Spirit of Morgantown Half-Ironman Race Report

Quick and Dirty:

Swim: 31:17
T1: 1:15
Bike: 2:33:50
T2: 1:11
Run: 1:45:53
TOTAL: 4:53:24

Swim -

New type of swim start which consisted of running off the pier, and jumping off into the water. I found myself praying that no one behind was going to jump on top of me while I was under water. I popped back up, and started flailing trying to get up to speed. Water temp was at the perfect point where pro's were sans wetsuits and age-groupers could wear them. Awesome to be able to hang with the pro's for AT LEAST the swim... swam through some traffic on the back half of the loop, and then hit some serious current as we neared the dam. Raised the effort to get around the buoy's as quick as I could, and then cruised back using the current to my advantage on the way in.

T1 -

LOOOONG run from the swim exit back to the transition area which was situated on the ground floor of a parking deck.

Bike -

Potholes. Everywhere. Worst roads I have ever ridden on in a race, but that made it kind of interesting in a way, and kept me focused on the task at hand. Most of the super deep wheel swallowing holes were marked with paint to help with dodging. Some technical turns, a couple steady hills, some long smoking fast descents, and a nasty 100 meter 8% climb at the end of each loop helped to keep the racing honest. Stayed within myself and paced off one of the elite/pro male dudes for most of the ride. Got an extended Infinit shower during the ride, but its all good.

T2 -

Standard. Grabbed my iced hat and make shift neck cooler out of my cooler that I brought with. Sweet!

Run -

Weakest of the 3 for me, as usual. Run course is entirely flat, with the first 1.5 miles on pavement in the sun, and the next 2 miles on dirt in the shade. Shake, repeat a couple times, and you just completed your half-mary. Felt good in the first mile, and the second, and third mile, but after that I began to fade - and HARD. I was melting in the heat (oh yeah, temps were in the upper 80's and humid by this point). Grabbed all the cold water and ice I could carry at each aid station, and just tried to survive to the finish. I did, barely!

Overall -

13th overall, and 3rd in the AG. Surprisingly fun race, and one I may have to do again next year. Maybe they will re-pave some of those roads? Doubt it...

3 weeks until Canada. Time to rest up, and let all this work pay off!

Mountaineer Half Pre-Race

Spirit of Mountaineer on tap this weekend. It is supposed to be HOTT, and not the skinny-triathletes-in-spandex kind of HOTT. Maybe I'll pack an ice chest for some relief at the start of the run??

It would be great to finally have a breakout half-IM race! With all the IM build training I think this is a good shot to do it...will the heat foil my plans? Only time will tell...

Tentative A+ race execution times: :28/2:25/1:40 ....must dig deep - no excuses!

See ya out there.

Leg Shredding

Hit a training weekend out at Deep Creek Lake with a bunch of good people. PAIN was the name of the game for our time out in the montagnes! Needed these hilly rides in preperation for IM Canada coming up in a few months....

56 miles of the Savageman course followed by a strong 55 minute t-run on Saturday. 95 miles starting from the lake down into the Monongahela Nat. Forest with an epic climb up to some HUGE windmills thrown in for good measure on Sunday. 50 minute recovery swim in the lake on Monday. Sparks, beer, fries, and ice cream for recovery nutrition!

Pics or it didn't happen:

Pre-JFK 50

Its the night before, and I'm a bit intimidated of whats to come starting bright and early at 7am. This "race" will blow my greatest one-time run distance right out the window. I get the same feelings of when I did my first triathlon...what to wear, freak out, what to eat, freak out, how fast to go - you get the idea.

The game plan is to try and stick to keeping the heart rate under 150 at all times, if this means walking some sections then so be it. Each heart beat is critical in a race of this distance, and saving some early on could pay dividends when the going gets tough in the latter miles. Hopefully this plan will stave off the desire to walk, as I'm confident in my aerobic capacity but not as sure about how the legs will hold up. All in due time.

So here goes nothing, off into the dark abyss that is endurance running. I think I can see the light...


Good Song: Ted Leo and Pharmacists - Where Have All the Rude Boys Gone?

Another day another dollar

Marine Corps was just a week ago from yesterday. Where does the time go? A successful race, with a finish time of 3:27ish. Still looking to find the secret to running a strong final 6, and the ultimate 3:10 finish. Once thats in hand, the Boston Qual. should be a piece of cake. The legs are feeling good while just walking around now, but any attempt at running and some nasty soreness rears its ugly head again. The next challenge is the JFK 50 in a few weeks, and I'm definetly going to need a full/fresh set of limbs to finish that beast.

For a dose of cross training - an adventure into the western VA mountains was had, and some lovely leaves were a-changing. Good people, good weather, and good scenery made it a sweet day. The woods are where its at...

Good Song: Arcade Fire - Neon Bible

MCM is a go.

'Cross racing, bro.

Am I in first? Or am I in last? You'll never know!

I realized during this brief 30 minutes of atomic pain that, while cyclocross racing, your bike chain is either in 1 of 2 positions - Dropped, or in the process of being dropped. Its a downward spiral of frustrating agony as tattooed bike shop mechanics who look like they had 3 too many cases of PBR roll right on by as you slip in your personal puddle of tears while bending over to connect the gears again. Of course, they could easily kick my ass with one finger because, alas, I am a fragile mistake of a triathlete. Pathetic really, and for that I should be shamed for all eternity. Or just offered a bottle of MD 20/20. Your decision (choose wisely).

Bottom line: 'cross racing is some sweet stuff, no matter what goes wrong/right.

Good Song: Interpol - No I in Threesome