My 2008 Wildflower Long Course Adventure
The short version
I did better than I hoped in the swim and on the bike, and paid for it with my run.
The long version
I was feeling good going in. Really good. At 159 lbs, I was 21 lbs down on my New Years weight. My run splits were faster, my swims were longer, and my bike climbs were stronger than they had ever been. My hopes were high, but I felt prepared.
Unfortunately, things didn't quite pan out the way I had hoped
The swim - 1.2 miles /goal = 45 minutes
I started off at the back of the crowd as I usually do, but this time I didn't get left behind! Conditions were good, with water temperatures in the 60s and just a bit of chop about 15 minutes in. As I emerged from the water, I glanced at my watch and was pleasantly surprised to see a 42:57 - I was ahead of schedule! Considering it took me the same time to do the 0.9 mile swim at the Santa Cruz Sentinel triathlon last year, I was stoked!
The bike - 56 miles w/ goal = 3 hours 15 minutes
I didn't think I overdid it on the bike, but evidently I did. I was conservative on my hill climbs, but ended up pushing a little harder than I should have, playing a little pass-me-and-I'll-pass-you-back game with about three other riders for right around an hour. I know drafting is illegal, but they slowed down once they got in front of me - I had to get em back!
At the top of Nasty Grade, I stood up to crank the final 50 or so meters to the summit, but felt my legs starting to tighten up. I sat down and rolled in from there, hoping I could recover enough for the run.
As I rolled into the transition area, I was once again pleased to see that I was ahead of schedule, as my watch read 3:07:40 - my 6:30 target time was looking good! To compare, I did a 3:24 at Wildflower two years ago, a 3:02 at Big Kahuna two years ago (way flatter), and a 3:02 at Vineman last year (flatter, but not as flat as Big Kahuna). All things considered, I was pretty happy.
The run - 13.1 miles / goal = 2 hours 15 minutes
I felt a touch on the weak side for the first couple of miles, but still managed to pull some 9:30 / miles on some relatively flat terrain. Since I needed 10:30s to make my goal, I was feeling pretty good.
About two miles in, I started having problems.
First, it was the hills. I was forced to walk them, as my legs felt like they'd lock up at anything more than a walking pace.
Next, it was the blisters. I told myself to keep going and ignore the pain.
After that, it was the dirt / twigs that got into my shoe on the trail run. They got caught up in my sock, and I couldn't prevent them from digging into the soles of my feet. Again, I told myself to keep going and ignore the pain.
Then it was the cramps - there was no ignoring those. I threw down water, gatorade, and Thermolytes and massaged my leg as I limped along after stopping momentarily. I looked at my watch - barring some kind of miracle, my 6:30 wasn't going to happen. But I kept moving.
In the end, I crossed the line 2 hours, 41 minutes, and 18 seconds after starting the run - over half an hour longer than it took me to complete my 13.1 mile training run. It turned out that I missed my goal by just over 9 minutes, with a final time of 6 hours, 39 minutes, and 6 seconds - over 40 minutes faster than when I last did it in 2006!
Final thoughts
- Once again, my bike was too aggressive. Deep down, I'm still the same overaggressive motorcycle racer that wants to challenge and pick off everything in his path - that needs to stop. According to an AFMer who was a nationally ranked Ironman competitor, giving up 10 minutes on the bike will get me 20 minutes on the run.
- More and harder brick workouts.
- More and longer bike rides where I slow it down to go the distance without bonking.
- Incorporate some Total Immersion drills into my swim workouts. My swim improved by leaps and bounds, but there's still a lot of time to be made.
With a 300 person waiting list for Vineman, it looks like I'll be waiting until October for my next chance to achieve my Half Ironman goals. I just don't feel like a "real triathlete" when I finish with such weak runs. I feel more more like a guy who is barely in shape but can ride a bike, likes to suffer, and never gives up - I'd like to change that.
As slow as I was walking (and much as I was limping) after the finish, it's almost hard to believe me when I say I'm looking forward to my next major event. But really - I am :)
More pics:
Numbers:
Swim: 00:42:57
Bike: 03:07:40 (17.9 mph)
Run: 2:41:18 (12:18 / mi)
Total: 6:39:06
x-posted to mrcrash and trigeeks