Mooseman 2008 Race Report
Bristol, New Hampshire
1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run = 70.3
Moose Summary
- Cutest race ever, with lots of "moose" themed paraphernalia and activities.
- Hot hot hot.
- Great swim, no sighting issues or "asthma" attacks. Beat my previous best swim time by three whole minutes (maybe the course was short?). :-)
- Relatively good bike, until mile 47. Did not have the slippery saddle issues that I had in previous races. Felt fine getting up the hills. However, nutrition issues and toe numbness at the end set me up badly for the run.
- Did I say it was HOT HOT HOT?
- Disastrous run. Walked most of the course. It takes a long time to walk 13.1 miles ...
- Missed the 8:30 cut off by 3 minutes, but they gave me a medal and gave me an official finish time anyway.
- Chalk this up to another "character building" race experience.
- No more half ironmans for me! The third time was NOT the charm.
Details (long)
This will be my third attempt at the 70.3 distance. My previous races were not exactly stellar performances, the main problem being saddle issues on the bike and not being able to pedal very hard on the bike without a lot of pain. So I went into this race with little expectations, I just wanted to have a fun race experience with minimal pain.
I felt relatively well trained and well prepared for this race having already completed two previous 70.3. And training went well this year, with lots of really hilly rides in preparation for the Mooseman course. I also felt prepared for the hilly run. The swim, on the other hand was a potential problem. It's always a challenge to fit in all the training and this season, it was my swim training that suffered. At best I got to the pool twice a week, and usually it was only once.
Saturday
We started the weekend by spectating the Olympic distance race on Saturday. My friend and roomie for the weekend in NH, Jaymelina, was racing so I got up early to head to the race course with her for moral and logistical support. With all the rain on Friday and the climbing temperatures, a heavy fog/mist had enveloped the lake so that you could not see more than a few hundred yards. They had set up the buoys for the swim course the night before, but you could only see the very first one. If I hadn't known better, I wouldn't have believed that there was a lake out there because you couldn't see it, at all! How will the swimmers be able to sight on the buoys if the visibility is so bad? And worse yet, how will the kayakers and support crew be able to see the swimmers to make sure that no one veered of course and/or needed assistance in the water?
They delayed the swim start by an hour and shortened the swim course, but it was still a very scary moment. With all my swim paranoia, I was kind of freaking out at the conditions and hoped that it would not be that way tomorrow for my race. Jaymelina had no issues starting in that fog. Her wave went off and disappeared into the mist.
But she made it back, safe and sound and had a great race overall. And best of all, she had fun! It was a great day to cheer for everyone and to support my fellow training mates who were racing. The day finally cleared up in the late morning and the sun burned off the fog over the lake.
Before ...
After ...
It was like an entirely different place. No fog for our race thank goodness. However, it was a preview of the heat to come ...
Spectating was great fun and inspiring. It was great mental preparation for my race the next day.
Sunday - Race Day
Sunday morning started off well, no fog, pleasant temperatures, and the lake was a balmy 60F degrees. The swim started without much fan fare, my wave went off at 7:46 am as scheduled. I had no sighting issues and was able to stay with a group for the entire course. Very unusual for me as I usually got lost and always find myself totally off course swimming by myself. Other than getting my watch knocked off after the 30 minute mark, it was smooth sailing. This swim finish was the easiest finish to sight ever! I saw the chute way back and headed straight for it. This was a great swim course, smooth, super clear waters with great visibility.
Swim: 43:36 (PR, but I'm thinking that the course may have been short)
T1: 4:00 (fast T1 time but probably because I forgot to put sunblock on, will pay for that later)
The bike was as hilly as everyone had warned me, but doable given all the training I put in. I felt good on the first loop and was averaging around 15 mph, a little better than expected. I saw Teen on the course and at one point passed her, that didn't last long. She passed me up the long windy climb at mile 15 and I never saw her again on the bike. At the end of the first loop I got some great cheers at the park entrance from all the spectators and from Jay, Mark, Cherry, and others from our group. It was a much needed energy boost as I have to admit that I was a little tired at this point. Also, my butt was getting sore from all the bumpy roads and from wearing only tri shorts. I braced myself for the second attempt at Devil's Hill, but it turned out not to be too bad (of course I was only going about 4 mph). :-)
By mile 45 my neck was getting painfully stiff and I was experiencing toe numbness, not sure if it was from my bike shoes or from pressure on the saddle. In any case it was mighty uncomfortable. I stopped to stretch and take a load off the backside for a few minutes. I was a little disappointed as a lot of people were passing me but I had to take a break. I got back on the bike but no sooner did I see Katie pulled over under a tree on one of the side streets. I asked if she was ok, and even though she said yes I decided to take a break with her. She did not look well and said her stomach was really bothering her. No surprise as it was REALLY starting to get hot and the sun was relentlessly beating down on us. Another guy walked over and joined us as he was suffering from leg cramps. I gave him some Enduralytes even though he has never tried them before, but he was desperate to ease the pain. Katie decided to sit down and rest for a few minutes and I decided to head out before I got too stiff. I asked if she wanted me to send someone for her but she said no. But given the look on her face, I decided to tell the police officer directing traffic at the next turn to send someone back. Not sure if they ever got to her before she headed out again though, the race volunteers were a little unorganized. To top it off, they ran out of water at the Mile 47 water stop. Ugh! Not good news as I am really low on fluids. I'll have to tough it out for the next 9 miles. Finally, I was back at the park with lots of familiar faces cheering me on. I ran into transition realizing that I couldn't feel my toes. Ouchy!
Bike: 4:03:59 (15 min faster than NFL, but 23 min slower than Eagleman, which was a much flatter course)
T2: 4:16 (a little long because I was fruitlessly looking for sunblock but they were out, wonderful!)
Well, this is where the real trouble starts. The heat was unbearable. I tried to run but could not. I had hit the wall. I decided to walk the first mile as I replenished my body with new nutrition that I picked up in transition. I was really bitter at this point. Angry that the race had run out of everything and angry at myself for relying on them in the first place. Must remember to be fully self sustaining in the future!!!
Eventually, I did manage to run a little, but only on the downhills. But as long as I was standing, I was going to keep putzing along until they pull me off the course. Well, 13.1 miles is a LONG ways to walk and I had a lot of time to think. And I was mostly thinking that I NEVER want to do this again and why oh why did I ever sign up for this in the first place? Funny thing though, as long as you keep moving you will cover the distance. It was great to see all my fellow training mates on the run course, but their overly enthusiastic cheer told me that I must have looked horrible for them to feel the necessity to do that. :-) On the lonely last stretch back, I managed to run the last mile and headed to the finish. The race announcer gave me an extremely enthusiastic entrance announcement. I felt like a rock star. I was quickly surrounded by all my friends and training mates (I was the last one of the group in) and got many many hugs and congratulations.
I had never been so happy to finish a race and just wanted to get off my feet!! It has been a long hot day.
Run: 3:40 (a blazing 16:38 min mile pace)
Final: 8:33:57 my streak of having never coming in last in my age group ends. :-(
Well, this was a very humbling race experience. The number of mistakes that I made during this race are too many to list. I am thinking that I am not cut out to race this distance. I love the training and the discipline of going longer, but racing is another story. I feel very discouraged. It's time to really think about what the next steps are and whether or not I should continue to do half ironman races.
The bright spot about this race was that it made me realize the real reason why I compete in triathlon. It's certainly not because of my speed and talent. ;-) The reward of overcoming a formidable challenge is part of it. But I think the main reason is the camaraderie and support I get from all my friends and training mates. I couldn't have picked a better group to share this experience with. Despite such a horrible race, I still value this weekend and will forever remember it as a very special event in my triathlon experience.
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