Well my first full iron is in the books! 140.6 miles are done & it was an amazing experience. I picked this race www.beachtobattleship.com as my first full for a couple of reasons: Accessibility- most iron distance races sell out in hours or less (ie NYC in 6 minutes), Cost- $350 for the full, and atmosphere- low key but 100% professional. Don't get me wrong, I am a fan of MDOT, Ironman and WTC- they have a created & nurtured an amazing brand. And I have done my share of Ironman 70.3's and got my registration in during those 6 minutes for NYC. But for my first full, I wanted a little less stress & pressure- this was an experience that I wanted to enjoy (well enjoy as best you can when spending most of the day racing!)
So on to the race.
Packet pickup was held downtown at the convention center. Done well with an easy flow to get your stuff. First time I got socks as part of the swag bag- kinda cool. My only complaint - the bike numbers were not branded and could not be modified to easily stick on the bike. Big deal no, but I would have preferred something that I could have put on my seatpost just right. The expo was small, but had some good vendors and I bought a 140.6 magnet for the car- no it did not get placed on the car until Saturday evening! I also bought a headsweats race visor- this is becoming my go to expo purchase item. Good memento and since most races have them in a host of different colors, it becomes easy to have a bunch to use. The athlete briefing was very long- the race director was pretty funny BUT the slides were from previous years and some of the details were different. It would have been ideal to have better graphics for the briefing, but it ended up not mattering- I just went where people told me to go! My one big complaint is the USAT officials briefing- we are not criminals, please stop treating us like them. Instead brief the rules and then enforce them (more on that a bit later). So once we left the briefing, it was time to pack my T2 Bag, rack my bike at T1 and get some lunch.
The weather forecast for race day was NOT promising; instead it was cold, rainy and windy. So packing my T2 bag was more of throwing a bunch of gear in there and making decision on what I needed when I hit T2. I decided not to pack a special needs for the bike or run- On the bike that was no issue, but on the run I would have liked a long sleeve top- the second 13.1 was cold (more on that later too). The good news is the T bags were big (actually 13 gallon trash bags) so putting plenty of crap in there was okay. So once we got to T1, I got the bike set for the morning. I use Hutchinson Tubeless tires so I put my TP to 100PSI and then did a 1/2 mile test ride to make sure everything was dialed in. I did have to make a small adjustment on the front break- so glad I know a bit about bikes and have the right tools. But once ready I rolled the bike into T1. As a side note, I do my test rides with a helmet on- don't understand why some folks don't think they need to. Saw one idiot hammering in aero on a busy road- no helmet. Once I racked and covered my bike (yeah full covers were allowed and comments were made regarding WTC policy to cover seat and bars only), we left to find some food and then head to the hotel to relax.
After lunch and then dinner, I got my gear ready for the morning. The plan was to drop off at T1 and then I would take a trolly to the swim start. So I laid out plenty of warm clothes for the morning and packed a second clothes bag for my sister to have at the finish line -so I could get some warm stuff on right away (good, very good idea). To my surprise, I was able to get a good amount of sleep- but woke before the alarm clock ready to go. After a good breakfast of a bagel and peanut butter with some coffee it was time to head out to T1. I felt good and was excited. I knew my pre race eating had been good, I was hydrated and was gonna stick to plan- swim with the current, bike at 85-90 RPM's and then start slow on the run. Goal was first and foremost to finish, and then go sub 11:46 (the winning time of the first Ironman in 1978) Anything beyond #1 was great and beating #2 would be icing on the cake. I really did not have a goal number 3- to much unknown.
So once I got to the T1, I quickly dropped off my T1 Bag- my plan was to ride in compression socks, toe covers, arm warmers, gloves and a windvest (very similar set up to Pocono Mtn). So my goal coming out of the water was to take my time- slow is smooth, smooth is fast. I'd rather lose a minute adjusting my socks than have a bad blister that I would have to deal with for 11 or 12 hours. (as an FYI, I usually hammer t1 &t2 both are typically sub 1 minute- especially t2). After getting my bag dropped off, I loaded my bike with my bottles- one speedfil on the down tube and 2 26 ouncers on the rear mounted seat cages. Each bottle had a mix of water, nuun and carbo pro, with roughly 900 calories. I also carried 3 6 ounce gel flasks each filled with 5 GU's and water. Knowing I was wearing the windvest made this an easy decision to carry all three at the start instead of special needs. So once the bike and T1 bag was done, I got on the best warmest most relaxing ride of the day- the trip down to the swim start. We sat on the warm trolley for about 10 minutes then took the 2.5 mile drive down to the tip of the beach. Everyone was in good spirits and it was a relaxed crowd for sure- a mix of newbies to 140.6 and veterans alike. Ego free for sure!
Wow I have written a lot an the race has not even started yet. I swam, road my bike and ran for a while. The end.
Okay just kidding- this a full iron after all, so it should take some time to read!
The start area was at the tip of wrightsville beach, so not much shelter. If you waited behind the dunes, it was calm. However walking on to the beach proper was a cold and windy experience. Luckily we were swimming with the current so the wind was not going to be a factor on the swim, but it definitely came into play on the bike! After hitting the porta potty line, I got my wetsuit on- I decided to wear both the booties and cold weather cap. The water temp was about 68- so not too cold, but the run from swim out to T2 was 400 yards so having some foot protection made a lot of sense. The 30 minutes or so before race start passed Very quickly and before I knew it, I was standing in the start corral with 800 other brave folks. Following a couple of words from the YMCA CEO and the National Anthem it was go time. The start was a land start with a short jog into the water. I was probably in the initial 200 hitting the water and the first 400 meters were HELL. It was very violent. I pulled one women off my back and set her next to me- she seemed pissed, but there was plenty of water and it was a matter of just finding patch to swim in. I did have to re seat my goggles- did it very nicely and then got into the business of swimming. As I listed earlier, we were swimming with the current- and wow it was a fast swim (although when you swim with the current it is hard to tell how fast you are going, but there is an absence of resistance). Very soon I reached the ladders to climb out of the water and began the process to move on out to T1. I decided to use the wet suit strippers- save as much energy as possible and quickly ran my way to get my bag. Wearing swim booties a real win- my feet felt great during the run on asphalt! When I got my bag, the male changing tent was packed so I just sat on the grass and began to get dressed. I packed a small towel in my T1 bag which made getting my compression socks on my feet a little easier. So once everything was on, I handed my bag off and ran to my bike. Quickly grabbing the bike I made my way to the mount line and started off on leg number 2 the bike.
My Swim time was about 55 minutes including the long run. T1 was abut 7:29. I felt great.
On to the bike course which was described as pancake flat. Well on a calm day it might be, but the morning we had- not so much. The first 4 hours were against a headwind anywhere from 10-30 miles an hour. And it was raining. Staying aero made the wind a little less severe and I rode strong during the first 75 miles or so. Nutrition was solid, as was taking a much needed bathroom stop at mile 50- I was gonna pee through my tri suit but instead stopped for 3o seconds and peed with my left foot stilled clipped in- WOW following that break I felt super strong for a while. And while peeing I got passed by a couple of folks- no big deal I might catch them, I might not. So I got back on the bike and started settle in for a long few hours. I began to notice two of the people who had passed me were holding a position about 50 meters to my front, riding a tight paceline- yup drafting. I continued to ride and slowly caught up to the twosome. As I got within about 20 meters the person in the back passed the person in front and left him behind. I soon passed him and then noticed the passer was tight in again with the person in front. This occurred several more times including when the racer was drafting off me. Unfortunately no USAT official observed this behavior, but I know this person was aware of their behavior and one day soon will get appropriately penalized.
Okay past mile 75 the course shifted and soon that nasty wind was at my back. Instead of averaging 18 MPH during the last two hours, I quickly jumped to 24/25 MPH (And a lot of it was out of aero- I was faster that way, plus it kept my back loose. So nearing mile 100 I had to pee again, but the roads were very busy with cars so I decided to use the next aid station. Going into the porta john I slipped a little and tweaked my knee- nothing significant and I hardly noticed it (we will get back to this soon). I spent the last 12 miles at at 25 MPH plus and cruised toward T2 feeling great. The last mile absolutely sucked since there was a lot of traffic and we had to cross a very windy bridge- saw several folks bite it. But I did reach the turn into to Transition area unscathed although some jerk tried to pass me 10 feet from the dismount line (i ended up beating him on the run so it end up fine).
Time on the bike 5:31, T2 3:10ish
Remember that slight knee tweak? Yeah well it hurt bad on the run. The first three miles involved running up and down two bridges in windy conditions. That Sucked!. But I did the first out- roughly 10k in about 55 minutes- slow, but I wanted to start slow. The only problem- every time I ran slightly up hill, my knee was in intense pain. So I started to walk through the aid stations and hills. I finished the first half in 2:10- really slow, but I knew even if I walked the second half I would finish- and my goal was to finish. So I let my sister know I though the second half would take about 3 hours (which would put me around a 12 hr finish. I walked the first 4 miles on the second loop in about an hour. At this point every effort to run was hurting- including my lower back so I decided to just keep pushing on walking. But I was not upset- I was in pain but knew I would soon finish- just two hours or so to go. Amazing what only two hours to go feels like after you have spent 9 plus out there already. At that point I asked an aid station if they had any tylenol or advil- the knee was really hurting and I though at least taking the edge off will make the day go by a bit better. So at mile 18 I got two advil. I walked to the turn around point- but rand the 200 meters out and back to the timing mat- I might be in pain, but with a lot of cheering folks I felt I owed it to them and plus I only had a ten k to go. So I walked for another mile and the knee was not hurting as much- so I decided to try a light jog again. Worst case scenario I would have to walk some more. Well I ran and the knee did not hurt anymore than it did running. Plus my legs felt great- I had not crushed them as much as if I had run all the way to this point. So I decided to keep running to the next aid station- and walk through it, but when I got there I just ran past (taking my coke and chicken broth of course). I said to myself that I can run to the bridges- walk the ups, run the downs and maybe finish round 11:50. Well I got to the first bridge and ran right up and down. I knew the advil and adrenaline were really starting to work and before long I was climbing the last hill passing the mile 25 sign. I was talking to people going out for lap two, people coming in on lap one and high fiving the aid station volunteers- yeah that last mile was great. As I crested the bridge and started in towards the battleship, I thought about my grandfather who died 15 years ago. He was the one who loved cycling, skiing and tennis- and was instrumental in my love of those sports. While I miss him very much, moments like that one hurt- I would have loved to see him at the finish line- I know he would have too.
Coming off the bridge the last 1/2 mile was electric- I had a smile ear to ear! I could hear and see the finish line. As I made the turn to head into the .3 mile finish shoot I saw my sister and then saw the race guide who asked it this was lap one or two- yeah I yelled number 2 and continued to run hard. One comment I heard was "way to finish like an Ironman" it was a bittersweet comment, but sweet more than bitter since the finish line was so close! As I made the final turn, I slowed just slightly to keep about 3 meters of spacing from the two finishers in front of me- could have sprinted past them- likely, but I wanted to enjoy the moment, as I am sure they did too. And then I was across the line, my name being broadcast- and yup I finished! 11:38:13. Made my goal!
Post race was great- right into a warming tent with chicken soup and bananas followed by a massage. The finisher medal was giant! And I got a finisher shirt and jacket too. As I lay on the massage table the feeling of accomplishment was amazing, and at the same time longing to do it again (although not too soon).
We quickly grabbed my gear, got on the trolley back to the car and drove to hotel. After a quick shower, we went out to dinner across the street from the hotel. A beer and some wings. And then off to bed.
Now as I write this a week later, I still am amazed at the day- not so much that I did it, as much how much I enjoyed the experience. Yeah I suffered, my big toes have ugly bruises on them, the run sucked, but racing triathlons, especially long distance half and fulls are truly worth living. When I graduated High School the quote I had under my picture was from a ski advertisement:
"Socrates said man is never truly free, Socrates never skied" Well I'd like to update that to the following:
"Socrates said a man is never truly free, Socrates never finished a 140.6 triathlon".
I guess that sums it up
