My 2011 goal is to do a Half Ironman triathlon in September. The distances for each segment of the race: 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike, 13.1-mile run. And there are time cut-offs for each distance (ie: if you don't finish the segment by a certain time, you must stop the race). I'm confident that I'll do well on the bike (4:15 cut-off) and run (3:00). Doing the Lake Erie swim in under 1:15 was a concern, but I've been working on my swimming this winter and I feel pretty confident that I'll be able to do it in under 50 minutes.
I did three "sprint" triathlons last summer (approximately 1/2-mile swim, 12-15 mile bike, 3.1-mile run). They weren't particularly difficult - the hardest parts were the transitions between each event (the race clock doesn't stop and you have to switch equipment quickly).
Last week, it was time to move up a level in the triathlon world and test myself at the "olympic" distance: 1500-yard (0.93-mile) swim, 40k (24.8-mile) bike, 10k (6.2-mile) run. I went back to Deer Creek (a reservoir in a state park about 45 minutes from home), which is where I did my first sprint tri. And I took a couple of tri-friends, Ann and Rick, with me.
I got up at 4:15a (argh!) and drove to Ann's place in Dublin, where we racked our bikes on Rick's car. We got to Deer Creek before 7:00a and went to packet pickup. After setting up our gear in Transition, I ate a gel and took three Endurolytes (electolyte caps). Then we headed to the lake and got into our wet suits.
The Swim. The water was 71 degrees and calm. The women started in the last wave and I got in the water near the back of the pack. Even so, I ran into or was smacked/kicked by a few women. I concentrated on easy paced strokes, breathing bilaterally every three strokes, and sighting every four breaths. The olympic course was two 750-yard rectangular loops. I passed a couple of men during the second loop but my goal was just to do freestyle the whole way. I did the swim in 34:00 (2:16/100yd pace), which was way faster than my pre-race goal of sub-45:00. I was 164 of 183 participants. Then there was an uphill run from the beach to Transition, which took me 1:17; I pulled off my cap and goggles and peeled down my wetsuit as I ran.
T1. This took me 2:09 (116 of 183, so I have some room for improvement here too). I slipped my wetsuit off my feet, put on socks and bike shoes, took more Endurolytes and drank G2, put on helmet and sunglasses, unracked my bike, and ran it to the mounting area.
The Bike. I was able to clip in quickly and took off out of the parking lot. The olympic course was two 12.4-mile loops - mostly flat/rolly but with two granny-gear hills during the last two miles. There was no wind but the sun was in full force. I carried a 5-ounce flask of chocolate Hammer Gel and two 20-ounce water bottles with orange Heed. During the first loop, I kept my speed at 16-18mph; I drank one bottle of Heed and took some gel. At the end of the loop, you come back into the park and do a u-turn by the transition area. I tossed off my empty water bottle and moved the spare into the front cage. I picked up my speed a bit on the second loop and was able to pass several people. Felt strong. I could only drink half of the second bottle and I took more gel. The final steep hill is alongside the reservoir's dam and it's a doozy. I slowed down on the entrance to the park and tried to get my heartrate back down. I saw Rick as he started his run and cheered him on. Bike time was 1:24:00 (17.7mph), 154 of 183, my goal time had been 1:30:00.
T2. I hopped off my bike at this dismount line, ran it back into the transition area, and racked it. Took off my helmet and bike shoes, slipped on my running shoes, smeared more sunscreen on my face, grabbed my hat and gear belt, and headed back out. T2 time was 1:28.
The Run. The first aid station was in the parking lot and I asked for water - was handed a cup of light tan fluid. "Not gatorade, water please!" I was informed that this was well-water... yum! I took more Endurolytes. By now, it was after 11:00am and the sun/heat/humidity were in full force. I didn't wear my heart rate monitor, but I know it wasn't in a low-enough zone to carry me through 6.2 miles. And it wasn't long before I had to start taking walk-breaks. I saw Ann running an easy pace about 50yds ahead and finally caught up with her. We ran/walked together briefly but I couldn't keep up and sent her on her way. There were aid stations about every mile and they all had fantastic delicious wonderful ICE! I took a cup at every station - put it down my top, under my cap, let it melt in my mouth. I also took a cup of fluid at every station and did another gel at about 3 miles. I ran when I could and walked when I had to; I somehow managed to average a 11:00 pace. Rick and then Ann passed me on the out-and-back course. Finally, I turned back into the park and I could hear the finish-line announcer. I timed my last walk so that I could run strong to the finish. Rick and Ann were waiting for me and I ran it in! It was my slowest 10k (1:07:47 for a 10:55 pace) but that didn't matter. Being some of the last folks to pack up didn't matter either:
Summary. I finished in 3:11:25 and was last of seven in my age group. But that was still nearly four minutes faster than my "A" goal time! I did some things right (took enough electrolytes to prevent cramps on a HHH day, gelled just before the swim, remembered my pre-run sunscreen, drank to overflowing on the bike) and some things I'll do differently next time (tuck gel/e-caps into the back pocket of my tri-top when starting the run instead of wearing the gear belt, taking the entire flask of gel on the bike). I was pleased with my swim and plan to take a few private lessons to improve my stroke efficiency and get faster. If it's not too expensive, I'd like to get a compact chainring set on my bike to make the hills a bit easier. And I'm even more confident that I'll have a rockin'-good time at Cedar Point for the Half!
