It’s been pretty busy and I’m sorry for not posting sooner. I have completed the Nike Rock and Run 5K and the Harbor Lights Sprint triathlon since I last posted. I’ll try to get all of the results updated in the results section as well as get some pictures up.
Yesterday I completed the Steelhead 1/2 Ironman. I finiahed in about 6 hours, which was better than I expected. I didn’t wear a watch because I didn’t want to know how I was doing. Thanks to my girlfriend for keeping track of that and taking a lot of pictures.
There was a big backup to get into the parking area by the time I got there. Luckily, I wasn’t driving myself and I was able to walk to the transition. I made it with about 15 minutes before it closed. I got everything set up and then made my way to the swim start about 1.2 miles away. I put on my wetsuit even thought the water temperature was 76 degrees. I saw Carrie there and she took some pictures while I waited for the swim to start.
My swim wave went off at 7:44am. I started near the back of the pack. The water was pretty shallow for a long way out, so everyone ran out for a long time before starting to swim. Once I got going, I stayed pretty consistent. I did get a little freaked out when people got close to me, especially when the waves behind me swam up on me. Towards the last part of the swim, I started feeling a little sick. I’ve never been seasick before, but I guess that might have been what it was. I slowed down and got my composure back and finally made it to the finish. Carrie said it took me about 45 minutes to finish. I was still feeling pretty good, so I ran into the transition.
I took my time in the transition area. I put on my shoes and socks and I took the time to put some sunscreen on. I unracked my bike and headed out with a stop to give Carrie a kiss. I felt really strong out on the bike. The course had some rolling hills and I kept my speed high going down the hills and passed people going up the hills. I stuck to my plan of drinking every 10 minutes and eating or taking a GU every 30. I also stood up and stretched every 10 minutes. I brought a turkey sandwich along and ate that at about the 1:30 mark on the bike. The only problem I had with eating was trying to breathe through my nose while I ate. There were 4 aid stations on the bike, but I did not stop at them as I had everything I Thought I would need on my bike. It was interesting to see all of the stuff scattered on the bike course that fell off of people’s bikes. Everything from water bottles to expensive water bottle systems. Anyway, I had a great bike and came in just under 3 hours. That was an average of exactly 20 Mph according to my bike computer. I was feeling pretty good, but I still had to run a 1/2 marathon.
I went back into the transition and once again took my time. I reapplied sunscreen, changed shoes and got ready to head out. I stopped to give Carrie another kiss and ended up having to run across the transition area to the run out. I guess I should have paid attention to where the run out was located.
I felt good in the beginning of the run. I had no issues with my stomach, which was my main concern from the international distance triathlons I had done previously. I was still feeling good after 6 miles, but it was hot and my pace started to slow. I stopped at every water stop, but I was still starting to feel a little dehydrated between water stops. There were wet sponges out on the course and that was a big help for keeping cool. The aid stations were well organized except for one where I had to stop because the workers weren’t reloading the water fast enough. When I’m out on a long run like this one, the little things keep me going. A little kid gave me a high five and another group of kids were spraying athletes with super soakers. I ran with a lady for a while and talked to her. When I saw the 12 mile marker, I knew I was in the home stretch and picked up the pace a bit. That seemed like the longest mile I had ever run. A group of people had a megaphone and were cheering everyone on, so that helped. When I hit the last stretch, there was a big crowd, so that helped to give me a last burst to finish strong.
I was sore and tired, but not feeling horrible. I saw Carrie and went to say hi after I collected my finisher medal. I just wanted a cold drink and some fruit or something, but they had run out of water and the gatorade I grabbed wasn’t very cold. I walked around a bit, stretched out and felt a little better. I finally got my stuff out of the transition and we had about a mile walk back to the car.
Overall, this was a great race. I am very happy with how I did. I thought I would feel worse after such a long race, but it all went well. The race was well organized, but I think it was a bit too big this year which caused the traffic and parking issues.
See my Photo page for the pictures: My Photo Page
Results are up and I finished in 5:53:00. Here’s the breakdown:
Swim: 45:42
T1: 4:34
Bike: 2:52:31 (19.5 Mph)
T2: 3:54
Run: 2:06:21 (9:39 per mile)
I’m still happy with the bike. I was really thinking I’d average closer to 18 Mph. I am a little disappointed with the run, but I was guessing it would take me 2 hours, so I guess it’s not bad after the swimming and biking. I was really hoping to be closer to 9 minute miles. I did feel undertrained for this race, so I’ll take the finish and hope to be faster next year.
