Race Report: Beach2Battleship Half Iron

Half Iron Distance Triathlon

1.2 mile swim  *  56 mile bike  *  13.1 mile run

November 13, 2010

Wilmington, NC

5:40:33

4th 30-34F AG

26th Female

142nd Overall

**New Half Iron PR by 33 minutes**

I decided to wait a few days to post my race recap because I was hoping (praying) that I would be blessed with a few good race photos.  Unfortunately, I was not.  Scott and I did this race without a sherpa, so I have no photos to post of this one.  Bummer.  ETA: I found a few pre & post-race photos and I may give in and purchase one or two of the less offensive race photos.

LOGISTICS

This was definitely the most complex race I've ever done in terms of course logistics.  The swim start, T1 and T2 were all in different locations.  A bus took us from our hotel to T1.  Another bus took us from T1 to the swim start and then a water taxi took us from the finish line back to the hotel.  We had separate changing bags for the swim, T1 and T2.  The swim bag was then transported to the finish line and acted as our post-race bag.  Our T1 changing bag eventually found its way to T2/finish line as well.

RACE MORNING

Despite all of the grumbling I heard from other race participants after the race, I found B2B's transportation set-up to be more than adequate.  The shuttle busses got Scott & I from our hotel to T1 and from T1 to the swim start without a hitch.  After the race, we opted to wait for the water taxi because we did not want to stack our bikes in the race U-Haul just so we could quickly leave on one of the busses.  All athletes had the option to use either the water taxi or the bus to transport themselves or their bikes.  The water taxi was the slow boat to China; the bus was much faster.  Those who moaned and groaned about waiting for the water taxi should have chosen the bus option.  Period.

Waiting for the shuttle bus to T1

CONDITIONS

Perfect.  The water was approximately 62-64F degrees.  I did a practice swim the Thursday before the race and discovered that I actually felt 'warm' towards the end of the swim.  I opted not to wear any booties and I'm thankful for this.  The booties affected my kick and really, there was just no need for them.  The water was not 'that' cold.  The swim current that B2B is known for was pretty much non-existent this year.  The swim director for the event said on Slowtwitch.com that the full participants had no help on the swim at all and the half participants had very little.  My swim time for this event validates this.  I'm cool with this.  I would rather my time be a bit more legit and not as 'aided' as say Augusta 70.3.

The air temp was about 42F at the swim start and around 49F when I finished the swim.  The warmest it ever reached during my race was 64F on the run.  Perfect, although I would have preferred it to be even cooler.  A high of 60F would have been lovely.   Bright blue, sunny skies!  Not a cloud to be found. The wind was whipping pretty good on race day.  Weather Underground.com reported steady 8-11mph winds during the bike portion with gusts up to 13mph.  The wind was coming from the ENE.

Aside from a slightly windy bike, which I'm use to dealing with due to living in Florida anyway, I'd have to say that it doesn't get any better than this.  I doubt I will ever race in such ideal conditions again.

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THE SWIM- 1.2 miles point-to-point, salt-water, wetsuit, low current

TIME- 34:36 (4th AG, 28/235 gender)

Scott's wave went off 15 minutes ahead of my wave and once he was gone, I was alone.  I kept looking at all of the other feet around me.  Some were wearing booties, some were not.  I second guessed whether I should have put mine on.  Some people even had neoprene gloves and caps on.  My goodness!  The water was cool, but this wasn't Alaska!  

The swim was a deep water start.  I was expecting to feel a strong current (like 2009 Augusta 70.3), but it wasn't there.  The full went off with a total slack tide and the tide was only beginning to come in for the half.  Based on my Augusta time (strong current, wetsuit, freshwater) and my FL 70.3 time (no wetsuit, no current, freshwater), I expected a time that was closer to Augusta; however, what I got was a time that was oddly closer to FL (nearly 7 minutes or so slower than Augusta and 5 minutes faster than Florida).  So the swim (this particular year) was not a big "benefit" to this race.  I'm actually happy about this as it better reflects my performance ability at a race that isn't "aided" by anything. I like this.  Maybe 2011 will produce the fast swim times that 2009 saw. 

I found a pair of feet about 400 yards into the swim and stuck to them like glue for the next 10-15 minutes or so.  At that point, I noticed that she was moving steadily towards the right of the channel and hence, off course.  I swam the remainder of the swim alone.

We had to climb up some ladders to exit the water and despite the fact that I was wearing earplugs (everyone said that they helped with the cold water), I felt dizzy.  The day was windy and it was producing chop.  I actually believe that I got sea-sick.  It happens to me in the Gulf as well.  I'm just not very sea worthy.

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T1

TIME- 5:28

I bypassed the wetsuit strippers in order to keep as warm as possible.  It was about 400 yd run from the swim exit to T1 and I wasn't sure what the air temp would feel like on completely wet skin.  Once I got to T1, I removed my suit and realized that I didn't find it very cold at all.

I took my good 'ole time in transition, which is a bit odd for me because I usually have faster than average T1 times. This time, however, I wanted to make sure that I had everything that I might need b/c T1 was going to be broken down as soon as the last rider left the area. I also wanted to make a smart decision about what to wear on the bike.

Although it wasn't even 50F yet, I opted to stay in my damp tri tank and shorts. I stuffed a piece of mylar down the front of my shirt and put my arm warmer "donuts" on (I rolled them up about 1 mile into the bike). I also added gloves. I already had toe warmers on my bike shoes and slipped on a thin pair of socks. I figured that my aero "sperm" helmet would keep my head warm. I had a vest in my changing bag, but I opted not to use it. I'm glad I made this choice. I would have FRIED on the bike with a vest on!

A race photographer was staged about 200 yards out from the bike mount line.  Who the heck wants a bike photo while they are still up on the horns, shifting around, messing with arm warmers, etc...?  Thanks, photographer, for taking the worst photo EVER of me!  Then again, who knows? Maybe I will thank you 15 pounds from now and post-inpatient stay at a facility for eating disorders.

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THE BIKE- 56 miles point-to-point, 2 bridges (one quite steep), lots of false flats, windy

TIME- 2:56:47 (4th AG, 43/235 gender) 

I felt like I was riding through mud during the first 10 miles of the bike leg.  I even looked down to see if my tire was flat.  Nope. No flat.  Just a product of the wind and a faster-than-average swim time which allows all of the super-bikers to fly on by.  This should be of no surprise to me at this point, yet it continues to mess me up mentally at every single race.  This time, however, instead of trying to give chase I held steady.  See you on the run!   {OMG, did I actually say that??}

The bike was windy, loaded with false flats, as smooth as silk and unbearably uncomfortable. My saddle is horrible and my bike fit doesn't help.  Despite the fact that I'm on a 48cm baby bike (at 5'5" tall mind you), my top tube (even with a 70mm stem) is still a wee bit too long to handle the position in which I cycle most efficiently.  I wished for my road bike from mile 5 through mile 56!  I am guessing that I am one of the few people who would actually be faster on a road bike.  In fact, I may tackle 2011 on nothing but a roadie with clip ons.  More on that at a later date.

My main (only) goal for this race was to NOT OVER BIKE!

I have over-biked BOTH of my previous HIM races and both times I paid for it on the run.  Heck, I'm very capable of over biking a sprint! Anyway, this time around I did things differently, I kept my cadence high and spun, spun, spun. I was probably in Zone 2 all day except for the bridges and a few spots of dead-on head wind.  I needed to pee during the last 10 miles.  I tried to go on the bike.  No go.  My bladder is shy.

I set my Garmin to autolap at the 28 mile mark:
28 mile Garmin split: 1:31:22;
56 mile Garmin split: 1:26:15

That second split should have been significantly faster than the first due to a decent tail wind; however, I was so uncomfortable on the bike (and my adductors in such pain from my saddle) that I just tried to muster up what I could.  The run would come soon and I had saved plenty of energy for it.

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T2

TIME- 3:05

I handed my bike off to a volunteer and ran to T2 with my helmet still on.  Just as with T1, I took my grand 'ole time. I fumbled around with the knot on the top of my changing bag before realizing that I should just rip the darn thing apart.  Dumb.  I also had secured my handheld water bottle in a second bag within the changing bag and had to remove it and then open that bag.  Too many bags.

I popped my running shoes on and forgot to secure the "bell shaped pulleys" on my Lock Laces, so the darn things banged against my feet for 13.1 miles (er, 13.37).  I grabbed my race belt, visor and handheld water bottle and put them on as I ran towards the "RUN OUT". I crossed over the timing mat and then realized that I still really needed to pee.

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THE RUN- 13.1 mile loop (13.37 by Garmin), 2 drawbridges done twice, 2 small but steep hills, gentle false flats plus a flat stretch of cobblestones.  I LOVED this course!

TIME- 2:00:38 (7th AG, 41/235 gender)

What a beautiful course! Definitely not flat, but not continuously hilly either. There were two large bridges that needed to be crossed twice and then a few steep hills within the downtown section. A nice stretch of flat cobblestone road was as scenic as it gets... and my feet/legs actually enjoyed the cobbles! 

This was my first ever strong run at the HIM distance thanks to smart nutrition and good bike pacing (forced bike pacing).  I am, however, bummed by the time.  My Garmin had this course long (significantly long at 13.37 miles). My husband had the course .2 miles long as did just about every other racer I've talked to. Oh well, what can ya do?

I lost a full minute in a port-a-pot right after the T2/Run timing mat (yes, I watched my watch tick-tock-tick-tock while what seemed like a gallon of urine streamed from me). Also, when I went to pull up my shorts, my race belt somehow got twisted up and caused my bib number to break away on one side. I tried to fix it, but I couldn't.  I had to run with a flippy/floppy bib number. Talk about annoying!  I lost 3rd place in my AG group because of this pee break (by a mere 17 seconds).  I might rethink that potty stop next time around. ;-) 

The outgoing bridges required a lot of mental focus on my part.  I felt really good but I knew that there were other hills within the course to navigate and I had to revisit those bridges again on the way back.  So I held back. Somewhere around mile 2.5, my right glute/hip began to feel very tight.  I've been dealing with some right hip pain since before FL 70.3, so this didn't surprise me; however, it felt a bit different this time.  By mile 6, the pain had moved down to my knee!  ITBS!!!  After a 10 month break, it was back with a vengeance.

The IT band pain grew considerably worse on the back half of the course which contained a lot of gradual declines heading back towards town. I even told the volunteer at the bottom of the Ann St. hill that it sure did hurt a lot more going down than it did going up.  As crazy as this sounds, I found myself looking forward to the inclines on the course as well as the two bridges, b/c the only time my ITB didn't hurt was when I was going UP something. Around mile 10, I considered walking because I feared that I might bust my ITB completely and would have to forgo my February marathon; however, one look at my watch and I changed my mind. I was so close to breaking my OPEN half-marathon PR that I couldn't just STOP. I was nearly in tears from the pain, but I mustered on. 

My pace was spot on. I was holding between an 8:50-9:00 pace for most of the race which is what I thought I could run if everything else had gone perfectly. My cardio was super sound and if it hadn't been for the severe ITB pain, I know that I could have run 8:40-8:45 the entire way back to the battleship. I'm a bit bummed about this, but the good news is that I KNOW that I have more on the table to give in future races. 

This past June I started to slowly up my running mileage in preparation for a February marathon and it has done wonders for me.  I took the slow boat to China on this ramp-up because I didn't want to get injured.  Looks like I did anyway, although I truly do not believe that mileage aggravated my ITB.  Folks talk about the 10% rule-- well, I took the 3% route!  Anyway, I believe that as I continue to build a more solid running base that there is no reason why I can't chop off a boat load of time from the HIM half-marathon.  I was a bit on the comfy side (cardio wise) on this run.  I still have a lot of room for improvement here.

That being said, this was the best executed run I've done at this distance, for sure! I know how to approach this run now and I'm confident that I can continue to improve-- if I can heal my ITB.

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THE FINISH

At the entrance to the Battleship park, I decided to run the rest of the race at 10K pace. I expunged whatever energy I had left. I crossed the finish line and fell into Scott's arms (he had crossed the line about 10 seconds before I did).  I had no idea he was just ahead of me.  It was so neat... the announcer actually said, "The L's are both here!"  A concerned medical volunteer noticed that I was sort of hanging on Scott and came over to us. She immediately ushered me into the warming tent, wrapped me in a couple of mylar blankets and laid me down on a cot. I remember feeling very hot, very dizzy and then very, very cold. Salt was caked all over my skin. I must have sat in the med tent for about 40 minutes.  

Scott and I shared a few very precious moments in that tent-- happy tears were shed.  We both ended up with PRs in excess of 30 minutes.  I had a goal of going sub-6 hours and the fact that I exceeded that and then some... well, it leaves me nearly speechless.  I am proud.

Celebrate!

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NUTRITION

Pre-race

IHOP blueberry pancakes (4) + two strips of bacon at 4PM the evening before the race.  Had a 4:30 AM wake-up call followed by 1.5 bagels with some peanut butter.  I also ate a banana about 30 minutes before the swim start and sipped on Gatorade all the way up until the time I put my feet in the water.

Bike

2 Pop-Tarts plus 70oz of orange Gatorade mixed with an additional 224 cals of maltodextrin.  In addition, I took in 3 S!Caps while on the bike.  994 calories consumed on the bike in total.  That number makes me want to hurl, but I was completely fine with this and probably could have eaten more.  Maybe I have two stomachs like a cow.

Run

Water (approx 35-40oz total) + 4 packets of Vanilla Power Gel + 2 S!Caps.  440 calores consumed on the run in total.

Post-race

Beef broth in medical tent, water, slice of pizza... and eventually a well-done, juicy hamburger!

I think I just about nailed my race day nutrition.  I had absolutely no gastric distress during the race and I felt clear headed the entire time.  I have never consumed that much on the run before and I believe that it helped.  I actually think I could have consumed even more calories on the bike and I probably would have... but I ran out!  I was taking a gel on the run about every 20 minutes or so.  I should have squeezed in one extra S!Cap on the run.

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TID-BITS

SetUpEvents runs a TOP NOTCH show.  Ironman brand ought to be ashamed of itself. I would recommend this event and any other SetUpEvents branded race to anyone!  My husband and I will be back, that's for sure!

Volunteers and event staff were out of this world!  The people of Wrightsville Beach and Wilmington, NC should be awfully proud of themselves!  Bravo!