Beach to Battleship HIM : Official Thread (Page 4)

I got in on a refunded spot as well.  This will be my first HIM, can't wait.

Welcome to the fun. It took quick fingers to catch one of the spots.

I asked about this on the full thread and I'm still confused about the bottle exchange.  I'm worried that I will be handed something that does not fit into my bottle cage.  Also, I would like to practice the setup and I'd like to practice with what will be used on course.

Is this the type of bottle that I should be expected? (water only, sports drinks + my GI system = bad news)



Or should I be expecting something like this?



It's my first HIM, can you tell? 

Both, I think.  The Heed will be in a very cheap Hammer bottle ( I don't drink it and didn't pay attention but know Hammer has some very cheap bottles that they give to race organizer's to use) and the water is in a sport top as shown that also will fit in your cage.  There not handing out a 12 or 16 oz bottle that doesn't fit a normal water bottle cage.  

This isn't Setup's first rodeo I don't think there going to hand you something that won't fit on everyone's bike cages.

Edited by rottieguy 2010-09-08 5:50 PM

as Rottie said.

The Heed comes in the 24oz bike bottle and the water comes in a 20oz Deer Park sport cap bottle.
For those that do take the Heed it i sonly mixed with 1 scoop so it is very weak tasting and is only ~100 cal per 24oz bottle.

Me too! I hope I stay this excited for the race when the weather starts to cool off. 

Can anyone describe the atmosphere around the finish line for the HIM?  Family friendly?  Stuff for little kids to do/see?

My wife is struggling with whether to bring the kids from Atlanta or to stay home.
Thanks! 

I think the finish area is pretty good and depending on how little your kids are, the battleship itself is pretty cool..The biggest negative is the line for the water taxis/shuttle bus back to downtown. High meltdown potential after a morning waiting for dad.

Thanks for the insight alltom

Is everyone alive & kickin' out there?

How's the training coming?  I'm getting very excited about the race, but as a South FL athlete, I'm also freaking out a bit about the weather.  

My training is going well.  We had our first 'cool' front move in this past week which dropped our low temps into the 60s with no humidity.  I know, not all that low, but a welcome change from lows in the upper 70s with high humidity.  September was a good training month for me.  I hit 100 run miles (I'm also trying to build some base for a February marathon) and completed my first century ride!  October will be a bit stronger than September, but I have to work around a scheduled family trip in mid-Oct, so my peak week aren't going to be ideal.  I've had to make peace with that.  

Even with vacation, I should hit around 120 miles on the run this month & get close to 400 miles on the bike.  My bike mileage is a bit lower than I would like, but since I'm also doing early marathon prep, it's been more difficult to maintain a balanced schedule.  I am swimming, but it's my stronger point, so I only do about 6000 yds. per week for maintenance.  I think I will be 'ok' for the race.  I just want to finish a bit more comfortably than the last two half-irons that I did, which for me is more about pacing the bike better (read: slowing down).

Would love to hear from others.  Hope all is going well!

Stay positive and focused!

 

I'm in as well - gonna be my first HIM!So far all I have done is 4 sprints - that's it! Had signed up for an Oly in September but got stuck in Europe (don't ask).

Now I am a bit worried, especially about the cold...wondering whether I should wear an underarmour beanie under the helmet bc of the wet hair from the swim, not that I am super fast, but if the head cools down everything is cold...

And then I have read some reviews about how difficult it is to follow the course because of all the white tips and colorful caps and that you can barely see the buoys? Is that true?

Ok I did the full last year so that's where my answers come from---no need for anything other then a helmet---you'll get too hot with a beanie!!!

The swim course is simple to follow---as they said during the pre-race meeting----if there's land on both sides of you then you are on course!!!  I can't imagine the 1/2 course being much harder---probably one maybe two turns and that's it---no real buoys because you use the whole channel...

Thanks! That takes care of that decision! It's quite different to be racing in these low temperatures when you are used to having to worry about the heat

If I see it right the course for the 1/2 is the same as for the full it just starts in the middle - and in the water. Fair enough - staying in the channel should be possible, even for someone as navigationally challenged as me, hehe!

Hope you have a good race!

Is there some hidden difficulty about the run? I was looking at results from last year in my age group (45-49 male) and noticed that only 5 out of 53 broke 2 hours on the run. I thought the run was flat and fast.

I checked results from three other races that had much more difficult bike courses and found that 60%, 42%, and 50% broke 2 hours compared with just under 10% for B2B. Any thoughts? Does just the flat constant grind on the bike take more out of your legs than a hillier course that allows for a certain amount of recovery on the road?

Edited by popsracer 2010-10-11 4:34 PM

It might also have something to do with the people signing up for it! Hope not to step on anyones toes - but I e.g. signed up for it cause I heard it is a nice flat and fast course - perfect for a beginner like me - and I am slow! Could imagine that a lot of people that usually wouldn't sign up for that distance wanna give it a try on that course.

And hey - good for you - if you are fast you might be up front in your agegroup!

Does anyone know if we halfers have access to the changing tent?  I'm trying to think about what to wear at different temps and if it is in the 40s at the start of the bike, I may want to put on a dry top.

Well that certainly makes a lot of sense. I will be nowhere near the front of my age group but I'm sure (I hope) my time will be better than previous HIM's based on what I've read about the course.

Flat and fast doesn't really describe this run.  On the one out and back you will do for the half you go up two bridges before you get back to the city, the first one is a pretty tall one, then up a draw bridge, once in town there's a decent hill as you go down or up from Water Street, then there's a gradual climb towards the park and then when you come back out of the park.  Nothing huge, but doing the full those hills were tough.  The run course was a bit tougher then I expected.

If I remember correctly last year half participants could use the changing tent, but I'm thinking those doing the half had to keep there changing bag at there bike in T1, where those doing the full had our bags right near the tent entrance on the rack, so if my mind is working right that will add some time to an all ready transition. 

Edited by rottieguy 2010-10-11 7:28 PM

I know that I'm really overthinking the clothing thing.  I've gotten myself all worked up about it.  I know how to dress for the temperatures.  I just don't know how to dress for the temperatures when I'm wet. 

Last year I was in a similar boat with what to wear. Gotta tell you this is not something to overthink. I thought about arm warmers jackets, newspaper under the top etc etc. On the day. I got stripped of the wetsuit by the strippers and running to T1 I realized hell it aint bad out here and I got on the bike in my wet trisuit, no socks, no gloves and I never once thought I was cold on the ride.
The HIM starts at 8:30am, it should be around or just above 50 deg at the start and warmer when you get to the bike.
Now it is a great idea to be prepared, but don't stress to much about what to wear. Keep it simple.

It is billed as flat, but that is a little misleading. I personally would call it a fair fast course, not a flat course.
I was able to go pretty quick out there with sub par run training. You have to be careful where and when you go hard, but it is the type of course where you can roll along at a pretty steady pace and go quick. Again not flat, but not really a hard course either.

I'm alive and kicking and looking forward to the race if for no other reason than I can relax a bit afterward. Six months ago I decided I wanted to do tri's and have been pushing myself harder and been progressing faster than I ever though possible. I couldn't run a 5k without walking and didn't own a bike back then. Now, I finished my first HM in 1:51 last week and did a hilly (3,800' elevation gain) century in 6hrs last month.
I'm loving the cooler weather but I need more daylight hours! I'm hard pressed to get a good workout in after work but before dark.

Oh, and your 'only 6k yards a week swim' is 3x what I'm doing. I've been neglecting my swim pretty much since the start but I'm not that worried about my stroke. My biggest fear is getting nauseous from the salt water. I had a bad experience at Kure beach and that was only a sprint (but there were waves to fight in that one).

My goal: survive the swim, excel in the bike, run my little heart out and finish in 6:15

I can't believe B2B is just 4 weeks away.  I finished up my AquaVelo and last week did a fun Sprint, now I'm looking forward to this one.  This race closes my first season out, but I don't really feel like I focused much on it.  I hope everyone's training is going well and look forward to having fun at B2B! 

I am totally with you on that! With the difference that my goal is to keep it under 7 hours - but more important - HAVE LOTS OF FUN

My goal: Survive the run.  I did FLA 70.3 earlier this year and passed out at the finish line and got a recovery ride in the ambulance.  I hope it is nice and cool, the heat and I don't mix!