Big Kahuna 1/2 Ironman - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Santa Cruz, California
United States
firstwave events
65F / 18C
Sunny
Total Time = 5h 13m 14s
Overall Rank = 99/576
Age Group = 40-44
Age Group Rank = 17/83
Pre-race routine:

monster pasta dinner, movie and bed early. got up at 4:45AM to drive down to Santa Cruz from Mountain View.
i have learned by now that it just doesn't work for me to worry about eating and drinking the morning before a race. so i just had a little bowl of cheerios and skipped the coffee. the swim was going to be cold. i didn't want to have to pee like a racehorse on the bike segment.
Event warmup:

as usual, none.
Swim
  • 34m 52s
  • 2112 yards
  • 01m 39s / 100 yards
Comments:

it was pretty rough on the feet to stand around in the chilly sand to wait for my wave to start. i wasn't the only one - there was a lot of hopping going on. i didn't envy the people who decided to venture out in just a long john. i didn't see one single person without a wetsuit. nevertheless i was looking forward to the swim. i keep wondering why i like it so much. the rougher the conditions the better. sometimes i wish the swim segment would be longer and the bike segment shorter...
What would you do differently?:

i spent too much time making sure that my navigation was on spot. i don't need to check as often as i did. i used the position of the rising sun to keep my course and that worked out perfectly.
Transition 1
  • 06m 59s
Comments:

my transition spot was as bad as it gets. we got there pretty late and the best we could do was to put the bike in one really crammed spot and lay out the rest of our gear 5 ft away across a grassy area on some unused pavement. not ideal, to say the least. also, the transition time includes about a 1/3 mile run from the beach up to 'depot park', where the transition area was located. that might have worked out to my advantage, me being and accomplished barefooten runner. (rolleyes)
What would you do differently?:

get there a bit earlier.
Bike
  • 2h 45m 52s
  • 56 miles
  • 20.26 mile/hr
Comments:

the bike segment is and probably always will be my weak link. nothing wrong with that - we all have a weakest discipline. i just don't enjoy the bike that much, mainly because i have to share the road with cars. i am MUCH more afraid of cars and their drivers than i am of sharks - therefore i don't spend as much time on the bike as the importance of the bike segment warrants.

that said - i had a good ride. no flats, no way to get lost and i finally got rid of the Profile Design AirStrykes clip-ons. ah- no more percussion effects from the elbow pads...

at about mile 52 i spotted a guy walking his bike. 'karma' i thought. 'this is my chance to repay the kindness of the people who helped me out on the Ironman bike course'. so i stopped and offered help. all the guy needed was air. but he didn't want my pump. i argued with him that a possible 4 min penalty was a bit less severe than the self-imposed 1h penalty of hoofing it. no dice. another Sadowsky in the making? at least i am not going to get reincarnated as a cockroach. i think.
What would you do differently?:

try to worry less about drafting. the USAT goons were out in force, taking names left and right. i expected to get a penalty myself, as i go passed on an uphill and didn't fall back the required 7m within the required 15 sec. it sure earned me a stern look from the guy with the notepad. oh the humanity!

after that i got paranoid. i wasted some energy slowing down and taking an extra effort passing where i shouldn't have.
Transition 2
  • 03m 7s
Comments:

crappy transition. the place was a mess. wetsuits, swimcaps, helmets all over the place. one of my socks was missing. forgot to put on my race belt.
What would you do differently?:

i don't know. i suck at transitioning. i'm a disorganized person, but i like myself that way :)
Run
  • 1h 42m 34s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 07m 50s  min/mile
Comments:

some Triathletes are assholes. my GF told me about a guy who snapped at a volunteer: 'pay some attention, dammit!' because he wasn't handed his drink of choice right away. as if he coudn't have grabbed it off the table. as if the volunteers got tipped. as if it would have made a difference in his overall performance.
What would you do differently?:

i held back too much. this being a bit less than a month after my IM and me not having trained all that much in between i played it safe. i could have run at least 4 min faster. oh well. one of the benefits of endurance sports is that you learn to listen to and read your own body. i got lots to learn.
Post race
Warm down:

waded into the cold, blue pacific ocean.

i waited for my GF at the finish until my bladder almost burst. of course she came in somewhere during my run to and back from the nearest toilet.

as all you guys know - an almost burst bladder is no excuse for not being at the finish line. but she's a good gal. she got over it real quick.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

my IM one month before.

Event comments:

1) no. absolutely no porta-potties on the bike course. this is the first time i had to pee my pants. gotta remember to give the bike a shower...

2) if we must run from the swim to the transition area please make sure there's no broken bottles left there from saturday night's orgies.

3) no porta potty at the finish is almost criminal.

but mostly - a fun event. i enjoyed it more than i thought i would. the hawaiian hula dancers were first class. wish i could have seen more of them. they were facing away from the finish chute.




Last updated: 2005-08-24 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:34:52 | 2112 yards | 01m 39s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/83
Overall: 89/576
Performance: Good
Suit: Ironman Instinct
Course: east side of the Santa Cruz pier out through some sailboats and back along the pier. there's a permanent colony of sea lions living at the end of the pier and as we passed, they cheered us on for all we were worth.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 59F / 15C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Average Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 06:59
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
02:45:52 | 56 miles | 20.26 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/83
Overall: 140/576
Performance: Average
Wind: Some
Course: mostly along highway 1 almost all the way to the Pigeon Point lighthouse. i know the area well, so i wasn't much distracted, but for people from outside the state the awe-effect must have been high. pacific ocean cliffs in the sunrise - it doesn't get much better than that. there are few hills to speak of on the course. it's what i believe is called 'undulating terrain'. i saw one bad, bad spill. at Davenport, there is a railroad crossing, and they cross the road at less than a 45% angle. i knew this and i go out of my way to make sure that i go over the tracks as close to a right angle as possible. apparently a guy riding in front of me didn't know this, got his wheel caught and donuted in the tracks and, well, was out of the race. a shitty way to DNF. there was no warning about the tracks on the web page. i think i'll write an email.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks:
T2
Time: 03:07
Overall: Bad
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
01:42:34 | 13.1 miles | 07m 50s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/83
Overall: 72/576
Performance: Average
Course: along the West Cliff Path and then on a flat single track dirt path out to the turnaround point at the TIKI. (a wooden idol that must be touched for good luck. it gets bigger every year) once again - great scenery. you can watch the surfers at Steamers and in the coves, you see all kinds of weirdos promenading along the cliffs, whatnot. the downside - the later you start your run the harder it becomes. the wind will be in your face as you go out from about noon, depending on weather pattern. but the wind will be there. and it will be strong. the last 1/2 mile of the run is along a beach. achilles tendon, beware!
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %20
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] 3