Racine, WI
Conditions: Hot (80°F), No Wind
My weekend started Friday when the emails started going around that the water temperature in Lake Michigan was well below 60 F... I snuck up to Mission Bay Multisport over lunch and found a lovely full length wetsuit. Looking for wetsuits is a lot like shopping for wedding dresses (I would think), except I was sweating profusely and when I found the suit I liked, I looked like a staved seal.
Saturday started off with torrential rains, much to the dismay of Jerry who had scheduled the weekends activities to the second. Tanya and drove up to Racine late Saturday morning and met with Jerry, Jeremy and Denny for lunch at Noodles & Co. We got in our warmup bike and run and headed to the harbor to get our packet and drop off the bikes. While at registration, we learned Jimmy Buffet was in town...No Jerry, you have to do the race.
Race day started off nice and early. We picked up Jeremy around 4:50 AM. It turned out we were plenty early. Very heavy fog delayed the start by an hour. I got in my new wetsuit, a bit nervous about the first time in a full suit being in a race situation. But you know what they say, the race is the best time to try something new...I got in a few minutes in the water before the start. My focus on the function of the suit was quickly lost to the freezing sensation my hands, feet and face were feeling. It was going to be a cold swim!
Race day started off nice and early. We picked up Jeremy around 4:50 AM. It turned out we were plenty early. Very heavy fog delayed the start by an hour. I got in my new wetsuit, a bit nervous about the first time in a full suit being in a race situation. But you know what they say, the race is the best time to try something new...I got in a few minutes in the water before the start. My focus on the function of the suit was quickly lost to the freezing sensation my hands, feet and face were feeling. It was going to be a cold swim!
The race went off and I can say I never really noticed the water being too cold. The race course was pretty close to shore, only about 20 meters out. We had a little bit of a current. I got in a good rythem and got long in the water. I felt like I was really moving. Stragglers from the 20-29 age group were getting in my way (yes, that was me last year...) When I got out of the water, I knew I was out fast. Turns out the swim was likely 200m short, although race officials said 50m at the most... It was a fairly long run from the water to T1 which is a benefit to me. Hi Tanya! Sharone from Wellfit was taunting me..."Ben beat you out of the water" he said. "Yeah, he had a three minute head start!" I yelled back.
I had a great T1, 1:45.
The bike course starts with a short steep uphill. I had the bike in the correct gear and I got locked in very quickly, so I blew up the hill and was on my way. I got with a group of 3 other riders and we had a 'legal' draft pack going. The bike course is a fast one, no big hills, lots of long straights with gradual rises and drops. We were cruising through the first half, I was averaging well over 23 mph. Denny caught me at mile 28. He dropped his water bottle while telling me to slow down...smooth move D! I was able to hang with Denny for about 10 miles, but for that 10 miles we were in a Peloton. Everyone was drafting. Denny would pull away and the pack would catch him. I'd try to stick with Denny and then I'd get eaten up. Finally I decided to pull back and sit legal off the back because we were way overdue to see a course marshall. The group pulled away and I was back with the original three people I started with. With about 10 miles left, I was getting fatigued, I slowed my pace to rest for the run. The sun had come out, it was about to get hot out. Final bike time, 2:28
Going down the hill on the bike going into T2, I was able to get out of my shoes easily. I had a quick dismount and a very quick T2. 1 minute.
I got out running, hi Tanya! Sharone was taunting me again, this time taking my picture. He takes a lot of pictures, but he's never sent me a shutterfly link...weird. The run course is two loops, it starts with two pretty substantial hill climbs. Jeremy and I both discussed these hills and said they were a great thing. They broke up the legs, shook out the lactic acid buildup. Good for you, but they still sucked. First lap was great. I caught and passed Denny about 3 miles in. Jeremy was within sight. At the end of the first lap, Jeremy was about two blocks ahead of me. Tanya, Crystal and Sarah were all out being half-iron cheer squad and doing a great job! Jeremy was very close at the last turnaround. I could tell he was not feeling well. But he was able to keep the distance between us. He actually pulled away at the end as my pace fell. Still, I turned the half marathon in 1:28.
This was a fantastic race for me and a completely unexpected result. I had realistically said a 4:40ish time would be awesome, but had thought a 4:30 was possible. To break that is outstanding. Everything went well. I have all my great training partners to thank. Denny's great advice, Jeremy's motivation, and Jerry's courage.
Swim
Swim
T1
Bike
T2
Run
Total (official)
44th Place
44th Place
