3 Disciplines Triathlon Festival - Half Iron Man - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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East Tawas, Michigan
United States
3 Disciplines Racing
65F / 18C
Overcast
Total Time = 6h 07m 41s
Overall Rank = 70/127
Age Group = 50-55
Age Group Rank = 7/11
Pre-race routine:

Camping out in our old REI dome tent at Tawas Point State Park was fine, and since it was my first time over here, I'm glad I did. I slept like I usually do before any race: good but not excellent. I woke up a little after 5am and ate a banana and some oatmeal and made some instant cappuccino on the little stove I used to take backpacking and hunting in the Colorado high country. It was a very cool morning, and I wore my Swix XC ski hat keep my bare head warm. I love that kind of weather. No rushing around meant I could savor the beautiful sunrise.
Event warmup:

I was at transition plenty early, so I racked my bike and stuff and walked around a lot and down to a little store near the swim start where I had another cup of coffee and a chatted with the very nice employee about water temps, fishing, etc.
Swim
  • 52m 53s
  • 1931 meters
  • 02m 44s / 100 meters
Comments:

I felt like this was one of my better swims even though I am very, very, very slow. My navigation was right on, and I pushed as hard as I could the whole way. Since I'm always in the back of the pack, I sometimes got cris-crossed by those who backstroke the course, some quite haphazardly.
What would you do differently?:

Well, I suspect there are dozens of things I need to do to improve my swimming, and I'm planning to focus on that this winter. Even a 10-minute improvement would be excellent for me.
Transition 1
  • 05m 28s
Comments:

I put my sandals on for the 200m, or so, from the beach across the main road and up to T1 and the racked bike. This year, the whole length of Newton St. was set up with three long racks: one for Half IM, one for Oly, and one for Sprint. It was a neat idea, but it would prove frustrating for my T2 (cue suspenseful, foreshadowing music here).
What would you do differently?:

Not much. Actually, I didn't put much pressure on myself for a super fast transition since, hey, it's a Half IM. What's the rush?
Bike
  • 2h 57m 7s
  • 56 miles
  • 18.97 mile/hr
Comments:

Well, this is definitely my new favorite bike course. It was reported to be so, and it did not disappoint. Very flat, relatively, with a strong headwind coming back along River Road. Still, the wind was pushing us nicely all the way back into town which meant for 20-23mph most of the way ... ahhh. Even the so-called hilly section down to the dam and back up again wasn't really that bad. I followed my hydration/nutrition plan like clockwork. Drank all 4 bottles I had with me as well consuming 2 sleeves of Cliff Shot Blocks and 2 packets of Gu.
What would you do differently?:

Hmm ... I can't think of much I would have done differently, to be honest. This summer's tri's have been all about improvement in the bike and run, nice for a guy who just turned 50 the week before this race ;-)
Transition 2
  • 04m 54s
Comments:

Well, this was the only travesty of the race for me. What was an easy "find" in T1 was almost impossible for me coming back in. I just could not locate my towel, pack, and shoes on the long, continuous rack (I should have paid more attention to parking space numbers on the road--duh). One guy in the crowd, bless him, tried to help me find my place. It probably took a good two minutes before I finally did. My wetsuit had been tossed on the pavement, and my towel blown aside. Sigh, such is harried triathlete not thinking about rack landmarks. At any rate, once found, bike racked, helmet off, shoes changed, and I was running with my hat for the exit, determined to put this poor exchange behind me.
What would you do differently?:

I definitely need to hang some "bling" next time so that I go directly to the right spot, maybe something bright orange or green.
Run
  • 2h 07m 22s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 09m 43s  min/mile
Comments:

I was running just slightly ahead of the pace I thought I could keep and was able to stay steady and solid pretty much all the way, perhaps falling off a bit in miles 11 and 12. I wanted to be as conservative as possible on the first lap since it brings you tantalizingly close to the finish only to send you back out of town for the last loop. I finished the last sleeve of Cliff Shot Blocks and drank when needed along with my last 6-8 endurolytes. I had absolutely no problem with hydration or cramping, which is saying something for me. The cool temps helped tremendously. Also, it rained on us briefly when I was at mile 4, and then--God has sympathy for us poor, crazy, wretched triathletes--it rained briefly again at about mile 9. Just the perfect amount of moisture to cool and refresh. A couple of high school guys at the turn-around were my favorite volunteers. They were a crazy but encouraging pair.
What would you do differently?:

Not a thing
Post race
Warm down:

Chatted with a guy who finished just ahead of me and a first-timer who I had run back and forth with for a while on the first and second loops of the run. She did great. Guzzled a Pepsi and chatted with another first-timer young guy back in transition who's definitely got all the right gifts for the sport. I savored a couple of light beers by the car while I put the bike up on the roof racks and packed up stuff. 3D later provided an awesome fajita dinner along with a raffle in which just about everyone present won something. Kudos to the 3D folks! They really care for their participants.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

I love the challenge of OW Swimming, even more than the pool. It's just something I need to improve at any way I can. Of course, the T2 fiasco shall not be repeated! So let it be written.

Event comments:

I can understand all the hype about this race now, and I'll be back next year if I can get out of Dodge. Well worth the road trip for you folks looking to PR on a Half IM course. I sliced nearly a 1/2 hour off my last Half from 2010. Wonderful feeling!




Last updated: 2012-04-18 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:52:53 | 1931 meters | 02m 44s / 100meters
Age Group: 0/11
Overall: 119/127
Performance: Average
Suit: 3/4
Course: Rectangular, only one loop, very nice!
Start type: Run Plus:
Water temp: 72F / 22C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Average
Breathing: Good Drafting:
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 05:28
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike:
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
02:57:07 | 56 miles | 18.97 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/11
Overall: 0/127
Performance:
Wind: Some with gusts
Course: Mostly flat with one hilly section on the road down to the dam
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 80s
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 04:54
Overall: Bad
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Bad
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
02:07:22 | 13.1 miles | 09m 43s  min/mile
Age Group: 6/11
Overall: 0/127
Performance: Good
Course: Double out-and-back, completely flat, mostly sunny
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers?
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5