More to come just a place to pics for now.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Friday, May 23, 2008
Florida 70.3 Race Report
My first trip to Florida for more than a day waiting for a cruise and my first Half Iron all packed into one big 10 day vacation!! I got down there Saturday the previous week because I knew that the heat was going to be killer coming form Michigan where days over 60 this year have been few and far between.
Saturday was just basically a travel day and didnt really feel much like doing any training. I was staying at a friends house in Davenport and went looking from some places to train since HWY 27 didnt look like a viable option. I found Lake Louisa up the street which sounded appealing since it was contained and I didnt have any CO2 cartridges for my bike.
Sunday I went to Lake Loiusa and started off with a nice 45 mile bike. By the time I was done it was about 2pm and thought hey why not a nice brick. I think I'll run about 6 after this ride. Yea right I made it about 2 mile saw a big spider (I think was a banana spider), the heat was killer, the big birds were circling around me and I was really feeling the heat so I decided to call it good for the day. I needed Co2 anyway and I read the previous night online that the Cycling Hub in Clermont was open Sunday's so I went up there and talked to those guys. They hooked me up with some training rides to take and some Co2. They also told me about the National Training Center so I went to check that out. Yea, that pool is sweet!!!! I went home, grabbed my swimsuit and went for back for dip. I got there at 4:30 and the girl working the desk told me they close at 5. She felt bad that I came all the way back and told me I could go ahead and just swim for free!!! So I changed like Superman and got in a quick mile (they were running long course which is sooo much better than what I have to swim in). Later after leaving NTC and the heat was going down I decided I'd go back out for another run around the neighborhood where I was staying. I went out for a 6 miler and then got some dinner.
Monday I woke up early and drove back up to Clermont to try out one of the routes the guy at the Cycling Hub gave me. Ended up being around 45 miles or so and was pretty hilly. It went up Old 50 and I think 435 or something like that and then out to Sugar loaf mtn and down Grassy Lake Road. Pretty nice and pretty hilly too!!! After the bike ride I was dying to swim again so back to NTC for an afternoon swim workout of about 2500 yards (short course this time :( ).
Tuesday I went back to Lake Louisa and this time I felt more prepared. I had shipped my secret sauce and a bunch of powergels to the house I was staying and they arrived Monday afternoon. I took 2 bottles of sauce and a few gels and did a 30 mile bike and a 6 mile run and felt great. The heat really wasnt bothering me and it was around 2pm when I went.
Wedensday I started with an early morning swim at the NTC same as Monday's(This time I met Kevin from Gear for Multisport and he gave me some info on the course) and then back to Lake Louisa in the afternoon for some running. I did about 6 miles in the heat and felt really good like I was getting acclimated to it.
Thursday I went to Lake Louisa again and did another brick like I did on Tuesday 30 bike and 6 run.
Friday I started the day at the NTC again and then I did a short run like 4-5 miles around the neighborhood I was staying in. Then off to check in at the race. Heather Fuhr, one of the pro females, checked me in!!! Then I went over to the CAF tent to check in with them and get all my gear to race in and find out the rest of the info I needed for the race. I met David Rozelle, what I great guy, loves his beer!!!
Saturday morning started with a breakfast with the CAF group and Katja Shumacher and Heather Fuhr. Also Scott Foley from the Unit tv show was racing with CAF too. After breakfast I checked my bike in and went home. That was a weird experience leaving my bike overnight like that but I guess it's pretty normal. Later that day I went for a short 3 mile run with my wife who was feeling awfully lazy for sitting around by the pool and drinking beer while I trained and prepped for a Half Ironman. Got to bed around 9 and couldnt sleep, way too excited. Set 2 alarms just to be sure.
Sunday 3:15 am RACE DAY!!!!!!! Ok so I only got about 5 hours of sleep but the adrenaline is pumping and I am freaking out. I put on my racing flats and went outside to stretch out a little. Took a shower woke up the wife she got dressed and we were off. I was paranoid we wouldnt make it in time and that the lines for the bus would be long. They did a great job transporting everyone to the transition area. Got to transition pumped my tires, got my bottles ready and had to hit up T3. Waited in line for the bathroom for so long my wife thought I went to the start line already and took off. I was freaking out because I didnt have any sunscreen and couldnt find her. I found a very nice person who lent me their sunscreen. Threw it on and went to the start. Boom the cannon sounds and the pro men are off.
Next thing I know, BOOM the cannon sounds again and the women are off. Next up is my wave. I finally get to look at the swim course and start freaking out. I had tinted lenses in my goggles and wasnt sure about seeing the bouy's. Well I was right!!! The bouy's were so far apart and the goggles were so dark I had a hard time navigating and even had to stop a couple times to see where I was. Swim ended up being 37:56 which was about 7-10 minutes slower than I was thinking.
Ran my butt off to transition that was about 400 meters away, stripped off my Pointzero, grabbed my bike and was out of there in under 3 minutes.
On the bike I felt pretty good. I was drinking alot in the beginning (sucked down half an aero drink in about 10 minutes) and ended up getting a touch of a cramp so I didnt eat my first gel until about 20 minutes in. I watched a guy that I was catching lose his gel bottle so I hooked him up with some gel and moved on. Went through the first aid station goofing off with the volunteers and cruised on. Passed a couple CAF guys said what's up and kept moving. By the time I got to Hartzog road I had Lisa Bentley and Heather Gollnick in front of me and Joe Boness (55 year old guy that has done over 50 Full Distance Ironmans) behind me. Both about half a mile in each direction. As I came to the 2nd aid station I saw the bottle toss and wanted to give it a try. I got one right in the box and the volunteers went nuts!!! Next I wanted one of those cool Gatorade Endurance Formula bottles so I saw a girl holding one at the end of the aid station so I got up the nerve to grab it at race pace and knabbed it from her. She went "ouch" went I grabbed it a 26 mph. I was worried about falling off the bike going that fast but I was just pumped up so much I didnt want to back off. After that aid station I ended up passing Amanda Balding a female pro. Kept cruising on down the road and by now I am basically alone on the course. I could see someone far off ahead of me but I couldnt tell if they were in the race or just rec riders out for a spin. I kept seeing cops at the intersections so I knew I was on course. Next up Sidewalk (What the???), that was lame but I guess its what they had to do. The course rode through some construction and the sidewalk was the only option. Traffic on 535 didnt seem too happy about the race but oh well for them. Then onto pulling into disney.... Coming into the bike course finish was sweet. There were people lining the course with cowbells and screaming. I felt like Lance in a time trial. The only thing that sucked was the dismount line. There was no warning and I came around a corner and bang there it is. So much for taking my shoes off on the bike. Total time on the bike was 2:27. I guess the bike was actually 58 miles so I averaged roughly 24mph which is right about where I wanted to be.
Ran through transition with my glasses steamed up. Got my area ripped off my helmet, glasses and shoes and through on my flats and took off. Total time in T2 was 1:45.
On the first lap I got a cramp running down the fenced area of the run. I had to stop for a couple minutes and Joe Boness caught up to me and passed me. I tried to run with him for someone to pace but I was hurting too much. By the time I got to the first aid station there was someone on the ground and the volunteers were trying to get medical support. Kinda gave me a good reminder of what going too hard can do so I just started to get into a good solid pace that I didnt think would do that to me. By now it was high 80's with 90% humidty and ready to rain at any second. I was grabbing sponges and dumping water on myself at every aid station. On the second lap we got blessed with some rain (I thought was blessed until my socks bunched in my shoe and started blisters) Going into the 3rd lap I saw my brother and my wife and ran over to slap my brother 5.
As I started my 3rd lap I realized that all those calories I drank on the bike were pretty much gone and I was bonking. I just settled into my pace and continued with the sponges and water except now I added coke and gatorade to my list of consumables at each aid station. The last lap was hell. I was getting weird pains all over but the finish made it all worth it. Coming down the finish I was completely alone. They announced my name, age, time, where I was from, the fact that I was with CAF, and even put up the finisher's banner for me. The people on the side were cheering and clapping and screaming my name. I really felt like I won the race or something. It was truely amazing and I hope I can experience that some time again. My total for the run ended up being a 1:51 which is a little slower than I thought and about 20 minutes slower than my PR 6 weeks earlier but just finishing felt good. My total time was 5:01. My wave went out 7 minutes down from the first one.
So now I am looking forward to some local sprint and olympic distance races and then Steelhead in 10 weeks. I hope it's as good of an experience as this one.
Saturday was just basically a travel day and didnt really feel much like doing any training. I was staying at a friends house in Davenport and went looking from some places to train since HWY 27 didnt look like a viable option. I found Lake Louisa up the street which sounded appealing since it was contained and I didnt have any CO2 cartridges for my bike.
Sunday I went to Lake Loiusa and started off with a nice 45 mile bike. By the time I was done it was about 2pm and thought hey why not a nice brick. I think I'll run about 6 after this ride. Yea right I made it about 2 mile saw a big spider (I think was a banana spider), the heat was killer, the big birds were circling around me and I was really feeling the heat so I decided to call it good for the day. I needed Co2 anyway and I read the previous night online that the Cycling Hub in Clermont was open Sunday's so I went up there and talked to those guys. They hooked me up with some training rides to take and some Co2. They also told me about the National Training Center so I went to check that out. Yea, that pool is sweet!!!! I went home, grabbed my swimsuit and went for back for dip. I got there at 4:30 and the girl working the desk told me they close at 5. She felt bad that I came all the way back and told me I could go ahead and just swim for free!!! So I changed like Superman and got in a quick mile (they were running long course which is sooo much better than what I have to swim in). Later after leaving NTC and the heat was going down I decided I'd go back out for another run around the neighborhood where I was staying. I went out for a 6 miler and then got some dinner.
Monday I woke up early and drove back up to Clermont to try out one of the routes the guy at the Cycling Hub gave me. Ended up being around 45 miles or so and was pretty hilly. It went up Old 50 and I think 435 or something like that and then out to Sugar loaf mtn and down Grassy Lake Road. Pretty nice and pretty hilly too!!! After the bike ride I was dying to swim again so back to NTC for an afternoon swim workout of about 2500 yards (short course this time :( ).
Tuesday I went back to Lake Louisa and this time I felt more prepared. I had shipped my secret sauce and a bunch of powergels to the house I was staying and they arrived Monday afternoon. I took 2 bottles of sauce and a few gels and did a 30 mile bike and a 6 mile run and felt great. The heat really wasnt bothering me and it was around 2pm when I went.
Wedensday I started with an early morning swim at the NTC same as Monday's(This time I met Kevin from Gear for Multisport and he gave me some info on the course) and then back to Lake Louisa in the afternoon for some running. I did about 6 miles in the heat and felt really good like I was getting acclimated to it.
Thursday I went to Lake Louisa again and did another brick like I did on Tuesday 30 bike and 6 run.
Friday I started the day at the NTC again and then I did a short run like 4-5 miles around the neighborhood I was staying in. Then off to check in at the race. Heather Fuhr, one of the pro females, checked me in!!! Then I went over to the CAF tent to check in with them and get all my gear to race in and find out the rest of the info I needed for the race. I met David Rozelle, what I great guy, loves his beer!!!
Saturday morning started with a breakfast with the CAF group and Katja Shumacher and Heather Fuhr. Also Scott Foley from the Unit tv show was racing with CAF too. After breakfast I checked my bike in and went home. That was a weird experience leaving my bike overnight like that but I guess it's pretty normal. Later that day I went for a short 3 mile run with my wife who was feeling awfully lazy for sitting around by the pool and drinking beer while I trained and prepped for a Half Ironman. Got to bed around 9 and couldnt sleep, way too excited. Set 2 alarms just to be sure.
Sunday 3:15 am RACE DAY!!!!!!! Ok so I only got about 5 hours of sleep but the adrenaline is pumping and I am freaking out. I put on my racing flats and went outside to stretch out a little. Took a shower woke up the wife she got dressed and we were off. I was paranoid we wouldnt make it in time and that the lines for the bus would be long. They did a great job transporting everyone to the transition area. Got to transition pumped my tires, got my bottles ready and had to hit up T3. Waited in line for the bathroom for so long my wife thought I went to the start line already and took off. I was freaking out because I didnt have any sunscreen and couldnt find her. I found a very nice person who lent me their sunscreen. Threw it on and went to the start. Boom the cannon sounds and the pro men are off.
Next thing I know, BOOM the cannon sounds again and the women are off. Next up is my wave. I finally get to look at the swim course and start freaking out. I had tinted lenses in my goggles and wasnt sure about seeing the bouy's. Well I was right!!! The bouy's were so far apart and the goggles were so dark I had a hard time navigating and even had to stop a couple times to see where I was. Swim ended up being 37:56 which was about 7-10 minutes slower than I was thinking.
Ran my butt off to transition that was about 400 meters away, stripped off my Pointzero, grabbed my bike and was out of there in under 3 minutes.
On the bike I felt pretty good. I was drinking alot in the beginning (sucked down half an aero drink in about 10 minutes) and ended up getting a touch of a cramp so I didnt eat my first gel until about 20 minutes in. I watched a guy that I was catching lose his gel bottle so I hooked him up with some gel and moved on. Went through the first aid station goofing off with the volunteers and cruised on. Passed a couple CAF guys said what's up and kept moving. By the time I got to Hartzog road I had Lisa Bentley and Heather Gollnick in front of me and Joe Boness (55 year old guy that has done over 50 Full Distance Ironmans) behind me. Both about half a mile in each direction. As I came to the 2nd aid station I saw the bottle toss and wanted to give it a try. I got one right in the box and the volunteers went nuts!!! Next I wanted one of those cool Gatorade Endurance Formula bottles so I saw a girl holding one at the end of the aid station so I got up the nerve to grab it at race pace and knabbed it from her. She went "ouch" went I grabbed it a 26 mph. I was worried about falling off the bike going that fast but I was just pumped up so much I didnt want to back off. After that aid station I ended up passing Amanda Balding a female pro. Kept cruising on down the road and by now I am basically alone on the course. I could see someone far off ahead of me but I couldnt tell if they were in the race or just rec riders out for a spin. I kept seeing cops at the intersections so I knew I was on course. Next up Sidewalk (What the???), that was lame but I guess its what they had to do. The course rode through some construction and the sidewalk was the only option. Traffic on 535 didnt seem too happy about the race but oh well for them. Then onto pulling into disney.... Coming into the bike course finish was sweet. There were people lining the course with cowbells and screaming. I felt like Lance in a time trial. The only thing that sucked was the dismount line. There was no warning and I came around a corner and bang there it is. So much for taking my shoes off on the bike. Total time on the bike was 2:27. I guess the bike was actually 58 miles so I averaged roughly 24mph which is right about where I wanted to be.
Ran through transition with my glasses steamed up. Got my area ripped off my helmet, glasses and shoes and through on my flats and took off. Total time in T2 was 1:45.
On the first lap I got a cramp running down the fenced area of the run. I had to stop for a couple minutes and Joe Boness caught up to me and passed me. I tried to run with him for someone to pace but I was hurting too much. By the time I got to the first aid station there was someone on the ground and the volunteers were trying to get medical support. Kinda gave me a good reminder of what going too hard can do so I just started to get into a good solid pace that I didnt think would do that to me. By now it was high 80's with 90% humidty and ready to rain at any second. I was grabbing sponges and dumping water on myself at every aid station. On the second lap we got blessed with some rain (I thought was blessed until my socks bunched in my shoe and started blisters) Going into the 3rd lap I saw my brother and my wife and ran over to slap my brother 5.
As I started my 3rd lap I realized that all those calories I drank on the bike were pretty much gone and I was bonking. I just settled into my pace and continued with the sponges and water except now I added coke and gatorade to my list of consumables at each aid station. The last lap was hell. I was getting weird pains all over but the finish made it all worth it. Coming down the finish I was completely alone. They announced my name, age, time, where I was from, the fact that I was with CAF, and even put up the finisher's banner for me. The people on the side were cheering and clapping and screaming my name. I really felt like I won the race or something. It was truely amazing and I hope I can experience that some time again. My total for the run ended up being a 1:51 which is a little slower than I thought and about 20 minutes slower than my PR 6 weeks earlier but just finishing felt good. My total time was 5:01. My wave went out 7 minutes down from the first one.
So now I am looking forward to some local sprint and olympic distance races and then Steelhead in 10 weeks. I hope it's as good of an experience as this one.
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