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MightyMan Half Iron Triathlon - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Montauk, New York
United States
Event Power
65F / 18C
Sunny
Total Time = 00m
Overall Rank = 181/233
Age Group = 40-44
Age Group Rank = 0/
Pre-race routine:

I may get very detailed because family and friends may be interested in reading this but if you are a BT member you should get some good info if you are looking to select this race.
After going to bed at 9pm I woke up at 1:30 and could not fall back to sleep, so I just lied there till 3am.....got up had a bagel with jelly, banana, a gel, and gatorade, and 2 cups coffee....head out at 4:15 with my father. Wife and kids where to come later.
Event warmup:

Got to transition and Montauk around 5:20..it was pitched black and I wished the race officials would have had more lights so I could see setting up my transition area. And even though it is normal to have a lot of bikes on a rack it seemed like there were no spaces. The race officials were very helpful in finding my spot, locating chip pickup and explaining the course. Worth mentioning prior to the race the packet pickup and information clearly outlined everything you needed to know, it helped that the Olympic distance race I did in June was on the similar course for the bike.
Swim
  • 48m 4s
  • 2112 yards
  • 02m 17s / 100 yards
Comments:

This was your typical mass choas start with full body contact, but less than a Ironman brand race(from what I have learned). On the outward leg I was navigating well. and within about 200 yds I got into a nice breathing rhythm except for a few collisions with my fellow swimmers. I noticed when I got to the turn buoy i was off course to the right and had to make a bee-line to the buoy. when I was crossing the pond to reach the turn buoy to take me back to shore there was more chop and i was swallowing more water so I compensated by having to rotate my body more...this was the most unpleasant part of the race and I believe I was slow during this segment...when I turned the last buoy to head for home I had a hard time spotting due to the above reason but I remember hitting a few buoy lines so I think I satyed on course....and it was great to finisH a HIM swim!!
What would you do differently?:

lets face it. I am not a fast swimmer...i was planning on doing it 42-45 minutes as I do it in a pool but due to a navigation errors and the challenges of an Openwater swim (OWS) Iwas slower...but I wasnt going to sniff the podium anyway...this race was mainly to finish
Transition 1
  • 00m
Comments:

interesting that I did not get a T1 time on the race site hmmm?! but the problem was after you exited the water you had to run awhile up a ramp , turn a right away from transition then all the way around 100yd back to my bike...i took my time putting socks on etc, had a gel, put on a long sleeve compression top due to it still being cold(at the time) and headed out...saw my dad shooting pics...was feeling good...but the hills awaited!!
What would you do differently?:

nothing, but if I was in a olympic or sprint I would have taken it more seriously and been even faster
Bike
  • 3h 25m 20s
  • 56 miles
  • 16.36 mile/hr
Comments:

As mentioned above I have good ability on the flats but my leg strength and power is lacking to handle 56 miles of on/off hills without it effecting my run. I was intentionally holding back so I did not have the "death march" on the run. For those reading that are not triathletes, that is when your legs are so exhausted you walk most if not all the half marathon. Well the problem is I held back and then slowed further due to struggling going up the hills and the advantage i gained going down them was not enough...i was planning on a 18 mph average around a 3 hr ride which i have done in training but not on these hills!!!!
What would you do differently?:

I need to increase my time in the saddle (bike) and work more hills for the 2012 season. I believe I did a decent job on my nutrition but could have taken in more drink. Again I will not beat myself up too much for my first attempt at this distance and am confident I will improve in 2012!!!
Transition 2
  • 03m 45s
Comments:

came back to transition and noticed my bike space was a mess with other bikes so i just hung mine in another area a few feet away....changed my shirt to my bright yellow West Virginia shirt which was great later because the workers were yellin "go get them west virginia" and other things which helped a little. The workers were very supportive by the way...saw my wife and kids on the edge of transition and took a second to give them a kiss and high five, again was not concerned with an extra minute. Than I had to pee in the porta john, which my dad tried to snap a picutre as I was exiting...great!
What would you do differently?:

nothing except if it was a shorter race and I was really concerned with time I would not change shirts etc
Run
  • 2h 22m 47s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 10m 54s  min/mile
Comments:

We always judge the bike with how your run feels and goes!...therefore when I started to run as many times you do in tris is you have this feeling of running like a walrus for about a .5 mile...same this time but after that I really started to feel good and was at a near normal half marathon pace...handled the hills well and really held back because I knew I had a long way to go,,,,, well my first problem came about .5 miles from the end of the first loop the road camber changed rapidly and I immediated had a cramp in my right quadricep...i cam eto a screeching halt and had to walk and massage it for about 50 yds than began running, but it would bother me till the end on and off......as I came through the start/finish line I ran on a sidewalk parallel to the finish chute...this was demoralizing becasue as people are finishing you realize you still have 6.5 miles left!!!...i did the first loop in about an hour, intraining I would usuallt do 55 minutes so not bad...well I got my wristband that they gave you to signify you are on the last lap. I felt ok I feel decent , running slowly but if I kept running I would have a good split...this was where shear will to finish and conquering the pain and resisting the thoughts of quitting came in....I battled , I had to walk a few hills that I ran on the first loop. I had my emergency snicker bar but i took one bite and couldnt handle it, had a little coke around mile 11 .....i was at this point seeming to run for about 5 minutes and walking for a minute....I got to mile 12 and i guess the adrenaline kicked in with that i kept running slowly for the the last mile till i crossed and I was very pleased to finish my first 70.3
What would you do differently?:

in training just adding hills, and if I increase my bike fitness I will have a better run...but in training I do a half marathon in 1:50-1:55 and could do it faster in a stand alone race so the 2:22 was not horrendous considering some issues on the second loop
Post race
Warm down:

water...hot traffic getting home so late getting food into me

What limited your ability to perform faster:

It was a great first race and even though hard physically and mentally I look foward to the next one..and will learn from this...2 things that I must do is really concentrate on the bike, and the second thing is to really concentrate on the BIKE!!!!

Event comments:

Overall I would recommend this race to other and other than a few minor things it went smoothly!!




Last updated: 2011-04-10 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:48:04 | 2112 yards | 02m 17s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 155/233
Performance: Below average
Suit: xterra vortex 3 full
Course: this course was a counterclockwise crooked triangle. Spotting was easy on the way out but coming in it was difficult because this year was the inaugural olympic distance that was going on west of the HIM course so I got a little confused spotting therefors I think I lost some time
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 70F / 21C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Below average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Below average
Waves: Average Navigation: Below average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 00:00
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
03:25:20 | 56 miles | 16.36 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/233
Performance: Below average
Wind: Little
Course: 2 loops of 28miles...The course in my opinion is a hilly course...you hit a few smaller hills in the first few miles but as you head out to the lighthouse there are a few bigger ones and this is where my bike started to s$#%!!!....due to not training hill very much I lost a ton of speed and momentum and it really took a toll on my legs for later. As you turn around the lighthouse which is beautiful...you begin the other side of hills and climbs with some white knuckle decents....passed a few dead deer, bunch of flats and many people peeing, a woman too who i saw on my second loop hopping a squat in the bushes...maybe I should blame her for my slow bike lol. You then make a turn towards a 5 mile out and back with some smaller rolling hills than head back to the transition but before that you dive down 2 out and backs, one is another pretty steep ascent. you do this 2 x.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Average Hills: Bad
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 03:45
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
02:22:47 | 13.1 miles | 10m 54s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 171/233
Performance: Good
Course: 2 loops...with hills Murder hill, the pits, and others!!! Murder hill is very steep but short and not that big a deal, if you need to walk it it doesnt take long but the pts and a few unnamed longer rolling hills were more of a problem in the second loop for me
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
Good race?
Evaluation
Course challenge
Organized?
Events on-time?
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? No
Post race activities:
Race evaluation [1-5] 4

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2011-10-03 4:25 PM

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Subject: MightyMan Half Iron Triathlon


2011-10-03 5:28 PM
in reply to: #3709762

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Veteran
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Subject: RE: MightyMan Half Iron Triathlon

Congrats on your first HIM....amazing how you pushed thru the cramping on the run and still churned out a solid HM.

Solid result overall....well done!

2011-10-03 7:47 PM
in reply to: #3709849

Expert
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Miller Place, Long Island
Subject: RE: MightyMan Half Iron Triathlon
Congrats on your first him. It is really a very tough course. Much tougher than you'd thnk for long island. Long island is not supposed to have hills like the ones on this course. You did a great job being tough and getting through the course.
2011-10-04 11:37 PM
in reply to: #3709762

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Subject: RE: MightyMan Half Iron Triathlon
Sounds like a real killer of a course.  Congrats on the solid finish!
2011-10-06 7:39 AM
in reply to: #3709762

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Elite
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Subject: RE: MightyMan Half Iron Triathlon
Thanks for the kind words and support!
2011-10-06 7:43 AM
in reply to: #3709762

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Subject: RE: MightyMan Half Iron Triathlon

Congrats on finishing your first Half Ironman!

 

 



2011-10-06 9:50 AM
in reply to: #3709762

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Norwalk, Connecticut
Subject: RE: MightyMan Half Iron Triathlon

Congrats on your first, it was the first half i ever did also back in 2009. some day i will get back out there and race it again, we have a score to settle that race and I.

Did the bike course have you go into those neighborhoods again to get the total mileage??  i also seem to remember the bike leg being a bit long, and honestly, i would be the swim is long also.

 

Congrats on the finish, it is truly a gorgeous course, i shoulda told you about the dark in the AM, i forgot i had a headlight mounted to my forehead for the race.

 

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