Silverman….where even the water has hills.
What can I say, my first DNF in a triathlon. I never really thought this would happen to me as I have never quit a sport in my life but this was a different day entirely.
Swim was brutal for me. I have never had to swim in conditions anywhere close to what I encountered on race day. I started out great finding some smooth feet to draft off of. About 200 meters into the race I noticed that the water was a little rougher and I thought how odd it was that so little amount of people were able to churn up the water that badly. Then at about 400 meters, it REALLY started getting rough. I was swallowing water every time I took a breath. I decided to stop and see what was going on. I stuck my head up and noticed the cresting waves on the lake. Uh oh…this should be interesting. I tried to stick on some feet but I was getting thrown all over the place. I panicked once after I swallowed a huge amount of water but was able to calm down and start swimming again. At the turnaround I turned left and started swimming directly into the waves. I was almost at the 2nd turnaround buoy when a wave took me from horizontal to vertical and plopped me into the water like a tree being planted in the ground. I was laughing so hard after that, I couldn’t get a smooth stroke all the way back in. Needless to say that last half of the swim was the hardest thing I have ever had to do in a sport. I was a full 25 minutes slower here than I was last year at Lake Placid. So never underestimate the power of the draft of a large pack of swimmers along with a calm lake. I was so happy to be out of that swim and onto the bike.
So the swim was the first part of my day I wasn’t planning on, but I got through it without too much wear and tear. I just took it easy and went a little slower than I would have normally. The bike was a little different. When Chantel and I got to the race site, I had realized I had forgotten all on my special needs stuff which included half of my Infinit nutrition for the day. Quite a rookie mistake. So I figured I would start off using my Infinit solution until it was gone then go on Gatorade and gels. I was confident that would serve me well. The first 40 miles of the bike went really well. I was humming along taking it easy on all the hills and really enjoying the scenery. You wouldn’t think that big mounds of dirt can be great scenery but as you can see they really are. I enjoyed this course for it’s scenery moreso than Lake Placid. I got to see Tyler and the boys go FLYING past me the other way. That was really cool to watch them coming back with the wind. Tyler was really flying. That really picked me up until about mile 50. Then the wheels started coming off. I got a flat going down the last hill before the turnaround and I was starting to become a little dejected by the winds. And once I turned around I thought the wind would really be pushing me back the other way. Not so…at least it didn’t feel like it. My nutrition plan was starting to come apart as well as I couldn’t stomach the Gatorade. It was just too sweet for my palate at the time. I was even having trouble with some of the Gu’s. Thankfully, I had my Jelly Belly Sport beans and bananas which were a real lifesaver but it wasn’t nearly enough and I fell into a nutritional hole. By the time I got back to the main highway, my energy was cooked. I was barely able to put any energy into my pedal stroke and by that time my mind had quit the race. Also, for some strange reason, I kept singing the following (Sung to the tune of “The Wheels on the bus”):
The wheels on my bike won’t turn around, turn around, turn around”
My left knee had been acting up on me while I was coming into town and I was (at the time) worried about injuring it further. In retrospect, that was a cop-out and I should have soldiered on to at least attempt the run. I got back to T2 and convinced myself to stop there and call it a day. Something I will regret forever. But on the plus side, I can remember how badly I feel now for at least not even trying to run and take that feeling into each race I have in the future. It won’t happen again.
Awesome things about this race.
1 loop swim course in a crystal clear lake.
Wicked bike course with tones to look at. I even saw a tarantula crossing the road. Should have stopped to get a picture but when a spider that large is near you, you tend to get the heck out of there. J
The swag was unreal. 
The knapsack is not a run of the mill cheapie kind either. It is this exact pack: http://www.gizmogear.biz/GIZMO_Catalog_i5836664.html?catId=201538
Volunteers were all extremely helpful and outgoing. I am really sorry I didn’t get to see the Sunshine Kids aid station on the run. Next year….
The pre and post race dinner/breakfast were fantastic. REALLY good food and lots of it.
The Dave Scott talk pre race was really great to hear. Who knew a triathletes could be so articulate and funny!!
Frank really thought of everything and I was extremely impressed with the small details. Things like having the logo printed on the carpet of the finish chute. Having carpet from in T1 starting at the water so we could run on carpet instead of the pavement. And having motivational Silverman signs on the course for the athletes to read in trying times.
The only bad thing about this race is the lack of transportation for the racers families from the host hotel toT1 and again from T1 to T2. Unless a family had a car, there wasn’t really any way they could get from T1 to T2 very easily. Thankfully Chantel had one and was able to drive around and take some pictures and what not. I think it would be extremely helpful to accommodate the families somehow. I doubt it will be that many anyway since most people seemed to have access to a vehicle.
All I can say is that if you are an avid Iron Distance athlete, this is the race for you. You will not be disappointed with any aspect of the race. You will not set a PR at this race (unless it is your first of course), however, you will not be sorry you chose this race. A++ in my opinion and girlfriend willing, I will be back next year to tame the beast.
haha