Ironman 70.3 Timberman - Triathlon

Started myself in the middle about 2 rows back. Horn went off and away we went. First couple hundered yards it was a mosh pit, but then I found some water and just went. Sighting was spot on, felt strong, fluid, and found my rhythm. Motored along and the firs turn bouy was there before I knew it. started the long side of the rectangle, and kept feeling good. Was passing lots of people including some from earlier waves. Made the 2nd turn and headed toward the finish. Kept pluggin away, and was passed by a guy from the wave behind us. He was fllying.

Hit short, stood up, and was out. Felt amazing, as if I could go do it again. Not tired at all, but a bit unsteady with the whole going from horizontal to veritcal so quickly. cap & goggles off, arms out, and headed toward transition.

Nohting. Felt great the whole way. Was 4.5 minutes faster here than my HIM in June.

First time using the wetsuit strippers, and wow is that awesome!! Suit off, got up and headed into transiion. My spot was as far away from the swim in location as could be, so it took a while just to get to my bike. Once there, everything was smooth, and I was out of there quickly. A bit of suncreen used as well since I'd be on the bike a while.

Nothing.

Didn't know much about the bike other than the first & last 12 or so miles were very hilly, and the rest was a semi flat out & back. This proved to be as accurate as I could imagine. Took my buddy Andy's advice and just went for a ride on the first section. Managed the hills well, but ran into a bike issue on the real killer one. About 1/3 of the way up what I thought was by far the worst hill of the day, a somewhat long steep windy, I realized my front brake was rubbing on the tire. Since I was already only going 5 MPH up the hill, I didn't need this working against me as well. I stopped and fixed it. Had to use a driveway in order to get back on the bike & start. was too steep to just do it on the hill.

A couple of the downhills were big as well, and I topped out on the bike at 43 mph, which was plenty fast for me. The roads were not perfect, so I was happy to keep it under that. Some guys went by me like I was still. Had to be 50+ mph.

The middle section is a 30 mile mainly flat secition which I found to be a real mental drag. Not much to look at, and just sort of put your head down & go time. Lots of thoughts go through your head at times like this, thats for sure. Some good, some not so good...

Made it back to the hills, and knowing I was getting close to the end was the best motivator. I just wanted to be done with the bike. Made it back to the race site, turned back into the park, and headed toward the dismount line.

Not much. I think I paced it OK. Probably could have gone harder, particularly on the middle section. My time was only 9 minutes longer than my race in June on a much flatter course, so I think thats a good sign. There were lots of really fast guys there, and I saw a couple hundered of them go by me at some point.

My race almost ended here. As I was getting to dismount, I had my shoes unclipped, and was ready to go. Swung one foot up to get off, and just then my other foot slipped off the pedal, causing me to slam back down onto the bike. I caught the nose of my right in a very sensitive spot on my backside. It hurt so much I could not believe it. lost control of the bike and fell over, very nearly into the bike barrier. A volunteer came right over and said "Whoa - that looked like it really hurt!", then picked up my bike for me. I was still on the ground wondering if I'd permanently damaged myself. Got up slowly and took my bike. Very encouraging crowd got me moving, and I very gingerly shuffled off to transition. Racked my bike and sat down on the ground for 20-30 seconds to see if this was going to get better. Fortunately it did, and I put my stuff on, grabbed my hat, race #, and was off on what I expected to be a very long "run" to finish this race

Avoid nearly being violated by my seat, and crashing.

So.....coming into this race, I expected the run to be anything but. I've had a nagging hamstring problem which is getting better, but still prevents any meaningful run, and has hampered training all season. With that in mind, read on...

Headed out of transition at an easy jog, and headed on the course. Immediately I was having a problem as this pain was radiating from my lower left side around to the front and affecting my whole abdomen. Every step made it hurt worse. Down shifted to walk, and it took a mile or so before it went away. May have been related to the crotch smashing T2 events, I don't know, but it did go away.

Local support on the run is incredible. People everywhere. Signs, folks out watching. 2 live bands at different points. Tons of aid stations. One house had 2 girls out front making pancakes & bacon for anyone who wanted it -- compolete with electric griddle, and sizzling bacon. Someone else had a full bar set up roadside and was giving away beer & drinks to anyone who wanted one. The Make A Wish foundation had its own aid station, and if you were a MaW racer -- you were a rock star! Booming PA saying "We have a wish racer coming!!" folks would run out to you with whatever you needed, tons of encouragement, and genuine appreciation that you were out there. It was beyond words awesome.

For the first loop, I ran a few downhills, which were OK, but I wasn't kidding myself - this would be a big long march to the finish. Started chatting with a lady from Atlanta who was doing the walk/jog thing. She told me she was doing IM Louisville next weekend, which I couldn't believe. Not only that, but she had to drive home to Atlanta from NH, then a couple days later drive to Louisville. Now that is a busy week!

Coming around the turn around (a big corral looping through transition) I was largely along and saw a familiar face up ahead cheering folks on. It was my buddy Andy Potts all by himself giving encouragement as folks went by. He saw my Make A Wish tri top and got very animated. I asked him if he'd won and he gave a big "yes!", we high fived and then continued on for loop 2.

A short bit into lap 2, I met up with a guy named Scott from NJ who, like me, was there doing the race despite a hammy problem, knowing he'd be walking. We had a laugh about the situation, and decided to soldier on together. We kept as good a pace as possible, and chatted constantly the entire remaining 6 miles. When we arrvied at the turn to the finish, I told him I was going to run it in (He couldn't) and said I'd watch him finish. So, I made the left, and off I went.

WOW, did it feel awesome coming down the chute. I was alone, there were all kinds of folks cheering, and the Make A Wish team top certainly got extra cheers. Big announcemnt of my name, where I was front, that I was a Timberman first timer, and was racing for Make A Wish. Crossed the line and was SO SO happy to be done, and let the adrenoline rush through. Someone grabbed my chip asap and handed me a water bottle.

Took another couple steps and someone said "Hey - way to go! You did it!". I turn to my right, and who else by Andy Potts puts the finisher medal around my neck. Thought it was so cool to have him hang around and do this. A big high 5, and a couple words, and I was off to find a place to sit down.

Based on my physical condition, I did what I could. My doctor thought I was crazy for doing it all with the leg injury. Where's the fun in that? :).

Didn't do much with the Ironman post race stuff. It was on the other side of transition from the finish, and I was in no mood to bother. I headed back to the MaW team spot, and talked to a bunch of racers there, hung out, and grabbed some of the stuff I had put there in the AM. Had the best turkey sandwhich ever there as well which really hit the spot.


Injury and the limitations it put on training.


WTC knows how to run a race. On time, a million volunteers, highly organized - the whole thing was great. But, the best part was the Make a Wish team.

I CANNOT RECOMMEND HIGHLY ENOUGH -- if you are going to do Timberman in the future, make the effort to be a fundraiser and race for the Make a Wish team. I have no affiliation with them whatsoever, and decided to raise money since I admire what they do. In return, you will receive support and appreciation unllike anything you can imagine, and probably have the best race weekend you could imagine. I know I did.