Black Bear Triathlon - Half Iron Course - Triathlon


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Lehighton, Pennsylvania
United States
CGI Racing
57F / 14C
Precipitation
Total Time = 7h 15m 23s
Overall Rank = 130/177
Age Group = M50-54
Age Group Rank = 0/
Pre-race routine:

Long drive in the rain but I had my best friend and biking buddy with my so as usual we drank coffee and talked about everything and anything.

When we got there it was a muddy mess and there wasn't a lot of time to set up, so we got the bikes racked and headed down to the water.
Event warmup:

Did a warmup swim to try and acclimate to the cold water. Came out with purple hands and feet. I do not like the cold but I figured it would be OK once I started moving. I am not a good swimmer but I had a 2km time trial the Thursday before and felt comfortable and that I should be able to finish in 45 minutes.
Swim
  • 55m
  • 2078 yards
  • 02m 39s / 100 yards
Comments:

I have no idea what cause this but I experienced severe vertigo after about 20 minutes in the water. It was so bad I had to stop twice as I thought I would get sick. Everything was rolling, and there were definitely no waves.
I believe it was cold related, but it made for a miserable experience.
What would you do differently?:

I need to determine what caused this problem. Hopefully it was just the cold. Ive done quite a few OWS and never experienced anything like this.
Transition 1
  • 07m
Comments:

Took my time to regain equilibrium. Once I was stable it was slow but I started to feel better.
Bike
  • 3h 46m
  • 56 miles
  • 14.87 mile/hr
Comments:

I had a relatively decent bike and although I have done better it's what I expected at this point into my IM training cycle. Spent up until mid-April on a swim/run focus while getting ready for the Boston Marathon, and crammed a couple weeks of hill work into the training prior to the race.

After the swim it felt so good to be on the bike. I needed to work on my nutrition plan for LP and that went extremely well, except for dropping the bottle of Infinit and having to go back and pick it up, Even managed a couple bottle exchanges.
What would you do differently?:

Train more. Go up and ride the course prior to the race.
Transition 2
  • 03m 26s
Comments:

T2 went well. Everything was drenched and there's nothing like putting socks on wet muddy feet. People's race equipment was everywhere.
What would you do differently?:

Pick a dry day? You gets what you gets!
Run
  • 2h 20m
  • 13.1 miles
  • 05m 37s  min/mile
Comments:

I pulled a hamstring at Boston and was considering dropping out of this race. My coach suggested to do it as a long training day, and I knew it was going to be a hard run. I'm totally focused on being healthy to toe the line at Lake Placid, so I did what I was told and ran/walked the course.

At mile 2 I was ready to quit, but I walked a little, jogged a little, and just kept going. The people who I talked to during the run were just amazing. The men and women who do these races are some of the most supportive, funniest, and determined people you will ever meet. Around mile 10 I knew I was going to finish so I just kept a steady shuffle going and ran it in.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. Honestly given the amount of pain I experienced during the run and pushing through was a major confidence builder. I don't care about the time, it was a revelation to know how deep I could dig and finish the run. I crossed the finish line bent over with back spasms from overcompensating for the hamstring and still managed to smile for the camera.


Post race
Warm down:

Taking a lot of cr*p from my friends since I was the last of the group to finish. Wouldn't trade any of them for the world.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Getting disoriented during the swim and the hamstring injury.

Event comments:

Well, my first HIM is in the books. Not exactly how I planned, but there will be another race to do. Probably the friendliest group of people I've ever raced with, maybe because it's was a very hard course on a miserable day. Volunteers were great, all families and people doing their best to make this a good experience.

klassman wrote in the Ironman LP training thread" "Being at the finish line in Boston has given me fresh perspective to " not sweat the little stuff". Be happy."

Good advice.




Last updated: 2013-05-21 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:55:00 | 2078 yards | 02m 39s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/177
Performance: Bad
Suit: Desoto Black Pearl
Course: One loop in a dam(n)ed lake. If it had been a sunny day this would be a beautiful place to swim with the mountains framing the lake.
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Shot
Water temp: 56F / 13C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Bad
Breathing: Average Drafting: Below average
Waves: Navigation: Bad
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 07:00
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
03:46:00 | 56 miles | 14.87 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/177
Performance: Average
Wind: None
Course: Very hilly with large rollers. Could not take full advantage of the tri bike and disc in soaking wet condition on unfamiliar roads. Some crazy 11% plus grade climbs.
Road: Smooth Wet Cadence: 87
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 03:26
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
02:20:00 | 13.1 miles | 05m 37s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/177
Performance: Below average
Course: mud/gravel/fields. Not exactly the packed surface they advertised. Also an entertaining run up the side of the dam.
Keeping cool Below average Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5]
Good race? Ok
Evaluation
Course challenge
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers?
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities:
Race evaluation [1-5]