Georgia Rock-n-Roll Half Ironman (Page 2)
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Georgia Rock-n-Roll Half Ironman - Triathlon1/2 Ironman
View Member's Race Log
Swim
Comments: I am sure that the race course was not a full 1.2 miles. I was stunned when I exited the water and looked at my watch. I was 9th in my AG, but I don't think I'm capable of swimming this fast. That time also includes a 200 yard dash across the beach and up to the transition area. The fastest non-wetsuit mile for me was 28 min. This can't be right. Swimming has become my favorite discipline. I was cut off once by a wayward swimmer who swam across my line, but otherwise, it was a very enjoyable swim. I love OW swimming. Transition 1
Bike
Comments: All I can say is Rollers! This friggin course was very hilly. I don't think there was a single flat spot on the course. It was, by far, the toughest biking segment in a race for me to date. My legs were sapped by mile 48. It was at this point that I unclipped my left leg to stretch it and it immediately cramped in the quad. For the next 6 miles, I could feel it twinging, kind of sitting on the edge of cramping again. I've never had a cramp except in the arch of my foot, so this was a strange occurance. I was hoping it was simply due to the tough bike and would work itself out. I didn't think I was dehydrated cause I ingested nearly double the normal intake of fluids. Clearly, I was foolish to think I could put in some hard labor on Saturday (moving) and then perform well in a HIM on Sunday. It was clear to me that I was cooked when I got off of the bike. I definitely need to train more in the hills. I also need to do more strength training on the legs (squats, extensions, etc). I exhausted my legs on the bike and left nothing for the run. Transition 2
Run
Comments: That left quad started to cramp within the first half mile of running. I stopped to stretch it out by lifting up my ankle behind me and upon doing so, the hamstring cramped. It was painful and at this point, I was actually thinking I may not finish this race. I stretched out some more and started jogging again. Within a minute, I now had both legs cramping and in the big muscles (quads and hamstrings). I had to stop a lot and stretch. I ran/walked for the next 7 miles...doing more running than walking, but walking through each aid station. I wanted to be sure to get fluids down. I also grabbed as much ice as possible to keep the noggin cool. Once I saw the 7 mile marker, I actually started to believe I could finish the race. The heat was oppressive and it was very difficult to cool down. I began to wonder whether I was dehydrated or suffering from hyponatremia. I drank a ton of fluids on the bike and hit every aid station on the run. I stuck to the endurance fluids (cytomax) and took a few enduralytes at the aid stations. At mile 9, I took one of the rags they were handing out and rolled up some ice inside, tying it around my neck. It began to cool my neck to the point that I stopped sweating and my skin became dry. This was a problem. Remembering my anatomy classes, I recalled that the part of the brain that regulates body temp (hypothalmus, hippocampus...something like that) is right there and I had cooled it to the point that my body was fooled into thinking it was cooler than it really was. I removed the ice and within 5 minutes was sweating again. Scary moment cause I thought something was going very wrong. The run was 2.5 hours of pure pain. I fought off constant cramping by walking through the aid stations so I could drink plenty of fluids and gel. On the bright side, I did finish when I could have easily thrown in the towel. This was, however, not to be my day. What would you do differently?: Well, I wouldn't do a Half IM after moving the day before. I did way too much heavy lifing on Saturday while moving boxes and furniture. Additionally, I just did a real crappy job of preparing for this race. I did a half IM 4 weeks ago and was much better prepared. I slacked off inbetween and didn't keep the level of training up to par. This situation was entirely my fault, due do a lack of discipline and poor planning of the weekend's events. Post race
Warm down: As soon as I crossed the finish line, I was grabbed by one of the EMT's and taken into the medical tent. They laid me down and covered me with iced towels. My legs immediately seized up. It was very painful. The folks in the med tent continued to ice me down for another 15 minutes or so. What limited your ability to perform faster: Aside from what I mentioned above, Triple H (better known as hills, heat, and humidity). Event comments: This stuff is not to be taken lightly. This course chewed me up and spit me out today. It got the better of me. I will sign up for this one again next year and will come back better prepared. It was also a great wakeup call regarding my training. I slacked off after last month's HIM and that didn't help me today. Photo's are in my album: http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/photos/photo-thumbnail... Last updated: 2005-03-08 12:00 AM
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2005-06-07 7:00 PM |
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General Discussion-> Race Reports! |
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United States
GMI Multisports
88F / 31C
Sunny
Overall Rank = 186/288
Age Group = 40-44
Age Group Rank = 37/50
Title: "Bringing an Knife to a Gunfight"
Well, here I was, getting ready for my second HIM in a month. Yesterday, (Saturday), from 7am-2pm, I moved (as in moved from one house to another). It entailed a lot of manual labor, lifting boxes, moving furniture, etc which really wore out my legs and back. By 2pm, I had packed my tri gear and bike to begin the 2hr drive to the race site for checkin. I met a few other BT'rs for dinner at The Olive Garden in Macon. It took a full 2 hrs to get the food. So, instead of being asleep by 8:00, it was 11pm when I laid down to sleep after I had mixed all my fluid bottles and organized my stuff.
I got up at 4:00am Sunday morning, ate a Bakers Breakfast Cookie and a bowl of Crispix. Gathered all my stuff and headed out to the race site.
And, get this. My bib # was 1. Yes, I was #1. Here I am, a MOPPER, with Bib #1. What were these people thinking? You wouldn't believe the looks I was getting race morning while walking around the transition area. I constantly had to explain that I was not a pro. I felt like I had a target on my back. I also felt like a total poser.
Nothing. It was already getting quite warm. I worked up a sweat just standing around in my wetsuit.
The one funny thing that happened was when they were "playing" the National Anthem. Evidently, they didn't know which track it was on the CD and we listened to about 2 minutes of some song before they realized it wasn't the right one. Someone hit the skip button a few times before we found the right song.