Highway To Hell (Eagleman Race Report)

  



Eagleman 70.3 Race Report - My first race in the 45-49 Age Group



Going into the race, I had some high expectations, but I always have lofty goals for myself. Workouts pointed in the direction that I was in great shape, maybe the best in years but as we all know in races of this length, anything can happen once you are out there & this was one of those days. There is no way other way to put it or no excuses to be made. Slow swim, solid bike and slow run don't make for great race results.  Now, compared to last year, I did finish (mechanical issue in 2013) so I have 1 victory from Sunday!



The day started off with the announcement that this was going to be a non-wetsuit swim as the water temps had risen to 76.5. Then another announcement was made...."All males must wear a top for the swim". Never heard of that rule? We even asked a few officials & they confirmed the announcement. I could tell as I swam to start line that was basically going to be swimming with a drag suit. Oh if I had only purchased the swim skin instead of the wetsuit!! Damn! Oh...to make things even more confusing, after they closed transition they made an announcement contrary to the original & said guys don't need shirts... WTF?!?!?!?! Transition area was closed 45 minutes ago. How do I put my singlet back in transition? In hindsight, I should have unzipped the top, rolled it down and tucked it in my shorts....Oops!



Swim - Once in the water, other than buoyancy, you could tell instantly that a wetsuit was not really needed. The first few buoys were smooth & you could feel a slight current pushing you from left to right. Then all of sudden a chop picked up for a bit till you hit the first turn. It felt like I was taking two strokes just to move one. I felt strong for the swim but just knew it was slow in the water. Was it the shirt catching water? Was it the current? Was it trying to swim through 7-8 people walking around the final turn? No lie, water was low enough for people to walk around a buoy and they were literally blocking the the turn. Regardless, swimming is not my strength but I was hoping for a better swim. Counting the run up to the timing mat.......37:21 or basically and eternity! T1 - 1:55  



Bike - Eagleman Bike Info - Strava

I feel very good about the bike & how it went. Once the information was downloaded, my  Garmin showed 2:26:03 (23mph) from the line we were able to mount the bike to dismounting bike. The official time is 2:27 but that includes running across timing mat to the line where you can officially get on bike & where you had to dismount bike. In hindsight, I probably rode a little too conservative on the bike as I knew the run was going to be hot as hell! I was probably one gear below where I should have been for the headwind and tailwind sections. Getting into T2 though, I felt good & the legs did not feel beat up after that bike. T2 - 1:40



Run - Running out of transition I felt good & in my head I had already scaled back my goal time given the heat & the fact there will be no shade out on the course. I knew that every aid station would be critical! At my earliest chance, I made sure to grab some sponges & kept them tucked in my top for the remainder of the run. I took on water at every station & was sure to soak the sponges with ice & water at every chance. But that sun just kept baking me in the baron conditions of the course. I hit the half way point averaging 7:23 per mile & then the death march home started. Now I will say I kept running and never once had to walk but to some it may have looked like I was walking! My official run time was 1:40:27. 



Overall my time was 4:49:13. It was not my slowest 70.3 (something to be happy about) but I knew I was in shape for 10-15 minutes faster. I have taken the past few days to think about the race & start to think about the future. I will need to take a closer look at my nutrition on the bike. I felt hydrated & strong but maybe I did not have enough in me & that is why the 2nd half of the run went so bad. I know I need to get back in the weight room to make the bike even stronger. Probably the biggest focus will be to focus a lot on speed in my swim!



Yeah, I wanted better but there are many more races ahead to achieve my ultimate goal of reaching Kona once again! Maybe I need one more year of training in my return to triathlons & then I can think more realistically about Kona in 2015. Maybe get another 70.3 in this summer or think about a late season Ironman (ie. Maryland) with idea of qualifying for Kona there & then have a year to focus on Hawaii. 



But all was not lost....after the race, I had the pleasure to catch up with some Wattie Ink teammates for the best recovery beverage known to man......BEER! This was my first race as a member of Wattie Ink. The cheers, thumbs up & high fives from teammates kept me going while on that "Highway to Hell" of a run course. Having teammates like this makes it very hard to dwell on a not so perfect race.  Great to meet Denise, Jon, Owen, Bill & Bill! I can't wait to meet more teammates!



Rock the W!



Thank you Wattie for the cool kit! Thank you Power Bar & Speedifil for keeping me hydrated & energized! Thank you ISM Seat for keeping my ass comfortable for those hot 56 miles!



Bigger & better to still to come in 2014!



Need to race soon!