At least two STers won their AGs at that race. DubyaKay and good old me :-) Anybody else go Top 5 or 10 in their AGs? I know there was a good ST contingent at the event...


T.

Yes. I got 5th in the 40-44 AG (where DubyaKay won).

I also thought the volunteers were great. I especially liked the guy at the 1st aide station past the finish shoot with a plate full of pills. Made it easy to remember to get the endurolytes and advil when needed.

hahaha I made that plate for him to hold!!!!! :)

---

_________________________________________

2010: RR 100, BW, qualify for Kona at coz!!

One funny story...I ran through the aid station at the turn-around on the trail. I said, "Any E-caps?". They said "What?". I said, "Endurolytes". They said, "What?". I said, "Pills, Pills, any pills?" This sweet girl hurriedly took the top out and reach her hand out just as I was passing...with a handful of E-Caps...I mean like 30. I said, "Two, just two....thanks!"


At some of the stations, they had the Endurolytes in individual plastic cups (two per) to make it easier to get at them. That was very thoughtful. At the last run aid station, where I camped out after I finished, to cheer on the other racers, the two girls there said they were part of a contingent of 75 students from the UCF degree program in Sports and Fitness, and that they had to write a paper on their experiences as race volunteers that day. They have something like 750 hours of this stuff they have to complete in order to get their degrees. I thought that was pretty cool, too.

T.

Yes. I got 5th in the 40-44 AG (where DubyaKay won).

Congratulations. Great race, and great race management, on your part. Ultras definitely require a different sort of mindset from racing sprints and Olys (and even 70.3s, these days). You can learn a lot about triathlons when you do something that can take so long.

T.

Yep, I took the M 35-39. I really wanted to break 10 hours, but I feel like I completely emptied the tank by the time I got to the last .5 mile or so, and for the first race in a long time, I can't really think of anything I would have executed differently if I had the chance. So I'm happy with where i crossed in the end. Maybe could have found a bit more 'suck it up, buttercup' in the last lap, but writing that when looking in the rear view mirror at the race when sitting in front of a computer, versus actually doing it at 9-10hrs into a race, are two very different things.

Kept telling myself "If I wanted Easy, I would have gone down the road to Disneyland" in the last 10k. Nice to have a mantra to take away the hurt.

Great race, and the volunteers and aid stations were outstanding. You just can't beat independent iron races.

Great job to all. Oh - and a special shout-out to Kimberly from TN: YOU DID IT!!!!!!

Wow. ST took it to 'em at the GFT! Great job, and so far winners in three of the male age groups. Must be all that quality coaching advice and support we get here, huh? ;-)


T.

I did not podium ag, but did for Clydesdale. I was training for Ironman Arizona but life got in the way. After missing a week of training, my coach and I decided I should do the Great Floridian the following week and call the missed workouts the beginning of a taper. With only 2 months of an ironman build the goal was to just have fun. I had fun, set a personal best (3 years ago, I did IM FL and went 12:12) and came in 3rd Clydesdale at 12:06. My initial goal was to run 9 minute miles in Arizona, I ran 9 minutes miles for 1st 6, then heat got me and I ran 12 minute miles at same effort until mile 16 where I ran the rest at 9 minute miles as it cooled back down a bit. Purposely swam easy and biked easy. Also first time I ever had to pee during a race, and did it 3 times so my nuitrition and fluid intake was finally about right. Very happy there was a race I could get into and had a fun day as the end of my season. Very happy for my 3rd ever ironman race. Now it is time for halfs or shorter until work and family provides more free time.

I'm crediting my race to my arm coolers. First time I've used 'em, and they were amazing. I LOVED stuffing them full of ice at every aid station and feeling like i was going for a run on a frosty cool autumn day instead of the mid-day Florida heat.

You posted earlier that you were on a Caliente - were you the guy with the Blackwell disk? If so, I think we were playing cat and mouse for a while after Sugarloaf.

Hah...another good one for you...Going past the Gear For Multisport (Grogan's stop) on lap 2 I swear I heard the guy say "Miller Lite?" It took a second to figure out that he was saying "Endurolyte?" Freudian slip I guess...or wishful thinking!

BTW-official final results are now posted:
http://www.championchiptiming.com/...ult.aspx?EventID=188

---

---

You posted earlier that you were on a Caliente - were you the guy with the Blackwell disk? If so, I think we were playing cat and mouse for a while after Sugarloaf.


No. I passed that guy somewhere on the bike. He had a dent on his top tube, also, and was a lot bigger than me ;-) I had a 650c 53cm model with a Hed disc on the back. On the ice thing, I put some in my hat every few aid stations, and a small amount in the palm of each hand every aid station for the first half of the run, until it began to cool down a bit. It worked well, I'd say.

You had a great race, too. Congratulations!!

T.

I did not podium ag, but did for Clydesdale. I was training for Ironman Arizona but life got in the way. After missing a week of training, my coach and I decided I should do the Great Floridian the following week and call the missed workouts the beginning of a taper. With only 2 months of an ironman build the goal was to just have fun. I had fun, set a personal best (3 years ago, I did IM FL and went 12:12) and came in 3rd Clydesdale at 12:06. My initial goal was to run 9 minute miles in Arizona, I ran 9 minutes miles for 1st 6, then heat got me and I ran 12 minute miles at same effort until mile 16 where I ran the rest at 9 minute miles as it cooled back down a bit. Purposely swam easy and biked easy. Also first time I ever had to pee during a race, and did it 3 times so my nuitrition and fluid intake was finally about right. Very happy there was a race I could get into and had a fun day as the end of my season. Very happy for my 3rd ever ironman race. Now it is time for halfs or shorter until work and family provides more free time.

Congratulations on your success!! You came into the race with a good plan and you stuck with it, even during the rough patches. That's what leads to doing well at the ultra-distance race distance: having a plan and executing it (and adapting when necessary). You'll be even faster next year, if you decide to do another ultra.

I never had to take any "bathroom breaks" for the whole race, which for me is a good thing. I felt fine, and like I had to go just a little at the start of the run, but that's normal with me, so I headed out and took what the day brought me. The first half of the run was warm (especially for me, as I'd been training the last few weeks in cooler Michigan temperatures), but it got nice the last half.

Keep us all up on how you're doing over the next season. It's great to see a Clydesdale go fast :-)


T.

Hah...another good one for you...Going past the Gear For Multisport (Grogan's stop) on lap 2 I swear I heard the guy say "Miller Lite?" It took a second to figure out that he was saying "Endurolyte?" Freudian slip I guess...or wishful thinking!


Hahahaha! I took a huge gulp of a beer, from a bystander, once during an ultra marathon on Mount Tantalus in Honolulu back in '97. Worst mistake of my life. After 22 miles of running, that was the last thing I needed. About a mile down the trail, I ran my forehead right into an overhanging tree limb at a good clip. The next day, the reporter who'd been covering the race called me "George of the Jungle" in his article. I was in the lead until I hit the tree, and ended up finishing 5th. Valuable lesson learned.

T.

I've done it twice...once in the Great Floridian Half in 2004 I did the run with a Hasher beer mug and only had a few burps to deal with. Disney Marathon 2007 I swigged a beer at mile 20ish and that was a baaad mistake.

From running ultras I found that carrying a bike Gatorade bottle is really easy and icy water in there is just as good as ice in the hat/hand and has the benefit of being able to drink slowly rather than big gulps at the aid stations. I did that this race, but didn't really need it due to the chilly temps.

Since the final results are up I went through and dropped them into Excel for amusement. 3 guys in the top 5 got off the bike within 4 seconds of each other, Figari, Niemeyer and Easterling. Then Figari zipped out of transition with the fastest T2 of the race, 1 minute ahead and just ran away at 20-40mins faster than them in the marathon at 3:07. All sorts of interesting patterns in this race...

---

---

Since the final results are up I went through and dropped them into Excel for amusement. 3 guys in the top 5 got off the bike within 4 seconds of each other, Figari, Niemeyer and Easterling. Then Figari zipped out of transition with the fastest T2 of the race, 1 minute ahead and just ran away at 20-40mins faster than them in the marathon at 3:07. All sorts of interesting patterns in this race...

Figari blew past me (he was on his third lap, I was on my second) as we dropped back onto the lake road, coming from that little in-and-out section, past the second run station up on the trail. I told the guy next to me that if he wasn't the race leader, he sure as hell was going to run the leader down. He looked GOOD.

T.

Hey, guys. Wish i could have known some of you, cause there are times on the run where seeing friendly faces helps a ton. I was wearing the Team 19 kit. Blue with a big red 19.

I went into this race a bit under fit. This season I had promised my wife NO IM's. Spent the last 3 years in the quest for Kona, raced it and clearwater and then focused on the ITU OLY in Vancouver this year that turned into a bust as a Duathlon.

IM is in my blood and after riding with a buddy who was training for IMFL, he talked me into putting GFT on my radar. Secret Squirrel training 2 rides a week (100miles total) and 2 runs a week (mostly 6 milers) and 4 swims a week (2000 yds).

I was in Tulsa OK for business and called home one evening excited and told my wife I had just run 16 miles. She said, ".......why?....Is there something you're secretly training for that you're not telling me about?"
You know that dramatic pause that gives you away......
She said, " I KNEW IT! which one is it?" I said "GFT......but it's in Clermont" ( only 20 miles from home. )

So I signed up for it 4 wks to go. Rode the Course 2 weekends in a row with basically 200 mile Sat/Sun total. Running didn't change and maybe got 8 runs in before Saturday. Lots of swimming where I work a lot of breathing and hypoxic drills that help my run fitness and gets the arms ready to roll.

The goal was to nail the swim and hammer the bike and just "hang on" for the run.
I've always wanted to do an IM distance for "fun"....without the pressure of Kona qualifying.
I figured that a solid swim and bike puts me in contention. Then it's a matter of WHEN i fatigue and hopefully the 6 previous IM's give me the experience to tell my body to keep moving. But EVERYONE fatigues on the run....right.

Swam 26 and change for the first swim lap and decided to pace it back for the second. The chase swimmer passed me at the final turn bouy and I enjoyed the "ride" back to the shore on his feet.

I wanted to be through the hills at mile 40 with a 21 mph avg. Showed 21.65 avg.
Turning onto 33 northbound my quads were cramping but tried to keep a steady effort mashing. In the far outback, started getting adductor seizing on both legs, used my thumb pressure to try to relieve it. Pace dropped a bit and i knew I was giving up time. I didn't see anyone on the bike except the lead sherrif until mile 95 when the 2 guys caught me. I stayed off their wheels until we got back into town and rejoined them the last little nasty hill just before T2. Went into T2 in 2nd position. I can't say what the two guys were doing before they caught me, but they certainly talked and switched positions. I didn't have my ruler with me, but not sure they were "familiar" with the rules. One more than the other. Oh well, it is what it is.

Started the run and couldn't believe my legs were turning over good. Got through 15 before they fell apart. bigtime. I had promised myself i wouldn't walk so tried to keep the feet rotating. At mile 19, they came to a stop all on their own. I wasn't happy so I did speed walking stretching out the stride for 400m or so. Tried to run and was amazed they actually responded. Ran the last 6 miles on basically heart around 7:30's. Salvaged a 3:41 mary and 5th OA. 9:54:00
Good times.....Good times.

Fred and Andrea put on a great event. This is a race that should be put on every IM'ers schedule.
AND they're pricing it at $199 through next week! Can you say Bang for you Buck?

---

--------------------------------------------------
Ride until others hurt, then ride harder.

Hey, Mike. Saw you out on the course a bit. You looked good. I understand what you mean about the "ruler" thing. All you get is blank stares from some when talk of spacing on the bike to avoid drafting comes up. That's just the way it is, I suppose ;-)

I agree that Fred's race is one that every IMer should do at least once. And that $199 special is mighty tempting...


T.

T
How are your legs feeling today?

I tried the Joe Bonness theory of "active recovery" and it seems to have helped.

After the race i went out the the mile 1 aid station with my daughter and 3 yr old son to work it. My daughter and I stayed out til 9p. Lots of motion helped them from not tightening up right away. Sore on Sunday, but took the family out to Disney on our annual passes and walked A LOT.

I got to ask Joe at Clearwater last year about his "runs" the day after an IM. I think that is Key! Painful, but key.

---

--------------------------------------------------
Ride until others hurt, then ride harder.

T
How are your legs feeling today?

I tried the Joe Bonness theory of "active recovery" and it seems to have helped.

After the race i went out the the mile 1 aid station with my daughter and 3 yr old son to work it. My daughter and I stayed out til 9p. Lots of motion helped them from not tightening up right away. Sore on Sunday, but took the family out to Disney on our annual passes and walked A LOT.

I got to ask Joe at Clearwater last year about his "runs" the day after an IM. I think that is Key! Painful, but key.

They feel okay. I'm a big believer in the active recovery thing. I went down to the mile 26 run aid station and hung out and cheered all the other finishers. The next morning, I did a light swim in the hotel pool and then ran a very easy 10 minutes of running. I've done just a little each day, up to today, where I'll swim a short session of 1500 yards or less in the pool and then try a light bike session. Tomorrow, a bit more running and so forth. I don't want to lose all this hard-won fitness, though I don't have anything else on the schedule for this year. Probably, I do a few road race, "Turkey Trot" type run events, but that's about it.

Joe has something about those runs. My old coach (Troy Jacobson) believed in them, too.

T.

Nice race. I was going to comment the opposite on drafting. On the back side I traded off with another cyclist and there were never any hints of drafting. I was off him 4-5 bike lengths, then took the lead on the back 40. I turned around 2 or 3 times over 20 miles and he was always right there, but well outside the draft zone. We never exchanged words, just two guys riding an honest race. He must have finisished top 10 bc I remember passing him on the run after he went by me in the final 40 miles of the bike. Silver aero helmet, red/black tri top.

Yep. The $199 is less that Clearwater 70.3 - assuming I qualify.

---

Damn, that's a cold ass honkey.

I'm taking advantage of that offer and signing up on Monday. Too good to pass up. I've done Hawaii a few times and none of the other M-Dot Iron-distance races intrigue me all that much. Back when I used to chase an IMH slot, I did Buffalo Springs, 1/2 Vineman, Muncie Endurathon, the old Lake Sunapee 1/2 IM, the Springfield Ironhorse triathlon, and a bunch of others, plus all the all-Military and world Military stuff. I'm pretty much past all that nowadays. Clermont is more than enough for good old me :-)


T.

I may do the same for 2009. Any idea how much Clearwater 70.3 entry is? I can't find it but know others are ~ $225 + Active. Likewise, I've done Hawaii and can't see dropping $525 + Active fee for an IDot. I will do the destination IM's when the kids are out of the house.

---

Damn, that's a cold ass honkey.

Clearwater 70.3 is the same (225 + Active). If I can find the time this summer, I'd like to do a few 70.3s or Steelhead and Muncie, maybe. Make a weekend of it with the spousal unit and I. The guys over at Triathlete's Village didn't know you did as well as you did. I clued them in ;-) Yer a damn stud, sir!

T.