Timberman - Half Iron : Official Thread (Page 40)

Just remember, the course always looks worse when you're driving it...doesn't make the bike any easier but the hills look more 'daunting' when you see it in the car. 

Great meeting everyone last night, thank god the wait wasn't as bad as expected.  Hope to see you all again at Gunstock or pre-race but if not good luck to everyone, always remember that you put in hours and hours of preparation for this one day, make sure to enjoy every minute of it!

I'm glad I didn't drive the course before...ignorance can be bliss some times   I finally got to use my low low low gear on my tri bike though

That was a big field of riders yesterday.  Those steep sections really caused some big bunching of the riders.

To all those who suffered over the hills with me yesterday...awesome job. 

Hope everyone had a great race!

If you have a couple minutes, would you please help out a fellow Timberman athlete by filling out this quick survey. I'm working on my senior honors thesis project at Bryant University, and I need all the respondents I can get. Here's the link:

https://www.psychdata.com/s.asp?SID=135929

Thanks in advance!

-Matt

This is definitely an addicting sport, but I'm not sure how people are able to do more than 1 of these per year.

I think my spleen is the only part of my body that doesnt hurt. Actually sever of my fingers are ok enough for me to type this so I dont hurt everywhere.

I was last off the course, but managed to beat a few people, not that I care. Staggered waves make things interesting when it comes to finishing stats.

Way to finish!  Congratulations!  Not a small feat.  FWIW, the more you train and the more of them you do, the easier/faster recovery gets.  The first one I did last summer I was hurting for a few days and fatigued for a little while after.  This summer, this was my second one and I'm generally sore for a couple days but can start easing back in quickly.

Hope everybody had a good race!  I look forward to reading some race reports...I'll get to work on the detailed one later

JUST GOT HOME!!!

It was fantastic meeting those of you who I was able to meet.

I hope EVERYONE posts a race report. I would love to see how everyone did.

Simon...I DID hear you going up the first real hill. I hope you saw my "peace" and thumbs up.

I'll post my race report later. Much to do right now with just getting back.

In short, it went about how I expected and almost WAY better than I expected.

It was well worth the trip and the journey with all of you.

Peace!
~Sam

Here is my race report. I just posted here what I wrote to my coach, Nick Goodman of Durapulse in Phoenix. It is long so you may just want to skim it. Just so you know Tammy is my wife and Mason is my 17 month old son.

Timberman 70.3, Lake Winnepasaukee, NH.
Day was going to be perfect for racing mid to upper 60s and overcast with chance of showers. Coolest conditions for racing for me since 1/2 marathon in April. This was going to be a good thing since I knew if the conditions were right on any day I could go fast considering the heat and humidity that I have trained in for months.
 
Pre-race: Got up at 5:15. Almost did not hear alarm. Slept well for the most part. Had a little over a 1/2 mile walk to race location. Condo could not have been in any better location since the family and I were able to sleep later than usual on a race day. This was a big help. Helped me relax a lot more. Ate my banana and two pb&j on white sandwiches along with some gatorade and coffee as planned. Only issue with setting up was rubber band to hold aerobottle in place broke. Managed to secure a few more to make sure it would not get loose during bumpy sections of bike course. Wave did not go off until 7:55 and I was ready to go by 7. Was able to hang out with Tammy and Mason before the race so I could get my good luck kisses from both of them.
 
Swim: 1.2 miles, clockwise rectangle. Water temp 71.5. Got in about 10 minutes of warm up before start to get used to the water. It was the perfect temp for swimming. The water was very clean too, which always helps. Was also able to take a few minutes to remind myself that I was very prepared for this race and I was determined to leave nothing out there. I was in the 13th wave (a good sign for me since, oddly enough that is a luck number for me). The swim actually did not look that long. It was about 800-900 meters out about 400 across and then another 800-900 back in. In water start so I did some dolphin dives to get out of the pack and managed to draft off a few people before finding some open water and get a bit closer to the buoys. Before I knew it I was at the first turn and had a feeling I was going at a good pace. The section parallel to the shore was a bit choppy but nothing like some of the ocean swims I have done in the past. At this point I was starting to pass people in earlier waves, which gave me more confidence. Made the next turn and headed for the final piece. Could see the swim out arch the whole way in but it seemed so far off. There was a bit of current pushing me in. That was nice considering I could tell my arms were getting a bit tired with about 400-500 meters to go. I was also starting to breathe more to the right instead of bilaterally every three strokes. I focused more on rotating my hips to push me through the water and picked up more speed. I swam virtually to the shore, getting out just before the water exit. I had a feeling that my swim time was going to be good. It was more than good. For me it was great. Swim time: 31:08, 1:37/100 meters, Rank 26th age group, 177 overall (includes pros). Swim goal was 35 minutes. I was now + 4 minutes.
 
T1: Used wet suit strippers to get off wet suit. This was great since I usually struggle getting suit over one of my feet. This saved some time. Everything else went well. My bike rack was about 2/3rds of the way back from bike in/bike out and all the way to the right of it but the transition area was wider than it was long. I did not waste any time here. Time: 1:54
 
Bike: 56 miles. Course could be considered hilly and challenging but for the most part that is limited to the first 12 miles and the last 12 miles. The middle is flat with slight downhill going out and slight incline on the way back. The way back also had a few climbs around the 40 mile mark. After driving the course on Saturday, I was going to go with the theory of spinning up the hills, stay seated as much as possible, then hammer any decents and flats as much as possible. There is a climb within the first 1/2 mile out of transition to help get the legs going and it actually helped to get my bike legs under me. First long climb is at about 5 miles but just took my time then went big gears to make up time on the way down. The toughest hill most competitors say is at 9.5 miles. And it was long and tough and steep in some spots but I knew I could do it. I even let out a small "Yeah" when I hit the top. Got another decent about 1.5 miles later and had to actually back off a bit because of the speed and curves. I had a lot of racing to go still. The main part of the course was next and it was fast. I think there may have been a bit of a tailwind helping out. The pavement was clean and smooth. I was passing a lot more people than I thought I would. Of course plenty of folks passed me, but not as many as usual. Went with nutrition plan of gels every 30 minutes, drink gatorade/water when wanted, and take salt tabs when needed. Somehow my salt tabs fell out of my jersey so I went without them on the bike. Conditions were still overcast and fairly cool. I was even a bit chilly at one point. This made the salt tabs not really necessary. Everything was feeling great and I knew I was going at a good clip but I wanted to make sure I saved energy for the second half of the bike and the run. My bento box was covering my pedometer so I really did not know how fast I was going. But that was ok since I just wanted to keep up a steady pace. During the second half around 30-32 miles my legs were feeling a bit tired so I figured this was a good time to try to eat. I forced down a fig newton and that was good enough. During the rest of the bike I forced myself to eat two more of them even though I was not really hungry any time during the race. The bike course seemed to fly by quicker than I thought. There were a couple more big decents on the second half including going down the same hill that I climbed at 9.5 miles. It was scary fast. Once again I had to hit the brakes a bit. The road was a bit choppy in spots too. Biggest challenge for me was at about 48-49 miles when there is one last long steady climb. This is the reverse of the first big decent. Just made a steady way up the hill. Stayed seated and knew that once I reached the top it was downhill for the next 2 plus miles. I hit the top and floored it. At this point too, it started to rain. A fairly steady one too but I managed to hold my speed well. I had plenty of open road too for the first time in a while. Once I made the final turn for the final three miles back to T2, the rain started coming down. I did not care. I continued to keep pushing it. I felt a ton of excitement when I saw the no passing zone sign to go back into the park. I had been peeking at my watch here and there to check my time but now new I had put down arguably the best bike performance I had ever done.
28 mile split: 1:17:01, 21.81 MPH.
56 mile split: 1:22:02, 20.48 MPH.
Total bike time: 2:39:03, 21.1 MPH, 73rd age group/358 overall.
Goal was 20 MPH, which is around 2:47, so I was +8 for the bike, which put me at +12 minutes overall. I was ecstatic when I got off the bike. Now I knew I had a chance for sub-5 hours, which I thought I might be able to do before the race started but kind of kept that to myself.
 
T2: Again very smooth, other than thought I was going to get a cramp when I got off the bike but that went away. Got rid of my sunglasses since the sun was not coming out and I did not need to worry about any road shrapnel hitting me in the face. Run out was right near my bike which was great. Legs felt amazing too. Time: 1:58.
 
Run: 13.1 miles, course of rolling hills with one major climb at 5.5 and 11.5 miles. Two loops. Felt great coming out of T2. Probably too good since I went out a little too fast. Seeing Tammy and hearing her cheer for me gave me an extra shot of adrenaline. That all caught up with me about 2 miles in when I started to feel some cramping. I took too many long strides out of transition. I had grabbed some extra salt caps so I took one at this point to see if that would help. The cool part of the run was at around 3.5 miles where the neighborhood comes out in full force to support the athletes. Someone even had a bubble machine going. That put a smile on my face. Looked at my watch at 4 mile mark and saw I was averaging a bit over 7 minute miles. I was hoping to keep this up. Then the cramps really started in both legs. I got a huge one in my left leg that caused the whole thing to seize up. There was not way I was going to walk though. I just shortened my steps and I also grabbed a 1/2 banana from one of the aid stations. This was a huge help and the cramps subsided. What makes the run course especially tough is the fact that you pass the finish line before starting the second lap of the run. Saw Tammy again and knew it was not going to be long before I was seeing her once I crossed the finish line. I was definitely slowing down at this point. My legs were aching from fatigue, which is better than cramping. I was still passing a lot of people. Took in a second gel and another 1/2 banana during this lap. Throughout I had been sipping water and gatorade whenever needed. There were so many aid stations too, which was great. During the last big hill, I pushed myself to get over the top. I knew the rest was mostly downhill. When I was getting near the park I started smiling with maybe the biggest grin I have every had. I made the turn for home and the smile got bigger and bigger. The last 100 yards were absolutely amazing. I had the whole finish line to myself. I was clapping and cheering and yelling. With two arms in the air, I crossed the finish line knowing I had smashed my goals on my way to completing Timberman 70.3. I even got my medal from Chrissie Wellington when I crossed the finish line. That doesn't happen every day. When I saw Tammy after getting my medal and finishers cap, I just started crying from joy. Run splits for every 3.25 miles: 7:06, 7:30, 7:34, 7:35. Total run time: 1:37:35, 7:27/mile, 40th age group, 202nd overall. Goal was 8 minutes/mile. Time for run was +8.
 
Total time: 4:51:38, 39th age group, 198th overall. I crushed my original goal of 5:15. Then I beat that sub-5 hour mark too. WOW! This may have been my greatest day of triathlon ever. I beat every goal and then some. For the first time in a long time, I had fun when I was racing. It probably helped that conditions proved to be ideal. The entire experience was one of exhiliration. From start to finish, I have never felt better racing. It was a day to remember for the rest of my life.
 
The whole Timberman experience has been about sacrifice. For 10 months I have given up family and social time. I gave up certain foods and changed things in my diet so I could peak for this day. Tammy watched Mason when I went on rides and runs that seemed to never end. My parents watched Mason when I went on my toughest bike ride ever and it was the ride that helped me achieve my goal. I got to Timberman in the best shape of my life. At 174 pounds, I was only 2 pounds more than when I graduated high school, 19 years ago. Was it all worth it? Absolutely.

I'm going to fill out the basics on the BT race report, but I put my full recap here on my blog.

Hey All ....

I'm typing this as it rains here in Laconia .... the family and I are here until the 27th on vaca.

Sounds like there was a lot of good stuff going on this past Sunday.  

I put this race on my calendar last October as my A race.  This past Sunday I raced an A race.   I'm really pleased.

I crossed the line in 6:12 and got my medal from Chrissie.

A more detailed race report will come...but I wanted to say congrats to all of you and to post a short note as well.

Ray - thanks for the lift over to Gunstock sunday morning !!

Great job everyone.  I really appreciate you being an important part of my Timberman journey.
I hope to see your race reports.

Here's the link to mine: http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=223874

Peace,
~Sam

Here's my race report...

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp...

I'm more of a lurker on this thread, but finished my first 70.3 this past weekend and so excited. Did 2 sprints last year and 3 more tri's (2 sprints and an oly) before this one. Still working on the race report. But will post when I get to it.

Congratulations to everyone that competed, was a great day.

Only question I have, I have been running with my garmin for about 3-4 years and its never 100% accurate, usually in half marathons and marathons it might be .10 or sometimes .20. But the run had me at 13.5 miles, anyone else have this? Or do I just need to update the software on mine. Thanks.

Looking forward to another race report, I love reading them!  Congrats on the first time finish, hopefully the race was everything you hoped it would be.

Re: the Garmin distance, the extra mileage is most likely due to the little weaving and whatnot that every runner does.  The course is measured in a straight line, with corners taken tight to the curb.  Runners do not, of course, run in a straight line, weaving in and out of slower runners, moving to the left for aid stations, not taking the fastest route through turns.  So a variance like the one you see on your watch is very common, even for the most experienced and seasoned runners, it has nothing to do with an incorrect reading.  In fact, my watch read 13.51 miles...so it looks like if anything you took a slightly better line through the course than me!

Thanks Brownie, that does make sense. Running is by far my strength and I was weaving, just did not think by that much.

Great race to you too.

Congrats to everyone that particpated finished or not! Some of you guys are crazy terrific riders just hauling butt up those New Hampshire hills. I know I was a gnat's from getting off my bike and walking up after Mile 10!

Great jobs guys. Terrific race and atmosphere even with the less than sunny conditions.

Hi all - congrats to everyone who did the race, it's been a pleasure sharing our experiences this season and meeting at Timberman. I've read some great race reports and am really happy for the folks here who have trained so hard and had great races. Congrats to you all and special thanks to Sam (Peace back at ya!) for starting this forum and everyone for keeping it so active with great contributions.

I'm flying to Ireland tonight for a wedding this weekend, and then Liz and I will be tying the knot at the end of September so I'll be kept very busy .

Here's my race report, good luck to everyone for the rest of the season.

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=223923

Best,
Simon

I just read all the available race reports from you guys. Loved it. Fantastic.

Ray...Lock Laces are great! The best lacing system in my opinion.

Always have plastic bags in your transition bag. Even just throwing it over your shoes can make a huge difference.

I've got another HIM in September. It should be interesting.
 I'm going to attempt to do a workout for the first time since the race tomorrow morning.

Good luck to everyone in future races. It's been an honor and a pleasure interacting with all of you.

Peace,
~Sam

Imagine that, this is the 1000th posting in this forum thread!

I think this race will be on my calendar for years to come.  Beautiful area, awesome volunteers, a great experience overall.

We got home on the 27th after staying in Laconia a few extra days.

I remember walking into the house .. and it hit me ... wow, I put this on the calendar in OCTOBER OF LAST YEAR!  Holy s***, that's a long time ago.

I also quickly realized I had better add another race to September or October of this year to keep my sanity.

Anyone else feeling the urge to setup a transition area????!!!!???