White Lake Half I - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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White Lake, North Carolina
United States
Set-Up, Inc.
71F / 22C
Sunny
Total Time = 7h 05m
Overall Rank = 109/429
Age Group = 235-39
Age Group Rank = 25/91
Pre-race routine:

Got up at 4:30 and made my coffee and had oatmeat, Bagel w/ pb and banana with some OJ. Hung out outside while waiting for the coffee to kick in. Biked the 2.5 miles to the race start since the family was still snoring away. Got to transistion with plenty of time to get marked and setup without having to rush around. Walked around and took some pictures.
Event warmup:

Biked to the start.
Swim
  • 39m 3s
  • 2112 yards
  • 01m 51s / 100 yards
Comments:

Started out great. Apparently too great. Don't know what happened but about 4-5 minutes in, total freaked out. Must have started too fast and lost my breath or something. Did the breast stroke for about 100 yards to try and get my head on straight. Lost so much time/distance during that time :-( Finally got my shit together and found my rythem. Felt good after that and had no problems. Got a severe cramp in my calf climbing up the ladder.
What would you do differently?:

Tell my brain to HTFU.
Transition 1
  • 02m 20s
Comments:

No real problems here. Suit was stuck a little bit.
Bike
  • 2h 46m 2s
  • 56 miles
  • 20.24 mile/hr
Comments:

We started off with the wind at our backs so the first hour was really quick. Avg was 21+ for the first 20 miles. We slowly turned into the wind and felt like we were going uphill for a while. Pace slowed considerably into the wind and pace dropped to right at 20mph. The last 20 miles or so was into more of a crosswind so it wasn't as bad as the previous 20. Was too late to pick up any steam but was able to hold my avg pace at just over 20mph. Felt pretty good except for my ass was sore. Drank 3 peputium bottles and a couples Gu's and some Combo's. Took 2 Electolyte tabs every 30 minutes in hopes of keeping the calf cramp at bay.
What would you do differently?:

Train more. I was 100% happy with my bike segment. I don't think I could have raced this part any better on my current fitness.
Transition 2
  • 01m 52s
Comments:

Rode in on top of pedals but kicked off a shoe from the pedal on dismount and had to go back and get it. Other than that, everything went ok.
Run
  • 1h 53m 17s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 08m 39s  min/mile
Comments:

Started out great. Was averaging 7:31/m for the first 4 miles. Then the heat began to take its toll. Really really REALLY started to get hot. Pace started slowing after mile 4. Started getting the iced towels every mile and kept them on my head to try and stay cool. The amount of people walking was crazy. Around mile 8 I decieded I needed to start walking the water stations every mile and make sure I was getting enough to drink. Would walk about 50 yards past the water station and then run/shuffle to the next station and repeat. Around mile 10 I got a little "runners high" and mentally felt great for the remainder of the run. Even picked up the pace a little bit. Coming down the home stretch, I rode my runners high and passed quite a few people. Turned the corner to see the finish line and really began to smile. Saw wife and daughter about 100ft before the finish line so I am sure I had a smile on my face for the finish line photo.

What would you do differently?:

Train in the Sahara? Kinda hard to get used to that kind of heat this early in the year (would have been a little diffent if this was September). Should have used the iced towels from the start. One issue with the iced towels though was between the water and the sweat, my shoes and socks got soaked and I have about 4 blisters between my toes.
Post race
Warm down:

Hung out with the family for a bit while sucking down some more water. Grabbed a hotdog and junk food and sat on the wall on the lake. Sat in the lake to cool down while my daughter splashed around. After the race I biked back to the hotel and we went down to the beach and popped a bottle of bubbly before we hit the road back home.

Event comments:

Overall a great first HIM experience. The lake is one of the nicest I have ever seen in NC. Since this was my first 70.3, I don't have a lot to compare it to, but I thought everything went off without a hitch. Although not a "great" race for me, I am totally happy with my overall performance. Finished in the top 30% of my AG which qualified me for the Halfmax Championship which I unfortunately can't do because it is the week before the Chicago Marathon. My first thought after finishing was there would be no 140.6 plans for 2011. Maybe 2012 though ;-) Also go to meet a few other BT members before and after the race!




Last updated: 2010-03-01 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:39:03 | 2112 yards | 01m 51s / 100yards
Age Group: 41/91
Overall: 210/429
Performance: Average
Suit: Full Sleeves
Course: Triangle
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 71F / 22C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 02:20
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
02:46:02 | 56 miles | 20.24 mile/hr
Age Group: 33/91
Overall: 161/429
Performance: Good
Wind: Some
Course: Flat, windy, mostly smooth. Minimal turns.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills:
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:52
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Below average
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
01:53:17 | 13.1 miles | 08m 39s  min/mile
Age Group: 17/91
Overall: 72/429
Performance: Average
Course: Flat out and back along White Lake Dr. Zero shade. Race course description from the website: "Heatfest". That was a correct description.
Keeping cool Below average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4