Beach2Battleship Iron Distance Triathlon - TriathlonFull Ironman


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Wilmington, North Carolina
United States
Set Up Events
48F / 9C
Overcast
Total Time = 11h 16m 32s
Overall Rank = 107/850
Age Group = M35-39
Age Group Rank = 19/86
Pre-race routine:

Got up at 4 AM and began to get ready. Had two granola bars and a water. Grabbed my warm clothes (pre and post race) bag, and my T1 bag, and headed out at about 5 AM. Arrived at transition, and began drinking my Monster to get the juices flowing.
I had to borrow two tire pumps before I could get my crack pipe to work for my rear disk. Got the tires inflated, double checked the brakes, added my nutrition to the bike, and chatted with other racers. Around 6:15 we boarded a shuttle to take us to the swim start. It was a bit cold, but not nearly as cold as 2009, and the forecasted rain hadn't materialized yet. This would turn out to be a bad omen!
Event warmup:

Stood in line at the porta john's for a while, hit them, got the wetsuit on and just hung out. Tried to stay as warm as possible, talking to Kevin, Greg, Brandon, Jay, and Travis about what was ahead. I was actually more nervous for this race than I was in 2009 I think. This was due to the weather forecast and the headwinds that I knew we'd be experiencing on the first 60+ miles of the bike, along with rain. What was also in the back of my mind was my bike. I have been having some serious issues for the last few months with my bike making noises. I have replaced the bottom bracket, front rings, pedals, chain, etc, etc, etc, but just can't figure out the noises that my bike makes when pedaling- even though I have taken it to THREE different bike shops. I never thought the wind and my bike would be such a huge issue as it would end up being.
Swim
  • 42m 50s
  • 4224 yards
  • 01m 01s / 100 yards
Comments:

After the cannon went off, which seemed somewhat abrupt with no real countdown, the masses took off. I jumped right into the ocean with the first and second row of people in front of me. This year Set Up put the first buoy down to the right a hundred yards or so instead of out in front of the start. Much to my dismay as I was swimming out and to the right to go around the first buoy I noticed that several hundred people were RUNNING down the beach a hundred or so yards and getting in the water at the first buoy. I'm pretty sure that cost my some time, and positioning, but I am happy that I was among the 60 or so that actually swam the entire course instead of opting to run the first part.
The swim was GREAT. It was foggy, and we did encounter some chop, but I was comfortable and breathing very well. I stayed very relaxed throughout the entire swim, even when I couldn't see much of anything due to the fog and my ignorant choice of tinted goggles. As I came to the last part of the swim I knew that I was having a great swim, and was actually quite sad that it was almost over. I had no idea how badly I would want to be back in that water in just a few minutes when the fury of the wind and rain was about to begin on the bike!
What would you do differently?:

Wear clear goggles.
Transition 1
  • 07m 9s
Comments:

I opted to skip the wetsuit strippers and just dropped my full wetsuit to my waist. This was a choice I made to try to keep the legs warm through the long run to T1. I did slow down through the warm water shower tent, and it felt great. I thanked the volunteers there, and thought to myself, boy are they overdressed. The spectators and volunteers through T1 were dressed for WINTER, no joke. Took my time in T1 and changed out to my trisuit, with long underarmour pants and long sleeved underarmour shirt over it. I am actually surprised that all of this didn't take me longer.
What would you do differently?:

nothing
Bike
  • 5h 47m 57s
  • 112 miles
  • 19.31 mile/hr
Comments:

The first part of the course is somewhat protected from the wind as it is in the city. However, after the first few miles the strong winds became very apparent, and fierce. At about the ten mile mark we were heading into a strong headwind and it had begun to rain/ mist pretty consistently. Having obsessed over the weather reports I was confident in two things- that we would have a tailwind for the last 30+ miles, and that about the same time as I would turn and have the tailwind the weather was supposed to begin to break. My mission became counting down the miles to get to that point, and it took an eternity.
My goal for the bike was to average 19.5- 20 mph depending on the conditions. I train and race without a heartrate monitor and have gotten pretty good at judging my RPE. The winds really beat me up, both physically and mentally. I intended to hit my goal average by riding around a 5 or 6 RPE. Through the first 60+ miles my RPE was consistently 7-8, and my average through mile 70 was only 18.1 MPH. I knew I was in trouble! Around mile 15 my bike had started to make its noises, sort of a grinding, sraping, rubbing noise that sounds like a model train running on its tracks- so freaking annoying. This, coupled with the weather conditions really began to get me down. Also, being a strong swimmer and somewhat average biker, I was passed constantly for those first 70 miles. This is something that I knew would happen during the IM, but it is still tough to not give chase.
Around mile 40 I had had enough and just wanted to be done. I already had done an IM, and felt that I had little to prove. I made a conscious decision at this point that this was still going to be a great day, and that I just needed to make it one. So, I began to do anything that I could to brighten my mood and have fun.
At the last aid station before the turn to head back with the wind I noticed that there was noone around me, so instead of yelling out what I needed- which was nothing- I said How about a high five? In a matter of two seconds I had about ten volunteers lined up whacking high fives as I rolled by at 18 MPH! It was awesome, both for me and them. They cheered as I went by. The rest of the ride I focused on telling others good job, thanking police, volunteers, spectators, you name it. This helped me tremendously.
At the turn I had a decision to make. Should I push it and try to bring my average back up while also taking more advantage of the tail wind, or should I continue to ride under control and forget about the average, time, etc. Well, contrary to what many intelligent people would do, I decided to let it rip. I made the decision to push the last 35 miles with the wind, regardless of the effect it had on my run, because in my mind I had earned it. I needed that boost, both from a mental and physical standpoint, and so I hit it hard. At the 80 mile marker I yelled out loud- It is F'ing ON! and began to hit it hard. At one point I saw 28+ on my computer for over three straight miles. Was this smart, maybe not, but I wanted off that bike, and knew that I would have to pay for it on the run, but to me it was worth it. The last twenty miles I did want off the bike, but I was loving life again. It was such a dramatic difference from the first three hours. The wind was at my back, my average was climbing quickly, I felt great, the rain had stopped, and I even saw my shadow- the sun had begun to pop out. Believe it or not, during the last ten miles I didn't want to quit riding any more!
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Transition 2
  • 04m 26s
Comments:

I handed my bike off to a volunteer, grabbed my bag from another volunteer, thanking her, and was headed into the changing tent. I took my time and peeled off the wet underarmour pants and shirt, put on my new DRY socks and running shoes, and clipped on my race number belt. On my way out of the tent I was suprised to see Papa John's pizza sitting there, and decided to grab a slice and enjoy the moment. It was SOOOOO GOOD!
What would you do differently?:

nothing
Run
  • 4h 34m 13s
  • 26.2 miles
  • 10m 28s  min/mile
Comments:

I started out the run in much better spirits than I had encountered on the first half of the bike, and I was very thankful for that. My plan was to run to each aid station and take my time walking through each aid station. I also knew that I would allow myself to walk the hills and bridges if I wanted too as I have been dealing with some nagging injuries including a ruptured ligament in the bottom of my foot three weeks ago.
I started out running around an 8:30 mile to the first hill/ bridge. I had made the decision in T2 to leave my garmin and just use my regular watch to keep track of miles. It didn't matter to me what pace I was running, when I was running, so I didn't change out. The first bridge seemed longer than I remember and I walked the last half up, running down it and through the fist aid station to the bottom of the second bridge at about mile 1.5. I walked up this bridge as well. The bridges were a bit scary at times feeling like you were going to get blown right the hell off the edge, as the wind was still whipping. The section through downtown was nice, with lots of spectators, and I was feeling pretty good. I ended up hitting the turn around at mile 6.55 in just over 59 minutes and felt that I could keep the pace close to that for the last three quarters of the run. What I had forgotten about was the wind, my new frenemy. As we wound back through the park and city and back toward the bridges my pace slowed dramatically. I found that even running down the bridge on the return was tough as it was into the howling wind. I decided that more walking was in order. The middle ten miles of the marathon were a mix of mental struggles, physical pain, chicken broth, water, lemon and orange slices, and Mike and Ike candy. I found that by sucking on and eating Mike and Ikes I was getting a great energy boost. I loved them. I thought many times about my three young daughters and my wife at home, and how they'd be waiting for updates on my progress, and this was all I needed after each walk break to get running again. Suprisingly, when I began to run I found that running at around an 8:30- 9 minute mile pace felt the best, so my running pace wasn't really slowing but more walk breaks were being mixed in. I gave a LOT of high fives during those middle 10 or so miles, thanked more volunteers, police, and spectators and just kept moving forward. These brief interactions really helped me out, and made things more fun and interesting.
At the turn around of the second loop I again had some decisions to make. My big goal was to break 12 hours, and that was in the bag, but now I was struggling with 11:30 or even 11:15 being the new goal. To be honest, it didn't really matter to me much. I had won. I had beaten the conditions, I had pushed on, and I was going to finish- healthy and happy, and that was all that mattered. So the final 6.55 miles were a steady mix of running, walking when I wanted, and talking to others, including giving encouragement to many that were on their first loop.
The last few miles were somewhat surreal. Several hours earlier I would never have thought I would be in such good spirits with a solid finish time in the bag bringing it home. But, here I was. I really tried to soak it all in during the last few miles, and when I was running I felt great.
The finish area was confusing as hell. I must have asked which way to go at least three times in the last quarter of a mile. But, there was the finishers chute, and it felt great.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Post race
Warm down:

Grabbed a slice of pizza and began throwing on the layers of clothes over my wet trisuit to try to warm up.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Lack of consistent long run training maybe. Not sure, but happy with the results given the situation.

Event comments:

Set Up Events does a great job with this race. Considering the logistical nightmare of this race, there are very few changes that I would consider making. Over a thousand volunteers, great support from the city, etc.




Last updated: 2011-11-01 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:42:50 | 4224 yards | 01m 01s / 100yards
Age Group: 7/86
Overall: 34/850
Performance: Good
Suit: Xterra Vortex 3
Course: I had swam this course in 2009, and had also swam the last part of the course- where the turns are, the day before the race. Needless to say, I knew the course quite well. However, the lack of buoys, some chop, fog, etc. made me question many times if I was taking a solid line throughout.
Start type: Run Plus:
Water temp: 68F / 20C Current: Medium
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Bad
Waves: Good Navigation: Average
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 07:09
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: No
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
05:47:57 | 112 miles | 19.31 mile/hr
Age Group: 21/86
Overall: 98/850
Performance: Average
Wind: Headwind with gusts
Course: This course is a large loop that heads out Northwest then turns Northeast before heading back Southeast toward Wilmington.
Road: Smooth Wet Cadence: 88
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Average Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 04:26
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Below average
Jumping off bike Below average
Running with bike Below average
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal Below average
Running
04:34:13 | 26.2 miles | 10m 28s  min/mile
Age Group: 37/86
Overall: 0/850
Performance: Average
Course: This course is two out and backs. It is not flat. There are two large bridges on each out and back, as well as a couple of shorter hills on the run course.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
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