![]() Swim
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
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
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
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
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
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United States
Great Smoky Mountains Triathlon Club
77F / 25C
Overcast
Overall Rank = 13/
Age Group = 30-34
Age Group Rank = 2/
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?
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!