I went into this race with a different approach than i've started any race since i've started: I knew it was going to be a very painful day, and i'd have to go to a very uncomfortable place. There were several things weighing heavily on me, and today would provide a great opportunity to work through some of them.
SWIM (2.4 miles): i lined up towards the front, once the gun went off, i worked my way through the initial congestion, i settled in on a pair of feet and cruised through the swim. nothing eventful, 1 bridged up to a new set of feet a couple of times. No great efforts, and my swim time reflected that. SWIM 1:11:13 (1:47min/100m)
T1: i came out of the water and had some trouble getting out of my wetsuit. After i stripped it off, i grabbed my bike gear, put my helmet a couple bonk breakers, racebelt, and sunglasses. made a quick bathroom break, and off onto the bike course. A rather slow transition (0:06:51)
Bike (112 miles): my strategy was pretty straight forward, ride easy for the fast sections, put a little extra effort into headwinds and climbs, and see where things fell out. I headed out towards the first turnaround just past 15 miles. On the way back, i saw several pulse kits, recognized Dean out front, Dave Stepp a little behind, and Mike Drury a little further back. I settled into a good steady effort, focused on hydrating well, and taking in the calories i would need to keep going. a couple riders went back and forth with me, and a couple rode past me, it wasn't in the cards today to engage in a game of chase. I sat in and followed the plan. At the 60 mile turnaround i felt strong, and continued with the plan, a slightly harder effort on the way back. At 65 miles my legs started cramping, lovely, this will make for a great day, and no salt tabs either.
i tried to focus on a steady effort, with consistent effort throughout the pedal stroke and tried to relax my legs. Next aid station i grabbed 1 banana and a gatorade. The cramping eased until between 75 and 80 miles and came back a little worse. Again i settled in to a steady effort, grabbed a banana, and more gatorade. I was hoping the low points would come much later, no such luck.
The 90 mile mark and onto the bike path, feeling pretty good, and the cramping had subsided. the bike path would prove to be into a stiff headwind, and particularly slow. it was a mental challenge to stay aero going so slowly; however, with the headwind, i kept reminding myself, it was far easier to proceed in the aero position then if i were to sit upright. When i got off the bike path, i was feeling pretty good, grabbed some water and gatorade from the last aid station. a couple more riders went by, then i settled back into my solo effort. The last 12 miles proved to be pretty straightforward, just kep plugging away at it. This was the first time i was not ready to get off the bike at the end of the ride. I saw Kariem starting on the run, as i was coming in off the bike. BIKE 6:07:57 (18.3 mph)
T2: Off the bike, my legs are a bit stiff and take a while to come around. I hand off my bike, grab my run gear bag, and head into the tent. socks, running shoes and i'm off onto the run. (0:02:18)
Run (26.2 miles): started on the run, slow and steady, try to run very comfortably easy and hold the pace for as long as possible. I grabbed some liquid at the first aid station, and would grab gel and liquid at even aid stations. legs felt ok, i caught Kariem just past mile 4 of the run, chatted briefly and wished him well. I kept plugging along slow and steady. this worked for almost 16 miles, then it all caught up, and my pace slowed to a crawl. I tried to grab nutrition and stuff it in, several gels, some animal crackers, oranges, bananas and broth, let my stomach settle, and hope my legs came around. I wound up walking a bit here and there, but always resumed the run. I came back down and made the last pass through the district. RUN 4:48:25 (11:01 min/m)
OVERALL: 12:16:42
all in all i'm satisfied with the results and a good time. Despite the fact that there were several things i missed during the race and trip.
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