Rock N Roll PR

Ran a 1:43:11, better than my 5-year-old fastest course time. 40 minutes behind the Kenyans. Great race with perfect weather.

Rock N Roll half on Sunday

Beers shortly there after. The RNR race is in town this weekend. 20,000 peeps. Looking to get close to my fastest course time of 1:45. Of course that was many years ago. They need a Clydesdale division.

First post - post Eagleman

I really did get off the couch since the race, just havent posted. There definately is a let down after finishing a race like that and not having anything on the calendar until september. But the tue/thur/sat rides continue. The hour long t/t morning ride now hovers around 28, sometimes hitting 31... depending on how many people saw Boonen or McQuen race the day before.

Pain Management

Eagleman is in the books. It was an interesting day to say the least. What sticks in my mind the most was how hot it was. It was just a cooker. The entire race course has zero shade and race day had very few clouds. By the time I started the run, it felt like a mid-August, mid-afternoon, high-humidity scorcher. The race starts in Cambridge at the Choptank river and the bike ride takes you through the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. The Refuge is fairly tree-less with large open views, and because it sits near the Chesapeake, it tends to be windy. I was surprised that the roads were in great shape (except for one area, which turned out to be a disaster for one rider).

Three of us drove up Saturday afternoon, got the bikes checked, did the packet pickup thing, skipped the pro-talk, took a brief look at the course due to my newbie status, checked in to the hotel, and then hit an italian restaurant for dinner. The next morning, we loaded up the car a little after 5, checked out, and headed to the race site. The race site was mobbed. People trying to find a place to park, people racking their bikes, body marking, sun blocking, a helicopter flying overhead, jetskis & boats on the swim course in the river.

After the pros started at 7:00, they closed the transition area. While killing time, one of my buds (both are full IM and half IM veterans) jokingly says that today is a lesson in pain management. That phrase stuck with me for the whole race. 45 minutes later, our group wades out in the water to the start bouy for a 7:50 start. In keeping with my "be unprepared" motto, that was the first time I had my wetsuit on all year. I had planned a few ocean swims but never did make it. Just a couple pool swims, so I was worrying about the fit. A lot of people had short or no-sleeve suits on, but my IM full-sleeve suit fit fine and felt great. Except for a couple of zigzags on the swim and the smell of outboard motor exhaust from the skis & boats, the swim was an uneventful 37:58 for 1.2 miles. The transition area was huge and my bike was just about as far away from the swim finish and from the bike exit as you could get. That’s my excuse for the poor transition times.

Although it was windy, the bike ride went well. Ended up averaging 19.9mph. There were a couple stretches where the wind was bad, and I'd be going 17. Other portions I was doing 24 and 25. But mostly it I kept it at 19-20. I found I had to stand and ride every once in awhile because of back pain. I passed Nancy & Buttercup around mile 10 and gave her a yell of encouragement and she did the same. She was riding strong and looked good. There were 5 bottle exchange stations on the bike course. I'd keep 2 bottles on board and take a 3rd from a volunteer, drink most of it and pitch it. I had 3 gels on the ride and talked myself into eating a clif bar even though it was so hot I didn’t feel like eating a thing. I passed a lot of people and a lot of people passed me. As the miles clicked by on the odometer, I would go thru these mental milestones. 5 miles... 10 miles... 25 miles... half over... 10 miles to go... 5 to go... 56 miles. Getting back into town, I could see lots on runners on the course. And a lot were walking. People looked absolutely miserable, so I focused on the bike and ignored the runners. During the ride, I'm reminding myself of what I need for the run. Grab the hat, gels, the salt tablets you forgot for the bike.

Back in transition, I grabbed my hat and gels, I forget the salt, and I take off. It took about 2 miles to get the legs working after the bike. Its now around noon and the heat is intense. It was so hot, I felt like zig zagging across the road to hit the shade patches provided by the infrequent roadside tree. The first water station didn’t come soon enough. I drank a cup of gatorade and a cup of water, I poured a cup of cold water on my hat, poured a cup of ice in my hat, put the hat back on, and started running again. This was to be the ritual at every water station. I will say that the water stations were well manned with lots of drinks and ice, and with very helpful and encouraging people. The miles were slowly clicking by. I passed more and more people who were walking the course. I was constantly crunching numbers, trying to figure out what I needed to do to finish under 6 hours. Hitting the halfway turnaround water station, I was glad to be heading back. I passed a few people and tried to offer some encouraging words about being half over. Nearing the last 4 miles of the run, it became more and more difficult to start running again after the water stops. But I did run the entire course, knowing if I began walking, I wouldn’t run again.

Nearing the finish, I'm on a stretch of road shared with the bikers. This part of the road is a mess with patches, grooves, bumps, and potholes. I see an ambulance crew attending a biker who had gone done. When I passed him, he was on a backboard. My buds who had finished way before me told me that when they started the run, this guy lost it on the bike. The rider was hammering on his bike toward the transition area. He had a rear disk wheel with a glued-on tire. He had hit a groove in the road that ripped the tire off the rim and he went down very hard. They said he was a bloody mess and that he had a collar bone trying to stick out of his skin. They had gone over to help him before a medical crew arrived. When I passed, he was about to be put on the ambulance. Note to self: no glue-on tires.

Back on the run, the last 2 miles really drag on. Mile 12 is a blur but the 'mile 13' sign is a beautiful thing. As I get closer to the finish, I can hear the announcer calling out names, and the spectators are giving the runners the "just one more mile" words of encouragement. Finally, I'm in the chute and cross the finish for a 5:51:47 time. A volunteer asks if I'm ok as I pass the medical tent. She hands me a medal and then takes my timing chip. It was a great feeling to have finished. This race had been looming out there for months. Having done a bunch of sprint tris and one olympic distance, this half IM distance was a big unknown. Then I think about the psychos who do the full IM...

Final stats:

Swim 37:58
T1 4:30
Bike 2:48:30
T2 4:19
Run 2:16:32
Total 5:51:47

Packing up

Getting ready to head out to the race site on saturday for sunday's race. Good thing the race wasnt this morning. Cambridge had 30mph winds. The forecast is for near 10mph winds on Sunday with a high of 92. Some cloud cover would be nice. This is going to be interesting.

New harddrive for the ipod

The ipod is alive again. Was going thru withdrawls there for a while.

Reggae Dinner

Roots, Rock, Reggae Bob Marley
Wasting Time Jack Johnson
Peace in Liberia Alpha Blondy
Dice Finley Quaye
Joyful Girl Soulive
Sun Is Shining Bob Marley
Masada Alpha Blondy
Any Other Day Astaire
Cocody Rock Alpha Blondy
Shoulder to the Wheel Finley Quaye
Tous Le Monde Daddy Ous
Come Back Jesus Alpha Blondy
Tempest Dub Cottonbelly
Burning Reggae Burning Spear
Who's Coming to Dinner Black Uhuru
Riviera paradise Stevie Ray Vaughan

Taperville

Inside a week now till Eagleman. I received an email from the organizers last week as a friendly reminder to panic, and now its here. Hard to believe. Thursday was a mile swim, saturday was a 40 mile bike, sunday was spectating at the sprint tri, monday was a 50 minute run in some steamy conditions, and this morning was a solo, casual 20 mile bike in the rain. I plan on a 45 minute run (with the just fixed ipod) on wednesday and then thats about it.