Triple T - North Carolina - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

Just focused on form and keeping my legs relaxed to avoid cramping (this is the theme for the weekend since I've had some debilitating cramps after the swim before at white lake). The additional HIM participants were still entering the water and this created some the most course congestion I experienced all week. Some guy was swimming in briefs. Once I got through a little pack I had really clear water the rest of the way.

yay, wetsuit off, no cramps!

It was low to mid 50s at the start of the bike. A lot of folks were putting on gloves, arm warmers, etc. Even saw one guy pull on knickers. Just like the previous morning my glasses had dew all over them so I left them in transition. I didn't take anything warmer than my race outfit and wouldn't have put it on anyway. The first few miles were chilly as everything dried out, but after that the only parts that were cold were my hands and my pecker, and I wasn't making extensive use of either of those. I was perfectly comfortable by maybe 15 miles into the bike so don't regret any of my clothing decisions.

The intention was to ride at ~75-78% FTP, 210W. First hour was a little high 212 avg & NP ~215. I was feeling great and already starting to write these glowing race reports, etc, and had to keep reminding myself to stay in the moment, continue to listen to my body, pay attention, etc. At about 70 minutes things started to feel hard all of the sudden and my HR started to climb at the same power, though still not very high (it had been around 130 up until this point) and I was feeling a little light headed. I was very slowly catching a two man team and when I did I decided not to pass them but to just sit legal distance behind and ease up. I kept taking on nutrition and things started to come around. They passed another guy and I stayed behind him as we got on Overlyon road and took the opportunity to, um, take care of other business. By the turn around at the end of the pavement on Overlyon I was feeling better and passed that guy and just started back at a little under 210W which seemed like the right place to be. Eased off in the last few miles of the bike and prepared for the run.

This is the only time during the entire event that I saw anyone with questionable distances between bikes (yeah, the teams can draft each other, but when you see three together, someone's too close). Still, I only saw a couple of these instances and it's perfectly reasonable to conclude that they were in the process of falling back after a pass since I only saw them an instant on Overlyon Rd. On a course that lacked draft marshalls, people were amazingly good at policing themselves and staying legal.

Maybe go fractionally slower at the beginning? I think the cumulative effort just caught up with me after 1:10 on the bike, but it's hard to say. Perfectly satisfied with the ride.

The plan was to do 8:15 for the first 3.25 miles outbound. At that point assess the situation and increase to ~8:00/mile for the next six miles. At that point I could either continue on at that pace or spend whatever else was left.
First 3.5 miles @ 8:12/mile, w/ 142bpm avg.
Next 6 miles @ 7:58/mile, 158 bpm avg.
Right before the last turn around I realized I had done my math wrong and I actually DID have a chance at breaking 5 hours for the day and 10:30 overall if I could just pick it up a bit. I still felt really good and didn't need to take in any more calories so I planned on just getting a swallow of coke & a little water (mostly on me) for the last aid stations, so I just let it go. The last 3.5 miles was done at a 7:23. Last mile was the fastest at 7:10 because I wanted to make really sure I made it in under 5 hours because it was going to be really, really close.

About a mile from the finish I came up on a group of three walking together. There was someone coming the other way on the inside and I couldn't get out in traffic b/c a car was coming from behind. I think I said something like "excuse me, coming through" because I needed them to make a hole for me. I didn't mean to sound like a douche, but I probably did, so sorry if you read this. The woman said something like "nice run" and I sure hope I said thank you, but I was in another world at that moment so my apologies if I didn't. Making a hole for me helped me achieve my goal, so thanks!

Lake, again, this time for a while.

I was struggling to avoid cramps from taking off my shoes and socks. I got both shoes off and my right sock and was having trouble with the left. I was talking to one of the other participants and he said something like "I see no shame in this" and took off my sock for me. The little things that make you appreciate the atmosphere in this race....


I loved every bit about this event. So laid back, yet everything seems to have gone off without a hitch. The volunteers were awesome and I don't think I've ever been to a race where the participants supported each other in the way they did at this race. It was fantastic.