- Distance: 750 Meter Swim, 15 Mile Bike, 3.1 Mile Run
- Time: 1 hr 30 min 31 sec overall; 14:53 Swim, 2:32 T1, 47:52 Bike, 0:42 T2, 24:35 Run
- Place: 9 out of 17 in age group, 45 out of 133 men, 51 out of 195 overall
- Weather: Mostly cloudy, less than 5 mph winds, air temps in the upper 60's, water temp of 75 degrees
A line of thunderstorms moved through the area a couple of hours before the race was scheduled to begin. The result was a soggy, muddy course and lots of humidity to go around. I was assigned to the first of three waves to start the race. They split the waves so the men were in the first, the women in the second, and any men or women in the novice category in the final wave. The first wave was by far the largest having over 100 of the 200 total participants. The swim course was a triangular out and back shape that narrowed substantially into a cove at the furthest point. Knowing that the
course was narrow I was a little concerned about how many people were in my swim wave, but I thought it would be good to experience swimming close together to prepare me for the chaos that will take place in the
ironman. It took me a long time to get into a comfortable rhythm. There's something about colder water that makes me take irregular breaths. When I reached the turn around point I experienced something I have never experienced in all of my open water races.....the bottom. The cove at the further point was so narrow that the water was only about 2 to 3 feet deep and everyone was having to walk around the turn buoy. Once I made the turn I could still walk for at least another 10 to 15 yards. Between the breathing issues and the walking, it wasn't until the swim was almost over that I finally felt like my swim stroke was normal. I exited the water and had a lengthy jog to reach the transition area. My wetsuit came off without any issues and I started the bike course. The roads were still very wet from the earlier thunderstorms, and I saw several people that either wrecked on t
he slick roads or hit pot holes that were full of water. I was surprised that I was able to keep my average mph above 18 considering the hills on the course and taking the turns cautiously due to the wetness. When I returned to transition and started the run the trails were just as wet as the roads but not nearly as muddy as I thought they would be. I was able to pass several people and felt fairly comfortable with my pace. Just before the two mile mark I was passed by a guy that was in my age group and I knew I had to stay
with him if I had any chance of passing him back at the end. I was able to stay within 10 to 15 yards of him the rest of the way and as we approached the final turn I wasn't sure if I could catch him. As we made the last turn there was a 100 yard straight shot to the finish line. My plan was to sprint this last distance and hope that he didn't have any kick left. As I started my sprint I was able to make up a lot of the ground on him because he continued to run the same pace he had been doing. I thought to myself that as soon as I got close to him he would hear me coming and start his sprint as well. I got within a few feet of him and realized he wasn't going to run any faster than he had been, and I was able to pass him just before the finish line. I felt energized as I crossed the line knowing that I had improved my place in the age group category. In the end it turned out to be a moral victory because the top three in my age group had finished in the top ten overall. So much for thinking I had a chance to place in my age group. Oh well, on to the next workout on the schedule.
course was narrow I was a little concerned about how many people were in my swim wave, but I thought it would be good to experience swimming close together to prepare me for the chaos that will take place in the ironman. It took me a long time to get into a comfortable rhythm. There's something about colder water that makes me take irregular breaths. When I reached the turn around point I experienced something I have never experienced in all of my open water races.....the bottom. The cove at the further point was so narrow that the water was only about 2 to 3 feet deep and everyone was having to walk around the turn buoy. Once I made the turn I could still walk for at least another 10 to 15 yards. Between the breathing issues and the walking, it wasn't until the swim was almost over that I finally felt like my swim stroke was normal. I exited the water and had a lengthy jog to reach the transition area. My wetsuit came off without any issues and I started the bike course. The roads were still very wet from the earlier thunderstorms, and I saw several people that either wrecked on t
he slick roads or hit pot holes that were full of water. I was surprised that I was able to keep my average mph above 18 considering the hills on the course and taking the turns cautiously due to the wetness. When I returned to transition and started the run the trails were just as wet as the roads but not nearly as muddy as I thought they would be. I was able to pass several people and felt fairly comfortable with my pace. Just before the two mile mark I was passed by a guy that was in my age group and I knew I had to stay
with him if I had any chance of passing him back at the end. I was able to stay within 10 to 15 yards of him the rest of the way and as we approached the final turn I wasn't sure if I could catch him. As we made the last turn there was a 100 yard straight shot to the finish line. My plan was to sprint this last distance and hope that he didn't have any kick left. As I started my sprint I was able to make up a lot of the ground on him because he continued to run the same pace he had been doing. I thought to myself that as soon as I got close to him he would hear me coming and start his sprint as well. I got within a few feet of him and realized he wasn't going to run any faster than he had been, and I was able to pass him just before the finish line. I felt energized as I crossed the line knowing that I had improved my place in the age group category. In the end it turned out to be a moral victory because the top three in my age group had finished in the top ten overall. So much for thinking I had a chance to place in my age group. Oh well, on to the next workout on the schedule.
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