PLMsbr (JD) Group - FULL (Page 18)

Well, I was right. The race director looked into the swim times and everyone will have 1 minute deducted. That means I reached my 1:30 goal!!!

Well, my first HIM is in the books.  Saturday was the day, and it was awesome.

I got to transition around 5:15 and laid everything out for the day, transition was supposed to close at 6:30, but most people lingered well after that.  This was a wave start, and I was the last wave of the day, so the pros went out at 6:40, and I didn't go until 7:48.  This meant it was a lot warmer by the time I started, it was in the 40's when the pros started, and that I got to watch the pros get out of the water first.  Andy Potts set a new course record, under 22 minutes for 1.2 miles of swimming.  Watching those guys, and the pro women, was amazing.  They truly are machines as they just scorched through transition and onto the bike. 

When my turn finally came to start, I had gone through every emotion and was just dying to get it started.  I headed out to the start line, it is a water start, and was sitting there and just couldn't believe it was finally about to begin.  All that waiting and all that training it felt like it would never actually happen.  Then, they were counting down and I was like, wait, shouldn't we talk about this?  Are we really going to do this?  Then the gun goes off and off I went.  I thought I would take a little more aggressive line than other swims I have done in the past.  I have become a decent swimmer and didn't think I should start at the back of the pack.  I got kicked and climbed on a few times, but I ended up separating from the mid-pack guys and swam in open water most of the way, until I started catching a few of the slower guys from the group in front.  All in all, the swim went perfectly, I didn't tire myself out, went easy, and ended up with 34 and some change - I had the results earlier, but I can't find them right now.

Swim was perfect, that led up to the bike.  I finally got out of transition - I took my sweet time getting started, made sure I had a gel, drank some water, used the facilities, etc. - and got rolling right away.  The course is set up so that the first 30 miles are relatively flat, some rollers, but not real hills.  I wanted to get a good start there, and I did.  I ended up using a tri bike, a Cannondale Slice, and I am so glad I did.  I was actually more comfortable on it than on my road bike, and I know I was faster.  For the first 30 miles I averaged 23 mph according to my Garmin.  Then the hills started.  The first major hill comes up, and you can see it from a mile away.  It is steep.  So steep that people got off and walked it.  I powered up the hill and ended up finishing the bike in 2:55.

This is better than I was hoping for, so I thought I was going to crush my goal time of beating 6 hours at this point.

I cruised back into transition, knowing I had worked hard on the bike but thinking I would be okay on the run. 

I got started, did the first mile in 7:47 according the Garmin, then just cramped up like never before in my life.  My quad went, and when I tried to stretch that my hamstring went.  I was on this curb for a minute just praying it would go away.  It didn't, so I started walking.  Walking for a minute or 2 got it to stop cramping, but the damage was done.  I couldn't go fast at all the rest of the way, and ended up with somethign like 2:18 on the run.  I was hoping to break 2 hrs on the run, and honestly thought that would be no problem as I have done half marathons around 1:40 before.  It was brutal and I learned a big lesson that 5 minutes on the bike can cost you a lot on the run. 

I ended up breaking 6 hours, but ony by about 45 seconds. 

Finishing was awesome, my wife and kids were there along with my parents.  It felt so good to cross that line. 

I can't wait to do another one because I have about a million things I could do better, but it is addicting and I can see how people get sucked in.

Anyway, that is my report, I loved the race, and I am really happy with my performance but know I can do better next time.

Talk to you later.

Congratulations on your race, that is great.  2 minutes in transition sounds fast to me, I was more like 6 minutes on mine this weekend.  Great job.

Tom, great job TRIATHLETE! I hope I can finish my first in 1:30! I don't think I can pull it off as I'm not a strong cyclist but I'll give it all I've got.

Mike, sounds like an awesome race! Sorry to hear you cramped up but all-in-all sounds like you did a great job, grats.

Great job guys!!

I can sympathize with both of you.  Tom, my first tri I finished last in my swim group by a good 2 minutes.  It got a little better quick with some more work.  My second race there were still same colored caps in the water when I got out.  I could have stopped right there!!!  But then I would have missed the fun of hammering by all those swimmers on the bike, which is by far the best part of the race.  I just wish things would continue to progress quickly...

Mike, sorry about the cramping.  Sounds like mile 20 of my first marathon.  There's not much you can do but laugh and start strolling, right?  I didn't expect it either.  Congrats on the swim and bike, Ironman.

Will

Way to go Tom! Great job all around!!!   Sounds like you stuck to your plan and achieved your goals, can't ask for any more than that. Getting that first triathlon swim behind you is huge, nice job on the bike, and then a great run... very cool So, are you now fully addicted?...

Mike - how does it feel to have gone 70.3 miles in ONE DAY!   As it sinks in, you're going to feel better and better about what you accomplished. And beating 6 hours is fantastic! My first Half IM was just under 6 1/2...

Those pros really are something to watch, aren't they? Just a whole 'nother level...

"become a decent swimmer" sounds like quite the understatement. Didn't you post at the beginning of this thread that a mile swim was taking an hour and you had to stop often for a breather? And now a 34 minute swim in an open water half IM?!? Wow... very cool.

Sounds like you had a good bike, maybe a little too good . And don't sweat taking a little extra time in transition. Sometimes taking an extra minute or two in transition pays off later. Overall, people forget that it is a long day with many elements, and they are all related.

The cramping is always a bummer, but big props for pushing on through it. That mental toughness is a big part of the long distance tri's; and will serve you well for your upcoming full IM.

Bottom line: You finished and you met your goal! As mentioned above, that is the definition of a successful race!

OK, enough talk - you have an Ironman to train for!

Here's a quick race report for my Half IM this weekend. I'll be doing a little more detail on my blog hopefully later today, so I'll post a link to that when I do, in case anybody is interested in gory details.

Had a really nice day for a triathlon, started around 70 degrees and got into the mid-70's; with some good cloud cover for at least some of the run. Got very windy in the early afternoon, but luckily not until I was close to the end of the bike.

Swim started half an hour late (Qtr Iron went before us and somebody went really really slow...), so it was almost 9 am when we got started. I went pretty hard on the swim and tried to draft whenever possible. Finished in just over 35 minutes, which looks like a good time for that swim (7/35 in AG); especially for me, as there was only one person in my AG that I gave up much time to (dude did it in 28:41, nobody else beat 32).

My plan on the bike was to go high cadence (90+) and keep my leg muscles from burning out. I wanted to get over 20 mph if I could, but I know my strength is the run and I was determined to keep the bike under control so I could use that. It was REALLY tough when a couple people in my AG passed me, but I've done this enough that I know I often see them again on the run   I was averaging just over 20 on the way out, but I could tell there was a decent headwind; so I knew I was in good shape. At the turnaround, speed picked up with same RPE and cadence; which is exactly what I was hoping for. We had another mini-loop about 5 miles in coming back (due to washed out roads); so did that and headed back with about 20 miles to go; feeling very good. That stretch is where I really had to fight the urge to get into a bigger gear and hammer it, since it was so flat and smooth. Ended up about 2:35 on the bike (which I heard was a little short), which was 9/35 for the AG. Normally I'd want to finish higher in the AG, BUT... I also knew I was set up for the run.

Started the run and was feeling great. Looked at my Garmin after first half mile and I was way under 7:00 min miles; so I actually slowed it down a notch. Still finished the first couple miles in just over 7:00 each, and was feeling strong. After that, I kept it to the 7:15/7:20 range. It was a 4 loop run course (road issues again), so my strategy was to just be steady the first loop, which tends to be fast due to fresh legs and happiness of being off the bike. Then 2nd loop try to maintain, 3rd loop pick it up, and 4th just go for broke. That all went well and I finished in just over 1:35; which was the best run in my AG. By far my best 1/2 IM run; which I attribute to my marathon training and using high-cadence and less hammering than I sometimes do on the bike.

So, 4:50:12 for the day, and 3rd place in my AG   Felt really good to break 5 hours, and gives me some confidence going in to the rest of the year. I thought about our group here a lot during the race, so thank you all for helping inspire and motivate!

Alright Tim - you're up next!!! That reverse tri is going to be interesting to hear about. If you haven't already, make sure you try at least one short run/bike brick just so you know what to expect. It's great to see everyone's training start to pay off in actual races

Congratulations on an awesome time.  I hope I can get there one day.  Under 5 is great and placing in your age group must be pretty cool.  Thanks for all your help and support, it is much appreciated.

Thanks Mike... It did feel good, I must admit   Sub 6 hour for your first Half IM, with a limited tri history, puts you well on your way to doing some great things in triathlon. And you still have that full coming up later this year, so you'll have some serious training and learning under your belt by the end of this year!

Having doubts about the full, not whether or not I could do it, but whether I will have time to do the training.  I haven't made a decision yet, and am taking off training until tomorrow.  I will start back slow for the rest of the week and pick it up full on Monday.  I am going to do the training for a couple of weeks and see how it goes, then make a final call after a few weeks with feedback from my wife.  She has been great, but patience is wearing thin.

I really want to do it, but I can only draw so much on the emotional bank account.

I am lucky though, I work for a company that sponsors/insures Ironman.  I can pick any IM or IM 70.3 event we sponsor to do for free, and they will fly me and put me in a hotel for free as well.  If I don't do Canada, I may do Florida in November.  Less hills on the bike and run, probably a better option for the first time at that distance.

JD,

That's a fantastic effort.  Congratulations! 

Training to do well for a full is certainly a massive commitment. Sounds like you have the right approach... rest up a bit and then start the training plan and see how you feel. Listening to the wife is usually a good idea as well   I'm trying to decide how much I hate you for the deal you get with Ironman races... ha. That is really a sweet deal, maybe I should work for your company! Florida was where I did my IM, so I can vouch for it being a good first-timer race. Besides being relatively flat, the swim has you out of the water at the halfway point, which gives you a chance to collect yourself before jumping back in for the second loop.

For now, just rest and recover; and enjoy the feeling of having completed a half ironman. Not many people can say they have done that!

Edited by PLMsbr 2009-04-08 5:07 AM

grats JD!  Fantastic race....what's next?

Thanks Will, Tim,and Steve!  Next for me is the Boston Marathon on the 20th. I've taken the last couple days off to rest, now I'll ease back into running to get ready. Going to be an interesting test, because my last long run (20 miles) will have been 4 weeks out from the actual marathon. With a very intense half marathon this past weekend, I think I should be fine; but I'm always nervous about marathons when it comes to the distance. It's just hard on the body!

Steve - let's not forget that 3:48 first ever marathon   Keep working with your coach and stay as focused as you have been, and those gains will keep on coming. When I did my first Half IM in 2004; I barely finished under 6 1/2 hours, and I cramped so bad I literally could not stand and nearly fell right over until somebody caught me. My first words to my wife were "don't ever let me do this again!"

It's great to watch as everyone progresses, and I'm glad you guys (and gal... Shawna) are hanging around on the thread and keeping us all updated. Such a fun sport, and you just never run out of challenges or things to improve on (or things to spend money on!).

Well I've taken another step on the path to becoming a triathlete.  I had the official transition nightmare/dream.  I dreamt I was late for the race, had no idea where the transition was, and had some guy taunting me.  Fun times!  I woke up laughing at myself because I swore that would never happen to me. 

Well, this is kind of wierd...I just sent a PM to JD stating our blog has disappeared and they are starting new mentor groups. Obviously I found our blog and it has not gone away.
After all this time, when I thought I had everyones name straight, I realize Trinity is "Tim" and not "Trinity" (a girl).
So, Shawna, the only girl in our group, where are you and how is your training going?

Glad you found it, was just going to PM you back. We've been "archived", but we can still keep the thread going. I'll PM some of the other folks with a link just in case anyone else has lost us...

Found the new thread, thank you.

Aloha all,

I reached a small milestone today.  I finally cracked 40 minutes for 1.2 miles.  Hooray!!  I'm still well behind JD and Pac10er, but the last time I did this swim I was around 45 minutes.  It probably had as much to do with wanting to get out of the 73 degree water quickly as with fitness and form gains, but whatever speeds me up!  Imagine what I'll do in Boise with a water temp around 60 degrees...

Will