TryCharleston Half - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

I held on to some pretty fast feet for the first 2/3 of the first lap. Then those feet slowed down so I went out solo. At that point there was no more drafting because the only swimmers I caught were going much slower than I wanted to. Overall, this was my best OWS race ever. I was out of the water in something like 33:30, then the short run to the timing mat. So far, so good. The swim training is paying off.

Nothing really. The only thing that would have helped significantly would have been to find a draft that stayed fast the whole time. To do that, I probably need to go out faster at the start. I'm probably getting close to being able to to that.

Well, the penalty for going hard on the swim was that it took me a bit longer to get through T2 than it should. I was a little bit too busy catching my breath and finding my bearings instead of transitioning. Still, considering that I put on socks and shoes, this wasn't awful.

This was a good bike leg for me. I hit the half-way point at around 1:08, which is very fast, but we were on smooth road with a bit of a tailwind at times. In fact, I probably should have pushed a bit harder during the first half, and would have if I knew what was coming next. (I hadn't scouted the course at all...) Then it got hard -- there was a fairly strong headwind at the turnaround. Then it got very hard -- headwind and 7 miles of forsaken asphalt. I passed the detritus of launched bike gear all along the road. By the end of the race, it must have looked like a bike shop exploded on the road.

I thought I was hoping for that stretch of road to end, but I had no idea how bad it would get! When we got back out onto the main road the headwind was viciously strong. I could not let go of the idea of a super-fast bike leg, so I just rode harder. That wasn't a huge mistake -- I had taken it pretty easy on the way out -- but I would have been better served by backing off a bit.

Scout the bike course better, and even our the effort a bit.

Fast T2 -- one of the fastest in the race. No complaints.

I got off the bike very excited. I felt great, and I was in perfect position to go sub-5 even with the slow-down on the second half of the bike. My goal all along was to be running before 3:15 and I had hit that goal. I can run a 1:45 half-marathon in my sleep with one leg tied behind my back. This is in the bag...

Well, things fell apart quickly. I had been hoping all along that the bike would 'loosen things up' (whatever that means), but no. After less than 1/2 mile my hip was in pain. Before long, every step felt like a jab with a needle. For three miles I endured it and ran around 7:15/mile. But it was a case of mind over matter, and eventually, matter won. I just couldn't take the pain any more and I started run/walking. I felt fine aerobically and muscularly, but the pain in the hip was just too much. The heat was pretty bad too, but I was managing that OK with water, etc. I had thoughts many times of quitting, and then I'd think "I'm not going to be the guy who quits just because it hurts". Honestly, that was probably a stupid thought. I should have been thinking "I'm not going to be the guy who hurts himself badly just to finish a race." I think I lucked out and just hurt myself a little.

Well, I did finish. It wasn't pretty. Ironically, around mile 11 I met up with a guy who turned out to be a hip surgeon. We talked a while. He said "I hope you're not my patient soon." I won't be. It hurts but it isn't that bad.

Not have an accident 2 days before the race?

Oh that beer tasted soooo good.


I really badly wanted sub-5. I did everything I could to put myself in a position to do it. I'd be lying if I said I'm not disappointed. But I'm pleased with how I performed under the circumstances, and assuming that I'm not hurt too badly, I will have gotten away with finishing a race that I probably should have dropped out of.

UPDATE: Looks like I had a (minor) fracture in my pelvis. So that explains why running hurt... I dodged a bullet, because this could have been much worse.