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Halfmax - June 5, 2005

When I woke up, there was no hint of dawn, but it didn't matter. What I was doing could hardly count as sleeping. My mind was racing all night with concerns over forgetting a key piece of gear, over the dozens of things that could go wrong in the race. With my brain already so active, getting the rest of me moving wasn't too hard. A large stack of pancakes were the breakfast of choice. Everything I needed was already in the Jeep, so all I needed to do was top off the water bottles and go.
The weather was not cooperating at all. The forecast for the day was for temperatures in the mid-90s after early morning storms. My 90 minute drive to the race site brought me straight through one of those storms. Luckily, it was the only one I would see all day, but it left the race site with tropically moist air.
I arrived at the site and felt late. Unpack the gear. Check in and get bodymarked (that's when they write your race number on your arms and legs). Set up the transition area. Dress for the swim. Report to the beach for the race meeting and the start.

The Swim
Not everyone started at once. The race started in waves, staggered by 7 minutes. My wave, twentysomething men, was the last one. This was probably a good thing for me. This was my first triathlon, but I was most concerned about the fact that this was my first open water swim. I had no proof that I was capable of finishing the first leg, so being at the back of the pack and out of trouble is a good thing. The last thing my ego wanted, however was to be last out of the water. 40 minutes went by, watching wave after wave start around the 1.2 mile swim course. The first swimmers are out of the water and on their bikes long before my start. When we were finally called to the beach, I took a little time to get wet and loosen up, but mostly, I made nervous jokes with all the other racers. The gun fired, but I stood there waist deep in the water for a few more seconds. I dove in when I thought the maelstrom of swimmers had gotten away.

This was it: my first competitive open water swim, and my first swim in a wetsuit. The wetsuit was magical, adding buoyancy which improved my stroke incredibly. I settled in to my stroke and was encouraged by how comfortable I felt. The course was easy to follow thanks to an unreasonable number of orange marker buoys, but I strayed wide anyhow. About 1000 meters into the swim, I came near to shore and my arms started dragging on the bottom of the lake. I stood up, and rested my arms a bit by pushing off the bottom of the lake for as long as I could. (perfectly legal) The first half of the swim went very well, but I started to lose focus. I would stop for a second to clear fogged goggles. Or I would stop to check my course. I was stopping when I didn't need to, simply because I was not prepared to swim that long without a break. Eventually, I simply made a rule for myself that I had to make at least 100 strokes between breaks. That got me home.
I emerged from the water to find that the swim took far less energy than I expected. I finished in 44 minutes, which is an entirely respectable time. I was still one of the last out of the water, however. I didn't get excited enough about this at the time, but just this swim was a huge accomplishment for me. I wanted to do triathlons for years, but the swim was always the barrier. It took me nearly three years of work, but I am now a competitive swimmer.

The Bike
My first transition passed without too much drama, and I set out on a very empty bike course. I felt like I had been completely left behind. The bad news was that I was in the last leg and that I was a slow swimmer, but the good news was that I was going to make up ground from here on. At least that is what I thought until a cyclist hammered past me on one of the early hills. It was the race leader lapping me. I was on mile 4 and he was cruising through mile 37 of the bike course. He read my name off the number on my back and encouraged me up the hill as he past.
The easiest mistake to make for a novice triathlete is to go out too fast early in the bike. I understood the temptation. I felt good after the swim, and I had so much ground to make up. I needed to conserve energy, though. So I focused my efforts on fueling. I drank as much sportsdrink as I could, gathering more at the aid stations and ate the energy bars I carried. Still, I kept the pace up and started catching people.
By my second lap, I was catching people at a pretty good pace. Now, triathletes are an odd bunch, and extremely personable. As I passed many people on the bike, they would offer words of encouragement. Overtaking cyclists got me comments like "looking strong!" or "go get 'em!" (only without the sarcasm that is automatically attached when I type it). It even seemed as though the struggling athletes were more likely to say something.
Happily, the legs never got weak. The heat of the day was beginning to come on toward the end of the bike, however. I finished the bike having averaged a pace just under 20mph. I loved my new bike through the whole thing. It was mechanically perfect and allowed me to stay in an aero position the whole race without getting fatigued.

The Run
The run is supposed to be my strongest discipline, and I suppose that it was. But on this course and on this day, the run was challenging. The run was extremely hilly, and that was only complicated today by the 95 degree temperatures that had arrived to compliment the humidity. Heat is a problem for me. I don't yet understand why, but I am a furnace and will overheat very quickly in early-summer heat. Cycling keeps me cool, but when I stop off the bike and start running, I get hot quickly. This course's saving grace was the fact that it was shaded throughout.
I developed a strategy to keep from succumbing to the heat (like the race leader had). I grabbed three cups at every aid station. Two cups of water went over my head, and one cup of sportsdrink went in my mouth. I was a sopping wet mess, but it kept me going. I wasn't able to achieve my usual pace on the hills and in the heat, but I was able to keep moving. Most people on the course with me were stopping regularly and I was able to pass many, many more people over the 13.1 mile course. Many of the athletes were suffering and moving very slow at this point, but people still greeted you with encouraging words when you passed them running up the hills.
When I finally finished my second and final loop, I headed down the chute the finish line. There was a PA announcer at the finish who was doing his best to add color commentary to the race. He could not read my number to announce my name as I came in, but he did help me out. He warned me over the PA that one of the barriers along the course was falling over. I was too focused on the finish to see it, but it would have taken out my legs if I had not been warned in time to hurdle it. It was a fine display of agility at the end of the day.
I crossed the finish with a big smile on my face and greeted my mother and sister with a big, wet, disgusting hug.

My family all came out to support me. My mom sacrificed her whole day to help me out -- from the morning pancakes to taking care of me and getting me home. She even got into the spirit of things and volunteered to help run the transition area. Even though triathlon is not much of a spectator sport, my dad, sister, and her boyfriend did a great job of tracking me down every time I came around all day and cheering me on.

I am very happy with the result of the day. It was a great challenge for my first triathlon, and I performed well. Most importantly, I learned a many things which will help me achieve my ultimate goal, which is Ironman Wisconsin at the end of the season. I talked to Mischa, my coach, who is also pleased with the outcome of the first half of my training season. We are planning the next push, and I have been warned that this is when things really get fun. I have decided to add another race to my season plan. There is another half-iron race in Effingham in about a month, which will fit in nicely with my schedule. It will also give me a chance to race with some of my tri friends from Champaign. If all the races are as enjoyable as this last one, I'll just fill my weekends with 'em

Posted by kpjoyce at June 17, 2005 8:51 PM