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 Swim
Comments: The swim was the best part of this race for me. Forced myself not to go out too fast and just rolled along in the water. Passed a couple of guys from the wave in front of us, which was a real confidence booster. Ran into a couple of people but did not get hit or kicked. Got very tired about 3/4ths of the way and the shore looked so far away. I was missing the little break I get from pool swimming. Took a break with some breast stroke, then put my head down and swam on in. What would you do differently?: More long (mile +) swims would be beneficial.  Transition 1
Comments: There is a fairly long run up a small hill from the lake into transition, and my bike was WAAAAAAYYYY at the other end. Was feeling pretty winded , so I walked up the hill, peeling the wetsuit down, then started to jog when I hit the concrete. Could feel the heat on the pavement. Uh oh...wetsuit came off pretty quickly, got my helmet and shoes on and off I went! What would you do differently?: Hustle!  Bike
Comments: Just didn't have the mojo. I knew things felt too good going out, I was maintaining 21-22 mph very easily. Tried to maintain this, knowing that when I turned around I would be fighting the wind. Throat felt really dry and chewing gum and water did not seem to help much. Coming back the wind was fierce and demoralizing. Passed a few people but pretty much just tried to keep moving and not beat myself up to much. Was having trouble getting a good breath, lungs were burning. What would you do differently?: More riding in the wind, more hills. Transition 2
Comments: My T2 time was not posted (I think there were some problems with scoring).  Run
Comments: Absolutely freaking terrible run. I just gave up. My legs felt great but my throat and lungs were burning and every time I ran, I couldn't breathe. It was run, run, run, throat close up, walk, repeat. Resigned myself to jogging/walking. Going up the big hill, I could see pollen blowing off the beautiful pine trees onto the runners, which made the whole allergy sufferfest worse. Hot Hot Hot run. Dumped water on my head a couple of times. It took forever to get to the turnaround. I was amazed to see that I was actually NOT THE LAST RUNNER. Evidently other people were having crappy days too. Such a sucktastic run. Could things get any worse? Of course they can! What's that smell? It smells like cat pee! What is the deal with the cat pee smell? Is there a cat nearby? No, of course not, it's a FARMER and he is working in his fields and spraying ANHYDROUS AMMONIA!!!! Of course! Breathing that stuff in was almost as delighting as the smokefest from the night before. I was out there so long that Steve O, who had come down to see the race with his wife, came out to find me! He ran it in with me and we discussed allergies and asthma and he described his struggle with finding the right mix of meds to get things under control. Felt a little better after hearing that other people deal with this too. Mike (ransick) was down by the dam and ran in with me, so it was great to have an escort (thanks Mike!). Grrr...so disappointed in this run. My running has been going really well and then to have it blow up like this was just so annoying! What would you do differently?: Heat acclimate but more importantly find the right med for allergies/asthma. Post race
Warm down: Not much, got some water and walked around. Got a shower and felt a lot better. Watched some of the awards, then loaded up and headed home. Stopped in Greenville and got some McDonalds --- fillet o fish, fries and a GREAT BIG CHOCOLATE SHAKE which was absolutely delicious. Weather warnings all over the radio driving home, storms all around. Glad they missed the race. What limited your ability to perform faster: Ability to breathe. Event comments: Plenty of smiling and helpful volunteers, well organized. Last updated: 2011-02-08 12:00 AM
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United States
1863 Events
81F / 27C
Sunny
Overall Rank = /
Age Group = Athena
Age Group Rank = 0/
Drove down to Carlyle with Mary Saturday afternoon, got checked in and then went to packet pickup. Met Mike (ransick) while walking through the parking lot, very cool! We went down to check out the lake and do a quick ows and met "the other Mike" (GMax101098). Water cold but refreshing.
Went to dinner at Applebees with JHouse, his wife Michele, their little baby William, Mike Ransick and Mary. Had some good pasta.
I will preface this by staying that I have MILD seasonal allergy issues. I used to use an inhaler (Albuterol) but didn't like the jittery feeling, so weaned off it. Usually Claritin takes care of me.
Was staying at Comfort Inn in Salem, Illinois. My room (non smoking) wreaked of stale cigarette smoke and I think someone in the next room was smoking. When I checked in I didn't really notice this, but I was in a hurry and just kind of dumped my stuff. Could smell fresh smoke all through the night which seemed to get stronger as the night wore on. I am a former smoker so not being judgmental, this just irritated my throat. There were two weddings and graduations going on in the area, so hotel rooms were at a premium. I probably would have been better off sleeping out in my car.
Woke during the night and it felt like my throat had swollen shut. Panicky, got up and walked around the room, drank a bunch of water and things got better. There were a lot of people walking around in the parking lot, coming from the bar and Denny's nearby. Finally fell back asleep, work at 5 with scratchy sore throat and my voice sounding like I had been at a smokey tavern all night. Coughed and hacked while I loaded up my gear. Stupid allergies...
Took a Claritin, then ate a couple of mini whole wheat bagels with peanut butter, drank a cup of coffee, and Mary and I got on the road. The sky was clear and blue, it was already getting warm. Nice, considering the forecast had looked ominous for today.
Rode the bike down to the marina and back to make sure everything was good, then racked it.
Not much of a warmup, lots of Body Glide for the wetsuit, then put it on and did a very short practice swim. Water was around 65 or 66 degrees and felt great. Standing on the beach, chatting with people prior to the race address, I was getting pretty warm.