Pre-Race Routine and Warm-Up:
Wake up, make steel cut oats, get dressed, head for the park. Parking was about a mile away and we were shuttled to transition. Set up transition and begin walking down the beach to the swim start. Go to the bathroom throughout pre-race routine a half dozen times, at least. No warm up, the walk was plenty.
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Swim
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25:09 | 1.2 mi | 1:19 min/100 m |
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Performance Comments:
The swim course started from the south this year and it's straight down the coast. I loved the swim and felt great as soon as my toes touched the water. The first couple buoys were at an angle from the start so a few of us ran along the beach and cut in when we were perpendicular to the first buoy. It was hard to see the yellow and orange buoys with the sun shimmering on the water right in front of us. If I didn't see where I was going, I swam as straight as I could for 15-20 seconds and popped my head up again. There was a small run up the beach to the timing mat/swim finish. Friends and family were there cheering me on coming out of the water and at transition.
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What Would You Do Different?
I'm going to start using anti-fog liquid for my races. I stopped at least 3 times to clear my goggles.
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T1
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2:41 |
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Performance Comments:
I took my time considering this was my first Half Ironman and I just wanted to finish. Putting on my gloves took the longest, but I was glad to have them because the roads were a little rough in some areas.
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What Would You Do Different?
I'd leave the gloves and get the heck out of transition as fast as possible!
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Bike
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2:43:36 | 56 mi | 20.54 mph |
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Performance Comments:
The bike course is beautiful. All country roads and very scenic. Rolling hills the whole way. The wind was generally at our backs or across for the first 40 miles. Needless to say, that made me feel great! At 30 miles I felt invincible. At 40 miles my average was 21.5 mph, much faster than what I thought I was going to go, but then I turned. Oh my gosh! The wind had really picked up and it was dead in our face the rest of the 16-18 miles. Climbing hills was brutal. I kept my cadence at 80 regardless of speed and tried to save as much energy as possible for the run. My average went down an entire mph!
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What Would You Do Different?
I might use a heart rate monitor next time. I pushed myself pretty well and saved some for the run, but I would've liked to know how jacked up my heart was at times.
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T2
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3:27 |
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Performance Comments:
I took my time again. Had to tie my shoes because I never got to buying some Yanks. Forgot my visor.
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What Would You Do Different?
I'd make sure I had Yanks on my shoes and had run in them at least a few weeks before the race.
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Run
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2:12:31 | 13.1 miles | 10:06 min/mi |
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Performance Comments:
The run had some nice sights in areas. There were a couple nice hills, one that you do twice. You run out about 1.5 miles, make two 5 mile loops, taking you around Whirpool HQ, and the 1.5 miles back to the finish. I started out at 9 min/mi for the first three miles. Not sure what happened after that, but I continued to get slower. My heart rate wasn't extremely high, but I couldn't seem to find that other gear. Not a problem, I've never been much of a runner and I was extremely happy for how the races was going up that point. I had a bottle of Heed and drank water at the aid stations. I also had Cliff Blocks and loved them. My sister and Nephew (Evan) helped me run up the big hill on the first loop and my brother-in-law was at the top. That was great and they really helped me out.
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What Would You Do Different?
A little more training would have done wonders for my run, but I only gave myself 7 weeks to train, so I got what I trained for.
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Post Race Activities and Cool Down:
It was cold, windy, and rainy at the end and I had turned pale as a ghost. I drank water, Myoplex, and Gatorade. The Myoplex was a mistake, I'm not used to it, and almost threw up. We grabbed our stuff out of transition and rode our bikes the mile back to our car. Got to the campground, packed up, said goodbye to our friends and family, and drove the 18 hours back to Florida.
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Event Comments:
This was a great race and a great week leading up to it. Spending time with our families, racing with a bunch of people from the team, and having everyone there to cheer us on was inspiring. The event seemed very well run. When you finish a race this long and taxing, you get an incredible sense of accomplishment from crossing the finish line. I never doubted I could finish, but I was filled with such pride when it was over. And that's one more item on "the list" to check off.
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Would You Do This Race Again?
Yes. Maybe next year!
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