The morning started with waking up woke up at 4:15am. I didn't fall asleep that night until around midnight, so I certainly was a little tired when I woke up. For breakfast I had a cup of coffee and a few plain bagels to get me going. I got to transition at a good time to get everything set up and ready.
The swim:
I was the 12th swim wave and I started at 6:54am. There were about 80 guys I started with. I had a decent start and started to get into a rhythm. Then I found that I started running into an abundance of people who were doing the breast stroke and who were swimming much slower. I would run into people, people would run into me, I got hit multiple times and I hit people multiple time. Yes, I expected this but this seemed to happen more then I thought it would. I never really felt like I got into a smooth rhythm. Every 10 strokes I had to pick my head up to make sure I was swimming the right way and it also felt like every 10 strokes I'd run into someone. I didn't feel smooth, it felt more like a stop and go every 10 strokes or so.
The swim felt like it took forever! When I got to the sand to stand up I was relieved. I wasn't physically tired from swimming but mentally I was. This was also the longest continous swim I have ever done. I looked at my time and it read 41 minutes. I thought to myself "I have my work cut out for me now." With a 41 minute swim there is much much room for improvement.
The bike:
I quickly ran through transition and got on my Suplicy. I felt like everyone was standing still as I flew past them. I had to say "On your left" to about 50 people or so as I would pass them. Some people wouldn't move over as I had to slow down to thier 20 mph pace and wait for them to pass and get over. This was rather annoying and happened at least a dozen times. No one passed me on the bike at all. I rode the 56 miles in 2:15 solo, close to 25mph. The course was pretty flat all the way with a handful of rolly hills. I certainly know I can go faster on the bike but given the circumstances I was faced with, it went alright. I had the 4th fastest amatur bike and I believe I had the 20th fastest bike split that day.
I drank a total of 4 water bottles on the course, a concentrated bottle of EFS 1st endurance and consumed 2 gels.
The run:
Off the bike I felt pretty good. I took 1 gel to start the off the run. I ran the first 2 miles in 11:20 (5:40 pace), then started to settle in. The run course was 3 laps. Each lap having about 2.5 miles on uneven grass and the rest on pavement. The water/food stations were great. I took water, ice, cola, gatorade and sponges. Anything to stay hydrated and cool. I dumped the ice into my racing suit to help keep to cool. One of the water/food stations had a thermometer and it read 95 degrees (a few of the athletes told me after the race). I sure felt the heat too!! Hense last Sunday it snowed all day in northern, New York. This was the hottest race I have ever competed in and I don't like or race well in hot weather. Many people were in the medical tent due to dehyration and heat exhaustion. I was able to hold fairly consistant laps considering the weather. My first lap of the run was 25:30, second 26:39 and my last was 27:08. I slowed down a little but consisting how hot it was I didn't bonk/dehydrate. My total run time was a 1:20. I had the fastest age group run by a few minutes and I had the 6-7th fastest run overall.
I finished with a final time of 4:21:03. I won my age group of 25-29. I was the 4th amatur overall. I didn't reach my goal of 4:15 and being 3rd amatur overall but I finally broke the ice and I can say i'm a triathlete now. At first I was a little disapointed but I can't complain too much. I had a great time, learned a lot, survived the hot weather, and will be better prepared for my next half ironman in three weeks, Mooseman 70.3. Mooseman will favor me more. I will be able to use a wetsuit in the swim, the bike is tough and the weather will be much cooler.
I had a great time and met some new people as well as seeing some friends from duathlon events. I talked to some people about swimming and got some great tips. I'm more motivated now to excel. Thankfully, after the race I was able to sign up for Ironman Lake Placid which is on July 25th. I think I am better at the longer distances and I'm certainly anxious about it.
Today I feel pretty good. My legs and body are not that fatigued as I thought I would be. My resting heart rate is at a low 40 beats per minute right now which is a good sign. I was able to spin my legs out today and I'm about to swim a little in the pool down here @ U of Florida.
Thank you everyone for all of your support and advice. Also a special thanks to my Canton, NY friend/collegaue, Kalya, for hosting me.
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