The 2009 5430 Long Course Triathlon

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.