I've been fighting an achilles problem this summer and couldn't run from around 3 months to 6 weeks ago. I was vervous about the prospect of running 26.2 It still wasn't perfect.
We got to town Tueaday night, late. After I slow start I went for a ride/run Wednesday. It felt great. The breeze was blowing north out from town, but still riding well on the return. I thought. That'll be nice on race day. Yeah!--RIGHT!
I remember laughing at the carbo dinner when Mike Reilly announced that, as the run course was certified, the marathon times could be used to qualify for Boston.
While in the line for body marking I was passed by none other than Macca. He's pretty tall. I thought he was ~5' 9-10", but he's 6 (183cm). Had a guy help me pump me tires, while I helped him. My Polar speedo pickup must have been jostled/, cuz it didn't pick up when I started the ride. I decided to try the shoes off bike thing and, so left my shoes in the bag.
The swim start was a surprise. The cannon went off BEFORE 7am. I was in a big crowd for thw WHOLE swim, which I don't like, but I managed to keep from getting hit too many times and managed to draft fairly well, but kept getting into lapses of short stroking and flat swimming in those crowds. When I relaxed and got a good catch and hip rotation I felt pretty good. Time was 1:11. Better than I thought, OK. 13th place
T1 was a disaster. I was a little foggy headed after the swim. Then, I got a bad hamstring cramp putting on socks and then a calf cramp puttting on my shoes. OUCH! Getting those worked out wasted more time. Running out of T1 in shoes is way worse than barefooted, at least for me. 8:31 DOUBLE OUCH!!!
Out on the bike, it quickly became apparent that I had no HR monitor. (I later found it in my speed suit. I don't know if I or the T1 assistant pulled it off with the suit.) Oh! great. I usually use the HR to rein myself in a little, so I had to rein in by feel. On Queen K this time we had a headwind all the way out to the turn to Hawi. After some crosswinds at the bottom of the climbs to Hawi, we got some not-so pleasant gusty crosswinds and then headwind/crosswinds to Hawi. Yikes! 3:20. OK! it's only 53 or so back to town. I thought I could cover that in 2-2:15. WRONG! I had some great tailwinds for the first few miles and NASTY crosswinds that had most of us on the bullhorns for a lot of the next few miles. THEN, we had a mild headwind, for the last few miles to the turn at the bottom. Then the climb back to Queen K, where we had a nice headwind--AGAIN! It was a long slow slog back to town. I was passing people and was passed by very few that I didn't pass back, but the last 34 miles took me over 2 hours. 6:19 DAMN! DAMN! I never thought I would take over 6 hours on the bike. I was thinging 5:30-5:50. In retrospect, I should have busted it a bit more to Hawi, because, I was told that the pros and faster AGers had little wind on the return. 31st place-UGH!
MY legs were dead going into T2. I felt like I had lead on my feet running all the way to the end of the pier and back to the tent in my bike shoes, instead of barefooted. I didn't know how I was going to run after all of that. My oly other marathon was at IMAZ. Still too slow 5:14 (most were 3-4 min.) The T2 guy offered me a cold towel. WHOA! ICE WATER towel down the back. Shock, but it absolutely ignited me.
I took off running. First mile sub 8, so I backed off (remember, I'm old). Next one--sub 8. YIKES. I backed off a little more and then managed to keep up 8-8:10 to mile nine (72 min and a few ticks.) I figured out that I could put ice down my back and it would lodge above my race belt. That was great!
Oh!BOY! here comes Palani Road. I knew it would be tough--I think it's over 6%. Maybe 8%. It's short-only ~300yds, but at that point it's tough. I shifted into my best Chi running uphill (looks like ////////\\\\\\\\////////\\\\\\\\, if you can picture that.) I passed a bunch of folks there. Then the left and more uphill, then one short downhill followed by a long steady uphill all the way the EnergyLab road. I flubbed a portapotty experience and then compounded it a few seconds later by stopping at special needs, which I didn't especially need. Wasted over a minute there. THen back out of the Energy lab and the turn back to town. It's mostly gradual downhills, with short slightly steeper uphills, but into the breeze. I just kept concentrating on cadence and posture, especially when I felt like I was slowing down.
The run down Palani at around mile 25 was interesting. My hamstrings kept trying to cramp, but didn't. From there it was just fun, especially the return on Ilii drive. People were screaming and high fiving me. It was exhilarating. I saw the finish line and picked it up, but....NO ... that's not the finish line, it just looked like it. It was just a guy telling me to unfold my number so the finish people could read it for Mike Reilly. I still had a 100 m to go so I just kept up to the finish. Run 3:41. I'd passed 19 of my AG on the run. I was wasted. but, I hadn't walked except to drink in the aid stations. I don't even remember Mike Reilly calling me in, but my wife said he did. I must have looked bad since the catchers kept asking me if I needed Medical. 'Just keep me walking FAST or I'll cramp up' I told them. They did. I wanted to stay, but I was getting unexpectedly cold and could hardly walk. My wife's injured leg was killing her, so we went back to the hotel, where I took a LLLLLOOOOOONNNNNGGGGG hot shower (well--long for me) and we got some dinner.
All the volunteers, as well as the crowd, were fantastic ALL day. The atmosphere was electric, especially in town on the run. But even way out on the run and even the bike, people were cheering us on. The fat guy on the side of the road with coconut shells over his man-boobs and his Hula skirt brought a chuckle as he loudly cheered me by.
BTW, I looked it up after dinner--I qualified for my AG (old men) for Boston. :')
Oh! I looked it up. I missed top 10, by virtue of slow trans. Oh! well.
_________________
Dick
Take everything I say with a grain of salt. I know nothing.
We got to town Tueaday night, late. After I slow start I went for a ride/run Wednesday. It felt great. The breeze was blowing north out from town, but still riding well on the return. I thought. That'll be nice on race day. Yeah!--RIGHT!
I remember laughing at the carbo dinner when Mike Reilly announced that, as the run course was certified, the marathon times could be used to qualify for Boston.
While in the line for body marking I was passed by none other than Macca. He's pretty tall. I thought he was ~5' 9-10", but he's 6 (183cm). Had a guy help me pump me tires, while I helped him. My Polar speedo pickup must have been jostled/, cuz it didn't pick up when I started the ride. I decided to try the shoes off bike thing and, so left my shoes in the bag.
The swim start was a surprise. The cannon went off BEFORE 7am. I was in a big crowd for thw WHOLE swim, which I don't like, but I managed to keep from getting hit too many times and managed to draft fairly well, but kept getting into lapses of short stroking and flat swimming in those crowds. When I relaxed and got a good catch and hip rotation I felt pretty good. Time was 1:11. Better than I thought, OK. 13th place
T1 was a disaster. I was a little foggy headed after the swim. Then, I got a bad hamstring cramp putting on socks and then a calf cramp puttting on my shoes. OUCH! Getting those worked out wasted more time. Running out of T1 in shoes is way worse than barefooted, at least for me. 8:31 DOUBLE OUCH!!!
Out on the bike, it quickly became apparent that I had no HR monitor. (I later found it in my speed suit. I don't know if I or the T1 assistant pulled it off with the suit.) Oh! great. I usually use the HR to rein myself in a little, so I had to rein in by feel. On Queen K this time we had a headwind all the way out to the turn to Hawi. After some crosswinds at the bottom of the climbs to Hawi, we got some not-so pleasant gusty crosswinds and then headwind/crosswinds to Hawi. Yikes! 3:20. OK! it's only 53 or so back to town. I thought I could cover that in 2-2:15. WRONG! I had some great tailwinds for the first few miles and NASTY crosswinds that had most of us on the bullhorns for a lot of the next few miles. THEN, we had a mild headwind, for the last few miles to the turn at the bottom. Then the climb back to Queen K, where we had a nice headwind--AGAIN! It was a long slow slog back to town. I was passing people and was passed by very few that I didn't pass back, but the last 34 miles took me over 2 hours. 6:19 DAMN! DAMN! I never thought I would take over 6 hours on the bike. I was thinging 5:30-5:50. In retrospect, I should have busted it a bit more to Hawi, because, I was told that the pros and faster AGers had little wind on the return. 31st place-UGH!
MY legs were dead going into T2. I felt like I had lead on my feet running all the way to the end of the pier and back to the tent in my bike shoes, instead of barefooted. I didn't know how I was going to run after all of that. My oly other marathon was at IMAZ. Still too slow 5:14 (most were 3-4 min.) The T2 guy offered me a cold towel. WHOA! ICE WATER towel down the back. Shock, but it absolutely ignited me.
I took off running. First mile sub 8, so I backed off (remember, I'm old). Next one--sub 8. YIKES. I backed off a little more and then managed to keep up 8-8:10 to mile nine (72 min and a few ticks.) I figured out that I could put ice down my back and it would lodge above my race belt. That was great!
Oh!BOY! here comes Palani Road. I knew it would be tough--I think it's over 6%. Maybe 8%. It's short-only ~300yds, but at that point it's tough. I shifted into my best Chi running uphill (looks like ////////\\\\\\\\////////\\\\\\\\, if you can picture that.) I passed a bunch of folks there. Then the left and more uphill, then one short downhill followed by a long steady uphill all the way the EnergyLab road. I flubbed a portapotty experience and then compounded it a few seconds later by stopping at special needs, which I didn't especially need. Wasted over a minute there. THen back out of the Energy lab and the turn back to town. It's mostly gradual downhills, with short slightly steeper uphills, but into the breeze. I just kept concentrating on cadence and posture, especially when I felt like I was slowing down.
The run down Palani at around mile 25 was interesting. My hamstrings kept trying to cramp, but didn't. From there it was just fun, especially the return on Ilii drive. People were screaming and high fiving me. It was exhilarating. I saw the finish line and picked it up, but....NO ... that's not the finish line, it just looked like it. It was just a guy telling me to unfold my number so the finish people could read it for Mike Reilly. I still had a 100 m to go so I just kept up to the finish. Run 3:41. I'd passed 19 of my AG on the run. I was wasted. but, I hadn't walked except to drink in the aid stations. I don't even remember Mike Reilly calling me in, but my wife said he did. I must have looked bad since the catchers kept asking me if I needed Medical. 'Just keep me walking FAST or I'll cramp up' I told them. They did. I wanted to stay, but I was getting unexpectedly cold and could hardly walk. My wife's injured leg was killing her, so we went back to the hotel, where I took a LLLLLOOOOOONNNNNGGGGG hot shower (well--long for me) and we got some dinner.
All the volunteers, as well as the crowd, were fantastic ALL day. The atmosphere was electric, especially in town on the run. But even way out on the run and even the bike, people were cheering us on. The fat guy on the side of the road with coconut shells over his man-boobs and his Hula skirt brought a chuckle as he loudly cheered me by.
BTW, I looked it up after dinner--I qualified for my AG (old men) for Boston. :')
Oh! I looked it up. I missed top 10, by virtue of slow trans. Oh! well.
_________________
Dick
Take everything I say with a grain of salt. I know nothing.