Ironman 70.3 Timberman
Before getting to the breakdown of my performance, this must be stated. The Timberman is by far the best race I have been a part of. It revolves around the beautiful Lake Winnipesaukee and immerses athletes and spectators alike into a wonderful festival atmosphere. From the Race Check In at the stunning Gunstock Ski Resort to the Athletes Lounge at the end of the race, it is the most organized, well run event I have involved myself in. This is the first time I have endured zero stress in the mandatory pre-race activities. It was almost relaxing. I never slept so well before a race and I look forward to doing this next year.
Now onto the race.
Pre-Swim
Perfect weather conditions, cloudy, low 60s, very low humidity. I am getting excited with anticipation that this may be the race I qualify for the 2014 World Championship in Mont Tremblant, Quebec while breaking 5 hours.
I start to visualize my success, but more importantly, I start to believe it.
Let's get started
The Swim
Due to my age bracket, I again, start the second to last wave. 8:09 am exactly. This sucks but also has it's advantages (Not waiting for the Porter John is by far the number one advantage).
The gun goes off. I am able to get into a nice rhythm without much chaos from the start.
I feel really good.
But wait....
....wait for the turmoil
....
It's coming
For the sake of Murphy's Law, water continually gets into my goggles. I stop at least 7 times to fix this during the swim, breaking my rhythm every effin time. I attempt to calm my nerves to the best of my ability but fail on multiple occasions during the course of the 1.2 mile swim.
I finally finish the swim and felt like I did it in about 38 minutes.
Lindsay clocks me in at 34 minutes flat... a personal best...but I don't realize this at the time.
Transition 1
I get out of the water and attempt to get my swim suit zipped down so the volunteer "strippers" (they have to fine a better name than this) can take it off rapidly. I try several times to get it off. I pass my mother and Lindsay as they are cheering me on. The pictures speak for it self
As you can see, I am struggling to zip down my wetsuit so I can take half of it off (look at the left picture, notice the woman who executed this to perfection) and have the "strippers" rip off the suit. They can't do anything to help me otherwise. I get to the volunteer section and one of them zips down my wetsuit and the strippers do their thing, but after this transpires, my swim time clocks in at 35:29. It's only 150 meters from exiting the water to the entrance of the transition area and Lindsay clocked me in at the point she saw me, so a lot of time added up quickly during this little period (more about this later).
I put all of my bike gear on but my watch is being a complete pain in the butt. The stem that locks into the adjustable slot is not cooperating.
By the 5th time, I finally get it in.
Crap...I am losing valuable seconds
The Bike
When I started doing triathlons, running was my greatest strength; however, over the course of time, biking has taken over that throne. That wasn't the case here or for anytime in the future. My cycling isn't a strength anymore, it's a weapon. A force I unleash onto my opponents. I cannot stress how many people I passed so I will let the numbers tell the story:
Overall Rank after the swim: 617
Overall Rank after the bike: 233
I passed nearly 400 people during the bike portion.
Competitors who passed me during the bike: 3
3!!!
The course was mostly flat with a few big hills at the end. It wasn't the most beautiful bike course I have ever done but it was so much fun to do. In the first 30 miles, I averaged 24.4 mph and felt ridiculously good. The numbers speak for itself. I can't tell you how good it feels when you pass a group of riders in the matter of seconds. It's invigorating. It's something you have to experience yourself.
It also helps that I have a top of the line bike (Specialized SHIV Expert with 404 Zipp Tires, courtesy of Knapp's Cyclery in Lawrenceville, NJ) in this process but my cycling has improved each year and I do not expect it to stop here.
The last 26 miles was a little bit tougher since the course sent everyone on a different route on the way back to Lake Winnipesaukee (the bike course is out and back). It was hilly to say the least. Not as hilly as Syracuse but enough to force every rider to get out of the saddle and hammer on multiple occasions.
Nevertheless, I get back to the transition where I see Lindsay and my mother. Naturally, I am happy to see them.
Transition 2
Over my short triathlon career, I have learned to take the transition area more seriously. It took a few failures and bone-headed mistakes (1) to get the picture but I have finally gained the knowledge to take transitions seriously. I have even read a few articles on how to improve my transition time. It's a very meticulous task. The way you organize your set up area, what you put on first, locating your spot in the transition area, and what you really need during the bike or run, it all adds up and when you are trying to qualify for the World Championship, these seconds matter. It's crazy when you think about it. I compete in 5 hour races and precious seconds are the difference between the elite and everyone else.
(1) The bone-headed mistake I will never let myself forget: For the Steelman Olympic Triathlon (Olympic distances: .93 mi. swim, 24.85 mi. bike & 6.2 mi. run) I tried to mark my area in the transition by leaving a carton of blueberries in front on my bike. Well, someone kicked the carton of delicious fruit before I got there and as I arrived in the transition area, I couldn't figure out what row I was in. So, I started running up and down the aisles looking for the dumbest GPS locator of all effin time with an increased look of panic on my face every step I took. I had to run up and down the transition area 15 times before locating my bike. I ended up taking a full 5 minutes in the transition area before I escaped on my bike.
The goal for the race was to break 2:30. My finish time: 2:32...
I am getting depressed...let's move on
I enter the transition, put my bike away, take off all my bike gear and start putting on my run gear. I put on my Amino Vital visor cap (Thanks again Amino Vital), sunglasses and race belt. Then, I start to put my socks on. By the miraculous working of Murphy's effin Law (again), a pebble gets in one of my fresh pair of running socks. I don't realize it until I put it on and feel the pebble stab my foot upon impacting the ground.
Crap... I take off the sock and start shaking it like a mad man.
"OK, that should be good enough," I state to myself.
I put the sock back on...
Same result
EFFFF!!!! I rip off the sock, turn it inside out, grab the pebble and throw it away as I curse it off as if it has tried to personally attack my family and friends.
I put on my shoes and head out for the run. My T2 time clocks in at 3:09. My usual bike-to-run time: 2:15.
The Run
The run was fantastic! Most of it was along Lake Winnipesaukee. The aid stations were perfectly placed. There were only 4 big hills and the weather was fantastic. I felt good.
So good compared to Syracuse
This is how I looked entering the second loop for Ironman 70.3 Syracuse.
Here is how I look entering the second lap for Ironman 70.3 Timberman
I don't need to say more much instead of I gave it all I could muster and finished the half marathon at 1:46.
I ended up injuring my calf but it was a fantastic run nonetheless.
My total time: 5:00:46.
I missed qualifying for the WC by a few spots.
I missed breaking 5 hours by 47 seconds.
Conclusion
The best way to describe the outcome of the race: bittersweet. Even though I broke 5 hours before, this is by far, my best performance. This performance immediately becomes bitter when we add up all of the little stuff that stopped me from breaking 5 hours and possibly qualifying for the WC.
These are approximate additions:
Loose Goggles: 1:10
Swim Suit Zipper Fiasco: 1:20
Watch Trouble: :40
The Pebble From Hell :50
Total Time Lost 4:00
Time without all of the horses***: 4:56:46
I don't know about you but 4:56:46 looks a lot better than 5:00:46. It would have also put me ahead of three people, inching me closing to World Championship qualification. I am not sure if I would have qualified but I would have a lot better chance to be competing with the world's best.
So, as I said, the result is bittersweet. This is the last race of the season. It's time to rest and next year, I will become better and I will qualify.
Additional Notes:
Thank you to my sponsors for giving me support (TGIFriday's, Amino Vital, & Knapp's Cyclery).
Two more events until 2014:
Ragnar Relay Adirondacks ---September 26-28
Philadelphia Half Marathon---November 17
Here is a link to my Athlete Tracker
Photos Courtesy of Lindsay Keogh
