Toyota Challenge Half Ironman

I came into this race with an understanding of how this distance would be different from the Sprint and Olympic distance triathlons before it, but no real practical knowledge … i.e. experience. I had a well drawn out battle plan, but it was now time to execute. Scouting the course, dealing with some last minute technical issues, mingling with the other first time HIMers I found myself usually calm before a race like this … going over mental checklists for the 400th time, trying to run through everything once more and then shut the brain down and turn on autopilot. Perhaps its because the swim is first and thats where I feel most comfortable. About the only thing I was telling myself was “relax … it’s going to be a loooooong day.’ I zipped up my wet suit, waded into the iron rich, murky brown water, caught my breath and entered the washing machine.

The swim was everything I hoped for. After the first 200 meters of getting kicked, grabbed, elbowed, and climbed on top of (the water was very shallow) I made the first turnaround and drifted off to the outside to be by myself. At this point the hammerheads that went out to fast on the swim were already paying the price as I steadied into my rhythm. Breathing check, swimming in a straight line check, technique check … everything according to plan. After lap one I was pretty much by myself and didn’t have to compete for resources which made me very relaxed. I didn’t see another person, outside of the few stragglers from the previous wave which I was lapping, until right at the very end. I exited the water with the 14th fastest swim of the day with a very optimistic outlook.? I did alot of prep work on my transitions since my last tri and I think it really paid off. I cut almost a minute off my transition time by adding a bento box, getting a good spot on the rack, and practicing the flying mount. I did several transition practices as well to get better.

As great as it is to exit the water at the front of the pack, getting passed by a boatload of people in the first few miles of the bike is not fun! Every muscle in my body is screaming out wanting to go faster, but Ive trained enough, studied enough, practiced enough to know that hammering right out of the water was a recipe for doom. Regardless of what my mind was saying, I did go out fast dropping a 21.8 mph average on the first 18.65 mile lap; still two more to go however. The second lap the wind started to pick up. Since we were riding in between corn fields on country roads which are necessarily straight and square you had miles of straightaways which the wind would blow right in your face. Add to this my gears were starting to jump a little bit, and wouldn’t stay in the one I wanted to cruise in. This lead me to gear down to a smaller cog effectively making me put out more effort than I wanted to. My heart rate was under control at this point though so I used that as my guide and let it go.

By this point I was well into my nutrition and hydration strategy and it was working great! Every 15 minutes I would take either 8oz of water with an energy gel, or 8oz of Gatorade to keep me going. I also would pop salt tabs to stay on top of my electrolytes since it was heating up outside. I did get a bit bloated from time to time but had to fight through it because I knew I had to keep the fluids and calories coming in and it wasn’t going to get any easier to put nutrition down on the run. Lap three came around by the time I got passed by the first (but not only woman). I let it go in stride though as it did give me a change in scenery for a few seconds as they were completely blazing a trail on their bikes. While my nutrition strategy was working well, my pacing was a bit off as I dropped down to 20.8 mph on lap two, down to 20.0 on lap 3. This would be all part of the experience which would make it self known come time for the run.? (I would later find out my back tire was significantly bent after the race and was rubbing for who knows how long … this could have lead to the drops in time)

For now, the task at hand was survival as the run is my weakest link. I would end up giving up a 5 minute lead going into the run 3rd in my age group, to finish 3 minutes behind him. None of that was my concern when I headed out though, as I was still in a focused autopilot mode. Heart rate was in the right zone, legs needed a little help waking up, but that was to be expected. The temperature was getting into the low 90s at this point and nutrition/hydration would become more key than ever.

To that degree, I nailed the entire triathlon. No cramping, a little stomach distress, but I was always able to take in calories and fluids when I needed them. I think I just left to much on the bike as most people do in their first half. Despite repeated attempts to race my own race, my body told me it was OK … go for it! In hindsight though, Im not sure how much it really would have helped. Averaging 9:15 minute miles over a half marathon after a 1.2 mile swim and 56 mile bike can be looked at respectably in some circles. The only really bad part about the run, was that it was a two loop course which brought you within 100ft of the finish line before you had to turn around and head back another 6 miles before you could celebrate on the other side of the timing mat.? Another hour would tick off before I made it back to finish 4th in my age group as the heat was getting to everyone and slowed me down to a very enjoyable walk at each aid station.

All in all it was an unbelievable experience, and such a great end to a very successful triathlon season. I feel blessed to be able to accomplish this goal and look forward to a little time off before training for Ironman Louisville starts early next year.