Savageman 70.0 - Triathlon


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Swanton, Maryland
United States
Set Up Events
Overcast
Total Time = 7h 18m 30s
Overall Rank = 107/184
Age Group = M45-49
Age Group Rank = 16/36
Pre-race routine:

Rested and ate well the night before - as best I could, anyway.
I'd just used all my gear, so most of it was already set to go, but I needed to throw some throw some stuff on the dryer because it rained while we were biking the 30.0 the day before and lots of stuff was soaked.... this would bite me in the ass in the morning.
Event warmup:

Got to the race site and back to my home for the weekend - rack spot #4 - and started to set up my transition area.... when I realized that I had no run shoes, because they were back at the house on the living room floor where I had left them while trying to get things dried out.

At the urging of the other folks at my rack (also doing the 120.0 - and some seriously kick-ass folks, at that) I scrambled to find the announcer to see if anyone had a spare pair of run shoes. Thankfully, a guy working Packet Pickup had a pair that he graciously allowed me to wear. Thank you!!!!!

With that, I was pretty much ready to go... there was some other drama (like forgetting that I had to do a second packet pickup, etc..), but nothing major.


Besides that - this was it. The Main Event.
My whole reason for being here was the 70.0 and wanting to get my Brick. When I learned that it was the 10th Anniversary and they were offering a 120.0, well, that was just (insane) icing on the cake!!




Swim
  • 35m 48s
  • 2112 yards
  • 01m 42s / 100 yards
Comments:

The goal for this was to simply manage my way through the course and conserve energy for now; I knew I'd need all I could get later on this bike course.

I started toward the front and far inside, and at the gun, got out and just got into a good rhythm and maintained an even effort throughout. Caught a few people's feet early and again late, and just let them pull me along.
What would you do differently?:

Absolutely nothing. This went really well.

Transition 1
  • 04m 35s
Comments:

Took a totally opposite approach from the day before - no pre-clipping of shoes, no real flying mounts, etc..... slow and deliberate was my mantra. Despite that, I still nearly ran out without my helmet on. Had to return to the rack and put it on, then get going again.... the brain was not entirely firing on all cylinders at this point, fatigue was already evident.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing - time was the last thing I was concerned about.
Bike
  • 4h 18m 37s
  • 55.7 miles
  • 12.92 mile/hr
Comments:

Coming into this, I had one goal and one goal only aside from finishing the 120.0: Get My Brick.

That's it, nothing else mattered. As such, I took the first 18 miles pretty easy. I spun up Toothpick and cruised down the long descent toward the town of Westernport.

When I saw the sign at the city limits, my stomach flopped. Nerves hit and I started to get amped up. This was it. There was a guy in front of me that kept soft-pedaling to try to put space in front of him, but I was trying to do the same to let some space grow between us - I didn't want to be anywhere anyone's rear wheel when I got to the wall. Turns out, it wouldn't matter. As I rode almost casually through the town, the anticipation began to grow, and I kept thinking that every turn would The Turn that finally revealed The Wall to me. Finally, one by one we made an easy left and there it was..... and I just laughed. My brain was like "Are you freaking kidding me?!!?"...and then I started running through everything people had been telling me. I got into the easiest gear early, I stayed seated and spinning through most all of the lead-up, I picked my line on the right, and then I just got out of the saddle, kept my (considerable) weight forward and hammered it for all I was worth - head down, neck and arms popping, screaming... and I made it up! I got my Brick. From this point on, nothing else mattered. I was now just there to take it all in and complete it. Up and over Big Savage (I did walk the bike up the last 200 meters of Big Savage) and Killer Miller (which I rode all the way up - and I felt like death at the top, lol!).
The last 5 miles or so of the bike were super easy and fast. I rolled up to T2 and hopped off, ready to walk my bike to the rack :)

What would you do differently?:

Not. A. Freaking. Thing.
Transition 2
  • 03m 8s
Comments:

Got off the bike with shoes still on, only after coming to a complete stop, then walk/danced my bike to the other end of transition to get my Run On. I'd finished the bike of Savageman and gotten my Brick, and I'd done it as part of the 120.0 - I couldn't have been happier.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Run
  • 2h 16m 23s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 10m 25s  min/mile
Comments:

Hands down, one of my best runs of the season. The time/pace wasn't the greatest, but given the course and the fact that this was the end of Race #3 of the weekend, I would never have expected it to be fast.... but it felt GOOD. I munch on Chex Mix and bananas, and alternated drinking Gatorade and water.... my stomach issues that had plagued me all season long were nowhere to be seen, and it was freaking amazing! I walked the camprground hill (the same little one from the 20.0 & 30.0) and definitely walked the Fire Road Hill both times... aside from that, I was able to keep moving pretty much the entire time and it was great!

What would you do differently?:

Nothing!
Post race
What limited your ability to perform faster:

At some point during the 50.0 the day before, I did something to my left Achilles. I first really noticed it before the swim. It almost felt like my timing chip was on way too tight, but the calf was kinda tight, too. It kinda plagued me a bit all day, but I don't know if it every REALLY held me back, but I do know that I'm paying for it now. Post-race, I can barely walk - I'm pretty much totally hobbled; that ankle will barely flex and there is some swelling around the Achilles.

Event comments:

"Overall course based on my ability:" option above needs an "OMFG, ARE YOU CRAZY?!?" setting.



If you've never done Savageman - you owe it to yourself. While it is definitely the hardest race course you are likely to ever do, that bike course is also probably the most beautiful. Several times along the way, I just took some time to take it all in - utterly gorgeous country!

I'm sure that I've left out a TON of things I wanted to say here, but I do want to remember to give a shout out to all of the folks wearing Bib #'s 35 and under (especially my rack mates 1-12) - it was great to see everyone along the way throughout the weekend and give each other a little nod, a high five, or just small cheers as we all finished the 120.0






Last updated: 2016-05-19 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:35:48 | 2112 yards | 01m 42s / 100yards
Age Group: 4/36
Overall: 50/184
Performance: Good
Suit: Xterra Vector Pro full sleeve
Course: Start at the left hand beach and go off toward the sun and around the turtle with the alpaca on top, then come back with the sun until you run out of yellow buoys, then turn and come back in and get out of the water at the right hand beach.
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 70F / 21C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Good Drafting: Good
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 04:35
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Yes
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: No
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
04:18:37 | 55.7 miles | 12.92 mile/hr
Age Group: 23/36
Overall: 125/184
Performance: Average
Wind: Little
Course: Scribbles of the Devil Himself
Road: Smooth Wet Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 03:08
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
02:16:23 | 13.1 miles | 10m 25s  min/mile
Age Group: 12/36
Overall: 77/184
Performance: Good
Course:
Keeping cool Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge
Organized?
Events on-time?
Lots of volunteers?
Plenty of drinks?
Post race activities:
Race evaluation [1-5]