Three words: Wet, but awesome! This was only my second half IM, the first being Delaware Diamondman last September which was pancake flat, so I don't have much to compare it against.
PRE-RACE
Get up at 4:30 a.m. and it's POURING!!!! I mean, just dumping. Fellow STer, KLOintheridge, and I drive over to Ellacoya and already the traffic is backed up about 1/2 mile. Get to our spot and just sit in the car looking at each other going, "man, this is gonna be something else." Rain still coming down, so I finally suggest we go set up our transition areas. After about ten minutes, I figure out that my shell is more water than resistant and resort to the old standby -- garbage bag over the head with custom arm cut outs. Given the weather, the forecast, and my expected MOP finishing time, I decide to put all my run gear in a plastic bag figuring it's better to give up 30 seconds than run in soaking trainers and get a blister. Wetsuit and cap on, it's time to go for a swim.
SWIM
Walked out of transition and got in the water and did about ten minutes of easy swimming just to get the blood flowing. The water was perfect temperature and really clear. I am not a strong swimmer, but after splashing around for a bit I was actually looking forward to the swim. The race start was delayed by about 40 minutes and as it was raining, grey and about 62 degrees, this delay brought on a bit of a chill which I couldn't shake prior to the start. RD calls our wave, the last of the AGers, and we're through the mats and into the lake. RD tells us to "GO" and we're off. Although I haven't done many half-IMs, I've raced a number of Olys and this was by far the most enjoyable swim I have had. Although there was a pretty good breeze creating a moderate chop I found a lane for the entire length of the course and it was pretty "scrum-free" for me. The course was a clockwise rectangle with the wind coming from right to left at the start which meant that when you made the first turn, you were swimming into the swell. Surprisingly, this didn't seem so bad. What seemed worse was after the second and final turn the swells were coming from the left and they seemed a bit more pronounced so I switched to breathing to my right exclusively and just cruised in to the beach. Swim time was 40:01. Like I said, not a strong swimmer.
BIKE
KLO and I had driven the course on Saturday which turned out to be a good idea given the conditions on Sunday morning. Having now ridden the course, my opinion is that it looked worse than it rode. I actually had fun and although there were a few hills that required a nice spin, the course was overall a good mix and you could really get some speed on the descents. The haul on Rt. 106 out past Loudon and back was great as you could really get a good rythm going. Since the way out is slightly down hill, it was free speed and I was cruising at about 24 mph with a 138 HR. It was really raining when I descended the Monstah and at 43 mph my front tire started to float a bit on the water so I actually got out of the aerobars and onto the base bar (sissy, I know). Made the final turn back to Ellacoya, spun up the hills in the aerobars, and ripped it down the final descent to the left hander back to transition. I have to say, I really enjoyed the ride. Bike handled great and really felt good. Ian and Sarah at Fit Werx and Dave G. at Elite really did a great job fitting me. Thanks guys. Split was 2:51:54 or 19.5 mph. Certainly not Bjorn-like, but acceptable to me (this year :))
RUN
Great run course. Idea to put the running shoes on the plastic bag was the right one as my Asics and socks were nice and dry!!! Although I don't like the spirit-sapping aspect of the two loop configuration (you get to the finish line, but you're not crossing the finish line), I thought the course was great. It's worth pointing out that virtually all of the residents get out to support the race whether by constructing their own aid stations or simply cheering you on from their porch. It was great to see the community get behind what is undoubtedly a major inconvenience on race day. Anyway, not much to say about the run. I am working on my running and it's come along since last year. At Diamondman, which had a flat bike and run, I ran a 2:10. Yesterday, I went 1:57 so although not blistering, 8:58s are a lot better than 10:10s and, since I am racing against myself, I was pleased with the improvement, but not satisfied.
OVERALL
Great race. Can't thank the volunteers enough for standing out there in the dark and the rain and getting the race off. The participants paid to engage in the madness, but you guys simply showed up. Thanks!!! Finished in 5:35:22 which was two minutes faster than Diamondman, on a tougher course. Improvement comes slowly I guess, but considering I commute to a desk in NYC, I was happy with my time. One thing I noted was that my HR was about ten beats lower for the entire race than it was at Diamondman so I guess the winter base stuff really works. I'll be back next year and go faster.
Thanks to KJ and everyone else who made the race happen. Excellent job and a great weekend.
I proudly DO NOT post my workouts on Facebook!!!
PRE-RACE
Get up at 4:30 a.m. and it's POURING!!!! I mean, just dumping. Fellow STer, KLOintheridge, and I drive over to Ellacoya and already the traffic is backed up about 1/2 mile. Get to our spot and just sit in the car looking at each other going, "man, this is gonna be something else." Rain still coming down, so I finally suggest we go set up our transition areas. After about ten minutes, I figure out that my shell is more water than resistant and resort to the old standby -- garbage bag over the head with custom arm cut outs. Given the weather, the forecast, and my expected MOP finishing time, I decide to put all my run gear in a plastic bag figuring it's better to give up 30 seconds than run in soaking trainers and get a blister. Wetsuit and cap on, it's time to go for a swim.
SWIM
Walked out of transition and got in the water and did about ten minutes of easy swimming just to get the blood flowing. The water was perfect temperature and really clear. I am not a strong swimmer, but after splashing around for a bit I was actually looking forward to the swim. The race start was delayed by about 40 minutes and as it was raining, grey and about 62 degrees, this delay brought on a bit of a chill which I couldn't shake prior to the start. RD calls our wave, the last of the AGers, and we're through the mats and into the lake. RD tells us to "GO" and we're off. Although I haven't done many half-IMs, I've raced a number of Olys and this was by far the most enjoyable swim I have had. Although there was a pretty good breeze creating a moderate chop I found a lane for the entire length of the course and it was pretty "scrum-free" for me. The course was a clockwise rectangle with the wind coming from right to left at the start which meant that when you made the first turn, you were swimming into the swell. Surprisingly, this didn't seem so bad. What seemed worse was after the second and final turn the swells were coming from the left and they seemed a bit more pronounced so I switched to breathing to my right exclusively and just cruised in to the beach. Swim time was 40:01. Like I said, not a strong swimmer.
BIKE
KLO and I had driven the course on Saturday which turned out to be a good idea given the conditions on Sunday morning. Having now ridden the course, my opinion is that it looked worse than it rode. I actually had fun and although there were a few hills that required a nice spin, the course was overall a good mix and you could really get some speed on the descents. The haul on Rt. 106 out past Loudon and back was great as you could really get a good rythm going. Since the way out is slightly down hill, it was free speed and I was cruising at about 24 mph with a 138 HR. It was really raining when I descended the Monstah and at 43 mph my front tire started to float a bit on the water so I actually got out of the aerobars and onto the base bar (sissy, I know). Made the final turn back to Ellacoya, spun up the hills in the aerobars, and ripped it down the final descent to the left hander back to transition. I have to say, I really enjoyed the ride. Bike handled great and really felt good. Ian and Sarah at Fit Werx and Dave G. at Elite really did a great job fitting me. Thanks guys. Split was 2:51:54 or 19.5 mph. Certainly not Bjorn-like, but acceptable to me (this year :))
RUN
Great run course. Idea to put the running shoes on the plastic bag was the right one as my Asics and socks were nice and dry!!! Although I don't like the spirit-sapping aspect of the two loop configuration (you get to the finish line, but you're not crossing the finish line), I thought the course was great. It's worth pointing out that virtually all of the residents get out to support the race whether by constructing their own aid stations or simply cheering you on from their porch. It was great to see the community get behind what is undoubtedly a major inconvenience on race day. Anyway, not much to say about the run. I am working on my running and it's come along since last year. At Diamondman, which had a flat bike and run, I ran a 2:10. Yesterday, I went 1:57 so although not blistering, 8:58s are a lot better than 10:10s and, since I am racing against myself, I was pleased with the improvement, but not satisfied.
OVERALL
Great race. Can't thank the volunteers enough for standing out there in the dark and the rain and getting the race off. The participants paid to engage in the madness, but you guys simply showed up. Thanks!!! Finished in 5:35:22 which was two minutes faster than Diamondman, on a tougher course. Improvement comes slowly I guess, but considering I commute to a desk in NYC, I was happy with my time. One thing I noted was that my HR was about ten beats lower for the entire race than it was at Diamondman so I guess the winter base stuff really works. I'll be back next year and go faster.
Thanks to KJ and everyone else who made the race happen. Excellent job and a great weekend.
I proudly DO NOT post my workouts on Facebook!!!