HITS Triathlon Series: Hunter Mountain II - Half Iron Course - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

It was damned cold out and I was in no mood to swim. Couldn't find the neoprene squid lid the night before. Luckily I had a thick silicone cap from Toughman in the car so wore 2 caps. Warmed up pretty fast and felt fine. This course goes around the far outside of the lake so it was shallow and there were a lot of weeds. Saw a lot of folks standing up to sight/rest. Sadly, I wasnt any faster than the folks standing up... If they do this race again in June, there shouldn't be so many weeds.

I was cold getting out of the water on this one.

Bring a towel to dry off if I'm going to put on layers (gloves and arm warmers today). I couldn't get the arm warmers on and had to keep fiddling with them on the bike.

This was a pretty rough bike ride. Cold and a lot of wind. I spent the first 15 miles wishing I had put on the jacket, but by the hill at ~22 miles I was very glad I didn't. I guess the clothing choice worked out okay since I was always a little uncomfortable, but never in trouble.
The wind kicked my ass a little. On the steep downhills it was blowing me around a bit so I took it conservatively and on some of the flats and slight downhills I felt like I was actually going uphill. This course has more downhill for the start and uphill on the way back, so I pushed it pretty hard toward the end to avoid giving up too much speed/time.
Almost spilled twice. Once on a turn around mile 52 and at the dismount. The fog got to me a bit, as did the water on my visor.

Garmin facts:
Distance - 55.2
Elevation - 3,458
Speed - 16.3
Avg Power - 156
Norm Power - 172 (too high for an IM tune up)
HR - 136 bpm

1) bring the wider cassette for a course like this. 11-23 wasn't doing it to keep the cadence high.
2) Dont wear the visor on the aero helmet if the forecast calls for rain. I couldn't see for shit in the rain.

Pretty tough run, but at least the weather stops being a factor. I ran this pretty hard. Since the course was so spread out with so few folks I only got to pass 5 runners over 13+ miles. I'm getting better at pushing the downhills. I just have to pay for the pounding after the race.

Garmin facts:
Dist - 13.37
elevation gain - 1,168
pace - 7:56
HR - 162bpm

I don't know. Maybe push it a bit harder. Stop peeing so damned much.

Limped to the car and took off. Eileen had tix to see Springsteen in NJ, so I told her I'd be home as soon as possible. Ate crappy fast food at a thruway rest stop (bad idea).

EDIT - just read this report and it looks like it was raining throughout. It was not. The weather was 1) cold and windy, 2) then cold with some drizzle, then 3) cool and foggy. Not really much rain, but my visor stayed spotty throughout the bike.


Should have hydrated prior to the morning of the race. 4 pee stops, 2 on the bike and 2 on the run. I'm like an old woman with my bladder.


I like the HITS setup. Everyone is very helpful and the transition area is fantastic. Slots for each bike and a stool, rather than fighting for space with racers who bring the whole shebang out. Its a pretty lonely race but I think that will change with the new 2013 pricing. I'm also impressed that they seem to be able to measure a swim course. every race I do seems to be off by quite a bit. I'll probably do this race again, but I will NEVER do the full. All I could think for the last 15 miles of the bike was that I was glad I wasn't doing it again.