HITS National Championship: Palm Springs - Full Iron Course - TriathlonFull Ironman


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La Quinta, California
United States
HITS Triathlon Series
75F / 24C
Sunny
Total Time = 12h 00m 6s
Overall Rank = 18/
Age Group =
Age Group Rank = 3/
Pre-race routine:

This was my first ever triathlon, so I had no idea what to expect. I knew nothing about packets, transition set ups or anything. I had trained for about 9-10 months using Fink's competitive plan. I felt ready, despite the fact I had never swam 25 meters or ridden a rode bike in my life prior to starting this training plan. Running is definitely my strongest sport. The week prior to the race I came down with a GI bug that had been going around. I took all the precautions in the world, but somehow the little bug still got me.

My stomach started feeling a little better the day before the race, but then I was fortunate enough to catch my daughters cold. Sore throat and runny nose. (Day quill was to be my best friend race day). I made sure to try and hydrate all week to make sure these illnesses didn't take too much out of me.
I arrived in Palm Springs with my wife Meghan and two kids the day before to pick up race packets and set up my bags. Thank God there was a really friendly guy named Joe in transition that explained how to set everything up. When I told him I had never done a triathlon before, he just smiled and said, just have fun. That was my plan. Give it everything I have, but have fun. After finally getting everything set up, we headed back to the house where I went through all my stuff probably 100 times. The head cold was really bothering me, and I was having a hard time swallowing because of the sore throat. I took some NyQuil and went off to bed.
Event warmup:

Got to the lake pretty early to make sure I had time to finish setting up my transition area. I was surprised I wasn't more nervous. I was nervous, but knowing how I am, I thought it would have been much worse. No real warm up. Just put on the wetsuit and played with the fam until it was go time.
Swim
  • 1h 12m 46s
  • 4224 yards
  • 01m 43s / 100 yards
Comments:

I had only done 1 open water swim prior to this so I was pretty nervous. The half distance and full distance athletes started at the same time. So there were about 350 swimmers that were trying to squeeze through the first entry buoys that were about 20 meters from shore. I basically stood on the shore for a couple of minutes until it appeared to thin out. Probably not a good idea. I lost lots of time trying to swim around people for the first 800 meters. It sure was fun though.
What would you do differently?:

I am not a swimmer, so I expected to do much worse on the swim. I should have trusted my training and moved up more in the pack at the start so I wouldn't have lost so much time by being in the back.
Transition 1
  • 05m 28s
Comments:

I wore a trisuit under my wetsuit so the only real problem was trying to get my wetsuit off over my watch. It got stuck, and I basically had to put the wetsuit back on and remove the watch and start over. I was feeling great though, and still in good spirits.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing really. Just pay better attention to my watch as I begin to take my suit off.
Bike
  • 6h 25m 31s
  • 112 miles
  • 17.43 mile/hr
Comments:

I'm definitely not a good cyclist. Not even an average cyclist. My plan was to try and go easy enough to have enough left in the tank for a strong marathon. I was hoping to average around 18mph. The first two laps went pretty well, and I think I was slightly above that pace. On the third lap, the fatigue began to set in. Around mile 80, the DayQuil had worn off and I was feeling miserable. No longer in the best of spirits. The blatant drafting on this course was also taking a toll on me mentally. I shouldn't have let it bother me, but it did. People were flying by me in packs of 2,3,4 and more. I eventually pulled over about mile 95 to take in some more pills and to refocus. I popped 2 more DayQuil, 2 more Imodium ad, 2 Advil, 2 salt sticks and went on my way.
I was doing this race to raise awareness for a charity, so I told myself to just finish. I had been pretty good with my nutrition up to this point. About 250 calories an hour, which is what I trained with. Honey stingers and heed. When I got to t2, I was ready to be off the bike like most people. My spirits were beginning to pick up.
What would you do differently?:

Work on my engine!!! My biking is terrible. Must improve. I plan on getting lots of saddle time this year.
Transition 2
  • 03m 23s
Comments:

T2 went well. I had to swap watches at this point, because the watch I wore during the bike portion. Was almost out of battery life. The only real issue was it took almost a mile into the run before my garmin would pick up a satellite. ( this would haunt me later)
What would you do differently?:

Maybe invest in the Garmin 910 so I don't need to worry about wearing three different watches for a race.
Run
  • 4h 12m 45s
  • 26.2 miles
  • 09m 39s  min/mile
Comments:

This is where I hoped to make up some time. I was passed by so many on the bike, that I hoped I could catch many of those who had already passed me. The first few miles I felt great. However, about mile 4, things changed for the worse. I don't know if it was the sickness I had been battling all week, or just general fatigue, but I knew at this point I I was not going to accomplish any of my goals. First goal was to finish under 12:30. Second goal was to not have to walk the marathon. My last and secret goal was to possibly go sub 12.

At this point, I was both physically and mentally drained. My mind started going to a very dark place and I wanted to give up. My body felt done. I knew in my mind there was no way I could run another 20+ miles. I was frustrated. My training went so well , and I felt I shouldn't be this tired this soon. I told myself, just make it to the next aid station. When I arrived there, I remember reading someone's race report here that swore by defizzled coke. Without hesitating I grabbed some coke and some cookies and kept running. It surprisingly made me feel a little better. My goal for the run was to go sub 4. At this point, I went from about 9:00/mile to almost 10:30 pace. I was fading fast. After another aid station stop with more coke and water, I began to pick up the pace again. I reached the half way mark at about 2 hours. I still didn't think I would be able to run even another 100 feet.

I just kept telling myself that if I could manage to run about a 2:12 half Mary, that I could go sub 12. At this point, I was on fumes like most people. The only thing keeping me going was my family and the girl I was doing the charity for. The last 13 miles was the hardest thing I have ever done both physically and mentally. My body and mind were done. I could no longer even get out words to respond to other runners who were cheering me on heading in the other direction. I tried to give myself so many reasons to quit. Somehow, I just kept running.
With about 3 miles left, I knew I had about 30 minutes to finish to go sub 12. I was beyond exhausted. With about 200 meters to go, my good friend ran next to me and said I had 2 minutes to finish to go sub 12. I pumped my arms and gave it everything I had. It felt like I was running in slow motion, which i pretty much was. I crossed the finish line and collapsed and realized my time was 12:00:06. I had missed my ultimate goal time by 6 seconds. I was extremely disappointed at first, but then kind of laughed to myself and said next time.
It was the ultimate journey and experience of a lifetime. It was everything and more than I imagined. This is a phenomenal sport, surrounded by phenomenal people. Can't wait to do it again.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing really. I gave it everything I had
Post race
Warm down:

Went home, took more NyQuil and went to bed while my family and friends celebrated:)

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Lack of bike fitness

Event comments:

I didn't reach my secret goal of going sub 12, but I am very proud of the fact I never gave up. Never in a million years did I think after mile 4 that I would have been able to finish the run without walking.




Last updated: 2012-12-02 12:00 AM
Swimming
01:12:46 | 4224 yards | 01m 43s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance: Good
Suit: Xterra
Course: 4 lap rectangle
Start type: Plus:
Water temp: 63F / 17C Current: Low
200M Perf. Remainder:
Breathing: Drafting:
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 05:28
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Below average Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
06:25:31 | 112 miles | 17.43 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance: Average
Wind: Some
Course: Very flat 3 loop course with some chip seal.
Road: Rough Dry Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks:
T2
Time: 03:23
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
04:12:45 | 26.2 miles | 09m 39s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance: Average
Course: Pretty flat with meandering sidewalks. This was a very odd run course. The course was measure on the streets of a 2 loop out and back course. The only problem was that they made you run on the meandering sidewalks because they did not have the permits to run on the road. It wasn't your standard sidewalks that ran parallel to the road, it was the types that followed the landscape, so you were zigging and zagging plus going up and down these little grassy knolls. The extra distance, and little hills took a lot out of me. Many racers were complaining about the course being long. Either way, we are all running the same course.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
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:
Race evaluation [1-5]