Spirit of Racine Half Ironman Triathlon - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

The first thing I noticed about the swim course this year was that the buoys were moved waaaaaaay in. That was probably a response to the drownings in two previous Wisconsin tri's this summer. However, that meant this course was going to be even shorter this year than last year, which was already short.

Prior to the start, I met up with djdavey and, because we were in the same wave, headed over the sea wall together to take our place at the rear outside of the pack. Obviously, word has gotten around that that's the place to be because I think there were more people fighting for that position than the front inside of the wave.

Dave and I of course got to yakking and entertaining everyone around us (or so we like to think), when suddenly the gun goes off and were following the rest of the lemmings into the water. I was about waist deep before I realized I forgot to put my goggles on and Dave forgot to do the same. Probably not a great start, considering my confidence level going in. I wished Dave luck and we were on our way.

At 59 - 63 degrees (reports varied), the water was cold but not nearly as bad as last year. I had brought my neoprene cap and booties to the race just in case and was sure as hell not going to leave them behind just to look like less of a dork than I normally do, so I was nice and comfy before too long. Really, the temp wasn't an issue at all.

Because the buoys were so far in, my biggest challenge was not scraping my fingers on the sandy lake bottom. I also noticed that many of my fellow competitors had preferred to turn the swim into a "swalk", just walking along in the mid-riff-deep water. Evene if it might have been faster or easier at times, I wasn't going to do that. I reasoned I was training for even longer distances in the near future, so I was going to get my full training rewards out of today's race.

Overall, my navigation was decent, even in the churning currents that were much stronger because we were nearer to shore. I found my stroke probably about halfway through and just cruised to the yellow buoy without problem.

From there, I trudged up to shore, immediately began taking off the top of my wetsuit and smacked as many hands as I could of the several spectators I recognized along the long beach run to transition.

Last year: 79/155 AG
This year: 79/145 AG

...hey, I'm consistent.

Wear swim fins like that guy at IM Florida.

As always, I screwed around a little too long here, putting on my Garmin and socks. But at least it wasn't the debacle I had at Lake Mills.

As it turns out, I'd leave the stupid Garmin.

I got into my shoes and up the hill out of transition without problem. Now, I just needed to turn on my Garmin and... Now, I just needed to turn on my Garmin and...

Oh, #$#@!... "Low on Battery". You've got to be kidding me. I just charged this stupid thing last night! I must have left it on after I disconnected it from my laptop. CRAP! Well, for a guy who races religiously according to HR, this was not a good situation-- I would have absolutely no HR feedback throughout the day and would be racing blind except for my bike computer. Oh, well, Marine-- improvise, adapt, and overcome.

I knew my secret to a much better race last year was going out slow on the bike, so I tried to stick to that approach as well as I could. But truth be told, I didn't stay that slow. I just couldn't. Last year, I let a guy on a unicycle juggling bowling pins pass me on the opening stretch of the bike. I reasoned I was in much better shape this year-- I could open it up within reason, right?
Plus, I had the DISC on this year... I couldn't look like a Fred out there, could I? I mean, there's pressure that comes along with putting a disc on... expectations, even. It's like taking a Viagra (not that I'd know!)... you've got to... gulp... PERFORM!

And I kept hearing the words of Heather Haviland in my last conversation with her about whether I should sport the disc at Racine as she said, "Well, you know, to use the disc you should really average over 21 MPH!" It was like the Brady Bunch episode where Bobby breaks Mrs. Brady's new lamp as he recalls her warning him "Never play ball in the house!"

So I settled into a more aggressive, yet comfortable pace. Sure, I still got passed by the Warlords of Whirrrrr, but you can be sure I saw my speedometer also read 21+ more often than not. ;)

Really, I felt good. I knew I was pushing it, but I honestly felt it was a pace I could sustain for a long time. What I didn't know was how much it was going to affect my running afterward. But I also know, I always tend to be overly cautious and because this wasn't going to be my 'A' race for the season, I decided to let it all hang out.

DJDAVEY passed me at about the half-hour mark, looking stronger than I had ever seen him before. Other than that, I didn't see any Donks on the course. I did stay with some familiar faces pretty much the whole length of the bike, constantly leapfrogging one another as we went. In the end, though, I left them all behind-- a very unfamiliar feeling as the bike has always been my weakness.

By the last few miles, I was really ready to get off the bike (which worries me a bit for IMMOO), but mostly because my azz hurt and I was just kind of bored and anxious to get running. My legs still felt pretty good but I was happy I hadn't pushed it any harder. I would really like to have had my HR data so I could apply it to MOO, but the Garmin decided to take the day off. If I learned anything, it's that I could trust my own sense of how hard I could push without having an HRM on.

Of course, I was most pleased when I finally gave in to the temptation to check my average speed on the final stretch into Transition and saw "21.1"... then I could finally turn off the channeled voice of Heather Haviland in my head... "You know, if you're going to use the disc, you better average 21 MPH!!!" Haaaaa!


Last year: 123/155 AG
This year: 85/145

... looks like all that bike training is definitely paying off... FINALLY!

Really, nothing. i pushed this ride to the absolute limit, but I don't think I pushed over the limit.

After it had failed me on my ride, I really wanted to take off the Garmin and chuck it in my bag. But my fingers were so numb (not from cold, just from riding) that I couldn't, so I had to tolerate it on my arm throughout the run. But you better believe, I had words with it throughout the run... and not the kind of words you can use in front of children, either.

Nothing, this went smoothly.

This was where I knew I would really miss having HR data and my real-time pace and I cursed the dead Garmin shackled around my wrist accordingly. I had a concrete plan not to get out of before the final halfway mark, when I would allow myself to start pushing it a bit, but that plan was now gone like my friend Chris when the bar tab shows up.

So I settled into a slow but manageable pace and even decided to run, not walk, up the two hills near the beach. My legs definitely let me know I had pushed the bike hard, but even more worrisome was the bloated feeling in my gut.

Perhaps my one mistake was not sipping my concentrated infinit mix consistently enough along my bike ride. Knowing I would likely need the calories on my run, I tried to make up for it by taking in too much during the last few miles. Now, during the run, my gut was rebelling a bit. I tried to calm it by taking in more water at the aid stations, but it would be a while before it felt right.

Still, by mile 4 or so, I calculated I was holding nearly a 9:10/min. pace, which was really a huge improvement for me over my previous HIM's. I thought if I could even hang in that ballpark for the rest of the race, I could make my secret 5:30 goal time, although I really had no idea where my race time stood thanks to my dead Garmin and screwing up the time reading on my Polar backup.

Around the turn toward the lighthouse, I started hearing that haunting voice of Heather Haviland in my head again... except this time, it wasn't warning me, it was cheering me... and it was actually coming from Heather Haviland! She was out on the course the entire run cheering on the racers-- very cool to see her and hear some encouraging words. She also reminded me to take in endurolytes at every aid station I could and I took her advice to heart, which I think helped quite a bit as I tend to lose a lot of salt when exercising.

I made the first full loop in almost exactly an hour, a shockingly good time for me especially after such a hard bike. This was when my "worrier" nature kicked in, because by now I was playing in a league so far above my head, I reasoned something HAD to go wrong.

If I'm honest, I was also pretty tired by this time and I did allow myself to walk the hills coming off the beach, just to keep my HR down more than anything. I knew it was going to be a Death March from here on out, and I just reminded myself to just make it from Aid Station to Aid Station and the distance would take care of itself. So that's what I did. No matter how much I wanted to walk, I just pushed it to the next Aid Station, the only places where I allowed myself to walk while I took in fluids.

It also helped a TON to keep seeing so many fellow Donk's out on the run with me... deanna, davey, schmize, amyjo, peterAK and lori, travis and sandi, chris and jeanne, phil, craig and pj and crew at the tent, sgoehner, rosshole, clint and terri, dudes-i-didn't-recognize-and didn't-even-know-were-donks... I constantly heard from others running around me how nice it must be to know so many people and have so much support out on the course. And you know what? They're right... DONKS RULE! Thanks so much for the EEEEAAWW'S, everybody!

Finally, the finish was in sight. With my hip flexors feeling like they were just going to pop, I gave it everything I had left and finished a decent kick. I had no idea what my time was, but I knew it was better than I ever could have hoped for.

Sure, we had absolutely ideal conditions to race in, but there is no question I am a fitter donkey than ever before.

Last year: 125/155
This year: 107/145

..still my relative weakness at longer distance events, but it's improving!

Nothing-- a 2:04 half mary after that bike? For me, that's unbelievable.

I'l admit, I was trashed after finishing. All I could think of were the words of Greg LeMond when he said, "It never gets any easier, you just go faster." Yep, that about sums it up.

In the end, it's true I was never worried about finishing this race. But I also learned to once again very much respect the HIM distance. And doing this race also helped me rekindle the fear-- the good kind of fear-- that will no doubt help drive me to preparing my best for the Ironman that lies ahead.

This race was a great reminder that what I'm about to attempt is something that demands everything I have to give--and maybe more.

Am I worried about IMMOO? You bet. And I wouldn't want it any other way.

As for today, I'm just going to relish setting a NEW PR FOR THE HIM DISTANCE BY OVER 31 FREAKING MINUTES!!!!!!!!! Hooray for me!


My love of tacos and margaritas.


As always, this was an extremely well-run race, even if the post-race meal really kind of sucks (PB & J, BBQ and... BEANS? Are you serious... BEANS?!! That's like intestinal distress with sauce!)

Events started on time, tons of volunteers and lots of well-placed Aid Stations.

Now if they could just keep all those Illinois people out...