2014 Seagull Century (Assateague Ride)

2014 Patriots Half Triathlon Technical Race Report

T'was the morning of my first long course (half-Ironman) triathlon, and I didn't have much sleep to speak of. I was in bed by midnight, woke up at 4am for a quick snack (Kashi granola bar) and went back to bed until 5:15. I arrived at the race site by 6:15 and age an espresso Gu gel at 6:40. Time always flies when you're setting up your transistion area. I headed to the beach and got acclimated to the water.

SWIM
The start was very shallow so I walked for a while; it wasn't too rough. The first right 90-degree turn as about 100 yards toward the center of the river. At the turn, though, a competitor to my right was swimming behind me, and his left hand latched onto my shoulder during his crawl stroke and he pulled me back! This startled me, and this ruthless move got me a bit angry, but I let him pass and continued my swim. I got a couple nasty scratches on the right side of my neck and my right shoulder from it, and it was stinging the whole race. The long portion of the swim--upriver--was a bit difficult to sight because there weren't very many orange sight buoys. I maintained a good pace throughout and felt good about the swim afterward. The sun was coming up right over the trees on the last left turn, a left-hand 90-degree turn toward the same beach we started at, and that made the swim finish difficult to see. Again, it was very shallow, so I got on my feet and jogged thru the water when it was about thigh-deep.

Swim Time: 36:15
Age Group Rank: 6th (out of 14)
Mens Rank: 23th (out of 205)
Overall Rank: 29th (out of 295)

TRANSISTION 1
The run up to the transition area was long and I was jogging at an easy pace. This gave me time to picture the transition in my head, and I was nearly flawless in that regard. I realized one pre-race mistake though: I put some Gu gels in my back pocket of my tri onesie before the swim, and the river took them. I didn't notice til I was on the bike. This somewhat effected my nutrition.

T1 Time: 3:19
Age Group Rank: 6th (out of 14)
Mens Rank: 29th (out of 205)
Overall Rank: 32th (out of 295)

BIKE
I rode sockless, in tri shoes, with my shoes attached to the pedals at transition. I pedals over my shoes for maybe a half mile before putting em on. I need to get better at putting my shoes while riding. I did not attempt jumping on my saddle.

This was an easy, flat course with a few faux flats. I stayed within my comfort zone, hoping to perform better for the run. I began with 3 bottles of Powerade on my bike, and no gels or anything else (because of my gaffe). My nutrition was limited to energy drinks. I did not drink any water. With the 3 Powerades, I also grabbed 3 bottles of Gatorade along the ride (stops at 15,30, and 45, approx.). I made it a point to drink every 15 minutes, and I would guess I drank 20 oz. every half hour.

There was a little bit of noise coming from the front end of my bike. I got off my bike at stop 1 (15 mi in) to check it out but couldn't figure it out at the time. I just glued a new tubular the Thus before the race on my front. Other than that, the bike performed and shifted well. No flats, luckily, because I didn't have a Pitstop in my saddle bag. After the race I realized the valve stem was rattling in the rim hole, so the noise wasn't a serious mechanical issue.

The liquids I consumed seemed adequate and I liked that it didn't weigh down my stomach. Near mile 45 I was getting some small twitches in my legs, so I'm guessing some electrolyte pills would've helped me here.

Bike Time: 3:05:49
Age Group Rank: 13th (out of 14)
Mens Rank: 103rd (out of 205)
Overall Rank: 120th (out of 295)

TRANSITION 2
Again, I kept it simple and didn't forget anything this time (my last tri I forgot to take off my helmet). I shoved 2 gels in my pocket.

T2 Time: 1:26
Age Group Rank: 6th (out of 14)
Mens Rank: 22nd (out of 205)
Overall Rank: 28th (out of 295)

RUN
This is the first time my runnig muscles actually felt fresh coming off the bike! I felt great and was all smiles at the start of the run. Feeling good, I started at 9:00 pace, but backed off to 10:00 to try and save energy. I drank Heed at every stop (about 11), ate 2 Gu gels, around MM 4 and 9, and only drank water to chase the gels. Took a bathroom break at a port-a-john around MM 4. At that point leg cramps were starting to kick in, but after taking Hammer Endurolyte pills around MM 6, my legs felt great. But that's when my knees started giving. They began hurting a little before halfway. My mile 8 I was having to stop and give me knees a rest, stretch, walk, etc. The first half of the run my pace was around 10:00. I ended around 12:00 pace overall, so I was crawling during the last few miles, and my knees were on fire.

Run Time: 2:37:10
Age Group Rank: 10th (out of 14)
Mens Rank: 85nd (out of 205)
Overall Rank: 110th (out of 295)

FINISH
I finished, immediately sat down, threw an ice-cold towel over my face, and I think cried a bit! It took a few minutes before my knees could support me again. I sat at the finish for a good 5 minutes before I made my way to the tables. My fiancee grabbed my post-race pizza and I ate that along with some snacks and some more fluids. There wasn't a post-race headache that I usually suffer, so I believe my nutrition and my fluid intake was great. A personal best, in my opinion! After eating, I walked gingerly to the first aid tent to get my knees wrapped in ice. While there I spoke to and witnessed a bunch of DNF's and some dehydrated fellas. Poor guys. One guy had an IV in him, and his cramps were neverending. One other gentleman--a seasoned ultramarathoner--suffered heat exhaustion and had to drop out of the run. Competitiors who have done this race before indicated that the hot weather during this run really hurt their times.

Final Time: 6:23:58
Age Group Rank: 5th (out of 14)
Mens Rank: 77th (out of 205)
Overall Rank: 96th (out of 295)

My goal was to break 6 hours, and I was on track for that goal until about 4 miles into my run. I was hoping to be close to my most recent half marathon run of 2:01, but the weather and my knees did not cooperate. This sub-6:00 goal will haveto carry over into 2015. My age group was flying during the bike according to the rankings, but if I pushed myself during the bike, my run will likely suffer more than it did. Maintaining a 10:00 pace for the run would put me very close to my goal in the future.

I ended up in the top 36% of my age group, top 37% of men, and top 32% overall. I'm used to being placed in the 30's. Another reachable goal is to try to crack the top 25% in my future races. But, seriously, 6 hours of racing is just nuts.

2014 Rock'N'Roll Half Marathon D.C.