This was my goal race for the year. I had never attempted the half iron distance before and my training had fallen apart when I was laid off. I felt I should be using all of my time and energy looking for a new job instead of training for a triathlon. I considered not doing this triathlon but I thought I would really regret it if I did not and I thought it would help my confidence.
My wife, Julie and my daughter Sara drove up to Boulder Reservoir with me. We left the house at 4:30 AM for the hour long drive. It is always interesting to see who else is driving up for the triathlon by seeing cars with bicycles attached. It is a quick drive early on a Sunday. You need to get to the reservoir early to avoid the worst traffic and get a decent parking space.
I unloaded my stuff and we walked to the transition area. The body markers met us before the transition area. I have volunteered at triathlons as a body marker before and it amazes me how someone can rattle off their race number but hesitate when they ask your age. I entered the transition area and I realized I forgot my wave number which determines where you can set up your transition area. I saw some guys from the tri club I belong to and I just set up near them.
I grabbed my wet suit and went to look for Julie and Sara. I greeted people I knew and wished them well. I heard the announcer say Crissie Wellington was competing. I am a big fan. It would be great to see her on the bike course or the run course. I found my girls and we went to look for the Rocky Mountain Tri Club (RMTC) tent. Team In Training was set up next to RMTC. They are a great organization. I have gone to some on their workouts and I think they have great coaches and an excellent triathlon training program.
I put on my wet suit. I have not had nearly as much anxiety before the swim as I did last year. I walked down to the water and waded in with the rest of the competitors in my age group. Everyone has their game face on. We are all competing with their own internal doubts, not the guy next to us. Will I swim faster, have I trained enough, will I lose my goggles? I swim a little to check my goggle fit and to make sure I would not have an anxiety attack. The water feels great. There are clouds which hide the sun so we will not be swimming blind. These clouds will be great for the run if they stay.
The pro wave starts and we watch them swim away. They are fast and efficient. Two more waves go before me. They are starting the men in by age, from oldest to youngest. My wave is called and we wade to the starting area. I stand near the back but still in the crowd. The announcer starts us and we wade, splash and swim. I have started my 70.3 mile journey.
My swim is going about the same as it always does. I am slowly dropping behind but my stroke feels good. I get bumped a little and some guy seems to be grabbing my calf so I kick a little. After a while I notice that I have drifted to the left. I correct and wonder why I always drift to the left. When I golf I slice to the right. Weird. The fast swimmers from the age group behind my catches me after 500 meters. We round the first buoy without bumping too much. The next buoy is only 200 meters away and then it is a long 1 kilometer swim to the final buoy.
Just keep swimming, just keep swimming. Where is that last buoy? I do not feel very tired. Other waves have caught up and passed me but there are a few green caps from my age group around. I round the last buoy and swim the last 200 meters for the beach. I struggle out of the water and look at the clock. My 1.2 mile swim took 50 minutes. I have swam faster before but my training had slipped recently so I was satisfied with that time. Julie and Sara are there to cheer me on. Julie said I looked tired. I thought this swim did not feel any longer than the Olympic distance swims I had done before. I run to the transition area to start the bike. Only 69.1 miles to go.
I find my bike and strip off my wet suit. Helmet, check, sunglasses check, bike shoes check. Time to go. The bike course is two 28 mile loops that go north on US 36 to St. Vrain road and then east and south again. The first 6 miles are a gradual up hill climb. I ride out of the reservoir and I feel pretty good. People pass me and I pass others. Nobody rides a mountain bike in this triathlon. Some RMTC members pass me and we we shout encouragement to each other.
The bike leg is when you are supposed to recover from the swim and refuel for the run. We carry sports drinks, snack bars and gels. As Jef Mallet said in the "Frazz" comic strip, "You can't bring a chicken dinner...". I have Hammer chocolate and rasberry with me. Unfortunately, I forgot to thin the chocolate with some water. I brought Arrowhead brand water bottle so I could dump it at the first aid station and get a full bottle. The volunteers on the course were great. Getting water on the bike is a little more challenging that getting water on the run. You can't walk through the station. Some of the volunteers will run with you to make it easier to get the bottle.
The pro male riders pass me. The are riding and average of 10 miles an hour faster than me. I never did see Chrissie go by. My average speed is getting faster now that I am through climbing. I wanted to average 17 mph and I was able to pass that. I keep thinking that I have to save my legs for the rest of the ride and the run so I take it easy. I feel pretty good after the first 28 mile loop. Only 41 miles to go.
The second bike loop is a little slower than the first but not too much slower. The weather is staying relatively cool but the clouds are gone. After 40 miles on the bike I have had enough riding. I finish the second loop and make the turn to the reservoir. As I reach the dismount point, I have trouble un-clipping my right foot. I dismount and head for the transition. Julie and Sara are there to cheer me on. They are great, they have had to wait more that 3 hours for me.
56 miles in about 3 hours and 15 minutes. I am satisfied with that. Only 13.1 miles to go.
My T2 transition time is embarrassing. I had to make a pit stop before heading out for the run. The weather is hot now and the run starts on a dirt road that runs north from the reservoir. My knees hurt a little at first but they stop as they get loosened up. My pace starts out well but I am tired. At the first aid station I grab water, Gatorade and ice. I start to walk up the hills and thought the aid stations.
The run is 2 6.5 mile loops around Boulder Reservoir. You run along the "Certain Death" canal, past the dog beach and along the dam. At an aid station I grab a wet sponge and put it under my cap to help keep cool. I pass the finish area after the first loop. Just as I am passing, they are awarding the trophies to the pro winners. Another teammate is finishing her race and I still have 7 miles to go.
After 7 miles, I feel like I am starving. I have bonked. I start walking and I consume my remaining gels. I hope I can digest them quickly enough to matter. I walk some and run some. After a couple of miles, I feel better and start to run more. Julie runs the last mile with me which helps a lot.
I finish with a time of 6:41:35. I am pleased with my bike leg but the run was awful - 2:25. I really need to work harder next year. Lots of bric workouts and lots of running. Over all I am very pleased that I completed this race and I hope to do more half-ironman races next year.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Sunday, June 21, 2009
The Loveland Lake to Lake Triathlon
The Lake to Lake Triathlon is a 1.5 km open water swim, 30 mile bike ride and a 6.2 mile run. It is held a Loveland High School in Loveland, Colorado. My optimistic goal was to try and complete this in less than 3 hours but I figured it would be more like 3:10.
I drove to Loveland on Friday to get my packet, race bib, swag, etc. I did not want to try and pick up my packet and prepare for the race on race day. Loveland is about 45 miles north of Denver. The town of Loveland is really no where near Loveland pass. I checked out the transition area and the lake which was next to the school. The run from the lake to the transition area is about 200 meters. Fortunately it is all grass. The transition area is all grass as well which was pretty nice.
Julie and I left the house at 4:30 AM for the drive to Loveland. The first wave started at 6:30 and my wave started last at 6:50. I set up my transition area and had the staff write my number and age on my arm and leg. 737 was written on my arm and leg and my age was written on my calf. I don't know why the age is needed but I always find it interesting to note the age of the people.
The weather was perfect. It was about 72 degrees with overcast skies. I greeted people I know from the Rocky Mountain Tri Club and went to find Julie. We walked down to the swim area and I looked around nervously. The swim is my weakest event. I went down to the water to acclimate myself and swim a little. The water was 60 degrees which is colder that I like but that's the fun of triathlon.
They called my wave and I went over stood at the starting line. I nervously waited and listened to some guys I knew from the tri club. I figured I would try and stay with the pack more this time. I usually try and stay behind the main scrum. The siren sounded and we were off. Run 5 meters and start swimming. I stayed with the pack around the first mark and just kept swimming. I found it difficult to swim with people grabbing my feet and seeing others feet a few inches from my goggles but that's the fun of triathlon. The water was choppy with the swimmers and the patrolling jet skis. At the second mark, I thought of yelling "Starboard! Room at the mark!". Wrong sport but I thought it might cause enough confusion to be amusing.
Just keep swimming, just keep swimming.... I was falling further behind but I was not completely out of it. I saw a guy from the try club and I tried to stick with him. I am so relieved to complete the swim and I leave the water thinking Yes, now I can ride! Julie was there a the end of the swim taking my picture.
My swim to bike transition went well, 2:20 little faster than my last triathlon. I noted how few bikes were left. I left the transition area for the ride to Horsetooth Reservoir. 1.5 miles into the ride I hit a rock and 15 feet further I heard "PSSSSHHHHHHT". My front tire went flat. I turned to get off the course and the front wheel hit the curb and I went over hard and landed on my right shoulder. I normally carry tubes, CO2 and tools so I had what I needed. I changed the flat, packed my stuff, mounted the wheel and started riding. I figured I must be in last place by now. I could feel stinging on my arm and shoulder, but nothing seemed broken or dislocated. My bib number on my right arm was now a "7" instead of "737"
I noticed that my speedometer was not moving so now I had no idea how fast I was going or how far I had ridden. Just keep riding. The course support was terrific. There were people at every turn so I had no trouble staying on course. The first part of the course is mostly up hill. You end up climbing 700 feet in 15 miles. You ride out of the city into the foothills on your way to the reservoir. As I reached the top of a hill I kept wondering is this the top? Finally, I came around a bend and I saw someone holding a sign that said "Steep Hill". To his left was a hill that went up and to his right a road that went down. He pointed to his right. I saw the ambulance that was parked so it could see the bottom of the hill and the hairpin turn. "Yeah!" I thought to myself, it was all downhill from here and I was halfway done. I felt good for the rest of the ride and I thought I had finished strong. Again Julie was there to cheer me on and take my photo. She waited all that time and she probably feared I had become lost.
Now it was time for the run. Fortunately, this is my strongest of the three. I changed shoes and headed out. Leaving T2 is hard, you are tired from the ride and now you have to run. I saw may people from the tri club finishing as I was heading out. This was discouraging but I appreciated that each one waved or yelled encouragement as they went by. There were plenty of water stations that still had water and Gatorade. My wonderful wife was there again on the run course to cheer me on. I felt I was running well but probably not at my best effort. I finished the run and it was great to hear Charlie and others cheer me on to the finish.
Despite the setbacks I improved my swim and run time over my last Olympic tri. My finish time was very disappointing but I am glad I did not give up after the flat. I finished the tri in 3:36:13. My swim was 38:19, the bike was 2:02:39 and the run was 50:14. My transition times, especially T2 really need improvement.
I drove to Loveland on Friday to get my packet, race bib, swag, etc. I did not want to try and pick up my packet and prepare for the race on race day. Loveland is about 45 miles north of Denver. The town of Loveland is really no where near Loveland pass. I checked out the transition area and the lake which was next to the school. The run from the lake to the transition area is about 200 meters. Fortunately it is all grass. The transition area is all grass as well which was pretty nice.
Julie and I left the house at 4:30 AM for the drive to Loveland. The first wave started at 6:30 and my wave started last at 6:50. I set up my transition area and had the staff write my number and age on my arm and leg. 737 was written on my arm and leg and my age was written on my calf. I don't know why the age is needed but I always find it interesting to note the age of the people.
The weather was perfect. It was about 72 degrees with overcast skies. I greeted people I know from the Rocky Mountain Tri Club and went to find Julie. We walked down to the swim area and I looked around nervously. The swim is my weakest event. I went down to the water to acclimate myself and swim a little. The water was 60 degrees which is colder that I like but that's the fun of triathlon.
They called my wave and I went over stood at the starting line. I nervously waited and listened to some guys I knew from the tri club. I figured I would try and stay with the pack more this time. I usually try and stay behind the main scrum. The siren sounded and we were off. Run 5 meters and start swimming. I stayed with the pack around the first mark and just kept swimming. I found it difficult to swim with people grabbing my feet and seeing others feet a few inches from my goggles but that's the fun of triathlon. The water was choppy with the swimmers and the patrolling jet skis. At the second mark, I thought of yelling "Starboard! Room at the mark!". Wrong sport but I thought it might cause enough confusion to be amusing.
Just keep swimming, just keep swimming.... I was falling further behind but I was not completely out of it. I saw a guy from the try club and I tried to stick with him. I am so relieved to complete the swim and I leave the water thinking Yes, now I can ride! Julie was there a the end of the swim taking my picture.
My swim to bike transition went well, 2:20 little faster than my last triathlon. I noted how few bikes were left. I left the transition area for the ride to Horsetooth Reservoir. 1.5 miles into the ride I hit a rock and 15 feet further I heard "PSSSSHHHHHHT". My front tire went flat. I turned to get off the course and the front wheel hit the curb and I went over hard and landed on my right shoulder. I normally carry tubes, CO2 and tools so I had what I needed. I changed the flat, packed my stuff, mounted the wheel and started riding. I figured I must be in last place by now. I could feel stinging on my arm and shoulder, but nothing seemed broken or dislocated. My bib number on my right arm was now a "7" instead of "737"
I noticed that my speedometer was not moving so now I had no idea how fast I was going or how far I had ridden. Just keep riding. The course support was terrific. There were people at every turn so I had no trouble staying on course. The first part of the course is mostly up hill. You end up climbing 700 feet in 15 miles. You ride out of the city into the foothills on your way to the reservoir. As I reached the top of a hill I kept wondering is this the top? Finally, I came around a bend and I saw someone holding a sign that said "Steep Hill". To his left was a hill that went up and to his right a road that went down. He pointed to his right. I saw the ambulance that was parked so it could see the bottom of the hill and the hairpin turn. "Yeah!" I thought to myself, it was all downhill from here and I was halfway done. I felt good for the rest of the ride and I thought I had finished strong. Again Julie was there to cheer me on and take my photo. She waited all that time and she probably feared I had become lost.
Now it was time for the run. Fortunately, this is my strongest of the three. I changed shoes and headed out. Leaving T2 is hard, you are tired from the ride and now you have to run. I saw may people from the tri club finishing as I was heading out. This was discouraging but I appreciated that each one waved or yelled encouragement as they went by. There were plenty of water stations that still had water and Gatorade. My wonderful wife was there again on the run course to cheer me on. I felt I was running well but probably not at my best effort. I finished the run and it was great to hear Charlie and others cheer me on to the finish.
Despite the setbacks I improved my swim and run time over my last Olympic tri. My finish time was very disappointing but I am glad I did not give up after the flat. I finished the tri in 3:36:13. My swim was 38:19, the bike was 2:02:39 and the run was 50:14. My transition times, especially T2 really need improvement.
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