General Discussion Race Reports! » Silverman Rss Feed  
Moderators: k9car363, alicefoeller Reply

Silverman - TriathlonFull Ironman


View Member's Race Log View other race reports
Henderson, Nevada
United States
Silverman
70F / 21C
Overcast
Total Time = 16h 18m 34s
Overall Rank = 125/151
Age Group = M30-34
Age Group Rank = 21/22
Pre-race routine:

Friday:
Drove out to Henderson on Friday to register with the race and with the hotel. The first thing I was struck by was the amazing goody bag...this thing was loaded with stuff (backpack, wet/dry bag, blanket, visor, tshirt, goggles, etc.). The second thing was how organized the race and the volunteers were. This was clearly going to be a top-notch race.

Saturday:
Met up with Pilgrim in the hotel and Chili shortly thereafter. Ended up meeting the two of them (plus one of Pilgrim's friends Carl) in the morning for the pancake breakfast and to drop off our gear and bikes for the race. The race organizers had the standard 5 bag setup with each racer dropping off their bike, bike bag, and run bag the day before. Special needs bags were dropped off the morning of the race.

Met up with some LA Tri people at the bike drop-off. Everyone seemed ready...I on the other hand was nervous. I have been slack on my training and was questioning my ability to finish the bike by the cut-off time. A lack of fitness combined with a forecast of wind and rain had me feeling less than enthusiastic about Sunday. Missed dinner with Pilgrim and Chili but did see Chili later in the casino taking in his normal 4 Guiness the night before the race. The funny bit was when he questioned my pre-race meal choice of Fatburger while the guys sitting next to him were trying to buy him shots and calling him "Raisin" because they weren't coherent enough to understand his excuse for not drinking the shot which was "I'm racing." Classic! When the shot got poured and set in front of him I politely excused myself.

Sunday:
Got up at 4:15 and was on the 4:45 bus. Made it to the transition area at 5:15. It was already windy when I stepped off the bus and fairly cold. I checked my bike and went in and sat inside the changing tent for a while to stay warm. Chatted with some folks and just relaxed and tried to think positive thoughts.

Drank water and took 1 hgel just before the start of the swim.
Event warmup:

None.
Swim
  • 1h 08m 34s
  • 4224 yards
  • 01m 26s / 100 yards
Comments:

I started a little further back because I just was not feeling great this morning and really wanted to take the swim easy and not burn myself out. The gun sounded and we were off. I had trouble getting into a rythmn and seemed to keep getting run into by the same two relay swimmers. It was very annoying. I ended up taking a wider course just to try to avoid them as they continually ran into each other over and over again. They would have smoked the course if they could have swam even remotely straight. The way out sighting was pretty easy. My stroke felt funny but I was moving.

The way back was a totally different story. We were going straight into the sun and into the chop. The chop was worse than any of the ocean swims I have done this year so it was fairly bad. I kept getting slapped upside the face and couldn't see where I was supposed to be going. I ended up heading to an orange buoy I saw in the distance but this turned out to be a buoy for the leg in and I was redirected back out into the lake by a kayak. This cost me a little time but in the grand scheme of things not all that much time.
What would you do differently?:

I would wear tinted goggles. I would also wear goggles that didn't fog up. Lastly, I would move the sun and kill the wind. :)
Transition 1
  • 05m 8s
Comments:

Got into the tent and changed out of my tri shorts into my cycling gear. I had prestuffed my jersey with a light rain jacket, arm warmers, sunscreen, and endurolytes. Used my towel to dry my feet and my head to avoid getting immediately cold when I went out on the bike. Packed my stuff back in my bag and tied it up and took off.

I'm usually not in too big a hurry so this transition time is pretty good for me.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Bike
  • 8h 33m 33s
  • 112 miles
  • 13.09 mile/hr
Comments:

Hard, hard course. As I said earlier, I have been slack on my training so the bike course truly scared me. I have not been very good about getting in my long rides and while I have been doing short hill rides, long hill rides are a totally different animal. That being said I was pretty sure I could make it I just needed to stay patient and within myself.

I headed out on the road bike and was feeling comfortable. I did my best to not over exert myself on the uphills and got low, pinched the frame and flew down the downhills in an attempt to lessen the impact of the next uphill. Over all I descended very well...my climbing was slow but generally steady...just slow.

I saw the LA Tri folks fly by me on the way out and expected to see Chili at any time but at the turnaround he still had not passed me. I started getting a bit concerned. Pilgrim went by looking strong and confident just after special needs. Shortly thereafter Chili cruised by which was good. He was looking fast and a tad pissed off about the swim and the flats...apparently he took it out on the course. :)

At around mile 85, I was done. I was struggling, the wind was destroying me and I started fighting the mental battle to continue. I really hate wind. I did a better job than at IMAZ of keeping a positive attitude for longer but I still let the negative thoughts get to me. I hit the three sisters and I went from done to extremely well done and just struggled the rest of the way into the tranisition area. I was seriously hurting.

The volunteers were absolutely amazing out on the bike course. I stopped to pee a couple of times and one of them would grab my bike and replace or fill up any water bottles for me while I was in the bathroom. They were extremely encouraging and just positively wonderful. This race doesn't have the big crowds of an IM race (I prefer the smaller, less hectic races because they are less of a mob scene) but because of this the volunteers become pretty much the only people you see all day. They were all great.

The good news on the course was that the predicted rain never materialized. I was very happy to not need my rain jacket!
What would you do differently?:

Train. There are no two ways about it. I did not put in the time that is necessary to race well on this course. The bike destroyed me as well it should have because I did not put in the time. This is a great race and course that should be respected.

Work on not letting the negative thoughts get to me.

Nutrition: I only finished 3/4 of my 8 hour perp bottle which left me light on nutrition and probably contributed to the death warmed over feeling at the end of the bike.
Transition 2
  • 09m 5s
Comments:

It took a while to convince myself to get out on the run course. There was a guy in the tent that had clearly called it a day and it was tempting but I didn't drive all this way to not at least give it a go. So I headed out after changing into my running shorts, shoes and applying a fresh coat of body glide. I still had my bike jersey on with my arm warmers, rain jacket and endurolytes just in case I needed them.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Run
  • 6h 22m 15s
  • 26.2 miles
  • 14m 35s  min/mile
Comments:

It took a couple minutes to convince myself to actually go out on the run course but after I did I felt good. I ran the first two miles taking a half a hammer bar at each aid station. This seemed to do the trick and I was feeling better. I had to walk the uphill for mile 3 but then ran the downhill. I continued this general pattern for the first loop of the course. When I was running I was able to get good leg turnover and felt good. I also had to walk a short rocky trail portion because my ankle is still sore when running on uneven ground and I didn't want to twist it again. First lap finished in under 2:30. At the beginning of the second lap I could feel the blisters on my feet. The two on my little toes were fine but the one on the ball of my foot was not good. I also started to get a lot of feedback from my ankle when running (especially downhill). I did my best to run when I could but there was a lot of walking involved.
What would you do differently?:

Strengthen my ankles and figure out what is going on with my feet to avoid the blisters. More training for the bike would make the run a lot more enjoyable.
Post race
Warm down:

When I finished I saw my Dad waiting for me. He had already picked up my bike and most of my bags so that was nice. I headed into the food tent and saw chili, pilgrim and Carl and chatted with the three of them while I ate some pizza. I grabbed a soda and headed back to the hotel.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

I have not been as focused on this race as I should have been. In fact, I shouldn't have registered but I did so I went out and did my best to get it done.

Event comments:

This is a terrific, well organized race. I would highly recommend it to anyone wanting to do a tough but beautiful course. The swim (when I could see) was amazing. The bike had a lot of views of Lake Mead and surrounding rocks and hills. The run had great views overlooking Las Vegas and the city lights. Lastly, the race director did an excellent job putting on a well organized and terrific race. I believe this is the first 5 I have ever given to a race.





Last updated: 2007-11-12 12:00 AM
Swimming
01:08:34 | 4224 yards | 01m 26s / 100yards
Age Group: 4/22
Overall: 26/151
Performance: Below average
Suit: Xterra Vengeance Longjohn
Course:
Start type: Wade Plus: Shot
Water temp: 70F / 21C Current: Medium
200M Perf. Below average Remainder: Below average
Breathing: Good Drafting: Below average
Waves: Navigation: Bad
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 05:08
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: No
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed:
Biking
08:33:33 | 112 miles | 13.09 mile/hr
Age Group: 22/22
Overall: 142/151
Performance: Bad
Wind: Strong
Course:
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Bad
Race pace: Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 09:05
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
06:22:15 | 26.2 miles | 14m 35s  min/mile
Age Group: 21/22
Overall: 120/151
Performance: Below average
Course: 2 loop, rolling hill course.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Below average
Mental exertion [1-5] 2
Physical exertion [1-5] 2
Good race? No
Evaluation
Course challenge Too hard
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5

{postbutton}
2007-11-14 8:34 PM

User image

Veteran
213
100100
Los Angeles, CA
Subject: Silverman


2007-11-14 9:14 PM
in reply to: #1054187

User image

Pro
4206
20002000100100
Los Angeles, CA
Subject: RE: Silverman
Congrats and good read.
2007-11-14 10:43 PM
in reply to: #1054187

User image

Mesa
Subject: RE: Silverman
Great job Mike! You gritted it out and showed that course what you are made of. I sure do wish I could swim as fast as you.

The fatburger shots story cracked me up.

Are you sure you don't want to do it again next year?

2007-11-15 3:15 AM
in reply to: #1054187

User image

Master
2479
2000100100100100252525
Atlanta, Georgia
Gold member
Subject: RE: Silverman
Congratulations on completing a real toughie..I know this one must have hurt a little bit but you got it done and that's huge.

c
2007-11-15 8:16 AM
in reply to: #1054187

User image

Master
1920
1000500100100100100
Ann Arbor, MI
Subject: RE: Silverman
Ouch, my body hurts just thinking about the course. So which run course was tougher- this one or Clearlake? I'm so glad that you overcame your mental demons and finished the race. You're amazing!
2007-11-15 9:11 AM
in reply to: #1054187

User image

Veteran
272
1001002525
Albuquerque, NM
Subject: RE: Silverman
Great Job! Way to gut it out. As I told Chile, you took on the beast and conquered it.


2007-11-15 1:08 PM
in reply to: #1054187

User image

Champion
8766
5000200010005001001002525
Evergreen, Colorado
Subject: RE: Silverman
Dude.  You're a STUD.  You finished SILVERMAN!  Congratulations!!!
2007-11-15 7:21 PM
in reply to: #1054187

User image

Subject: RE: Silverman
Congrats on overcoming the demons and a very brutal coruse on a tough day!
2007-11-16 1:17 PM
in reply to: #1054187

User image

Subject: RE: Silverman

Way to tough it out Mike.  You are officially the toughest badazz triathlete I know

2007-11-17 12:21 PM
in reply to: #1054187

User image

Extreme Veteran
333
10010010025
Bend, OR
Subject: RE: Silverman
Congrats on your finish!!  You didn't train as much leading up to the race and you still overcame the challenges to finish.  Awesome.
General Discussion-> Race Reports!
{postbutton}
General Discussion Race Reports! » Silverman Rss Feed