The Beast of the East Half Ironman - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Hayesville, North Carolina
United States
Great Smoky Mountains Triathlon Club
77F / 25C
Overcast
Total Time = 5h 51m 30s
Overall Rank = 13/
Age Group = 30-34
Age Group Rank = 2/
Pre-race routine:

The plan was to travel up to Hiawassee on Friday. A friend of mine has a cabin on the river about 20 minutes from town. His directions told me to turn left off of Hwy 280....then follow Helton Creek Rd till it turns to gravel. When you get the the river cross and the cabin will be the first one on the right. Now I take "cross the river" to mean, take the bridge across the river....not in this case. You litterally had to drive into the river to get to the other side. All night long I wondered if it rains and the river rises, will I be able to make the race?
Event warmup:

So I wake up and cross the river with no problem. I ate a bagel with P/B and an orange juice. When I got to the race, I began to set up my gear and started chatting with some guys. Turns out it was Brain (Coldfire) from BT. Crazy!!! Brain and his brother were both great guys and I look forward to seeing them in Wilmington for B2B. Hey Brian if you are reading this, email me the pic of the threesome we took before the race!
Swim
  • 37m 22s
  • 2078 yards
  • 01m 48s / 100 yards
Comments:

The swim went about as expected. I would have loved to hit 35 Minutes, but didn't want to push too hard as I was focusing on the bike split for this race. I tried drafting a couple of times, but it didn't seem worth the effort. I need to work on my bi-lateral breathing in OWS. Pool no problem, but in open water I only want to breathe on my left side.
What would you do differently?:

Not too much....maybe push a bit harder to reach a 35 minute split. That said, I was a bit dizzy getting out of the water which meant I was not lollygagging around.
Transition 1
  • 03m 45s
Comments:

I always seem to take too long with T1. One of my goals over the summer is to work on this via shorter races...and no wetsuit.
Bike
  • 2h 59m 27s
  • 56 miles
  • 18.72 mile/hr
Comments:

Nutrition was spot on with a 3 Hour Bottle of Perpetum, 2 Endurolytea and Gel per hour. Water was supplemented once (Aero Bottle).

This race might be a little small if you need constant companions on the road.




What would you do differently?:

Simply put I need to work on my speed and climbing strength. My new goal for the SC HIM bike will be 2:50....B2B IM will be 5:40 split.
Transition 2
  • 01m
Comments:

T2 was kind of crazy. You had to run downhill around the transistion area to get to the racks.
What would you do differently?:

Not much
Run
  • 2h 10m 40s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 09m 58s  min/mile
Comments:

This was a tough run for me. The first lap went really well. I was at about 1:00 and change. The course had some challenging hills including the run up to the lake damn....STEEP! First lap I conquered the Beast but she would soon get her revenge on lap two.

Lap two things began to hurt and I started cramping in my legs (quads). I had to slow things down and you could tell that I was quickly fading.

HR Monitor said my effort was strong but my performance (speed) wasn't where I wanted it to be. I spent a lot of energy on the bike as planned and I could feel the affects during the run.

Also there was very little water/gatorade on the course and luckily I had decided to wear a camelback....anyone thinking of doing this race needs to consider this.
What would you do differently?:

More speed training to improve overall performance. I feel like I am close to making a breakthrough, if I train not only hard but smart.
Post race
Warm down:

The good news for me, was the rain held off unitl I ran through the finish line. I was very happy to see my Mom and Grandmother at the finish line. Also props to Brian (Cold Fire) for cheering me on as I finished.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Need to work on speed.

Event comments:

This is a very small event (less than 100 competitors). That said, I had a blast and loved the challenge of the course. All the participants were die hards and you could tell they appreciated the work that went into putting the event on.

If I dont' do the Gulf Coast HIM next year, I plan on racing The Beast again.




Last updated: 2009-05-10 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:37:22 | 2078 yards | 01m 48s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance: Good
Suit: Full
Course: The course was a clockwise route around on island.
Start type: Wade Plus: Shot
Water temp: 72F / 22C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Average Drafting: Below average
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 03:45
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: No
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
02:59:27 | 56 miles | 18.72 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance: Average
Wind: Some
Course: The course was pretty hilly. I went out strong and felt like I might avergage 19+MPH....that idea quickly dissapeared when I met the "Beast of The East" hill at mile 12. It wasn't as long as I had expected but it was as steep as I had imagined. After cursing The Beast for a few agonizing minutes I was at the top of the hill. The rest of the course was rollers and some moderate hills. I felt pretty strong on the downhills and kept passing the same two riders, who would then pass me on the next climb. More hill work. As I approached the park, my watch told me I had about 1 minute to make my 3:00 goal. I had to bunny hop the speed bumps going into the transition area to make my time.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Average Hills: Below average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:00
Overall:
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
02:10:40 | 13.1 miles | 09m 58s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance: Average
Course: The run was a two loop course with a some rolling hills and one monster (The Beast).
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? No
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 4