Race Report: Kinetic Half-Ironman 2012

Official Time:  5:04:07  (Rank: 74/374 men, 14/55 in age group)

Swim 1.2mi: 41:00 / T1: 3:04 / Bike 56mi: 2:33:22 / T2: 2:05 / Run 13.1mi: 1:44:38

Some days, 74th place feels like 1st place.  Saturday, after cutting 52 minutes off my 2010 Half-Ironman personal record, I felt like an absolute champion.  The swim went well, the bike was fantastic, and the run was my best ever. 

It could have gone all wrong in so many ways.  Traffic kept me from picking up my packet the night before the race, so my original plan to "sleep in" until 5:30 was foiled.  The hotel that Rob Stone and I stayed in was only $50 a night.  When was the last time you only spent $50 on a hotel room?  If you're smart, then you've NEVER spent $50 on a hotel room.  And the morning started out cold ... and really foggy.  This is a picture I took about 30 minutes prior to the 7am scheduled start time.  Can you see any of the orange buoys?  Neither could the race organizer, so the start time was delayed 15 minutes.

I suppose I lost track of time during the fog delay, so imagine my surprise when the horn sounded for wave 1.  (I was in wave 2, 3 minutes later.)  So I finished putting myself together and ran down to the beach.  My first goal was to not get beat by Rob Stone, whose wave started 9 minutes after mine.  If you think 9 minutes is a long time, you haven't seen how slow I swim!

The Swim:  41:00.  (276 out of 374 men.  eek.) 
There is so much to love about triathlon, and so much to hate about each specific discipline.  For example, I love swimming in open water.  I hate getting kicked in the lats.  And getting an elbow to my right temple.  (For the record, I got a fistful of someone's swim cap and goggle strap, so I suppose we're even.)  Note in the photo below that I have given up on my plan to start "in the middle," and have reverted to starting "in the back."

I have swum in Lake Anna often enough that I could just about describe the taste of the water.  It was a balmy 69 degrees -- warmer than the two previous times I've contested this race.  The hardest part about this particular swim was the sun peeking over the horizon.  On the backside of the triangle, and especially on the home stretch, the sun was right in my eyes.  In fact, I never saw any of the 3 or 4 buoys on the home stretch because I couldn't see anything straight ahead.  I just tried to keep an eye on the swimmers to the left and right of me.  I unfortunately got a little bit off course, so my overall swim time was off by a minute or two from my best.

Obviously, I still felt fresh at this point.

The Bike: 2:33:22  (21.92mph average, rank 52/374)
Apparently my prayers to the Gods of Transition have been noted.  I had the spot at the very top of the row, so I didn't have to fight for space while I yanked off my wetsuit.  I took this photo before the race to show off my excellent spot.

I knew coming out of the water that I was on track for a time similar to 2010.  I watched my heart rate during the first loop on the bike to make sure I kept it between about 140-150, with a few exceptions for the steepest hills.  The course was more "rolling" than I had remembered, but I was still glad to be on The Assassin.  This bike has paid for itself many times over.  (Thanks Honey!)

At the end of the first loop, I realized that I was clicking out a record pace.  At that point, I had already taken 15 minutes off my personal best.  So I kept up the pace as much as possible.  One more benefit to being in an early swim wave is that there are very few bikers on the road during the first loop.

The only thing that slowed me down on the second loop was a truck pulling a wide trailer.  He was chugging along behind a slow rider on an uphill, and refused to go around.  Normally, I would have blown around the truck, except that a race official was right behind me on a motorcycle.  In this race, if you cross the yellow line, you are automatically disqualified.  Race over.  So I loafed behind this trailer up a long uphill for what seemed like forever (but was probably only 3 or 4 minutes).  Once the race official got impatient and passed the truck himself, I sneaked around the trailer, followed by about 10 other riders who were waiting for someone else to take the penalty.  Luckily, I did not draw a penalty, though I wasn't sure until I checked the final results on Sunday.

So much to love and hate about traithlon.  I absolutely love the feeling of fluid legs beneath me, churning out an even cadence, my body tucked into an aerodynamic position, hitting 25 mph on a flat.  I absolutely hate the last few miles, when legs are on fire, form is falling apart, and each turn of the pedals feels heavier than the last.  The constant rhythm of your cadence can almost hypnotize you after a few hours.  I find myself repeating several phrases under my breath in these times:

Shut up legs!  Shut up legs!
Trust your training.  Trust your training.
Quiet upper body, fluid legs.  Quiet upper body, fluid legs.

Yes, it was painful.  But I knew that I was working on a personal best, and by the time I finished the bike, I had cut a total of 35 minutes off my personal best.

The Run:  1:44:38 (7:59/mi average pace, rank 77/374) 
For some reason, I didn't think Alisha had gotten a good enough flex photo, so I gave the crowd several more.  Note the bottle of sunscreen in my right hand.  (Thanks Honey!)  I've done a lot of things while running full speed -- now I can say that I've put sunscreen on my own back while turning out a sub-8 minute mile.

I didn't have high hopes for a good run time.  Last fall I ran a half-Marathon (as part of a Half-Ironman relay team), and pulled off a 1:46.  My feet have been bothering me lately, so my mileage is nowhere near what I had hoped.  That said, when I got off the bike, my back and thighs felt surprisingly fresh, and it didn't take me long to find my efficient stride.  In fact, for the first two of three loops through the park, I felt great.  Joking with people, showing off my biceps, thanking all of the volunteers, high-fiving the kids.  It was about mile 10 when things started falling apart.

I was on pace for a sub-5 hour Half-IM.  The thought of it was intoxicating.  The big boys race at 4:something ... I found myself really pushing through the run, breezing through aid stations, focusing on my stride, and watching the clock like my life depended on it.  But at about mile 10, my right calf started twitching, as if it was ready to cramp.  I don't know if I was dehydrated, low on sodium, or just worn out, but every time I tried to push off my right leg, the cramp threatened to manifest itself. 

I looked at the watch and ran the math again ... If I pushed it for a few more miles, I could break 5 hours.  If I pushed too hard, I could have a debilitating cramp, and I would literally not finish the race with a couple of miles left.  I thought about how hard I had worked for the last 4+ hours, and decided to ease off the throttle.  I couldn't be disappointed in a low-5-hour Half-Iron, even though I came so close to running with the big boys.  Plus, I still beat my half-marathon time from the Patriots Half-Ironman last fall (when I didn't swim or bike before running it)!

Did I forget to flex for any photos?  Well, just in case, here's a freebie!

At the end of races like this, I've noticed that athletes are so worn down, and so focused on finishing, that they never smile or even respond to the crowd cheering.  So I decided before I began this race that I'd really ham it up at the end.  So as I approached the finish, I started swinging my arms like Hulk Hogan, screaming YEEAAAAHHHH!  YEEAAAAHHH!  It was certainly more fun for me.  (though the crowd didn't seem to care)

Again, so much to love about triathlon, and so much to hate.  I hate having to run on sore knees, twitching calf, and toes that are certain to turn dark colors the next day.  But I love crossing the finish line, looking at my watch, and letting the endorphins wash over my brain like a tsunami. 

Here I am with Rob Stone, who took 1st place in the Clydesdales division!   I've said it before, but this was the race of my life.  Perfect weather, good luck, and good training.  Now, for a light week to reset my brain, and on to training for Ironman Florida.

One more thing I absolutely love about triathlon:  My wife.  Alisha always gives me first priority for my workouts.  She never complains when I need to get in a long bike ride or when I'm late coming home from work because of a workout.  And she woke up before 5am Saturday to drive herself and Emory down to Lake Anna to take 342 photos of me and Rob (including about 341 of me flexing), even though she had a million other things to do.  I'm really lucky to have her.