Gordon's Lake Stevens 70.3 Race Report

Decision to Enter: I have done triathlons for 20 some years, but have never done longer than Olympic distance. I had not intended to enter this year's race, but after seeing the enthusiasm on TEAMFASTT and hearing my niece and her husband had entered as a relay I started giving it some thought. After two weeks of good weather and finally getting some bicycle miles I registered a week before the event.

Race Expectations: Being number orientated I have the habit of of projecting how fast(or how slow depending on your perspective) I can do the event. Comparing to my Olympic experience I would swim at my Olympic swim pace. Since I had felt fairly strong riding the course recently, I planned riding fairly hard, but trying to hold back some on the hills. On the run I knew that I would be slowing down, so I put my expectations to try to hold 9 minutes miles, as I had recently completed 7.5 miles at that pace after a 38 mile ride. Therefore, I thought I should be able to break 6 hours and optimistically go 5:40 with a 35 minute swim, 3:05 bike, and then going under 2 hours for the run. Hopefully my transition times would be included in swim/bike, but could be made up with a faster run. Of course there was always the possibility I would “bonk” and come in much slower. This was not an impossibility, as just a few years earlier I was doing a 83 mile bike ride and at about mile 60 after climbing a short steep hill I was “wasted” and had to limp in at less than 12 MPH.

Race Preparation: My main concern was how much nutrition/hydration. For the Olympic distance I froze two large water bottles of Gatorade mix with added salt which seemed to suffice. I decided to carry three bottles and get replacement(s) at the bottle exchange. How much solids such as gels was unclear and decided to pack a few in my Bento Box. This was after consulting with several participants, even a couple at the transition area on race day(they were probably placing bets on when I would drop out). The night before the race I must have gotten only a couple hours sleep as my anxiety level rose. I left at 4:15 AM and felt a bit groggy. However, upon arriving at the transition area I quickly perked up and was ready to race!

The Swim: I started in the last wave before the relays. My group was smaller so I got off to a “clean” start. I considered the swim as a warm up for the rest of the race -- just keep relaxed and stretch out the muscles. By the time I rounded the end yellow buoys I had caught up with some swimmers in the previous waves. However at this point I started keeping further to the right of most swimmers as I had noticed the last orange buoy was set to the left. I exited the swim feeling energized in 34:06. My bike was on the nearest rack on transition entry – easy to find, and made it through transition in mediocre 2:39.

The Bike: Starting in the last waves has its advantages psychologically. Instead of constantly being passed in the bike, I was passing numerous bicyclists. I was still feeling pretty good as I made the turn onto Lake Roesiger Road and began the climb up the hill. Shortly I heard honking in back of me and thought: “This may get dicey with a car trying to pass everyone on the hill”. The honking continued and all of a sudden the leading pros, already on their 2^nd loop, passed me like I was hardly moving – so much for thinking I was “tearing” the bike course apart! At this point I decided to try downing a gel. Fumbling to open it, I squeezed some into my mouth, but also got on my hands. I guess I would stick to gatorade as I spent the next few miles licking my sticky hands. As I approached the halfway point I prepared to discard one of my water bottles for a replacement. They were passing out both water and Gatorade in the plastic bottle. As I passed the halfway bike point I noticed my time was just over 1:30 – I was on schedule for my bike split. Shortly thereafter I noticed a strange noise coming from my bicycle – not a good sign. After a few miles I realized it was simply the thinner Gatorade container rattling in my bottle cage. I continued downing fluids and took another Gatorade at the bottle exchange. I didn't feel like I was strong in the 2^nd loop and my 2^nd half time confirmed that out by being over 9 minutes slower. Total bike time: 3:10:17(1:30:19/1:39:58).

The Run: As I dismounted my bike I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder(which quickly went away) and a sore lower back. Since I had downed 90 ounces of Gatorade on the bike, I took a bathroom break and exited transition in 3:22. After the first couple of miles my lower back loosened up and I actually felt like I was running. For miles 3-5 I was running in the 8:40 range and thought: “The run isn't going to be all that bad”. I came through the halfway point at about 57 minutes. The first part of the 2^nd loop I thought I was still feeling pretty good, but I noticed my mile 3 was almost 1 minute slower than on the 1^st loop – I didn't feel like I had slowed down that much. The next two were even slower, closer to 10 minutes. However, I was almost done – back up over the hill and to the finish! As I approached the finish line I was energized by the cheering crowd and elatedly crossed the timing mats. My run time was 1:59:53(57:01/1:02:52). Total time was 5:50:15.

Conclusion: As I look back on my 1^st Half Ironman I can say I wouldn't have entered it weren't for being on TEAMFASTT and seeing the enthusiasm for it. The race was made much more enjoyable with all the support and cheering along the course. I'm just thankful I was able to complete a new challenge, even after all the years I've been doing triathlons. My race was by no means perfect, but was right in the middle of where I had predicted. I certainly could improve my nutrition routine(I mainly drank water on the run). My muscle endurance was definitely lacking which more time in the saddle could help. However, since my future schedule only includes Olympic distances, maybe I needn't get too serious about Half Ironman optimization.