Standard Race Report Warning: This, like all race reports, is very long.  Grab a drink, sit back and enjoy!

First off, a huge “Thank you!” to all my blog/Facebook buddies and family out there cheering me on along the way!  It was so exciting to see all of your comments on Facebook after I finished.  I owe it all to Jennifer.  She did a tri of her own – cheering, photographing, and Facebook updating. 

I know that I am a little late getting this posted.  But we decided to stay Up North for an extra day to celebrate Jennifer’s birthday.  If you know anything about Northern Michigan, you’ll know that cell reception is shoddy at best and free Wi-Fi was non existent.

Pre Race

Race weekend started up by driving up to Petoskey on Saturday afternoon.  Not long after we got on the road, we settled in behind his car.

Always good to start off the day with a laugh.

We got to Petoskey without incident and headed straight to packet pickup.  It was a very low-key setup with a single table for registration and no other booths.  The schwag for this race included a nice cotton t-shirt and a Headsweats visor.  Generally, I prefer a tech shirt, but I have horrible luck with sizing on tech shirts.  If I pick medium, it ends up being too small.  If I pick large, it ends up being too big.  And I’ve gotten hosed too many times because I wasn’t allowed to switch sizes.  So now I have shirts I can’t ever really wear.  Anyways, the shirt is nice, but the visor is AWESOME.  Jennie even ended up buying me a second visor for $5.  I think it is technically last year’s visor, but it doesn’t have a date on it.

After packet pickup, I headed down to check out the swim course.  The course changed since I last posted.  Instead of an L shaped course, it was two rectangular loops in the harbor.  This would be my first time doing a looped swim course.

I could tell right away that this was going to be a great swim course.  It was surrounded on three sides by either a breakwall or dock leaving the water as calm as a pool.  On top of that, it was crystal clear and clean. 

To give you an idea of how clear the water was, the above picture was taken from the dock.  You can see the bottom and it was about 15 feet deep at that point!  Obviously, the down side with clear water is that you can see EVERYTHING.  So, if you don’t like seeing seaweed at the bottom, it’s not the course for you.  As Jennie said, “It’s just like grass.” So no need to worry about it.

After checking out the course, we went to check into our hotel.  After seeing the room, we knew that we weren’t going to want to spend a minute longer there than we had to.  Needless to say, the pictures on Expedia were horribly inaccurate.  Two thumbs WAY down.  The only positive of the hotel is that neither of us ended up with bed bugs – which seemed like it could have been a distinct possibility.

So, not wanting to hang out at the hotel, we headed to the City Park Grill for dinner.  We both got the lasagna and it was absolutely delicious!  The restaurant has quite the history too.  In the early 1900’s, it served as an underground house of beer during the prohibition era.  The actual bar in the restaurant dates back to the late 1800’s and is one of the coolest bars I’ve seen.  Ernest Hemmingway must have agreed with me because he spent a good portion of time sitting at the end of the bar penning some of his classics.

(photo courtesy of www.cityparkgrill.com)

After dinner, we headed to a small park to walk around and watch the sunset.

 

Leave it to Jennie to find a place to wash her hands.  I was getting into race mode and practicing my dolphin dives.

 

Against my better judgment, I decided that I wanted to walk out to a small offshore sand bar.  This meant climbing over a large pile of rocks any of which could have thrown me off balance and caused me to twist an ankle.  Then it was a walk over some really sharp rocks.  Thankfully there were no twisted ankles or cut feet and I made to the sandbar (and back) victorious.

After the sunset, we headed back to the hotel for a restless night of sleep.  I learned that I don’t fit on a double bed – my feet hang off the end a good foot or so.

Race Day

Before I knew it, it was 5:30 and time to get moving.  I had a quick breakfast; blueberry bagel, banana, yogurt and OJ.  And then we were off.

I ran into Becky, a high school friend doing her first HIM, as soon as I got to the transition area.  Bikes were racked alphabetically (what is this, kindergarten?).  I’m an “N”, she is a “P”, so we were practically next to each other.  I was actually happy with the assigned bike position and it has nothing to do with the fact that I moseyed into the transition area 30 minutes before the race meeting and still had an end spot on the rack.  Oh wait, it has EVERYTHING to do with that.  So freaking sweet to get assigned an end spot.

I got my area setup and then headed over to get my chip and body marked.  This has to be biggest race chip I have ever worn.  It felt like I was Lindsey Lohan on house arrest.  It was the biggest pain because you couldn’t wear it under your wetsuit.  Not only would the wet suit cause it to dig into your leg, but the race director said that the timing mats wouldn’t read it if it was under the wetsuit.

This picture is for you Jon.  Proof that I properly applied sunscreen before the race.  I actually reapplied sunscreen after the bike and am happy to report that there was no unfortunate accidents like last time.

I was actually a little bit hurried getting all my gear setup.  I’m glad that I have done this enough times now that I have to down to a science though.  No sooner was I finishing up that we were getting called down to the boat launch for the athlete meeting and National Anthem.

The Swim

After the athlete meeting, I jumped in the water to warm up a bit and make sure my goggles were adjusted.  I was wearing a new pair of goggles for the first time in a race (been wearing them in the pool for a couple weeks) and wanted to make sure I wasn’t going to have any leaks.  I’m going to do a full product review shortly, but so far this is the best pair of goggles I have ever worn.  They are Aqua Sphere Kayenne’s and they are amazing.

I was in the 3rd swim wave of the morning; the first two waves were the men and women Olympic distance athletes.  After they started, we got lined up.  I positioned myself fairly aggressively, but because it was an in-water start there wasn’t as much elbowing as there is during a beach start.

The course headed straight out the boat launch.  At the end of the dock, we turned right, did two rectangular loops and then headed back to the boat launch.

And we’re off!  Strategy-wise, this was one of my best swims ever.  I drafted for over 50% of the course.  On the first loop, I realized I was swimming next to the same guy and neither of us was gaining on the other.  So, I fell back and started swimming behind him.  Because the water was so clear (and my new goggles are freaking awesome), I could actually see feet rather than just bubbles.  I stayed behind him until he took a bad turn at one of the buoys and headed off in the wrong direction (he did eventually correct himself, but not until he was about 25 yards off course).  I was on my own for a little bit before I found a new set of feet to latch on to.  My only fear in drafting was that I was “settling” for the pace the leader was setting and not pushing myself.  So, at a couple of points, I would move to the side and swim on my own before realizing that we really were swimming the same speed.

Now, here is the absolutely coolest thing about the swim.  Because of the layout of the course, there were spectators lining part of the course.  On the swim!  How cool is that?  Generally, there is nothing but water and wetsuits on the swim.  In the picture above, I am waving to Jennie.  I could actually see her standing on the dock as I went by.

There was only one downside to the swim course.  With the Olympic athletes doing a slightly shorter course some of the leaders were turning back into the dock as the HIM athletes were starting their second lap.  I ran full speed into an Olympic swimmer (see yellow circle below).  It completely took me by surprise because I hadn’t realized the potential for the collision.  I actually shouted “Sorry!”, but I doubt he heard me.

In no time, I was headed back to the boat launch.  I ended up with a 33:55 shore-to-shore time; 34:27 including the run to T1.  My goal was 35 minutes, so doing great so far!

T1

T1 was horrible.  I try and not sit down in transition because it makes it harder to get going again.  However, with the ankle bracelet we had to wear, it was impossible to get my wetsuit off without sitting.  Regardless, I threw on my socks, shoes, and helmet, grabbed my bike and I was off.  I gave myself 3 minutes for T1 and actually made it in and out in 1:40.  Despite having a horrible transition, because the transition area was so small, I really didn’t have to run much to my bike or to the bike out.

T1.5

Yes, this course had a T1.5 – at least that is what I am calling it.  After leaving the transition area, it was a long run to and then UP 4 (yes, four), sets of stairs.

 

Here I am checking out the stairs before the race.  I wouldn’t have even know about the stairs had I not read a few race reports from previous years.  On the way out, you had the option of using the ramps or the stairs with the stairs being a much shorter distance.

Up I went.  By the top of the stairs, my legs were killing me.  Not a great way to start off the bike.  As I was getting on my bike, there was a fellow cyclist standing next to his bike holding a broken chain in his hands.  It sounded like the volunteers were seeing if they could get it fixed, and judging by the online results, they must have because I didn’t see any DNFs after the swim.  I felt bad for the guy though.

I didn’t get my time for T1.5 but it appears to have been included as part of the bike time.

The Bike

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again.  This bike course SUCKS! Plain and simple.  In case you missed it last time, here is the elevation profile for the course.  I don’t think there was a single flat portion on the whole course; ascending and descending the whole time.

The course starts off with a nice 150ft climb in the first half mile of the course.  I honestly didn’t think I was going to make it to the top.  I was granny gearing it for the first time all season – in the first mile nonetheless! 

As much as I’ll complain about all the climbs, I really did love them.  They were a challenge and that is what this is all about right? Pushing yourself to your absolute limit and then going a bit further.

Obviously, what goes up must go down and the descents were awesome.  There were a couple that I coasted down to give my legs a rest, but for the most part, I pushed it on the downhill as well.  Being comfortable on the descents was a huge plus.  I have no problem going 40mph downhill, but I could see them being pretty nerve wracking if you weren’t used to it.

Going into the race, I knew that the aid stations would only have cups of water/Gatorade and no bottles, so I made sure to carry my own.  I had my Aerodrink with Gatorade as well as an extra bottle of Gatorade and one of water.  I also had two tri-berry Gu’s and a Nature’s Valley Sweet & Salty Peanut bar.  I spent first half nursing the Aerodrink bottle.  I had a Gu at about mile 20 as well.  I tried to eat the Nature’s Valley bar at mile 35, but it really wasn’t easy to chew and just seemed to dry out my mouth.

The course was a modified out and back – we headed south of the main road first before rejoining the main road until the turnaround.  Then we took the main road all the way back into town.  The course was on country roads that were open to traffic, but I saw maybe 20 cars the entire time.  It really made for a beautiful ride.  It was one of those rides were I wished I would have had a camera (and time to stop). 

The turnaround was at about the 30 mile mark.  Until that point, I really had no idea how I was doing against the field.  I started counting riders as I approached the turnaround and estimated that I was in 15th place or so.  That was a huge boost of moral.  The second half of the course felt easier than the first and I actually negative split the bike course by about 5 minutes.

I rolled back from the bike course in 3:00:23 for an average of 18.6mph.  My goal was to average 18mph which would have been 3:07, so I was ahead of schedule.

T2.5

Remember those stairs in T1.5?  You guessed it, they were back for T2.5.  Thankfully though, on the way back in, everyone had to use the ramps.  My guess is that it was a safety issue and I was not going to argue one bit.

I walked/jogged my bike down the ramp, but it was pretty windy and it was better to just rest my legs a bit.

I timed myself for T2.5 and it took me 2:09 which was again added to the bike time.  Because both T1.5 and T2.5 were added to the bike time, if I subtract the time spent running my bike, my bike average was closer to 19mph – which may explain (along with the hills) why the bike times appeared much slower for this race.

(And yes, I know that 2.5 is greater than 2 which screws up my numbering of the “extra transitions”, but it’s my blog and I can do whatever I want)

T2

Other than the long run down the ramp, T2 went very smoothly.  I was in and out in 1:32 and even took time to reapply sunscreen and body glide (to avoid nipple chafing) before heading out on the run.

The Run

I started out on the run feeling great.  However, it wasn’t long before the hills on the bike started to catch up to me.  My first two miles were right were I wanted them to be and then I started to fall apart.

Mile 1: 7:49
Mile 2: 8:09
Mile 3: 8:51
Mile 4: 8:47
Mile 5: 8:52
Mile 6: 8:55
Mile 7: 10:01
Mile 8: 9:15
Mile 9: 9:47
Mile 10: 10:19
Mile 11: 10:57
Mile 12: 9:33
Mile 13: 10:08 (including final .1)

Despite slowing down, I really didn’t get passed by ro many people so I guess everyone was in the same boat that I was.

At the turnaround, I caught up with a guy who had been just ahead of me for a mile or so.  We started to run together for the next few miles.  We’d run to each aid station, walk through while we had water and Gatorade and then start running again.  We really didn’t talk at all on the course – I think we were both hurting too much to hold a conversation.  After mile 9, I fell back and let him go.  After a hard mile 11, I picked it back up.  I could tell that the next guy in front of my had started walking and decided to try and catch him. 

As I got closer, I noticed his calf said “29” – my age group.  I couldn’t let him get away now.  We played the world’s slowest moving game of leap frog for a while.  At mile 12 he started walking, looked back at me and said, “I’m trying as hard as I can to hold you off, but my legs are cooked.”  I laughed and said I was trying to do the same and offered him some encouraging words.  As I passed by, he yelled to me, “You’ve got 2nd in the age group now.”  I was shocked.  I knew that there weren’t a lot of people in front of me, but I assumed that most of them (or at least 3 of them) were in our age group.  That was the motivation I needed.  I picked up the pace as much as I could.  I even caught up to the guy I had been running with after the half way point.  We ran most of the last mile together and even chatted a bit as we finished up.  He was three time IMWI finisher and really helped me get through the last mile.

Finally, the finish in sight!

Here I am getting medal-ed.  I was so happy to be done!

I ended up finishing the run in 2:01:30 – not the 1:47 I had hoped for.  Oh well, I really didn’t feel like I totally bonked.  Even though my splits slowed down over the course of the run, I really never had that, “This really sucks, I am blowing a good race” feeling that I had at Steelhead.

Post Race

The guy I had been running with finished about 20 seconds after me and ended up with first in his age group.  I ended up jumping in the lake to cool off and started talking with him a bit more.  He offered some great advice of IMWI and IM and in general.  I’ve yet to meet an unfriendly triathlete – one of the reasons I love this sport.

Next across the line was the 3rd place in my age group – they guy I had been battling with.  He too had done IMWI.  He said, and I quote, “Wisconsin was a breeze compared to this.”  I think at this point, he was depressed because he thought he lost out on a podium spot. Another athlete in our age group actually finished before him, but I think it must have been a relay team.

 

My support crew and fans!  My Aunt Anne, who lives near Petoskey, came out to cheer me on.  This was her first time seeing a triathlon and I think she enjoyed the experience.  (Not pictured is Hannah, the dog, who was very eager to swim in the lake).  Thanks for coming out to cheer Aunt Anne!

One of the cool things this race had was a results tent with 4 computers setup where you could do instance race result lookups.  I headed over and checked the age group ranking.  I really did take 2nd in my age group!!!

I had a bit of the post race food, but we needed to find Jennie some food too.  So, we headed out to remedy that.  The first stop was a campground next to the park where I bought a pass to use the shower for $1.  It was so nice to be able to get cleaned up (and stink-free) right away.  After that, we headed to Jet’s Pizza for some fresh slices of pizza and then to the liquor store across the street for a 6-pack of Corona.  Pizza and beer – is there really any other better recovery food?

After finishing lunch, it was time to head back over for the award’s ceremony.  Age group winner’s each got a bottle of wine with a custom label that had the race name and award print on it.  I felt bad for the 17 and 19 year old guys who placed in their age groups (the 19 year old was actually 2nd overall – 4:56:15).  Because the award was wine, all they got was a pair of socks.

This was my first ever podium finish, I was so excited!

 

Finally, I got to see Becky after she finished her first ever HIM.  She did awesome on such a tough course.  I gave her a hug after she finished and she was smiling from ear to ear.  You can read her report here if you are interested.

Overall

Overall, this was a great race.  It was tough, I won’t argue there.  But I knew that going in.  Knowing that IMWI has a hilly bike course even helps me justify this as good practice for the future.  Obviously, I missed my goal time of 5:34:00 by 5 and a half minutes, but I am really happy with my results.  I did better on the bike than I had anticipated and like I said, I really never felt bonked on the run.  My legs were tired, but I never got mentally down which is a big accomplishment.

I would definitely recommend this race to anyone looking to challenge themselves.  I would never consider this a PR course though.  The winning time was 4:47:24 with a top speed on the bike of 20.8mph. I am really starting to like smaller events like this (versus Ironman sanctioned races).  The total number of athletes in the HIM was less than the number of athletes in my wave (there were 20 or so waves) at Steelhead.  I have a couple of constructive criticisms that I am hoping to share the race director (namely poor aid stations on the bike), but overall, you could tell that the event was organized by someone with intimate knowledge of the sport.

Thanks for reading.  And thanks even more for your support and encouragement along the way!

Official Results

Total Time:	5:39:30
Overall Place:	14/72
Gender Place:	13/
Age Group Place:	2/8
Swim Rank:	19 (2 in AG)
Swim Time:	34:27
T1 Time:	1:40
Bike Rank:	17 (4 in AG)
Bike Time:	3:00:23
Bike Pace:	18.6mph
T2 Time:	1:33
Run Rank:	17 (3 in AG)
Run Time:	2:01:30
Run Pace:	9:17 min/mile

Or, I did it!!! I finally broke 20 minutes in a 5k!!!

This morning, Jennie and I ran the Mitchell’s Run thru Rockford benefiting Muscular Dystrophy research. This race was actually a “Jennie’s Choice” race.  She found this one after finishing up Reeds Lake back in June .  It also gave me another chance to try and break 20 minutes.

We arrived in Rockford at about 7:30 for the 8:30 start.  At the time, it was still drizzling after raining all night.  We headed over and picked up our number, shirt, and D-tag. It was nice that all you got were the essentials and they didn’t give you a bag of crap as well.  The shirt is actually a pretty good design with the main logo from the website on the front and not too many sponsors on the back.

We headed back to the car where Jennie embarked on a journey to win her award of the day.  That award?  Straightest race number of course!

  

It took her long enough, but she eventually got her number pinned on.  Notice how straight and centered it is?  I think that I better get her a race number belt like I have.  It will save us a boat load of time in the future.

After that, we looked for the potties.  We ventured to a park down the White Pine Trail in an attempt to avoid the porta-jons, but unfortunately their bathrooms were still locked.  On the plus side, Jennie got to play on the dinosaur slide!

So, back to the porta-jons we headed.

By this time, the rain had stopped.  While this meant we wouldn’t get soaked, it meant the humidity was going to start to creep up.  It remained overcast and humid for the duration of the run.  Not the ideal race conditions, but you take what you get.

Finally, it was time to line up.  It was nice because they actually had pace signs setup so it was easy to tell where you should line up.  I jumped in the front most corral – the 6 minute mile group – and Jennie jumped into her corral.  As soon as I jumped into my corral, I ran into a group of former Aquinas College XC runners.  I didn’t run XC in college, but I was friends with quite a few of the team members.  One of the guys was the 2-time defending champion for this race (and would go on to 3-peat).  Another recently knocked out a 2:38 marathon at Bayshore earning him 7th overall.  And another just BQ-ed with a sub 3-hour time at Bayshore.  So, as you can probably tell, all out of my league.  Nevertheless, I decided to start as close to them as possible.

The actual start of the race was almost unnoticed.  Just a guy (sans mega-phone) yelling, “Ready, set, go!”  Because of the quiet nature of the start, there was a bit of jostling as the runners realized what had happened.  I took off with as fast of a pace as I could manage.  I kept one of the guys in my sights for the first mile, but the other two disappeared immediately.

They had volunteers at each mile yelling out splits.  My first split came in at 5:25 (6:01 on my watch so they must have not had the mile in the right spot).  Yikes!  Either way, that was smoking fast for me.  After the first mile, I eased back just a bit.  I knew I couldn’t keep up a 6 minute pace.  Shortly after the 1st mile, we looped back and could see the other runners in the pack.  I immediately saw Jennie in the crowd and yelled to her.  She was carrying the camera with her and tried to snap a picture of me.  It came out pretty blurry though – you’ll just have to trust me that it is me.

I hit mile 2 at 12:24 (12:05 according to the volunteer).  At this point, it really sunk in that I had a chance at breaking 20 minutes.  I kicked it into gear again and charged ahead.  The last mile included a long steady incline, but I pushed through it. 

I ended up with a 6:31 last mile and 5:37 final .1 for a final time of 19:38!  WooHoo!!!!  This is a 37 second PR and the first time I have ever gotten under 20 minutes in a 5k!

In the end, I am really glad I went out as fast as I did.  At the time, I was really regretting the speedy start, but after looking back at my splits, it is that first mile that pushed me under the 20 minute mark.

After finishing, I headed back to look for Jennie.  I met up with her with a little over a quarter mile to go.  She was doing great and had a big smile on her face.

 

Other than being hot and tired, she was in great spirits.  I told her there was just one more hill and then it was time to start her kick because the finish would be right around the corner.

Jennie kicked it in for a 32 second PR and ended up finishing with a sub-10 minute pace for the first time ever!

After the race we stopped by Robinette’s for some fresh donuts.  They were so fresh that the they melted in our mouths.  This just emphasizes Jennie’s motto, “I run for donuts.”

 

And now, the taper begins.  Petoskey Breakwater 2010 is in one week.  I went through and read a couple of race reports from last year (here, here and here).  From what I have read, the bike is going to be the toughest leg (which I assumed).  So, the game plan is to just gut it out and have fun.  It’s not going to be a PR race by any means.  Just a chance to get some more HIM experience under the belt.

I’m sure you have already read this elsewhere, but in case you haven’t, make sure to track Jon and Mandy at IM Timberman 70.3 tomorrow!

Official Results

Total Time:	19:38
Overall Place:	59 / 1346
Gender Place:	53 / 690
Age Group Place:	6 / 36
Run Pace:	6:30 min/mile

I know I am late in getting a race report up when the official races photos are posted before I post.  Anyways, here goes!

Race Morning

I did packet pickup the morning of the race to save a trip downtown on Friday.  I was pretty comfortable with the race and area having done the race once before and packet pickup twice before (last year’s race was cancelled due to weather the morning of the race), so I didn’t envision any problems.

I love doing these small races because they are so much easier to plan for.  Can you believe that all of my transition gear is in that small backpack?  Not having a wetsuit makes for much lighter traveling.  Technically, it was a wetsuit legal swim and there were a few people in wetsuits.  But for a 500m swim, I didn’t think it would add enough of a benefit to be worth it.

I quickly got my gear setup and got out of the transition area.  There was a one cocky d-bag on my rack and I wanted to spend as little time near him as possible.  Despite talking shit and acting like he should have been racked with the pros, I still beat his ass.  Take that!

The yellow bike is the cocky d-bag’s.  See all that rack space to the right of his bike?  He claimed that someone else was already racked there and kept anyone else from using the space.  I never did see another bike there – before, during, or after the race.

There was another guy on my rack doing his first triathlon.  He had a pair of Vibrams on and someone asked if he was going to run in them.  He said that he was and that he was going to bike in them too.  The person then jokingly said that he should swim in them too to save time.  Apparently, he had actually tried swimming in them but they absorbed too much water and were too heavy!  How great would that be, wear the same foot wear go all three disciples.  haha.

Swim

I headed down to the beach and did a bit of a swim warm up.  This is the first year that I have started to get in the water before the race actually starts.  The past two years, I have waited until the last possible minute to get in the water.  The swim warm up does make me colder as I wait to start the race, but I feel more relaxed and ready to go when the gun goes off.

I also met up with Rob down at the beach.  This was Rob’s first big triathlon.  He seemed a little nervous, but he was going to do great.

And off we go.  This was by far the most violent swim I have been in.  There was a group of guys who (in my opinion) started way too far in the front.  They were in the front left corner, the most aggressive positioning, and were doing the breast stroke before they got to the first turn buoy.  Needless to say, there was a lot of contact and fighting for position.  I feel that I did pretty well establishing my position and not shying away from the contact. 

The added contact did slow me down a bit and I didn’t make my 8:00 minute goal I had hope for, but overall I am happy with my swim.  My official time on the swim was 9:38 which included the run to transition.  My shore to shore time was closer to 8:45 though.

Rob (on the left) had a great swim and beat me out of the water by about 20 seconds.  When I talked to him afterwards, he didn’t have as much contact in the water as I did and stayed more towards the outer perimeter.

I was out of the water shortly thereafter and cruised up to the transition area.  It was so nice to be able to get out of the water and just run and not have to worry about a wetsuit.

T1

The first transition went pretty well. The only snafu was that I put a spare tube in my back pocket and as I was running out of transition it fell out of my pocket so I had to run back to get it.

Bike

Just like Steelhead, I had a great bike ride.  My goal for this race as to push as hard as possible on the bike no matter how much it hurt.  I wanted to destroy my legs so that I would have practice running on tired legs.  Going into the race, I wanted to try and average 23-24 mph on the bike.  It was only a 14.8 mile ride, so I knew that I could push the pace, but keeping up a 23-24 mph average was going to be hard.  I ended up finishing in 38:49 for a 22.9mph pace.  So close! I’ll take it though.

I love the start and finish to the bike portion of this race.  It is hard to tell in the pictures, but you start and finish by going around a roundabout that is lined with cheering fans.  It feels like the Tour de France because you are so close to the crowd as you fly past them.

The bike course is fairly flat with a couple of rolling hills.  I was able to stay in the big gear for the entire ride and only had to come out of aero for a climb at mile 1 and a second climb at mile 13.  Other than that, it was head down and pedal to the metal.  I used my AeroDrink for the 2nd time in a race and it worked great (I’ll eventually do a product review with some pros/cons).  Between that and a Goo halfway through the bike, that was all the nutrition I needed to get me through the race.

T2

Transition was uneventful.  I was shocked to only see a handful of bikes back on the racks.  I was probably in the top 10 back to the transition area. I quickly threw on my shoes and headed out.

Run

Remember that bike tube I shoved in my back pocket in T1? Well, I forgot to drop it at T2 and I didn’t want to run with it the entire way.  So, I tossed it to Jennie when I saw her as a I started the run.  Check out here amazing action shots.  Tube in hand, tube in mid area, and off I go!

  

I’m happy to say that despite pushing my legs as hard as they could go, the run went great.  I only got passed by one guy on the run and he went flying by me.  He ended up finishing 10th overall and logged 6 minute miles on the run.  There was another guy on the run that I chased the entire time.  He left transition shortly before I did and no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t make up the distance.  I found out afterward that he was in my age group and finished about 15 seconds ahead of me. Looking back at the results, I actually made pretty good progress on catching him.  He started the run about 45 seconds ahead of me and only finished 15 seconds ahead of me, so I made up nearly 30 seconds on the run – just not enough to beat him in the end.

A great mid-air, thumbs-up shot as I head towards the finish.

My official time was 1:12:11, over 3 minutes faster than 2 years ago!  This earned me 32 out of 592 overall and 6 out of 53 in my age group!

Post Race

After I crossed the finish line, I chatted briefly with the guy I had been trying to catch on the run.  He’s got that telltale arm tan line of a dedicated triathlete.  Love it.  We ended up taking 5 and 6 out of 53 in our age group.  At first I was bummed about this because I though awards went 5 deep.  I found out later they only went 3 deep, so Whew! I didn’t miss out on placing by 15 seconds.

Shortly after I crossed the finish line, Rob was charging in.  I missed getting a shot of him crossing the line because he was too speedy, but he finished in 1:16:11 taking 52 out of 592 overall and 12 out of 53 in our age group!  Talk about a great first race!

After chatting with Rob, I went back to watch for my coworker David and his son.  David had an awesome race and is showing great improvement at each race this year.  David was too fast for the camera as well and I didn’t get a picture until he was already passed me.

It wasn’t long after David went by that his son Connor came cruising in.  This was Connor’s first triathlon ever and it sounds like it won’t be his last. 

Here is Connor running to the finish with his mom cheering him on. 

Overall

Overall, another great race.  The weather was great and each event came together nicely for me.  The races are even more fun as I start to meet people and see them at different races.

Thanks again to my pit crew and photographer!  These short races really keep her on her toes.  I looked at the time stamps on the pictures she took and the most “down time” she had was about 30 minutes while I was on the bike.

Official Results

Total Time:	1:12:11
Overall Place:	32/592
Gender Place:	27/332
Age Group Place:	6/53
Swim Rank:	85
Swim Time:	9:38
T1 Time:	1:21
Bike Rank:	29
Bike Time:	38:49
Bike Pace:	22.9mph
T2 Time:	1:00
Run Rank:	32
Run Time:	21:20
Run Pace:	6:53 min/mile

Sit back and enjoy.  It’s a long one.  Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Pre Race

The main task on Friday’s agenda was packet pickup.  There was no race day packet pickup (probably because of the size of the event), so I had to do my packet pickup a day early.  Unfortunately, this meant driving to and from Benton Harbor – about an hour and forty five minute drive.  The expo opened at noon and I got there at about 12:30 hoping to beat the rush.  Even getting there early, the line was wrapped around the room and down the hall.  It was about a 30 minute wait before I even got to the first registration table.  I say “first registration table” because there were 7, yes 7, steps to completing your packet pickup.  I don’t remember it being so complicated last year.

Step 1: Show USAT card (or pay for a 1 day pass) and get your bib number.

Step 2: Retrieve paper work based on number. There was even a wavier (you may die doing this event and we aren’t responsible sort of thing) and a sheet for medical notes (allergies/medications/emergency contact).

Step 3: Move to another table to read and sign the documentation (with one of the 5 pens available).

Step 4: Turn in paperwork at another table and get directed to a line to get your packet.

Step 5: Pick up packet (numbers, chip, swim cap – the essentials).  This step confused the most people because there were two tables based on numbers (below or above 1200) and it wasn’t clear where you were supposed to be.  At this step, the volunteer also wrote your number on the swim cap.  They didn’t do this last year and my volunteer wrote my number backwards the first time.  Even so, with my dark green cap, you could barely read the number.

Step 6: Pick up goody bag.  This year, we got a very nice K-Swiss drawstring backpack along with the usual food samples.

Step 7: Take your chip to the timing station to make sure it is the right one.  You basically just scan your chip and make sure your name pops up on the laptop.

Does anyone else find it ironic that packet pickup required more disciplines than the actual event (swim, bike, run)?  Even if you throw in T1 and T2, the race was more streamlined than packet pickup.

After packet pickup, I hit the obligatory Ironman store.  I got a new Steelhead 70.3 bike jersey, a Steelhead running hat, a Steelhead pint glass to add to my collection, and a sticker.  I was surprised at how much straight “Ironman” stuff they had available at a 70.3 event.  With the amount of respect and awe I have for the full Ironman event, I can’t imagine sporting anything that says Ironman unless it is accompanied by a 70.3 at this point.  It may be a brand, but it is so much more than that (at least to me). 

It wasn’t until after the expo that I actually realized I didn’t get a shirt – I didn’t miss a step, there actually wasn’t any available.  I was disappointed at first, but then we got a finisher’s shirt at the end of the race instead.  I actually like this option better because the shirt actually says “Finisher” on it.

After the expo, I headed home.  I got home around 3:00 and went out for a last minute bike ride to keep the legs loose.  I did an easy 30 minute ride in an easy gear.

After that, I did something drastic.  I’m still not sure why I did it.  It was more a mental thing than anything.  Perhaps it was seeing all the elite and top age groupers at the expo.  Maybe I was inspired by Steve In a Speedo.  Regardless of what it was, I went for the full body shave (legs, arms, chest).  Unlike Steve, I did not capture the moment on video.  You can thank me later.  I can, however, say that the look on Jennie’s face when she came home from work and saw me finishing up my legs in shower was quite priceless. 

After the shaving was complete, it was time for dinner.  Jennie made breaded chicken bites (basically healthy, homemade chicken nuggets), pierogis, and corn.  I think this is my new favorite pre-race dinner.  Easy to digest, tasty, and full of protein and nutrients.

Race Day

Race day started out very early.  3:45 AM to be exact.  I figured that we would have to leave around 4:30AM in order to get to Benton Harbor with enough time to setup my transition area.  We were about 10 miles away from the race site when it started to rain.  Parking was about a mile away from the transition area, but they had a shuttle for spectators.  So, Jennie hopped on the shuttle while I biked to the transition area.  I was able to fit all my gear in (or tied to) my backpack, which made it easy to get everything there.  I had my gear setup in no time – it gets easier every time.  I covered my shoes with a towel and my backpack hoping to keep them as dry as possible. 

After the transition area was set, Jennie and I hopped back on the shuttle to the car.  The transition area closed at 6:45AM and I was in the 18th and last swim wave of the day, so I didn’t actually start until 8:49AM.  I tried to take a little nap in the car, but I kept worrying.  First, I was worried that they would change the race to a duathlon.  There wasn’t any lightning or thunder, but you never know how they will decide things.  Second, the swim has two different starting points depending on the flow of the current (you swim with the current) and I forgot to check which way that would be.  Thankfully, another athlete was getting into his car and he knew for sure that they were starting at the same location as last year.

After resting for almost an hour, Jennie and I finally headed over to the swim start.  As we got to the beach, the rain was letting up and the sun was peeking through the clouds.

The Swim

When we got to the swim start, they were only on wave 13 and I was wave 18, so I still had some time to wait.  I headed out to the water and practiced my starts, made sure my goggles weren’t leaking and adjusted to the water.  The water was the perfect temperature for a swim – probably around 74*F.

Finally, it was time for my start.  As if on cue, Love and Memories by O.A.R. started playing over the speakers as we entered the holding area.  This song would be in my head for most of the bike ride.  However, as much as I love O.A.R., I’m not sure a song with the line “Drowning deep inside your water” is appropriate for a swim start.  That was followed by Start Me Up by the Rolling Stones (make sure to follow the link if you have forgotten what a classic 80’s music video looks like) as the horn went off.

 

I started off near the front of the wave.  After watching the previous waves, I noticed that everyone at the halfway point or further back was restrained to walking to almost the first buoy before they started to swim.  I wanted to be more aggressive than that, so I took off with a charge doing dolphin diving starts.  At the second buoy (the first turn buoy), I took a light kick to the face.  It wasn’t enough to knock my goggles off, but it did let a tiny bit of water in.  Not enough to stop and fix, but enough to be annoying.

How cool is the rainbow framing the swim start??

After that first incident at the turn buoy, the swim was relatively contact free.  I did have one swimmer who actually swam perpendicular to me cutting me off.  I was worried I was headed off in the wrong direction, but when I checked my line, I was right on target.  Apparently the other swimmer was just taking off to the Wisconsin side of the lake.

The course was orange buoys, then red buoys, then green buoys, then one last orange buoy for the final turn.  I passed 3 orange buoys and then 3 red buoys.  So using my deductive reasoning, I figured there would be 3 green buoys.  After the 2nd green buoy, I really picked up the pace only to see a 4th green buoy in the distance.  Then a 5th and a 6th.  Well, so much for making sense.

About halfway through the swim, the neckline of my wetsuit started rubbing despite applying body glide to my neck.  I tried to adjust the neck during the swim, but gave up fixing it.  Today, I have a good sized chafing mark on the back of my neck that is a little tender.  Oh well, that is the price to pay for a fast swim I guess.

Thankfully, I had a group of swimmers that I was able to draft off of for the second half of the course.  I’m not very good at drafting and really never drafted off of one person consistently, but there was about 5 or 6 swimmers in front of me that I would bounce back and forth between. 

Finally, I hit the final orange buoy and turned into shore.  As I hit the shore, I looked at my watch and was shocked to see 32:XX minutes.  Holy cow!  The swim included a run across the beach to the first timing mat which added about a minute to my timing, giving me an official time of 33:47 (1:35/100yds).

Trying to run through the sand with my mom, Nancy, and brother in the background cheering me on.

Running through the sand was very tough after the swim.  It was like my legs didn’t want to move.  Here I am demonstrating the proper hunched over method of stumbling to the transition area.  As you can see, the swimmer behind me was copying my strategy.

Rank: 514/1786 Overall, 57/167 AG

T1

Both of my transition times were much longer than previous races.  This is mainly because of the size of the transition area.  It was nearly .1 miles long with racks stretching end to end.

When I got to the transition area, I was pleasantly surprised to see that my backpack and towel had kept my gear completely dry.  Yay!  I was able to slip out of my wetsuit without actually sitting down to save time.  However, I did take time to put on socks for the bike ride.  I probably would have skipped them if they were wet, but I was going to need them on the run anyways.

Total time: 3:28.

Rank: 60/167 AG

The Bike

I was sort of worried about the bike.  Not because I didn’t feel ready, but because while I was loading my bike on Friday, I noticed that the crack on my saddle was more than superficial. I had just assumed that the material covering the saddle was torn (it has been torn for at least a year).  However, upon closer inspection, there was a solid crack on the bottom of the saddle extending from both sides.  Yikes!  I had a moment of panic that it would break halfway through the ride.  Thankfully it held out.  I guess now is the time to start looking for a new saddle.  Recommendations??

Doesn’t look that bad does it?  Well, if you could only see the bottom of it. 
Couldn’t get a good photo of it though, unfortunately.

On to the actual bike.  I still can’t get over how well it went.  I was able to stay aero for about 95% of the ride.  All but the aid stations, turns, and two of the hill climbs.  That is a huge improvement for me.

The first couple miles is a false flat, which is sort of defeating until you realize that you are going uphill.  After the first couple of miles, I really settled into a good pace.  I was seeing 21 mph, 22 mph, and even 24 mph when I would check my bike computer.  However, at that time, I really couldn’t tell which way (if at all) the wind was blowing.  Last year, the wind was out of the south, resulting in a head wind for the final 17 miles.

As the course moved on, I continued to pass people while maintaining a steady pace.  I passed the first aid station without taking anything.  I still had half of my aero bottle (with fruit punch Gatorade) plus a water bottle each of water and Gatorade.  However, at the second aid station, my aero bottle was empty so I decided to refill it.  Now, let me tell you.  My aid station technique was flawless.  I don’t mean to brag (oh wait, of course I do), but people will be telling their grandchildren about it someday.  Keep in mind that I have absolutely no practice taking a water bottle on the bike let alone filling an aero bottle on the go.  So, I winged it.  As I approached, I shouted, “Gatorade and Goo”.  A volunteer ran alongside me to hand me the lemon-lime Gatorade while I snatched a Goo (actually a Powerbar gel that was remarkably good – raspberry cream, I think) from the next volunteer.  I quickly popped the top off the Gatorade, filled my aero drink on the go (easier said than done), shot the gel, and still got my trash tossed by the end of the end of the aid station.  All without dropping below 15 mph.  As I pulled away from the aid station, I was shocked that it had worked so well and that I didn’t end up in a bloody heap halfway through.  On a semi-related note:  A small amount of fruit punch Gatorade mixed with lemon-lime Gatorade (probably a 1:10 ratio) is the new taste sensation.

On a funny note, as I entered the aid station, there was a sign that said “Shout what you want” and then a list of what they had.  The list contained “Gatorade, Water, Gel, Bananas, Worms, Minnows”.  Wait, what?!?? Worms? Minnows?  Then I saw the Mylar fish balloon.  Get it yet?  Steelhead are also known as rainbow trout, the trout being Michigan’s state fish.  I had a good chuckle after I realized their sense of humor.

Shortly after I went through the aid station, I hit the halfway point.  I was still feeling great at this point, but kept telling myself I should ease up a bit and save my legs.  But every time I started to ease up, I would see a rider in front of me and think.  Ok, I’ll pass them and then ease up.  That went on for the next 28 miles. 

At about mile 30, there was a rider stranded on the side of the road (lots of flats, just like last year).  I asked he needed a tube.  He did, so I tossed him my spare and wished him good luck as I went by.  I gave up my only spare last year, too.  Risky, I know, but good bike karma is priceless.

By mile 35, I had figured out that the wind was again out of the south and I would have a head wind for the final stretch.  Undeterred, I pushed on.  The wind wasn’t as bad as last year.  Plus, with the last 17 miles being a net downhill, the two pretty much countered each other. 

The last mile or so is on a narrow bike path with no passing allowed passing discouraged, which gave me a chance spin my legs easily for a bit.  I did pass a couple of people who were trying to slip out of their shoes before the dismount.  That is one thing I don’t think I’ll ever try.  Not only am I afraid of doing a face plant, but I fail to see the time savings.  Every time I see someone slipping out of their shoes, their speed drops considerably.  I’d rather keep my speed up until the very end and not worry about falling.

Total time: 2:42:03 (20.7mph) (1:21:XX/1:20:XX negative splits!)

Rank: 592/1786 Overall, 61/167 AG

T2

The second transition was quicker than the first one as usual (less to do).  However, someone on my rack had laid out both their towel and wetsuit (assuming it was the same person) on the bike rack to dry taking up about half the rack.  Not a huge deal, but pretty inconsiderate for the riders coming in.

Total time: 2:58

Rank 53/167 AG

The Run

As the run was starting, it was really starting to warm up.  The rain was long gone and we were left with a blue sky and the sun beating down.  I sort of wished for some more clouds and even a bit of rain at that point.

Where did the clouds and rain go?  I’m sorry I was cursing you this morning.  Please come back!

As I left on the run, the guy to my right pointed to the “Mount Here” sign that was leftover from the bike start and said, “Mount here? I don’t have anything to mount.”  I looked over and replied, “Didn’t they tell you?  This is where I jump on your back and you carry me the rest of the way.”  We had a good laugh over that.

Overall, the run sucked.  Let me first add a disclaimer.  Overall, I am extremely happy with how the race went.  I had a great time and I really have nothing to complain about.  However, that said, out of the three events, the run posed the most problems and is the area I feel could use some improvement.

In my opinion, this is a pretty tough half marathon course to begin with.  Add in the rising temperature and having already done 57.2 miles and it becomes a suckfest really quickly.

As soon as I started to run, my lower back started to hurt.  This happened to me during last year’s race, but has never happened to me at any other race or bike ride.

I started off by walking up the first hill.  It starts less than a mile into the course and my legs still hadn’t returned to normal after the bike ride.  I figured that running up the giant hill wasn’t going to help speed up the process.

After the first hill, I started a run to each aid station, walk the aid station taking water or Gatorade, and then run again plan.  The course is 1.5 miles out, followed by two 4.5 mile loops and then 1.5 miles back.

The first lap wasn’t too bad.  There were a lot of people on the course with some on their 2nd lap and others on their first like me.  The extra people made it easier to stay motivated and keep running.  I ended up walking the 2nd hill, too.  As I started walking, another guy continued to run past me.  Once he reached the top, I started counting.  He only gained about 10 seconds on me by running versus walking.  Not worth killing my legs for 10 seconds.

By the second lap, my legs had had enough.  There were fewer people on the course as many of the runners had finished both laps.  My aid station walks grew longer and longer as I took two waters and a cup of ice at each.  As I climbed the second hill (walking again), I looked over at the woman next to me and asked, “Would you think less of me if I started crawling?”  She laughed and said no and asked to join me.

When I reached the top of the second hill, there was only about 2 miles to go.  I had a renewed spirit and charged ahead (“charged” being a relative term).  I managed to run almost all of the last two miles with only a quick stop at one of the aid stations.

When I hit mile 13, I was stoked.  The last .1 is lined with cheering fans shouting your name (first names were included on the bib – very cool).  I gave it all I had and motored across the finish line.  I glanced down to see 5:29:XX on my watch! YAY!

Run time: 2:07:05 (9:43 min/mile) (:58:XX/1:08:XX splits)

Rank: 972/1786 Overall 102/167 AG

Overall

Overall, I am super happy with this race.  Other than bonking on the run, I met all of my goals.  And I now have an official Half Ironman PR of 5:29:21!

My main supporter, photographer, pack mule, and loving wife.

My mom, brother, and Nancy (brother’s g/f) all came out to cheer me on.  Thanks guys!

Official Results

Total Time:	5:29:21
Overall Place:	649/1786
Gender Place:	593/1292
Age Group Place:	72/167
Swim Rank:	514
Swim Time:	33:47
T1 Time:	3:28
Bike Rank:	592
Bike Time:	2:42:03
Bike Pace:	20.7mph
T2 Time:	2:58
Run Rank:	972
Run Time:	2:07:05
Run Pace:	9:43 min/mile

Famous Runners

First off, Regina at Chiu on This tipped me off to the fact that Aaron Scheidies was racing Steelhead.  Aaron is a legally blind triathlete who is simply amazing.  He took 4th in my age group (25-29) with a time of 4:22:21!  He is currently the only disabled athlete to have broken 2 hours in the Olympic distance.  I really wish I would have seen him in action, and I actually might have without realizing it.  He was in my swim wave so I should have seen him.  Jennie said that his guides had shirts with eye charts on the front of them which I vaguely remember seeing on the run, but never put two and two together.

After the run, I had lunch with some of the pros.  By “had lunch with”, I mean they were sitting at the table next to me.  I was able to snag a picture of Matty White who took 3rd overall with a time of 3:55:22.

Funny Runners

Jennie caught pictures of these two runners. The guy on the left is rocking a pair of plastic glasses with flip up lenses.  Pair that with the tummy shirt and purple shorts and you have one kick ass race suit.  Next up is the groom of the day.  He had an actual tri top – it was just designed as a tuxedo.  This almost tops Steve In A Speedo’s leisure suit bike jersey.

 

What’s Next?

This was definitely my A race of the season.  However, it isn’t the last race of the season.  The current plan is two more sprints and another half Ironman distance race.  I’m planning on the Millennium Triathlon next weekend.  This is a short sprint race (500m swim, 14 mile bike, 3 mile run).  It was rained out last year, so I am hoping that the weather cooperates this year.  After that is a potential half Iron distance (not an Ironman-branded race) up in Petoskey.  My in-laws are vacationing there in early August, so I am going to check out the course and decide whether or not to sign up.  Probably about an 80% chance of registering at this point.  Finally, I hope to close out the season with the Reeds Lake Triathlon.  Another sprint tri and the one I have closed out the season with the past two years.

Thanks for reading!  One of these days, I’ll figure out how to write a shorter race report!

I’m DONE (in more ways than one – read on).

First, I had a great race this morning.  Thanks for all the encouraging comments everyone!  And thanks to my lovely wife and to mom, brother, and Nancy (g/f of said brother) for making the trek out to Benton Harbor to cheer.

Full details to come, but here is the nitty gritty.  I started off by knocking the swim out of the park.  I still have no idea where it came from.  Official time was 33:47 (1:46/100yds) but that included a minute run to the timing mat.  I was shore to shore in 32:43.  Onto the bike.  I thought my swim was good.  But the bike, Holy Freaking Cow.  2:42:03 for just under a 21mph average.  On top of that, I negative split the bike by about 2 minutes on the second half.  It was incredible.  However, it toasted my legs for the run.  Coupled with tired legs and a hot sun beating down on us, I didn’t hit my 2 hour goal for the run.  I ended up with 2:07:05 (9:42/mile).  I’m very happy with the race overall.  Final time… 5:29:21 (nearly 40 minutes faster than last year) and right where I wanted to be! Couldn’t be happier.

And now for the second doneness.  You’d think I would have learned by now.  Not just by others “mistakes” (Sorry Jon, but as soon as I discovered the problem, I thought of your Timberman (I think) race), but more so from my own.  Here’s what happens when a race starts with rain (no sun) and then the sun comes out with a vengeance on the bike/run.

Looks like I am making friends with the bottle of aloe tonight.  Thankfully it is just my shoulder blades.  I did actually take time to apply sunscreen during T2, but I guess I need longer fingers.

Stay tuned!