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Beach to Battleship HIM - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Wilmington, North Carolina
United States
Set Up Events
70F / 21C
Sunny
Total Time = 5h 04m 30s
Overall Rank = 32/364
Age Group = 45-49M
Age Group Rank = 2/37
Pre-race routine:

Got to the ville on Thurs late..Stayed at mom-in-law - may have been the first time I visited her alone as my ingrateful and slothful children elected to stay in Atlanta re. Halloween with their friends.
Event warmup:

I got to the race start as late as I could - too cold to stand around. I really had to boogie to get set up before the last bus left for the swim, but thought it was all taken care of. Wrong.

Light stretching before putting wetsuit on.
Swim
  • 30m 14s
  • 2078 yards
  • 01m 28s / 100 yards
Comments:

Signature part of B2B, right here. Swimming with the tide, on a day with no chop = fast time. No fooling, you'd see the next buoy way off in the distance, a little red dot on the horizon, next thing you know you're flying past it. Had plenty of open water, got a chance to draft a for a bit, not too much sun glare - All the things that could make for a challenging swim were absent. My only gripe is the need for more buoys to navigate by..There was a long stretch where all there was to go by was the shoreline..If anything, I cut the course short but I really wasn't sure where I was going for a while there.

Swim time includes about fifty yards of running to the mat and wetsuit stripping - My watch said swim was more like 28:30.
What would you do differently?:

Easiest swim ever..Could have been faster still with some more navigational help but let's not forget the tide - Borderline cheating? Ha! Every course is different..
Transition 1
  • 04m 50s
Comments:

It was LONG run to T1 in numb feet..I took a moment to get into the arm warmers/socks/garbage bag I wanted to wear until I dried off so not blazing fast transition but good enough.
What would you do differently?:

Could have been a little smoother, sure..
Bike
  • 2h 38m 11s
  • 56 miles
  • 21.24 mile/hr
Comments:

So, I had a flat coming out of T1. I had noticed bike tech support near transition, so I ran my bike over to the two guys manning the SAG truck and they got the tube changed in 3-4 mins, plus the time it took getting to them. Total time lost: Maybe 5mins..For maybe ten seconds I was Normann Stadler at Kona in '05, cursing in German and all. After I unclenched my tiny balled fists of fury - O'why me, race gods, why me? - I took off and did my best to make up time.

Uneventful ride from there on out, excepting a chase pack that reeled me around the 20th mile..This group may not have been drafting each other in the strictest sense but no way there was 3lengths of separation. I got one look at this crowd, stood up on the pedals and sprinted my way clear..

O'evil chase pack: Thou shalt not swallow me..Begone!

I picked folks off one at a time thereafter, except for one young fellow who dropped me with 5 or so miles to go..I saw him again about a mile before the finish on the run.

Fastest split in AG, even with the tire - I was definitely ready to ride and next year I'll try and do even better.
What would you do differently?:

Find some way to appease the seemingly capricious god of tire inflation.."You Looking at me?! You lookin' at Me?!"
Transition 2
  • 02m 19s
Comments:

A bit of T2 comedy on this day, folks. Bag wasn't where I was looking..Why? Because I was looking by the wrong rack, that's why. Tom Hanks spiel in Castaway about the 'sin of wasting time' makes me reflect on the bitter irony of my time in T2 on this day.
What would you do differently?:

Not be such a cranky alltom1..I mean it. Snarling surliness is no way make friends.
Run
  • 1h 48m 58s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 08m 19s  min/mile
Comments:

Anyhoo, I felt ok coming out of transition..Couple of bridges to run over and it was mostly flat from there..I had a stitch in my side that didn't let up for a few miles but legs felt pretty fresh. I started to bonk once but some GU took care of that..Started drinking a little Coke around the halfway point: No stomach problems/No leg cramps..Let's play 2!

I picked off a few folks, had some others pass me, only one from my AG that I could tell. Fastest run I've had in a 1/2IM by nearly 15mins and 3rd in AG.
What would you do differently?:

It's no blazing fast run time but I think I left it all out on the course, Saturday.
Post race
What limited your ability to perform faster:

Well, this event was the bookend to my season which started with IMAZ in April..I raced all summer long, mostly sprints, probably peaked a month or so earlier and the last few weeks of training, esp biking, got to be a little bit of a chore.

Based on current fitness levels, I think my time was about right. I can definitely get faster on the run, though and that'll be a big focus for 2009.

Event comments:

Some thoughts:

The course is perfect and the race organizers really knocked themselves out to make the debut a success. Mission accomplished. The point to point nature of the event clearly made for a logistical headache and they'll have to work that out, hopefully before next year, because I am planning to come back and do it again. A few more buoys on the swim, another aid station on the bike, and some more water taxis and they'll have a stone classic event.




Last updated: 2007-12-13 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:30:14 | 2078 yards | 01m 28s / 100yards
Age Group: 4/37
Overall: 54/364
Performance: Good
Suit: Full
Course: Point to point in Banks Channel - WITH THE TIDE.
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 65F / 18C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Bad
Rounding: Bad
T1
Time: 04:50
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed:
Biking
02:38:11 | 56 miles | 21.24 mile/hr
Age Group: 1/37
Overall: 22/364
Performance: Good
Wind: None
Course: Point to point with a nice stretch in the country around the mid-point..Almost completely flat. I will offer that the mat they placed over the drawbridge probably made it more, not less, slippery - Wiping out there would not have been pretty.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 02:19
Overall: Below average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Bad
Jumping off bike Bad
Running with bike Average
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
01:48:58 | 13.1 miles | 08m 19s  min/mile
Age Group: 3/37
Overall: 33/364
Performance: Good
Course: Loop through downtown Wilmington and Greenfield Park. It had a stretch or two of industrial park to it but I think I can say this was my favorite run course for a 1/2IM ever.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? No
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5

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2008-11-03 2:18 PM

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Master
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Atlanta, Georgia
Gold member
Subject: Beach to Battleship HIM


2008-11-03 2:25 PM
in reply to: #1784130

Extreme Veteran
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Subject: RE: Beach to Battleship HIM
Great race all around, congrats!!
2008-11-03 3:02 PM
in reply to: #1784130

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Master
2379
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Alpharetta, GA
Subject: RE: Beach to Battleship HIM
Awesome job, Chris!!  You've had a fantastic season - very impressive any way you slice it!!
2008-11-03 3:38 PM
in reply to: #1784130

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Veteran
264
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Wilmington, NC
Gold member
Subject: RE: Beach to Battleship HIM
Nice job, judging by your bike time you probably passed me somewhere right off the beach, even flat tire and all. I'm glad you enjoyed the area, I'm lucky to be able to live here.
2008-11-03 5:26 PM
in reply to: #1784130

Veteran
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Subject: RE: Beach to Battleship HIM
Great race, way to kick it on the bike.
2008-11-03 5:31 PM
in reply to: #1784130

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Veteran
290
100100252525
Kinston, NC
Subject: RE: Beach to Battleship HIM

great race!  man the bike split included the flat tire?!!! Wow!.  Nice run too. 

I agree on the carpet.  I think it may have been a tiny bit better without it based upon past experience in the sprint that was run in September



2008-11-03 5:50 PM
in reply to: #1784130

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Regular
137
10025
Fort Collins, CO
Subject: RE: Beach to Battleship HIM
Sounds like a great race, congrats on your finish
2008-11-03 6:24 PM
in reply to: #1784130

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Veteran
307
100100100
Charlotte
Subject: RE: Beach to Battleship HIM

Congratulations on a great race! 

I totally agree with your assessment -- more buoys, more bike aid & more water taxis.  I'd also like to see something besides the 'astroturf' on the bridge, that totally freaked me out.

2008-11-04 9:58 AM
in reply to: #1784130

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Master
2021
2000
Alpharetta, GA
Subject: RE: Beach to Battleship HIM
Great race and RR!!!!

Love the following.....

my ingrateful and slothful children elected to stay in Atlanta re. Halloween with their friends.

O'evil chase pack: Thou shalt not swallow me..Begone!

A bit of T2 comedy on this day, folks. Bag wasn't where I was looking..Why? Because I was looking by the wrong rack
- I know that feeling, I had a similar feeling at Indian Springs, and I had a freaking ballon tied next to my bike.

Great time, blazing fast! 5:04:30 wow, just wow. That time combined with a flat, missed rack, and almost bonking. I need to take some notes!

Congrats on the finish, and taking 2nd place in your AG!!
2008-11-04 10:17 AM
in reply to: #1784130

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Pro
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Woodstock,GA
Subject: RE: Beach to Battleship HIM

SO CLOSE!!!!

Eventually one of us will break 5 hours (I'm really hoping that it is me this weekend).

Sounds like a great event, Set-up has a reputation for 1st class races and it appears that this one was no different. 

 

2008-11-07 6:51 PM
in reply to: #1784130

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Expert
944
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Waller County, TX
Subject: RE: Beach to Battleship HIM
Dang dude, you could've broken 5 hours if not for all the extra chaos.

Excellent race and a perfect way to cap the season.

2nd AG! Good job, grabbing the hardware.

Onward to the next goal and challenge ----->


Now, if I can just find a race in TX that goes WITH the tide.


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