Parry Sound Half Ironman - race report 2k - 90k - 21.1k Weather: approx 15C and raining (hard) - rain let up a bit during the run, but never stopped completely
Swim: 31:07 (1:34/100m) (43rd overall) 9/10
The water was cool (I would guess about 70F) clear and almost perfectly flat - great conditions for a fast swim. The course also turned out to be short (300m or so I would guess), but I still had a great swim. I got off to a relatively easy start, and it seemed like everyone else did too, in anticipation of a long day ahead. I got into a good pack of swimmers and was able to stay on a pair of feet the whole swim, only having to accelerate on the turns to find a set of feet again and then settling in to wait for the next buoy. I was amazed when we made the last turn and headed for shore, as I felt like we hadn’t been swmming nearly long enough (as it turned out, we hadn’t). My shoulders didn’t fatigue much and as a result I was able to maintain my technique and feel long, strong and powerful for the whole swim. This and Bala are my two best race swims ever. The group that I swim with at the Swansea pool have helped me to swim better than I ever thought possible this year! Awesome. I looked at my watch as I came out of the water and saw 31:00 and knew the swim had been short, but I only saw one missing bike in the 30-34 rack, so I was happy.
Bike: 2:28:27 (36.4km/h) (7th o/a) 10/10
I stopped in transition to put on leg warmers given the cold and the rain (I had my arm warmers rolled and on my aerobars so I could put them on on the move), and I was glad I did. I was pretty comfortable (as comfortable as possible given the conditions) for the whole ride. Moving out of transition, I missed my flying mount onto my bike (caught my shorts on my rear-mounted bottle) for the first time ever. Ouch - that hurt and was embarassing - I thought I felt something in my left foot but it wasn’t too bad so i just ignored it and carried on (more on this later). I managed to complete my second attempt at a flying mount and took off. I took the first few ks relatively easy so that I could put my arm-warmers on and get settled, and then I started to dial up the pace. I left my computer magnet on my training wheels so I had no idea how fast I was going, but I figured that if I just did each 30k in 55 minutes I would finish the bike in my hoped for split of 2:45. With this in mind, I tried to push a fast pace without feeling extended, and I got to the 30k sign in just under 54 minutes. I then got passed by a group of guys “flying in formation” and latched on, staying outside of the 5m draft zone but getting some benefit nonetheless. Every now and then they would slow down and I would bridge past all of them and try to break away, but they always reeled me in eventually. Going into the turnaround (which was at the top of a hill), I had been towing the group for quite a while, and so some of them passed me going up the hill, and we all got stopped and accused of drafing. The marshalls let us go at 5 second intervals (me last). As I passed the turnaround I looked at my watch and it said about 1:20, so I figured that if I didn’t slow down on the way back, I could finish the bike in 2:40 - great. We had a tailwind on the way back, which certainly upped the pace, and I was able to catch, pass and drop all of my “comrades” (yes, I enjoyed that). I checked my watch at 55k (to compare to my 1:32 at Muskoka) and it read 1:35 (with a lot less effort) so I was pleased. I continued to roll along and was forced into learning how to “relieve myself” while in motion in a one piece tri suit (twice)(make sure you are going downhill!). The pace was quite high all the way back to town, even though it continued to pour, and I passed a few people who were obviously suffering in the cold, without leg or arm warmers. At this point I knew I was in the top 10 or 15, and I was pumped. Especially as I was able to keep pushing a big gear (53-15) without burning myself out. I arrived in transition and looked at my watch and it said 2:28:xx - awesome! The first half of the bike I had suffered in the rain, the secod half was awesome - I just revelled in it - I knew I was on a good day and I enjoyed every minute of it.
Run: 1:45:04 (4:59/k) (36th o/a) 8/10
Going into the run I knew that if I could just hold 5 minute ks I could run a 1:45 and get close to 4:45 (having revised my previous 5:00 goal). That’s just what I did. I managed to hook up with a guy (Jeff Tweedy) who also wanted to run 5 minute ks, and so we ran the first 13k together, at a steady 5 minute pace. He decided to pick up the pace at the 13k mark, and I tried to go with him (for about a k) but realized that it was not to be, so I let him go and continued at my own pace. During the first loop, I found out that what I thought was supposed to be a flat run was anything but. The first (and last) 2.5k were flat, but the remaining 5.5k of each loop featured 4 brutal hills, each of which had to be climbed twice (out and back). I realized on the first loop that those hills would be brutal on the second, and I was glad that I saved something for them, as many people were reduced to walking. As I got to the flat path with 2.5k to the finish, I picked up the pace (not that anyone else would have noticed) and tried to finish strong. I managed to even split the run, having come through the 10.6k turnaround at about 52:xx. Never has finishing a race felt so good.
Nutrition: 9/10
Oatmeal with brown sugar and maple syrup for breakfast, 1/2 bottle of Cytomax in the car on the way to the race. I drank lots during the race - 1 bottle of Cytomax every 30k - yes I had to pee on the bike, but I wasn’t dehydrated. I filled a gel flask with 4 gels and topped it off with water, and I finished that and a Hammer gel that I grabbed at the last aid station on the bike. I downed a caffinated ClifGel at the 2k point of the run, took water at every aid station, and grabbed a 500ml bottle at the turnaround each time. I also took 1/2 a bannana at the 10.5k mark, and another Hammer gel at the 12k mark - water only from then on. I was never in danger of bonking, and had no GI issues. Nutritionally, a very successful day.
Overall: 4:47:38 15th overall (I think that no age entry above me is a relay), 2nd ag 9.5/10
This race and Bala were my two best races of the year. I was able to go fast here without tiring myself out, and I paced appropriately. The tailwind on the return leg of the bike definitely helped with this, but I made sure to stay within myself and not push too hard. As I said, I really enjoyed the second half of the bike, and it showed in my split. I had expected the bike course to be more challenging, but as it turned out it was the run course that was the hardest part of the day - ouch, those hills hurt. When I took off my shoes after the finish I noticed that my left shoe was covered in blood (it looked worse than it was because of the rain). Apparently I cut my foot when I missed my flying mount out of T1. I didn’t feel it (much) during the race, but I can hardly walk on it today.
Note: Jen (my wife) and my Mom came to the race in an attempt to see me finish. I had told them that I would finish in about 5 hours, at about 1:00pm, and that they should plan to arrive at about 12:30 (just in case they got lost, etc.). They arrived at about 12:55, and missed my finish - oops.
