Tasty meal. So at about mile one of the run it hit me. Did you know that keeping your buttocks tightly clenched together takes a completely different set of muscles then running and that they do not work in conjunction with each other? Needless to say I made no less then three visits to plastic confessional booths for at the very least ten minutes praying to the triathlon gods while attempting to complete the run. Thank God that the event planners had the forsight to place one of these Porta Johns at each aid station or I would have disappeared into some back alley never to be seen again.

Eat a healthy and properly balance pre-race meal! Did I mention that McDonalds does not = Health food?

Walked it off, streched, and took a short swim.


Poor Pre-race diet. Did I mention that McDonalds does not = Health food?


This race lived up to the billing. It was well orgainized and well orchistrated. It would have recieved a 5 except I think that the discription of the roads for the bike was a little optimistic. This was my first Half Iorn, but will not be my last and I would like to make this an annual event.