Black Bear Triathlon - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

Despite having acclimated to the water, the temps farther out were even colder I think. It was still hard to catch my breath. But once I got in the groove, I felt pretty good. I would catch some people's feet for some drafting here and there, but couldn't ever hold them. I just focused on staying smooth and continue moving forward... just like 2goggs said. The breeze/chop picked up near the end of the first long stretch. Wasn't a huge problem though. After the second right, I took a snoutful of water... almost yakked. Kept it down, and kept on moving. So I bet that was at least 30 seconds I lost...
I had estimated the swim to take me 45 minutes and I finished in 42+, which was within what I thought was reasonable... I had thought it would be nice to get closer to 40, but I am pleased.

Not nearly puke. Get better in cold water. Continue to work on technique... I still have some work to do.

I was not in any hurry, but I wasn't about to dally either. I didn't want to forget something as I went. I didn't make any major mistakes. I was very deliberate.

well, go faster, but I was just wanted to make sure I had everything I needed.

So... I was put at ease the day before the race by driving the course and knowing that the hills were doable. I am not fast, but I knew I could complete the course within my estimate... averaging 12 mph (4:37:xx total bike time). My first loop I climbed and rode well... I finished 27 miles in almost 2 hours exactly. About mile 20 my back started getting tight, but I was able to work through it... At mile 27 I ate what was almost my last nutrition for the day.

I have been dealing with GI issues for which I am scheduled for some tests this week. My stomach has been hurting whenever I eat, but it has never bothered me during training. well today it did. I ate half of a clif bar on the bike. I wanted some solid food in my belly just for a change from the gels/sports drink. And I trained for that, with no adverse problems.

At about mile 35 though my stomach started hurting. About mile 48 I forced down some Carb Boom chews with water... and used the diluted sports drink for other nutrition on the bike. My second loop came in at about 2.5 hours, I could feel myself struggling without the adequate nutrition. But the thought of eating was making me nauseous.

Also... at the second bottle exchange, I got off the bike for a short moment to stretch my back out. that helped a lot. I probably should have done that the first time around.

On the first loop I don't remember where exactly, I was coming down a hill with a hard left turn... we had been warned by signage, and I slowed down. I went around the bend... cocked my head to the side to thank the volunteers, and drifted into some landscaping river rock on the side of the road. I kept the bike upright (phew!) but my chain popped off and lodged in my front derailleur. I worked it out and got moving... but sheesh... talk about heart stopping.

Get my stomach issues worked out... ride more to gain more strength, endurance and speed.

Despite the stomach pain, I came into T2 pretty well. I got things switched over, grabbed three gels, the water bottle off my bike and my Garmin and took off... still being deliberate though, I probably could have gone faster, but I didn't want to forget something crucial.

dunno... go fast I suppose, but I was on schedule essentially and didn't want to forget anything.

So here is where the stomach stuff caught up with me. While the stomach discomfort was manageable on the bike, when I started running, the bouncing up and down of the stomach made it almost unbearable.

When I left transition I sucked down a gel, and my legs felt decent. My stomach wasn't all that happy to have a gel, but I didn't give it any choice.

I was not at all prepared for the run to be this kind of trail... the trail wound through the park, so I had anticipated something like crushed limestone... but no. This course was uneven, rocky path... very dusty... portions were very barren with no shade at all, especially over the dam... and the wind really picked up here on the dam, blowing dust all around.

My first loop was a little slower than I had anticipated, but that was ok... At mile 5 I tried to take another gel... no such luck. I squeezed most of it in... swallowed some...rinsed whatever was left out. I ran the last 8.1 miles on water alone. I tried some coke at one point, but that didn't help... they had heed on the course, but I just couldn't bring myself to drink it... my stomach was totally unhappy with me. After I started the second loop, I tossed my Garmin to my wife and told her I didn't want to see that anymore... it was repulsing me. ugh. The pace on there was downright depressing, so I just ran without it.

I knew I was near the cutoff times... When I crossed the mat to begin the second loop I fully expected someone to stop me... but there was no one there. So I kept moving forward. I walked (a lot), I ran (some). I don't really know what I was going on... my stomach hurt. Part of me wanted to throw up to see if it made me feel any better. The thought of quitting kept coming over me... I just kept moving.

After I passed mile 11, another woman and I heard on a race official's radio that we had 25 minutes to finish. I stopped walking and kept running. With a little over one mile to go I could hear the announcer at the finish line saying that the last runner was out on the course and he would be expected to finish in about 10-15 minutes. I knew it was going to happen then. That last runner was me. I rounded one of the last bends and saw three others in front me. I knew I was almost there. As I approached the last bend before reaching the finish chute, I heard the announcer say, "If you can hear my voice, don't think of this as the golden hour, but the golden five minutes!" That last distance through the cones into the finishing chute they said was 300 yards... it felt like forever... I had nothing... no adrenaline surge. No emotion. I focused on that "Finish" banner and kept telling myself, "you can run to there... you can run to there." I wasn't thinking about finishing... I just thought about getting to that point.

Not have these stomach issues...

Run on some real trails... wasn't ready for that.

Deal with sun/heat more... there were very little shady areas and a lot of full-on sun...

I crossed the finish line and nearly fell into my wife's arms. I sat down... they threw ice in bags for me... I put some on my back... I tried to drink something. I couldn't eat anything. As I sat there I cried for a moment as I realized what I had done.


I was at the bare minimum of training for this race... I had lost the entire month of February to pneumonia and my youngest son's illness and two hospital stays. I lost most of Holy Week and Easter. I had pastoral situations where I had to go there instead of train.

Of course the stomach pain... I am hoping that I get some answers this week at my tests...




Well-run race... the whole race was delayed 15 minutes because of traffic trying to get into the park. So all in all, organized but late... no one was complaining though...

The volunteers there were great. It seemed lots of folks in the surrounding communities were there helping out... Great volunteers.

I can't really say that I would do this race again, but it is totally worth doing! A good, challenging race that is run well.