9.27.09 - Augusta 70.3 Race Report

So i've been kind of hesitant to write my race report because I have some mixed feelings about the race. On the one hand - it was a great experience and I can finally say that I've completed a Half-Ironman, but on the other hand - I got my ass kicked. I guess there are two ways of approaching this race - (1) you do it to just do it or (2) you race it. Looking back - I chose option 1 even though I thought I was choosing option 2. I just 'did it' even though I thought I was racing it. I had it built up in my head that this was going to be tough to just finish, so I guess that is why things unfolded the way they did. I know that for most racers, there are always points in a race when that when looking back afterwards, they wish they could've done things differently. I'll give a brief rundown of how things went:



Prerace - this was kind of disastrous, as i had borrowed some sick-fast wheels but procrastinated to put them on the bike until the last minute - of course, they didn't fit (rear disc rubbed chainstay). So needless to say that sucked. Also, driving up the day before is kind of stressful. It kind of limits the prep - especially when you have to drive for hours, check in, move luggage, move rooms, try to get in a 'loosen-up' workout, then eat, then get to bed at a decent time. Stressful and not a lot of fun. I know that Steph hates dealing with me before my races, and I don't blame her - i was a punk. Nuff said bout that.


Race day:
Was up around 4:30ish - got in some oatmeal and a banana and some nasty room-coffee. Took care of "lightening the load" TWICE - so was feeling good and cleaned out. We headed on down to the transition area and it was packed. As soon as I walk in there to set my stuff up, I hear the announcer say, "If you're in the first couple of waves, then you shouldn't be hearing my voice!! Get to the swim start!" --- panic sets in for me at this point. I still had 45min till my race starts...... but we hauled ass back to the swim start which was about a mile away and me and Eric jump out. I guess with races this big, they try to build in enough time for logistics because it just takes so damn long to get everything passed out to each competitor. Grabbed my chip and got my suit on and found my wave just in time to watch the pro men go off. My group 30-34 had two waves and I was in the first. As we walked down the ramp I look back and realize that there is a TON of dudes in my group!! Anyways, got in the water - was glad to have my wetsuit - it was cold. The swim was point to point in the river. I was in a good position for the start but for some reason I couldn't recover until about 5-7 minutes in. I was jacked up and wasn't getting enough air. It almost felt like Tahoe but eventually it came around. At one point, I swam too far out and a kayaker stopped me and I had to swim back into course... this sucked a little momentum out of me, but overall the swim was fast and easy. Came out of the water in just over 23 minutes -- felt really quick!!

T1 - now here is where the mistakes happened. With my wetsuit being as tight as it is, I couldn't get my arms out after i unzipped on the run into transition, so i was the dork in the wetsuit-straight-jacket. I ran past the wetsuit strippers in the transition area - mainly because they didn't have it labled or announce that they were there. Oh well, finally found my rack and took way too long to get out of my suit. Then I had to put on socks (as I don't have triathlon riding shoes) and put my Garmin on since I left the mount for the bars back in the hotel. This just seemed to take FOREVER...... hence the over-four minute T1 time.

The bike - once out riding, I felt really good - started passing people immediately - holding 26-27 mph like it was easy. Concentrated on drinking and eating. this was the one thing that I think I did well was take in my nutrition. Except for the fact that I forgot my endurolytes / aminos in transition, all went to plan. Calorie intake was around 900 for the 2:30 on the bike (plus the 27 minutes from the swim & T1 -- so for three hours i avgd 300 cal / hour -- right on plan. I hit the halfway point on the bike (according to my Garmin @ 28miles) and it was just barely 1:10 -- that put me on track for a 2:20 bike split!! Got pretty excited but realized it might be better to back it off a bit and save something for the run -- since I have a tendency to blow up on the runs - especially long ones. My bike goal was 2:30 so I stuck to that and it was for the good because the second half had some more headwinds and climbs, so I'm glad i didn't try to push hard to make that 2:20 split - even though I know I could've done it - i would've paid for it on the run.

T2 - Not as bad as T1 but still felt kind of discombobulated as I tried to take my time and make sure I didn't forget anything. Had to change out watches and put on racebelt adn fuel belt, but glad that I wore that thing. Extra water always feels good on the run.

The run:
The sun was out by now but it wasn't THAT hot yet. Was feeling pretty good through the first couple of miles - holding just under 8min pace - felt like I could go a little faster but I held myself back - for fear of blowing up. This was a two lap race so once I passed the turn for the finish line - I knew all I had to do was one more lap -- This got me psyched! I made use of all the aid stations with their sponges, water, and gatorade. Took one gel at 7miles in and before I knew it - i hit mile 10. It really came up kinda quick and I was feeling pretty good - I decided to pick it up for the last 3miles so I upped my pace to about 7:40 and got in right at 4:47:xx --- again, not a bad time for a first race BUT compared to the guys in the top ten in my class -- they were all putting down runs in the 1:30 range -- that's where I need to be to be competitive.

So i learned a lot - gained a little confidence for the distance - and definitely had fun. Looking forward to trying another one next year and getting competitive in that one.