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

Swim time includes T1. Guessing 43:40 for the swim.

One thing that I managed to do since I was there a few days early was psych myself out about the swim. I was drawn to the lake...I kept looking across to the island thinking, "damn, that is a long way off!" The "fear" was compounded after my family and I walked the damn portion, on the far side of the lake, and I could see that the island was the HALFWAY point.

Mistake number 2: Since I'm a weak swimmer, I let the (swim) course get to me. I doubted my ability to swim the distance. You have to have total confidence in your abilities to successfully race the long course triathlon.

Right before the start of the race, the RD came out on a boat and had one last comment. He had forgotten to mention the swim would start in two waves, separated by 1 minute. Males 39 and under for the first wave, everyone else for the second wave.

Once the race started, I just put my head in the cold water and started to swim. I felt good and the other racers probably did too. I went out at a relaxed pace, attempting to get into a rhythm to save energy and finish this leg of the race as fast as possible.

Right away I could tell this was going to be a tough swim. We had crosswinds that were created waves that made it very difficult to get into any type of rhythm. Because of this, breathing was not easy and sighting was poor. I felt like I was out in the ocean.

Rounded the first buoy and was headed towards the tower when I could start to feel the oatmeal trying to make an escape. Ugh. Not good. I'm not even half way done with the swim and I don't feel good.

Swam through it, swam under the tower, then headed back to the island. The waves made it difficult to breath, but it was the same for everyone else, so keep at it.

The last leg of the swim I felt much stronger and pushed it a bit. I passed a few swimmers and though to myself, "they're probably dragging an anchor...that's why I passed them."

Came up on the shore and kept swimming until my had touched the ground, even though I could have stood up way before then. I exploded out of the water and made a dash into T1.

I felt good and, more importantly, no dizziness or fatigue. Good swim for me.

Eat at least an hour before the swim, maybe push it a little harder, learn to breath better

This was a good swim for me. I was hoping for 45 mins and came in slightly under that time.

Guessing 1:30 for T1

As I ran into T1, I started to pull down my wetsuit. I was set up at the very front, so I had a little time. Once I got there, pulled the wetsuit off with a little difficulty. Doug (brown_dog_us) was yelling at me to get it off and go!

My feet were dirty as heck, but I put my shoes on anyways and then ran out.

Take off wetsuit sooner and leave Garmin on bike rather than put it on in T1.

Tough, tough course. On the flipside, it is definitely scenic and quite pretty.

Upon leaving transition, you have to go about 1/2 mile down a road that has 5 or 6 speedbumps. No way to haul on this segment, and lots of bottles were jettisoned. I made sure my bottles were in tight after every bump, then made the turn into the course.

My plan was to start off easy for the first 10 minutes. Get that HR down at the start and you're setting yourself up for a good race. I came up on a cyclist that was fixing his seat and realized it was Brian M.! His seat post had collapsed and he was trying to get it back up. A few seconds later, we were side by side, then he was gone.

The winds were very, very strong throughout the course. I wasn't in aero much b/c I just didn't feel comfortable with all that wind. I almost got blown off my bike a few times in the first 20 miles and it was enough to keep me wary and in the drops.

For the next 30 miles or so, I was deflated, demoralized, and downright dejected with my performance. I was simply overmatched for this type of terrain. This course was hilly and while there were some decent descents, I just was never able to get into a rhythm. It seemed like all I did was climb, climb, climb.

A 60 year old came up on me and we talked, passed, and talked for miles 35-50 (or so). He'd pass me on the straights, I'd catch him on the hills. Then, we came up on a guy (maybe around mile 45?) and I left the 60 year old and caught up to him. I said, "Man, are there any descents on this dame course?" He responded with, "I'd love anything other than a headwind!" We both laughed, then I left him.

I'm not going to say I gave up towards the end, but I just didn't have it in me to hammer it out anymore. I knew my goal of a 5:30 race was gone. My legs were shot...no way was I going to run a good half mary. The bike beast had feasted well on my legs.

Mercifully, I came towards the end of the course, went over the speedbumps, and saw Doug and my wife waiting. That lifted me up a bit, but not much.

Mistake Number 3: I HAVE to stop beating myself up when a portion of a race doesn't go as planned.

I rode the course within my abilities.

T2 included in bike split

As I came into T2, I didn't have time to get out of my shoes. The speedbumps made that really difficult. I just stopped my bike, put a foot down, then unclipped my other foot and ran into T2. Nothing glamorous, nothing special.

Racked bike, changed, and kind of took my time getting ready for what I knew was going to be a crappy run.

Not a good run. During the first mile, I threw up twice. This may sound gross, but that was precious fluid that I would need for the run...

I remmeber Garmin telling me first mile was 10+ mins, the second was 9+ and I knew it was going to be a long run. I saw Brian Rell on the path. I was trying to pee in the trees and he just came up on me...Ooops, bro! Sorry! LOL.

Latched on to an Ironman (tattoos) and we ran for most of the course together. My stomach was really cramped up bad and any attempt I made at a fast run was quickly squashed.

Toward the end of the first loop, I started to feel much better. I picked up the pace a bit and Ironman d00d kept up. I didn't see my family at the turnaround, and while that was a bummer, i just grit my teeth and made it hurt. Ironman man and me looped together, then headed back out...Ugh. I was hot, dehydrated, and tired at this point.

I saw Doug's (brown_dog_us) wife a few times out on the course and she looked good, strong, and had a smile.

I saw Brian Rell as I was starting the second descent of the Beast...He was coming up the Beast and he looked good and strong. Rock it bro! We bumped fists.

The second loop was hot, muggy, and I was ready to be done. I pushed it a bit and passed a few ppl. I did get passed by an older lady in a camelbak, but as I was finishing, I saw her running back out for loop 2. Way to go, camelbak lady!

Ran in and met my family, talked with Doug, then promptly went and sat my butt down under a tree. I was smoked/cooked/DONE.

Nutrition was spot on for the bike, but not for the run...

I need to work on this...I was hoping for a 1:40 run.

Sat under a tree for a while, then Brian M and Brian R came up and we decided to go rinse off in the COLD lake. That is probably the best thing that we could have done. The cold water felt GREAT on my tired legs. Brian R and I dipped our legs for a good 5 mins and BM dunked himself right away.

I seriously believe that the cold water helped my recovery ALOT. I didn't feel much soreness or tightness during the next few days.


Bike Fitness...sad, but true.


This was a good, low key race. Definitely need to do a few more things to make it better, but good overall experience.

I would not consider for a first HIM. Way too tough a race. The swim, my guess, is always going to be a challenge b/c of the wind coming in from the East. The bike is VERY tough, and a windy day will kill your race. The run isn't that bad.

I asked the RD how many participants signed up and he said a little over 100. That means that 40+ ppl DNF (or DNS). That's a fairly high %.