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 Swim
Comments: PR with exception of B2B, but that was due to a tide coming in and pushing all swimmers to abnormally quick swim times. Started off good, caughts some feet/bubbles during first leg and a couple times throughout. Swam very easy, but sighted often and stayed on course much better than normal zigzagging I usually do. One or two long sighting practice swims in the pool last month definitely helped figure out a technique that is working well for me this year. Every five strokes I raise head as little as possible to see bouy ahead and take break, repeat. The first one after a turn/bouy I have to raise up to see the next one in the distance usually. Pushed a little during the third and last leg, but we were going into the sun and I couldn't see a thing other than just trying to follow the crowd and expect everyone else was doing the same and we'd end up at the swim finish. What would you do differently?: Nothing really, could have warmed up some if I had time and pushed a little faster. I'd like to improve sighting so I could do the same technique with more strokes in between sightings, but when I've tried this in last two races, I'm back off course more than I should be.  Transition 1
Comments: Transition was twice as fast as last year and PB T1 for a HIM. What would you do differently?: Nothing  Bike
Comments: Start is up a direct hill, so I had bike in right gear, clipped in better this time. HR spiked as I went up hill then once on flat course I tried to get HR down, it dropped from 156 to 141 and stayed there for a while, looked at speed, 17ish to start, then 19, then over 20 and I was holding over 20 and HR 141 avg so I was feeling good. Then I worried about my knee and thought I wasn't through first lap yet and needed to take it easy, making sure I spin a good cadence. After that point, I still held above 20 mph and about every 10 miles my HR dropped a beat, it felt easy, but it was just the strangest thing. My new ZIPPs ROCK! They roll so smoothly, it's crazy. I took a gel every 45 minutes or so and drank IM Perform in new Speedfil hydration system, plus water. What would you do differently?: Nothing with the day I had planned, executed the plan well. Transition 2
Comments: Wrong rack lane, picked the 200's instead of 300's. Decided to put on knee brace for extra protection of knee, put it on upside down, then corrected it. The only segment that I didn't PR in. What would you do differently?: Go to correct bike rack. Put on knee brace correctly and better yet not need one at all.  Run
Comments: Started out of transition and garmin said history was full. So I deleted a few workouts while running, went back to set to run, same message, had to go through that several times. Finally, restarted garmin and it allowed me to switch to run. Then I got to the sizeable hill, hrm was beeping at me. Settled in after hill and checked pace and was comfortably pacing around 8:30, thought I am going to pay for this, my pace goal was 9 and then last lap would see how I feel. First lap I kept that pace as I felt great even knowing this would catch up to me. At mile 3 I really had to pee and stopped for a 1.5' pee, I was glad I stopped though, felt much better. I slowed down the second lap and was then feeling it, pacing moved back t0 9:30s, after the hill I decided to try to hold 9 even for this lap and it was a challenge and HR went up to low 150s. Last lap goal was to hold on to a sub-9 pace and hope the knee doesn't bother me. Everytime I would push and get pace below 8:45 the knee started to get sensitive so I would back off some. The HR was bumping above 160 consistently in the last mile before the final downhill. At the final mile I knew I made my goals and felt reasonably good at this point so I didn't want to do anything stupid in the final mile and backed off and just enjoyed it, congratulating those around me and rooting for others on the course. It turned out to be a fun and good day. Personal best for my run and first sub-9 half mary in a HIM. Took a Roctane every 45 minutes and drank cups of gatorade or water from aid stations. What would you do differently?: Nothing at this point, subject to change if my knee troubles me post race. Post race
Warm down: None. Headed over to get post race food. What limited your ability to perform faster: This was really an IM prep race and with my knee issues last month that I just recovered from, I didn't push hard. Event comments: Great race, org and volunteers, great day, great results. Last updated: 2011-12-07 12:00 AM
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70F / 21C
Sunny
Overall Rank = 129/374
Age Group = M40-44
Age Group Rank = 25/66
We stayed at a cabin on the lake with our friends, absolutely beautiful. I got up Friday morning and did the western australian carb load routine I usually do. Short pickups ~4x running with 20-30 rest intervals, then start a carb load breakfast. Went to bed early, didn't really sleep much, unusual for me, I usually get mostly a good nights sleep. I set the alarm for 4:30am, but was worried since it was the rental clock, but didn't set my watch like I usually would, I'll come to regret that in the morning. I tossed an turned all night. I thought I looked at clock and it was 2am, but I the face of the clock wasn't facing my bed so I was just seeing the glow, without my glasses. Finally got up to "check" the time and it was an hour past the time I expected to get up, 5:30, jumped up, ran to eat something quick, banana, wheat mini bagel w/organic almond butter and coffee. Joe came out and said, he wasn't going to do the race, that he wasn't trained for it and didn't want to injure himself or be miserable on the run. I didn't coax him out of it, partially because I just did a race and injured myself when I should have back out and also I was so focused on being late I wasn't thinking about anything other than getting to the race, although I felt bad for him. He told me yesterday he was nervous about the swim, he didn't finish the swim last year, but they still let him do the bike and run courses. Put on my race clothes, shoes and got bike hydration from fridge/freezer. So I packed up my stuff and left, it was just a short 10 min drive. Got to park and had to bike from far lot again this year, this is why I wanted to get up early and get to race site so I wouldn't be put in this distance lot at the last minute again this year, oh well, at to take what I got today. Bike over to transition, set up bike, no towel, so just threw stuff on ground, felt totally unorganized and just worried about basics, set up nutrition. Ate a gel and slug of water preswim.
None, got up late and hustled to get to the race site, set up transition and get down to swim. Luckily the lake was fogged over and start was pushed back 15 minutes, this game just enough time to do everything to set up and not be panicked, although I was hustling, but was very efficient. I set my helmet on bike, then garmin and then I had a mind-blow when I my sunglasses weren't in the bag where I put them and it was supposed to be a very sunny day. I never found them, think they fell out of my transition bag (which has a hole in it), time to get a new transition bag. Then no transition towel, crap, left it at home and one in my bag at cottage. Then went to turn on my bike computer and it didn't work, battery must be dead, it was not registering cadence in last bike ride and thought about replacing battery but week went by too fast and didn't get to it. This happened to me at IMCDA too. I do have my garmin, it's just easier to watch the bike computer and I watch avg speed and cadence, then glance at garmin for avg hr to keep it all on track, so I can get avg speed from garmin, but not cadence, oh well, take what the day gives me. This is just a training day/prep race for IMLP, right... right, I mean absolutely, I'm not racing today, right! I got to swim and got myself fully wet and gun went off for first group. I was in the fourth wave, spaced 3 minutes apart. Lake looked perfect, fog lifted with 55 degree start, 78 high and sunny forecast, it was going to be a perfect weather day. Water was warmer than air and felt good until you got out of the water and waited for your group to go.