Timberman - Half Iron - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Gilford, New Hampshire
United States
EndorFun
83F / 28C
Sunny
Total Time = 6h 28m 55s
Overall Rank = 1293/1862
Age Group = 30-34
Age Group Rank = 78/129
Pre-race routine:

Up at 4:00am. Ate the usual...coffee, bagel with pb, banana, sipped on some Gatorade. Got to the Park around 4:45. This is when my nerves finally kicked in! Kept reminding myself to trust my training and follow my plan for the day. Set up my TA and had a few bites of a cliff bar around 6:00.
Event warmup:

Race got off to a late start bc of a car accident on the bike course.
Swim
  • 38m 32s
  • 2112 yards
  • 01m 49s / 100 yards
Comments:

The first 100-200 meters felt like a non-stop washing machine. It wasn't as turbulent (no fists to the face this time) as some of the other races I've done this season but it felt completely relentless! Once I was eventually able to break free I got into a really good rhythm and before I knew it I was rounding the first buoy. Before rounding the second buoy my goggles were completely fogged and had a hard time sighting. I had a hard time seeing the buoys, so I tried to make sure there pink caps around me. Still felt great after rounding the second buoy. Starting thinking about how great it was that I had no where swimming close to me....and that would be bc I drifted off course! Overall I felt really great in the water, and I’d say this was definitely one of my better swims (drifting off course aside).
What would you do differently?:

Wear different goggles, have better sighting, not get off course. I've grown to really love swimming, and overall this was a really great swim for me! I felt like I could have easily kept going and going today.
Transition 1
  • 02m 47s
Comments:

What a treat to have wetsuit strippers!!
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Bike
  • 3h 29m 3s
  • 56 miles
  • 16.07 mile/hr
Comments:

First half of the bike I felt really great....way better than expected. And the first 30 miles or so totally flew by! I was got passed by a lot of super speedy people. But, I kept reminding myself that this way my day and I needed to race my race, and not to push too hard. Shortly after the turn-around my nutrition fell off a cliff and I paid dearly for it the rest of the day. I let myself get to the point of feeling thirsty, and when I hit the aid station grabbed a bottle of water which I sucked down in about 10 seconds. Giant mistake...I know better than this! I realized right away what a mistake I made and shortly thereafter my stomach was churning. The last 20 miles were downright miserable. I spent nearly an hour feeling incredibly nauseous...which also meant nearly an hour of not taking any calories. I knew I'd have moments of highs and lows throughout the race, but some of the low points during the bike were so much tougher than I expected. Despite some setbacks I really enjoyed this course!
What would you do differently?:

Stay on track with hydration and nutrition!
Transition 2
  • 02m 28s
Comments:

I don't think I've ever been so happy to get off my bike. According to my friends and family who saw me, I looked terrible heading into T2 but must have done an awesome transformation bc I headed into the run with a huge smile on my face.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Run
  • 2h 16m 5s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 10m 23s  min/mile
Comments:

I was a little worried how I was going to feel heading into the run since the bike didn't totally to as planned. Aside from my GI feeling a little unsteady, I felt strong. I think it was also around noon by the time I started out, so it was HOT! I'm normally strong on the run, and I thought if I could get in some calories and a few Endurolytes during the first few miles I could get myself back on track. Planned to take the first 3 miles easy and use it as a warmup. My legs weren't quite ready to pick it up at mile 3, so I kept an easy pace, stopping at all the aid stations. My legs started to feel pretty good for a few miles and my GI seemed to settle out a bit, but by mile 7 I was cooked. From then on I tried to keep my pace easy & steady and I walked the hills. The Best. Motivation. Ever. came around mile 11 when Andy Potts came walking down the street cheering on the runners!

As I neared the point where the finish shoot and 2nd course loop split a volunteer asked if I was heading to the finish or if I'd be taking my 2nd lap of the course. This was it....I was almost there!! Any pain I was feeling was totally gone and I was hit with such a wave of emotion I thought I was going to start crying, except I felt so emotional the tears wouldn't budge. Running down the finish shoot everyone was yelling my name (it was printed on my bib) and I couldn't stop smiling. It has never felt so good or so rewarding to cross the finish line as it did today!
What would you do differently?:

This was a really tough run. I don't really know what else I could have done differently here. The lack of calories on the bike really caught up to me by mile 7.
Post race
Warm down:

I got my finisher's medal from Chrissie Wellington, which made the whole day a million times better! Then I spent the next 20-30 minutes trying to not throw up. I felt pretty awful. Once I was able to get some food in, and soak my legs in the lake I felt great.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Experience, poor nutrition decisions

Event comments:

My day didn't go fully as planned, but I adapted as best I could and all things considered I'm really happy with the day. This has been an amazing experience! I couldn't have picked a better race for my first HIM!!! I would certainly recommend Timberman to anyone looking to do a HIM in the northeast.




Last updated: 2009-01-08 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:38:32 | 2112 yards | 01m 49s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/129
Overall: 0/1862
Performance: Good
Suit:
Course: Clockwise rectangle
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 75F / 24C Current: Medium
200M Perf. Below average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting:
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:47
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
03:29:03 | 56 miles | 16.07 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/129
Overall: 0/1862
Performance: Good
Wind: Headwind
Course: Great course....challenging, but fair. Two solid climbs, lots of rolling hills, long stretch with a false flat. With the exception of one small portion of the course, great road conditions.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering:
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 02:28
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
02:16:05 | 13.1 miles | 10m 23s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/129
Overall: 0/1862
Performance: Below average
Course:
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? No
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5