Gulf Coast Triathlon
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Gulf Coast Triathlon - Triathlon1/2 Ironman
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Swim
Comments: This was the part of the race I was dreading most - I realized the week of the race I wished I had swam more. Started out with the focus of making it through the waves. Tried to dive through them like Kirk had showed me, landed the wrong way on my ankle a little hard at one point (it didn't hurt during the race, only the next few days), but kept going and finally got past what I thought was the rough part. It never smoothed out though, huge swells (worse than the bad year at St As a few years ago). You couldn't see the buoys at all unless you sighted at the top of a swell, which was tough for me to time. Had a hard time with the OWS mentally - I really started to "see" things in the water, sure that every shadow was coming after me. I had to focus on staying calm and couldn't get my mind to focus on anything else for very long. On the way back in, I really did see something - jellyfish. I felt a sharp quick pain on my wrist first, then saw them under me. If it had been possible, I would had jumped out of the water right then - my HR spiked here for sure! I just tried to swim as fast a physically possible until I couldn't see them any more. I felt a few more stings (or just in my head?) and then finally they stopped. Finally, we were almost back to shore and I was relieved to have made it that far. Close to the end, although I'm trying to swim forward, you can see the ocean floor and I'm going backward - argh! Finally, I got to the beach, looked at my watch and was psyched - how in the world am I out early?! Apparently fear is a good motivator for me. :) HR: 150 Avg/184 Max What would you do differently?: Swim somewhere calmer and with less scary things in it! Transition 1
Comments: Couldn't run right out of the water, tried to let my HR calm a bit and then started jogging. Ran through the sprinklers which really helped by just jogging through them. Crossed through the transition straight to my rack (thanks Rebecca) and tried to kep moving as fast as possible. HR: 178 Avg/185 Max AG: 25/63 What would you do differently?: I think this was good, based on the size of transition. Bike
Comments: Tried to start out comfortable, not push too hard. I didn't want to work too hard and then fade at the end, so I tried to keep my HR a little on the lower end of scale. Peeled my 5hour energy off the top tube (electrical tape) and downed that as best I could with minimal spillage within the first few miles. Noticed my stomach wasn't sitting quite right, tried to drink lots of water to settle out the salt water I most likely drank. At the turnaround, I was not happy to feel the stiff headwind - no! I tried to focus on my effort level and ignore the dropping numbers on my bike computer. I kept thinking, of course this will go away eventually (which it didn't). My stomach felt a little upset the whole ride, but was able to drink water/perpetuem on schedule as planned. I was happy enough at the finish - sub 3 hours on the bike and only slightly behind schedule. HR: 161 Avg/178 Max What would you do differently?: I think I would have started out a little faster, knowing that the winds would slow me down so much later. Although - maybe that would have worn me out even more for the run... Transition 2
Comments: Had a little shaky dismount, my feet were a asleep (had sandy/rocky feet in the shoes, so I was trying not to move them much, which caused them to fall asleep). That did make it a little tricky to land on the dismount, but it worked out okay. Had a little trouble balancing to put on my socks and running shoes, but it was cool because I heard Kirk and other NAMC peeps yelling my name and cheering me through transition - felt a little like a pro. Grabbed my stuff and took out of transition. AG: 9/63 What would you do differently?: I'm very happy with this one - ahead of schedule! Run
Comments: Wheels not only came off here, they rolled out into the next town! First mile or two was good - right around planned pace of 9min/mile. Then, my stomach started to feel gross on top of my legs feeling tired (although I guess the tired legs were normal). Tried to have an orange and some cold water, but it just keep getting worse. Back to my old problems then, stomach too upset to run for long. Honestly, I think I have to admit I gave up a little as I watched my pace slip slower and slower with more and more walking. I really tried to give myself a positive pep-talk - you're doing good, keep moving forward, blah-blah-blah. Tried a 4 minute run, 1 minute walk for a while, but I couldn't keep that up. After the park of desolation, I actually felt a little better and was able to run for a while. Did my distraction thing by trying to cheer on others, which worked okay for a while. Found a girl to run with for a mile or so and dropped my average pace back down to 12min overall, but I started to feel bad again and couldn't keep it up. Walking really kills the pace!! I lived for the aid stations - especially the ice water and the sponges - sponges ROCK!! I watched my 6 hour time goal disappear pretty quickly, then went 6:10, 6:25, 6:20 - frustrating. Just happy to finish by the end. HR: 146 Avg/201Max What would you do differently?: I have no idea - back to square one. I ran a 1:54 HM at the end of March, this was almost 4 minutes slower per mile!! Guess I'm back to looking at nutrition again. Post race
Warm down: After the finish line, I sat on the curb for a few minutes and just tried to breathe and digest what had just happened. Reluctantly walked over to the club tent, where I knew everyone would be incredibly supportive (as they were), but I was so darn disappointed in myself. I did not train for a 6:30 HIM, I trained for a 6:00 race - really! I know it was hot and humid, I know I run better in cooler temps, but this can't happen again. I will figure out how to fix this and I'll crush it next time. What limited your ability to perform faster: Heat, humidity, nutrition?, something else? Event comments: The activities surrounding the race were fantastic - tons of events to entertain, volunteers were the best anywhere, ton of support and options at all the aide stations. Wonderful race, but with the extreme conditions (water, temps, humidity, wind), I can't imagine I'll do this one again. Too early in the season with no oppportunity to train for those variables. Last updated: 2008-02-29 12:00 AM
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2008-05-12 8:29 PM |
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General Discussion-> Race Reports! |
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United States
Gulf Coast Triathlon
85F / 29C
Sunny
Overall Rank = 908/1312
Age Group = 25-29
Age Group Rank = 42/63
Woke up around 4:30AM, showered to wet my hair (to make braiding easier), dressed, sunscreened, and PBB waffle. Set up transition fairly quickly, hit the bathroom in Boardwalk hotel, wetsuit on, and out to stare at the ocean. Maybe if I look at it long enough, it will calm down more?
Yea right - tried to keep calm and not panic.