An alligator walks into a bar...

There I was, running in second place overall off the bike at the PPD Beach 2 Battleship 1/2 Triathlon on Saturday.  Not another competitor in sight (although I knew there was one guy way up ahead) when I come around the bend and see...

He's clearly running the tangents...smart reptile.

Yep - that's an alligator on the course.  It was definitely a first for me and something not many others will ever be able to claim.  It was in the upper 30s in the morning but by this time the sun was out and temps were moderating.  The asphalt was probably the best place for a cold-blooded animal to soak in some heat.  By the time I hit the turn-around and cam back through they had managed to convince him to move on.

On to some details about my race.  It was a good day and everything pretty much came together.  I'm knocking on the door of sub-4:20 and if it had been a bit warmer early in the morning I would have had it.  I've always heard good things about B2B but never been able to work it into my schedule until this season.  The swim is a point-to-point that typically has a tidal current pushing you but by all accounts this year it was basically a slack tide swim.  Still, I felt pretty smooth and going off in the first wave meant mostly clear water ahead aside from a few stragglers from the Full.  There is a long run to T1 where the timing mat is so I don't have a good split on my actual swim but it had to take me at least 60sec to strip my wetsuit and run there.  That means I actually got under 30min on the swim which is good for me.

Enter the time-suck transition.  Riding 25mph soaking wet in 40 degree temps sounded like a bad idea so I planned to put on a long-sleeve thermal jersey and full gloves in T1.  I toweled off quickly and managed to get the jersey on without much trouble.  The gloves on the other hand were extremely frustrating and probably cost me at least 60sec.  Eventually I won the battle and headed out on the bike.  Most of the athletes doing the Full were already out on the course ahead of me so I did a lot of riding on the left passing an endless string of bikers.  The road surface was very nice for the most part and the wind wasn't too bad although it could have been better.  I was averaging a bit over where I thought I should have been on my power meter but gradually brought it down 2-3% by the time I was off the bike so I thought I was probably okay.

Garmin data on TrainingPeaks
2:21:44 (23.7mph)
238W NP, 1.01 VI

I came into T2 all alone and initially thought I was leading but someone told me a guy was out ahead after I got about a mile into the run.  I was told everything from 1/2 mile to 10min but I wasn't going to know for sure until I pass him on the out-back.  [insert alligator sighting here]  Eventually I saw him coming with a bike lead and noted the time.  Turns out he was 9min up on me with only 5 miles to go.  It didn't really matter because I knew what pace I should be running anyway and couldn't do anything about him unless he had a melt down.  I really enjoyed the run course but with about 3 miles left I got a bit of head wind and the pace started to get challenging to hold.  I got focused, tried to stay relaxed and smooth and made the turn down the only hill on the course just before the final 400m to the finish. I managed a 10sec/mile negative split and finally had a good run off the bike to end the season. The Garmin didn't link up immediately so I missed the first .75 miles of distance even though the timer was running in the data file.

Garmin data on TrainingPeaks
1:21:34 (6:13/mile)

After the later waves had finished I ended up 3rd overall (4:21:16) with over a 2min PR.  If it were 10 degrees warmer in the morning I wouldn't have needed gloves and been at least 1min faster on the day. Still, I can't complain about a nice PR.  I know I have sub-4:20 in me but that will have to wait until next year.  Oddly enough, the guy who was way out ahead of me didn't end up in the overall results, or at least not in the top 5.  I need to figure out his name and find out what happened.  I know he finished but maybe got DQ'd for some reason?

ADDENDUM - apparently they got the results screwed up at the awards ceremony.  The finally had the official results posted on Monday and the guy who was running in front of me had resurfaced and was 3rd, which bumped me down to 4th. 

Full results here 

My award was a cool plank with the race logo and my finisher position engraved in it.  Apparently it was made from reclaimed deck boards from the USS North Carolina.  Here's a nice montage of my celebration dance.

Kona in the Rearview Mirror...and on the Horizon.

Athlete's badge of honor during race week.

I started writing this post back in October but never finished it...just didn't seem important.  After reading it through again I decided to toss it over the fence for the world to see.

Two weeks ago I crossed the finish line at the Ironman World Championships in Kailua-Kona, HI. I assumed it would be the highlight of my season and my triathlon career but it was oddly anti-climactic.  With only 60 days from qualifying to the cannon going off I struggled to reset my body and mind.  I eventually found some focus in those last few weeks before heading off to the big island but it was barely enough to arrive feeling prepared to simply cover the distance. I didn't have any expectations for race day - this was all about taking in the experience of race week and appreciating the fact that I worked so hard to earn the right to be there wearing that athlete wristband.

My goal was to simply enjoy being out there and hopefully not spend all night out on the course.  I figured 10:30-11hrs was realistic and I was on target to be in that range through the first few miles of the run.  By most accounts the conditions were some of the toughest in the past 5 years - swells and current on the swim, wind and heat on the bike, heat on the run.  It's nothing I didn't expect and honestly, it didn't seem too bad through the swim and bike.  The worst part of the swim for me was the battle royale that ensued for at least the first 1/2 mile - beyond anything I've ever experienced - pure combat swimming.  The bike was reasonable but the winds really got angry during the 8 mile climb up to the turn around in Hawi.  The reward was a ripping descent - I averaged over 30mph for 12+ miles - but it was short-lived.  The winds had also picked up on the Queen K and that made it tough going all the way back to transition.  Despite the challenges on both the swim and run I took it relatively easy, sat up lots on the bike, and managed splits in line with what I expected - 1:12 swim and 5:36 bike.

Calm before the storm in Kailua-Kona harbor.

Heading out on the run I felt the fatigue of an already long day start to set in and the reality of a marathon still ahead of me wasn't exactly a welcome thought.  With so much wind on the bike you don't fully appreciate the heat that you are dealing with. Once I was heading down Ali'i Drive on foot I got a firm smack in the face - it was HOT and getting hotter.  I cruised the first few miles at a reasonably comfortable pace and figured even if I end up slowing down a bit I probably wouldn't be much over a 3:30ish marathon. Somewhere in the 6-8 mile range the heat and fatigue was weighing on me.  On top of that I was struggling to find a reason to suffer, even mildly. I always walk every aid station to ensure I get my fluids and nutrition but I don't doddle - typically 5-8 seconds then right back to running - but running was work and it was starting to get tough.  I actually enjoyed walking but not just because it was easier.  When I was walking I could appreciate what was going on around me - this was the Ironman World Championships and I was part of it.  From that point on my walks got longer and it became more difficult to get back to running.  It was 50% physical and 50% psychological.  I still had a long way to go and the Queen K was brutal this time of day.  I alternated walking and running but I really just wanted to walk because I had no reason to run - I had nothing to prove, no pressure, no specific goals except to finish.  The usual motivation to push with whatever I had available just wasn't there.  The only thing that kept me getting back to running was knowing that I'd be done sooner than if I walked the rest of the way.

I ended up dragging myself back to Palani shortly after sunset and with just over a mile left to the finish I was able to drop a gear or two and head down Ali'i towards the finish line at a decent pace.  I don't remember a whole lot about the finish - I was happy to be done but otherwise I felt no emotion, no real sense of accomplishment.  Sure, I finished but I never had any doubts about my ability to simply finish.  My official time was 11:30:34, my slowest IM by nearly 90min, but I don't really care what the results say - at 2 weeks after race day I still haven't bothered to look up my finishing place but I'm sure it's near the end of my age group.  After a couple weeks of reflection on that day I feel very indifferent about the experience.  It's strange but racing Kona wasn't the highlight of my season.  The highlight was actually qualifying and getting a 5th place podium spot as a bonus. I worked hard for that and challenged myself - the accomplishment was rewarding. Kona was the reward and I just wanted to enjoy the experience of being there. I thought that would be enough but there is something that feels unfinished - I didn't give it my best.

New Season - New Adventures

So it's been many months since my last post and I decided it's time to fire up the interwebs again.  I never posted a race report after Kona although I started to draft one up.  It really wasn't about the race or how I did (not great BTW - total melt down on the run).  It was all about the journey and documenting some points along the way.  I thought that maybe I'd be done with IM distance after making it to Kona but I really want to give it another go and make at least one more trip back to the big island.  last year my entire season was planned around IMNY and I never thought beyond that goal.  That left me in a not so great place when it turned out I had to keep training for another IM only 60 days out plus pay for a vacation.  I showed up in Kona prepared to make it to the finish line but nothing more.  I don't expect to ever be competitive there but I have some unfinished personal business with the course to take care of.  I just want to give it a good honest build-up and see what I'm capable of.  Then I think I'll be satisfied. But all of that is for another year - this season is much more relaxed.

I'm already at my mid-season break for 2013.  I raced Rev3 Williamsburg 1/2 this past weekend with mixed results - looks decent on the surface (12th OA and 4th AG) but I kind of crashed and burned on the back side of the run dropping 6-8 places and out of the top 5 overall amatuers.  Shit happens and I'm not really upset about it...plenty more races in my future.  I'm going to take a week or two easy and then shift gears a bit for some Oly distance races through the summer.  I've also just registered today for the Beach 2 Battleship 1/2 to cap off the season and maybe score a new PR if everything comes together.

Between now and then I'll try to post fairly regularly about whatever seems interesting.  I already have at least one topic from the race this past weekend that I need to document here where it can't get censored by others - details to come soon.

I'll end this post with a shout-out to two of the athletes I coach for both being rock stars this past weekend.  Julie Lestyan finished her first IM at CdA.  She absolutely crushed the swim in 57:xx (with "pedestrian effort" according to her) and had a very solid bike but then dealt with terrible stomach issues for 20+ miles of the marathon. She pushed through and finished under 14hrs.  Then there was Rosalyn Singer who was also racing Rev3 1/2.  Unfortunately we swam into a nasty strong current coming down the river from heavy rains - swim times were as much as 20min or more slow - and then had pretty bad heat and humidity along with a challenging run course.  Despite a slow swim she managed to PR both the bike and run as well as the race overall.

Julie Lestyan finishing IMCdA and Rosalyn Singer after Rev3 Williamsburg 1/2