2013 Steelhead 70.3 Triathlon Race Report

Half-IM # 2: Regression Analysis

As someone who analyzes data for a living, I like repeatable conditions.  So if I like a race the first time, I will probably go back to it and see how I do.  This year's conditions at Steelhead were fairly comparable to last year when I did my first half-Ironman (given the possibilities of extreme heat and rough water).

The water was rougher than last year, but not terrible like Racine this year or 2-3 years ago at Steelhead. The temperature was cooler, less humid (low 54/hi 70. Winds 9 mph NNE).  There was a stronger wind than last year, but still manageable. 

Swim: Straight and Wavy

I saw Chris Bannon on the beach, and we wished each other luck – I moved back in the wave.  I waded past the breaking waves before diving over one.   In my wave in the swim start, there was a lot of confusion and disorientation. One woman called out “Where the F*#K am I ?!”  The waves were probably 1-2 feet, but what was really tough for me was that the sun was directly ahead of us, low in the sky – so when I tried to sight the first 8 yellow buoys – I was looking into a bright yellow sky, I ended up vertical in the water a lot while I craned my neck.  (It was much cloudier at the beginning of last year’s race, so we did not have that glare.) I have slightly smoked goggles, but I think now I will get some darker tinted/mirrored ones.   I never panicked, but I considered grabbing on to one of the first few buoys while I got my bearings.   I have gotten in 6-7 open water swims at Ohio Street Beach this year, but it was only choppy one of those times, and I never went past the bath-like waters of the breakwall to experience the “washing machine” effect closer to Oak Street Beach.  Around the 3^rd or 4^th buoy, I knew I could make it, but it was going to be more work than last year’s mirror flat water.  I actually thought it was a good learning experience, because I have seen pretty rough water from shore in races with storms (Rockman  ’08)  and last year at Ironman Florida, so I would rather have intermediate level waves before jumping into the Black Diamond/Yellow Flag kind.  I actually did much better swimming straight this year.  Last year, on every buoy but two, I was veering far to the inside and had to radically correct course the last 25 yards.  This year, I stayed on the outside of every buoy!   Since I was getting passed by swimmers in later waves, I had a good guide as where to swim, so I did not sight as much, and avoided staring into the sun.   They had all the buoys numbered (8 yellow/8 red), so that was helpful.  When we got to the turn buoy for the beach, you could body surf in on the waves, and I went a little off course.  When I stood up in the water, I was ready to RUN to transition.  My bike was at the far end, so I wanted to get through the soft sand quick.  But I did go off course a bit to kiss Laura as she was taking my picture. She is used getting kissed on the run from my marathons, but this time it was wetter.  Later she told me that someone asked if she knew me. 

Swim Time: 52:45 (2012 – 49:18).

T1:  Wardrobe Malfunction

No wetsuit strippers at Steelhead, so I found an open spot in transition  and peeled mine off.  I was determined to do better than the double digit T1 I had last year.   I had half a Stinger waffle, washed off my feet, and went to the nearby sunscreen slopping station for cursory coverage.  Last year I wanted a short sleeve bike jersey and arm sleeves to cover my fair Irish skin as much as possible, so I had to put that on in T1, and change to a run shirt in T2.  This year, I wore a sleeveless triathlon shirt from start to finish, so that cut down the wardrobe changes, but left me with odd tan/burn lines: 

T1: 7:12 (2012 – 11:49)

Bike: Resistance is Futile

The bike course on Steelhead winds around a lot before getting you on a long, gradual uphill straightaway on Blue Star Highway along the lake going north.  People get bunched up a lot, and I don’t mind taking the turns (relatively) fast, because I figure that will slow me down for a while.  I rode the bike course for practice a few weeks before Steelhead last year, so this would be the third time I have ridden it, and I like to know what is coming next, so that gave me even more of a comfort level this year.  

The winds were barely 10 mph, but since they were from the NNE, we rode into them most of the way from on the first half of the course.    I had set my watch to beep every 7 and a half minutes, to remind me to eat and drink.  I had Gus, stingers waffles, red licorice, and I grabbed a Bonk Bar from the last Bike Aid Station.  Those are good!  However, the Ironman Perform that PowerBar makes for Ironman events did not go down easy.  I finished my own bottle of Gatorade, and I almost finished one of the Performs on the course.  Last year they gave us Gatorade, and I did not think to look at what they provided to try it ahead of time.  I should go the tablet route for electrolytes to make my own to avoid that bad taste in my mouth again. 

The Steelhead course is interesting, there are rolling hills, and a good shoulder to ride on Blue Star Highway.  At that time of day, there actually was a lot of shade on the course.  There are a few miles of a rough surface, but most of the roads are good.   There is one spot with two rumble-strips that they give confusing directions for – you only should cross the middle line to avoid it if a volunteer is there to let you know there is no oncoming traffic.  Last year, even though other people were riding in the oncoming lane, I did not want to get a penalty, so I headed for shoulder, but found out the rumble strip went all the way to the grass.  This year, they had the rumble strips painted better, and I could see  that they ended 6 inches before the middle line – and with skinny tires, that’s all I need – so I avoided the strip, and did not cross the yellow line.   

I think I keep a pretty even effort on the bike, winds and hills will slow me down for a while.  I had some good 20+ miles, but also some close to 17.    Usually I end up laying leapfrog with a half-dozen riders most of the way – and get passed by a lot in the later waves.    But, I can get a good sprint for a pass when I need  to  - which I will do when I want to avoid drafting.   About 30 miles into the bike, I had just passed a woman, when the course marshal rode up on the back of the motorcycle.  She was kind of smirking looking at me while she was looking at my bike tags, and writing down in her book.  She did not say anything, or show me a red or yellow card, and I asked “What did I do?”  The motorcycle driver slowed down to look at riders behind me, and the marshal kept writing numbers down.  I have never seen anyone get a penalty, so I was not sure if they always explicitly told you right away,  but I coasted/slowed down for a half a minute, but then thought – if they want to catch up they can.  I tried not to let it get to me, but I thought maybe there was a chance they just put the penalty at your bike rack spot in T2.   Well, I figured if I am going to have 2 or 4 minutes taken off, I better ride fast while I can. 

On the 18 mile southern route back on Blue Star Highway, there was frequent traffic.   In some spots, it is 2 lanes, so we had the shoulder, and vehicles would take the left lane, so you could use a bit of the right lane.  But within 10 miles of Benton Harbor, it is 1 lane, so you better stay on the shoulder as much as possible.   One guy passed me wide, using one-third of the traffic lane, and he did not get back on the shoulder, even when he was 10 bike lengths ahead of me.  A truck was approaching, and I yelled “Car Back”   he got over quickly just as the truck got to within 1 foot of him at 60 mph.   A minute later, a woman passing me on the hill said “You saved that guy’s ass”.   A few minutes later, I gave her a “Car Back!” as she was passing another rider on a hill, and getting close to traffic.           

In the last five miles of the bike course, that is a tough climb.  People spray painted “OMG!” And “Ugh Hill” on it.   Then there is a nice downhill glide as you get close to the turn into the lakefront park.  There a lots of people spilling out on the sidewalk close to the road, and even more traffic.  With a sharp right turn from the road onto a bike path/sidewalk, you have to slow down.  My least favorite part of steelhead is that the turn right by the beach, surrounded by fencing, people hanging very close to a narrow path that has sand drifting on it, then a couple hundred yards of a wooden boardwalk.  In the last half mile/half mile of the bike, I try to downshift, so my legs are spinning more like they would for running, so I was going a little slower, but still    

I ride a Giant Defy, which I like overall, but I discovered a problem with the rear hub while riding RAGBRAI 2 years ago the first season I owned it.  On long downhills, I could not gain, let alone, maintain speed, I would expect coasting in an aero position. On the steepest hills, when other people lighter than me were topping 40 mph without pedaling, my bike shimmied and shook violently when I hit the low 30’s, so I would have to feather the brakes.  Multiple bike dealers supporting RAGBRAI could not find any problem, and the shop where I bought in Chicago it shrugged their shoulders and wiped their hands of it.  Last year for Steelhead, Rich K lent me some Shimano C50’s, so their lighter weight and good hubs helped me.  This year, Laura bought me some Fulcrum Racing 5 wheels for my birthday, and they have been rolling much better.   When I rode the Steelhead course for practice last year, I got a flat - one of FOUR F-ING FLATS that I got in 10 days!  So I bought GatorSkin tires and retaped the rims.  No flats since -  but I got to thinking last month, that those sturdier tires probably slowed me down a little bit.  So I looked into tires, and read some about rolling resistance.  I did not want to go totally tubeless,  but I liked the reviews I read of the Continental 4000, and the Vittoria Open Corsa EVO.  Performance Bike had the Vittorias 23 mms for one-third off the list price, so I got a set, and latex tubes.  I did feel like I was tempting fate - Laura had gotten a flat in the Lake Zurich Tri, but she had ridden over a big piece of glass, which will pierce a Gatorskin too.   Overall, I could feel less resistance, on most of the course; good handling on corners, but maybe a little rougher on the chip and tar roads – I will have to play with the pressure – I was about 120-125.  My bike training was not as good this year as it was last year, so with a stronger wind, I have to give some credit to the rims and tires for shaving a couple minutes off my bike time:  

I was happy with them, but I will keep the GatorSkins on for training rides.   Now, my wife who always used to brake on the corners, wants these kind of tires, too – so maybe I will lend them to her when she rides for our Duathlon team – RunForYourWife.  

Bike Time: 2:53:00 (2012 -2:55:47)      

T2: Half Full

When I got to T2, I saw an official that looked like the one on the motorcycle, but maybe that was a coincidence.   She seemed to be seeking out athletes to cite.   She did not say anything to me, and I got my bike racked, got my running shoes, race bib and cap.  I did not see anyone there to slap on sunscreen, so I just used a sunscreen stick on my race.   Last year in T2, I waited a long time waiting for a bathroom.  This year, I figured if I had to, I would stop on the run course (which I did not need to).  So that cut my Transition Two time by more than half from last year.  

T2:  4:00  (2012-8:58)  

Run:  Legs of Steel

As I left transition, I was feeling more than ‘heavy legs’ going into the run.  Everything suddenly felt depleted.  I was probably at an 8:15 pace at first, but it felt much slower.  I was buoyed by hearing Laura’s cheering a few hundred yards out.  I actually heard her before I noticed Barb Shoemaker with her omnipresent camera halfway between me and Laura.  There were also teenage kids with – oh, Deb Murphy and the teenaged Murphy twins.  I thought, so nice of those kids to cheer me on with such enthusiasm.  Then I realized that their Dad was right behind me.  Good for Mike – he stepped up his running with a sub 4 hour marathon this spring, and combining that with his strong swimming, I was not that surprised to see him.  I wished I could have done the run with him, but I knew right then that it would be different than my debut half –IM last year.  We talked for the first half mile, but once we started going up that hill, Mike kept going, and I slowed down.  I hoped I would not see him again, because I knew I would not be able to step up my pace, but the only way I would catch him would be if he blew up on the run, and I did not want that.   That first mile, I felt like I had just hit the wall around mile 20 of a marathon. 

I had taken 200-300 calories per hour on the bike, with a Gu at about 3 miles to go on the bike. I suspected lack of nutrition, so I had another one as I walked through the first water stop on the run.   The pace was okay for a few miles, but the lower speed on the hills and walking all but 2 of the water stops really slowed me down.  I had done some tough long runs lately with John Molchin; fast pace, as many hills as we can get around Mokena and New Lenox, but only 11-12 miles.  I don’t know if I had even run 13 miles since Steelhead last year.  I had knee surgery for a torn meniscus in December, and I did not have a spring marathon for the first time in 5 years.  

One advantage was knowing the course -  I knew the curves in the roads to cut the tangents – where the Whirlpool campus trail was torn up, I switched to grass.   But that first loop was HARD for me.   I have 20+ marathons and half-marathons combined, and there was only one other time where it crossed my mind – “I might not make this/I don’t want to keep going. “  The first time was in the Buffalo Marathon about mile 14 – I wished I had just stopped at where the half-marathon ended.  This time, it was only at mile 5, after I had climbed (for the first time) the REALLLY LOOONG hill that brings you out to Blue Star Highway.   At first, I thought – “I am not even halfway through this – in Buffalo, at least I was 60% done.  But then I thought -  “In Buffalo, I had 12 more miles to go – now I only have 8.”

At the water stop on Blue Star Highway, there was a 61 year old woman who had been leapfrogging me throughout the run course.  I saw her take a gel, and I figured I would get one, too – but I was just near the last volunteer- when she took the another gel – the Last One!  I said something jokingly, and she happily gave me that one.  We were talking as we  came to the turn off for the second loop.  Barb was there taking pictures, and Laura was giving me big cheers.  I mentioned to the other runner that that was my real energy boost, and she said “Yeah, I saw you two making out earlier on the beach.”  So, she must have been right behind me coming out of the swim, and saw me kiss Laura.

The second loop did not get drastically worse that the first, and knowing that I did not have to go through it again helped my focus.   Every third stop, I had more of the awful Ironman Perform, to make sure I did not cramp up, and I think I had 3 Gus total, and lots of water, even though it was not too hot..

My left knee is one that had surgery, but a few times, my right knee felt like it was going to ‘buckle’, and have my leg fall out from under me.   I came to the long hill before Blue Star Highway, and I considered walking it to save energy for the last two miles.   But, there was a chipper, young guy asking people he ran next to – “Where would you rather be – here, or the office?”   I told him – “Here - the office can wait till tomorrow.”  He said he took the day off, because it was his first half.   He was 24, or 26, and when we made the 180 degree turn for the hill, I cut the corner tight, caught back up to him, and trudged up the hill – slow, but not walking.   I walked halfway through the water stop on Blue Star Highway, hydrated, and thanked the ladies there for being at one of the worst places to hand out water – a highway.  I cringed in fear for some kids handing out water from the right lane with their backs to traffic . I tell them, please, stay on the grass, we will reach over with our left hands.   I saw Barb Shoemaker at the split to get to the finish, and she told me Laura had gone on to the finish.   With less than 2 miles to go, I knew it would take less than an 8 minute pace to break six hours.  In other half marathons and triathlons, I could pull that off at the finish, if not most of the race- but today,  I couldn’t see it.   I cruised through the last water stop without stopping.  I was going faster than previous miles, but I wasn’t gaining on other runners.  

In the last mile, Higman Hill drops so precipitously, if you let gravity take over, you are almost out of control. The increase in speed is almost not worth the pounding and risk of injury – but I tried to take advantage of it. There is a sharp right turn going back toward the lake, and you start to see a lot of spectators around. 

Going back under Blue Star Highway, I heard some cheering that I though was Laura.  It turns out it was a couple of college age girls.  (It took two of them to match her volume!).  Then,  100 yards past them, Laura’s voice carried in on the lake breeze-  “Come on Love!”    I yelled back at her, and told her to come pick me up off the ground at the finish.    My watch beeped for 13 miles as I was running the last straightaway along the beach.  Chipper 24 year old dude was in front of me, waving to the fans,  I surged to catch him.  The clock said 6:11:55.  There were about a  hundred yards to go.   I was not getting the usual adrenaline surge of the finish line, if I was pumping my arms, they did not seem to help.  I have had some strong finishes : a 1:30 quarter mile in Green bay to qualify for Boston with less than 20 seconds to spare;  beating a friend  4 years younger than me by five steps in the Palos  Turkey Trot, to snatch 3^rd place in our age group away from him. (In Green Bay, I collapsed – in the Turkey trot,  I almost puked after the finish.)  In those races, and in Steelhead 2012,  I felt great 80%-90% of the time, and was in pain 10-20%.  Today, it was the reverse. 

There were two other people next to Chipper Young Dude, they were taking up the middle 75% of the chute.  If I could have, I would have plowed through them -  I saw the clock go to 6:12, maybe and 3 seconds.   I gave the best kick I had – I would be less than a minute slower than last year.  I did not collapse after the finish, but I think a few of the volunteers wondered if I would.  In all the 7 triathlons I have done, in T2, I always think, or even say out loud  - “Now comes the fun part!”.  Today, the run ,overall,  was not fun.  I had some smiles and enjoyable moments during it, and those moments, and the muscle memory of all the other time I had raced 13.1 or 26.2 miles got me through the pain of the other miles.  I guess it was karma teaching me a lesson.    My approach to running changed this last year, with my knee surgery – I was prepared for the slower times, but not for the less enjoyable experience.  It gave me a little taste of what the shirts people wear that say ‘Running Sucks’.    I don’t feel that way, but I understand it.    But when I do my next Half-ironman, I will be sure the run doesn't suck just because I did not follow a training plan.

Run Time: 2:02:13  (2012 – 1:53:27) 

Total Time: 6:00:07  (2012 – 5:59:19)

25 Years and Running

Today, June 11, 2013 marks 25 years since the best decision I ever made, marrying Laura Storer, now (and forever) known as Laura Nolan. Having our son and daughter reach 21 and 18 years, respectively, later this summer as healthy, happy, loving young adults on the way to independence at college,  is surely our biggest blessing. 

For half of our married life, Laura and I have shared the thrill of racing together as a duathlon team - "RunForYourWife", with me running, and Laura biking.  Later this month, will mark our 13th consecutive time (every one since it started!) in the Tinley Park Duathlon.   Well, this year, to mark our 25th wedding anniversary, we commemorated our "team" with uniforms. 

We exercise and train and compete for our health, recreation and camaraderie with our friends.  Yet, the one hour or so we spend togetehr on this race course every year: 2 mile run, 11 mile bike, and 2 mile run, is a highlight of our summer, a celebration of our shared passions for running and biking, and a linchpin of our relationship. 
At our age, our days of coed-team podium finishes may be behind us, but when the love of your life is waiting in transition, you give it your all, let your partner take the next shift, and rest while you catch your breath (kind of like raising kids!).   When your teammate is your soulmate, it's not just one heart powering your legs, but two hearts, beating as one.
So, win/place/show, or back of the pack; record time - or worst time on the clock; running or walking;  sitting on bike saddles drinking from Profile bottles, or sitting on a porch swing drinking lemonade;  Laura and I are in this "race" together, preparing, enduring, bearing the sting of the other's pain and basking in the warmth of the other's joy; together at the start 25 years ago, and until the finish , God willing, another 25 years or more.  I love you. 

Half-Baked Ironman

Well, the big weekend was finally here – my first Half-ironman, my goal race for the season.  I had done a sprint and an Olympic, and I was more pleased with the Olympic results than the sprint, so I was hoping to continue on that upward trend as the distance increased.

I was pretty nervous, in spite of 13 marathons, and 8 half marathons, this was uncharted territory –beyond my 2-4 hour range to 6-7 … I did not know what to expect.   Laura and I got there a little late for the last race talk, but we did hear them talk about the race course.  I got my bike checked into transition, but I was not crazy about the rack placement.   My spot was on a ‘one-way rack’, so the bikes next to you was sticking out on your side, so you did not have the typical staggered placement, which allows you to put some of your setup by the back wheel of your neighbor. Plus, we were right up against the sand-dune, spilling into the rack area.  This both crowded space, and made it possible for sand to get into the gears and cables overnight.  I covered the rear derailleur with a garbage bag as best I could.

I had overplanned for possible hot weather.  I brought a big rolling cooler.  This was to keep ice, cold water bottles and cooling bandanas on the run.  One thing I have to do is adjust according to the weather, and what I see on race day.  Like at TriShark, people were considering long sleeves, and I brought arm warmers.  But by the time I got out of the water, it had warmed up.  But, I had left those arm warmers in transition, and god-damn it, I was going to wear them.   At Steelhead, the weather was perfect.  Overnight temperatures just below 60, highs for race day not much above 70, a light wind.  But, I brought the cooler, so I dragged into my crowded transition spot.

My nervousness started to show when we got to the hotel.  I only brought into the hotel the gear that I needed to put on to drive over in the morning, and left the wetsuit, etc., and transition bag in the car.  But went I checked, I could not find my trishorts.  After a frantic trip down to the car, and tearing apart my other meticulously packed bags, I could not find it.  It was 5:30, and we were 15-20 minutes away from the venue, which closed at 6 pm.  That was my best shot at getting a replacement pair.  But I did not think I could navigate parking etc. and make it there.  Then I remembered that Chris Bannon was going to be checking in late, so I called him.  Yes! He was still at the registration/expo area.  I directed him to a tent that I noticed had DeSoto shorts on sale, and he got me a pair. 

Then, it was time to go to dinner and meet Chris and most of the other TriSmarties there.  Laura was going to have driving duties on the way home, but I took my usual driver seat.  Well, my bearings must still have been on the Chicago side of the lake, because I was convinced Stevensville was north of Benton Harbor, and we went 15 miles out of the way.  But we got to our dinner spot and had great pasta with the Shoemakers, Forest, the Murphys and Chris Bannon.  I turned the keys over to Laura for the drive home, even though I was not drinking.    

  

We got up at 4:15 am, and I had some coffee, and ensure, banana, half a Gatorade and a bagel with a little Nutella.  I think that is about 700-800 calories. We drove in the Eastern Time Zone darkness at about 5:15 am.  We were directed into a church parking lot by flashlight-wielding Boy Scouts.  My co-worker, Jim, who had been my swimming partner for weekly swims before work at Ohio Street Beach, had his family in a rented RV there – you can read about their odyssey and the inspiration fueling his races at www.eatpraydean.com. 

We had a short hike through the neighborhood to get to the beach transition area.   Note to self –add headlamp flashlight to gear, especially for long races in late summer in Michigan.  It took me a while to get my transition area set up, go to the bathroom, etc.  I did not feel like I had a lot of room for my gear, so I left a lot of my running stuff in the transition bag, and decided to unpack it during T1.  

Going into this race, I sometimes doubted whether I could make a good triathlete, or if I was just a 1-trick pony as a runner.  People had talked about putting little trinkets on their bikes, or in transition as inspiration,   So, I affixed a few confidence boosters to the tray I use for rinsing sand off my feet – For the run, a Boston Marathon timing chip; For the bike, a route map of the a 75 mile day I rode in RAGRAI last summer; and for the swim – a card from a surf shop in Ireland, hoping somewhere in my Celtic DNA there was a swimmer, considering my Dad grew up on the ocean.  So, it was sort of coincidental that my transition neighbor was an Australian transplant to Michigan with a steel frame bike and downtube shifters.  This bright yellow bike had stickers saying “Fork More Pork.”  I recognized that as a team from RAGBRAI called “the Whiners”.  So, I took that as a good sign for the bike leg. 

We had a mile walk to the swim start, where I would put on my wet suit.  I had got a lot of use out of it over the summer since Laura got it for my birthday.  I had taken it to Racine, in case I had a chance to do a practice swim that weekend.  I did not use it, but when I unpacked it, there were 2 superficial tears near the leg.  I had MOX Multipsort fix it, and they only charged $15, so it had held up the last month of training.   When I was putting the wetsuit on, Laura took my picture, and saw that my camera battery was dead – another race preparation detail I had neglected – but not critical.  I got a chance to get in the water and get acclimated, seal my goggles, etc.  There were a lot of TriSmarties in my wave, and others cued up a few waves behind us.  I was pretty sure that most or all of them would get out of the water before me, but I had accepted that.  My goal was to get out of the water without my heart race racing, or feeling beat up from struggling.   When the sounded the horn for our wave, I walked and skipped through the shallow water over a sand bar, and let a lot of the wave go ahead of me.  After I got in the water, there was a strong pull from all the swimmers around me, which I do not mind at all.  After a minute or so, I noticed several other swimmers doing breast strokes for extended periods, or the back stroke.  I got the sense that they had a little over excitement/nervousness going on.  I had experienced that in the sprint and Olympic earlier this summer, and I noticed that it wasn’t happening today.   So, I felt good that I was relaxed.  However, my calm attitude did not keep me on a straight line.  Every 5-10 strokes I would breast stroke, look forward, but I kept finding myself to the right of the line of buoys.  So, I just zigzagged in between all 16 of the buoys, just rounding the outside of each buoy.  I wasn’t getting fatigued with all the extra distance.  I was sort of frustrated, but just resigned to the fact that this is how swim was going to be today.  I had done the same thing every time I swam at OSB, so I knew I could make the final distance, but I would be going a few hundred yards extra.  I was glad to make the final turn and see the Ironman arch on the beach.  My drifting was not so bad, but I stood up pretty early to make sure I would finish on straight line, and get to the land-based events ASAP.  There was a crowd lining the beach, and some people from TriSmart were there, because they called my name.  I saw that John Molchin and Melanie had gotten there that morning.  I charged up the beach, happy to be using my legs.  Laura was near the transition entrance, cheering ‘I love you, I am so proud of you’.  That made me smile, because I did not think my swim was anything to be proud of, but she gives me credit for trying.

I felt good in transition, my heart rate was getting up from the run, and it wasn’t soaring during the swim.  My transition area was a little cramped, so it took me awhile to get my wetsuit off, get sunscreen on, and get everything on for the bike. I was worried about getting sunburned on the bike & run, so I wore a cycling jersey with short sleeves.  I did not feel like I desperately had to, but I decided to use the porta-potty, since one was conveniently placed every 20 yards in transition.  Someone recommended Uncrustable PBJ sandwich, so I had about half of that.  On the bike I took, Profile bottle filled with ice water, and half-liter bottles of Gatorade and water in my cages, ready to be tossed when empty at the bottle exchanges.  For nutrition, I stuck 3 Gus in the rubber band of my profile bottle, and in my Bento box, a Stinger, a Bonk Bar and Clif Blocks.  

I had about half of transition to cover to get my bike out, and I am glad that I am 3 for 3 in my transitions in not slipping on bike shoes.   I got clipped, and was off on the bike course.   Even with all the initial turns, and bunched up riders, it seemed like I was going pretty fast (22-23 mph), but I did not feel winded.  There must have been a downhill and/or a tailwind, but I figured this would not be the norm for the day.  Sure enough, the gradual uphill on Blue Star Highway brought me back to reality.  

5 miles came up quick, and I had been drinking fluids, but now I made sure I had a few bites of food every 2-3 miles.   I was doing well on the uphills, and when I went downhill, it seemed like I could gain speed just from momentum, which was not the case with my original Giant wheels.  It actually felt cool on the bike, because it was overcast and in the 60’s.    When I got to the first bottle exchange, I had to gulp water and pour it into my profile bottle, so I thought maybe I wasn’t drinking enough.  We made the turn off Blue Star Highway, and I saw the name Lee on the back of a blond woman, which is funny, because on our practice run, I had ridden with Lee to that exact spot, and stopped and waited for others to make sure they knew the route.   I was not thinking quick enough to call out to her, and I did not want to risk looking back as we made the turn. 

As we headed west, I passed a lot of riders, still clocking splits above 20 mph, and feeling good.  I knew there were not a lot of hills for a while, but the road would get rough- first chip and tar, and then long stretches of patchwork pavement.  It actually made for some camaraderie as riders complained to each other about the road, but I assured them this was the worst part, and it would be done in 2-3 miles.  I tried to get in the profile bars, but people would pass me, and then get in front of me, and that would interrupt my rhythm.    

We meandered back south, and kept heading west, so we would get a taste of the light wind, and then lose it.  I like turns on bike courses, as long as they are marked well and 90 degrees or less.  I could probably learn to corner them better, but it seems like I don’t shy away from them, because I typically gain on people, before and during turns, but then they catch me again. 

At some point before 20 miles, I could feel my inner thighs hurting.  The friction on my rear wheel just seemed heavier, and I must have been pushing down too much.  I used to get sore like this a few years ago, when I did a lot less biking, but it had not happened recently.  I tried to concentrate on making circles with the pedals, and pushing forward at the top quarter of my stroke.  I knew I would make it through the bike, but I was not sure how it would affect my run.  My legs did not feel like this on any of my brick runs.   My pace was good, though.  Some miles would be 2:50 minutes, and some would be 3:15, so it seemed like I hovered between 18-21 mph.  I had a heart rate monitor on, and I wanted to keep my heart rate between 130 and 145.  But for long stretches, my heart rate would be 118-125.  It only rarely got above 135.   If I could have, I don’t know if my legs could keep up. 

In the first 15 miles, Forest Reeder passed me, somewhere before 20 miles, Jeff Shoemaker caught me.  A few miles later, I came up on Barb Shoemaker in her neon green top I said ‘Hi’ to her and soon saw the dreaded rumble strips.  When we rode this in practice, I got a flat within 2 miles after going over the rumble strips, I was hoping we could go around them.  But in the race talk the director clearly said you had to go over them.  But people were going in the oncoming lane.  Now I am a stickler for rules, especially when there is a race official in a pickup truck right there.  So I used the shoulder, which still had rumble strips,    but they were not painted.  Then I just thought “F# it “, I crossed over to the left lane and avoided the rumble strip.   But some energy and distance trying to avoid that, and was hoping we all would not get penalties, or that I would not get a flat.   But no penalty, and no flat, and I headed on the westerly part of the course.

Laura had suggested I practice the bottle exchange, but the nutrition/food handoff on the bike seemed iffier, because there are more items to choose from, and they are smaller to grab.  Of the 3 Gus I had on the bike, when I took my first one, I must have dislodged another.  So, I decided to start picking up Gus at the aid stations, even though I had just used my second one.  So, I tossed an empty Gatorade bottle in the net, grabbed one, and called out for GU.  Just as I squeezed my hand to grab it, the volunteer said – “It’s open !”  Yeah, I noticed that as my hand got all sticky. Oh well, 200 calories in 10 minutes, I probably could use it.  It used to bother me getting my hand sticky from Gatorade or GU, but now,  I sip some water from my profile bottle, and spit it out on my hand and rinse it off. 

The steepest hills on Steelhead are on the eastern part of the course away from the lake.  They definitely slowed my pace, so my mile splits started to show slower than 15 mph,   which I had wanted to avoid.   But my fastest splits were faster than I expected, so I was hoping that would give me a good average.    I was able to pass some people going up these steep hills, and recover to a good speed quickly.    I do not hesitate to get in a low gear, and spin at a high cadence, which sort of feels like running. 

At about mile 37, you turn south on Blue Star Highway.    I had really cruised on this stretch on our practice ride, but we had a tailwind that day.  This section is a net decline, but has some long hills along the way.    There was not much headwind, but prior to this, we had only gone 1-2 miles at time into the wind.  So, to me, the perception felt like a headwind, especially since it came at the end of the race.  What did help was that the road veers back and forth so, sometimes the wind lessened. 

At the last aid station, I  picked up two more Gus.   Someone told me to take a GU 15 minutes before getting off the bike, but I miscalculated the distance, and took it at more like 30.    So, with 3 miles to go, I had my fifth GU on the bike, in addition to the Stinger, Bonk bar, 2 Shot Blocks, and 2 bottles of Gatorade. 

Another piece of advice was to use a lower gear the last few miles, so your legs don’t feel heavy when you start the run.   But at Steelhead, the last 3-4 miles go downhill before turning into Jean Klock Park. And my attitude is that when you get a downhill, use it.  So, I kept in a higher gear to pedal down the hills at 25+ mph, and when I had a flat section, to uphill, I downshifted.   When I checked later, mile 55 was my fastest split – 22.92 mph.  I was smelling the hay in the barn, and looking forward to running in the pasture!      As we got to the center of Benton harbor, we had to slow, with a lot of people on the sidewalk, and the turn into the park.  What I did not expect was riding a sidewalk, especially a wooden one on the beach, with sand drifting over it.  Luckily it was not long, and it got us up close to the crowd – saw a bunch of Tri Smart people, and further down, Laura in her bright orange top.

T2 was one of my worst parts of the race.  I knew I had to use the bathroom, but I figured I would get my running gear on, and then bolt out of the bathroom to the run course.   It took me a few tries to get my bike jersey off, and I messed around putting sunscreen on since my running shirt had no sleeves .  Later I noticed that volunteers were there to slather sunscreen on you, and I need to keep that in mind in the future.   Further evidence of my scattered state of  mind was that I became convinced that I had lost my run bib on the bike, because I had store extra bottles in my bike jersey, and assumed I had dislodged it.     I figured I would have to talk to race officials on the way out of the run, but I was wondering if it would DQ me, and maybe I should try to get away without saying anything.  

Then, I turned my attention to my bathroom needs.  Just as I started to walk the 15 feet to the nearest portapotty, a woman got in there.  Okay, I figured, by the time I went to another 100 feet way, she would be out.  Then a guy in line behind me left, and I think he got into another portapotty.   I started to switch to another and some beat me to that one.  I went back to that line, and realized I did not take my Garmin off the bike handlebars, so I detoured for that.  Still, this woman was not out.  I saw someone get out 2 Portapotties away, so I sprinted, and made it to the open one.  As I was sitting down, I found the race bib, on my back, so at least I would not be DQ’d. 

I was happy to be running out of transition, and I tried to stay at a moderate pace at first.  My pace was showing 8:30- 9 min / mile, but my heart rate was at 151.  It did not feel that high, but it was getting warm, and the delays in T2 probably stressed me out.      My legs did not feel heavy at this point, but I figured an 8:30-9:00 minute pace was probably right, since my half-marathon pace is about 7:45.  The end of the first mile on the steelhead features a sharp turn onto a steep hill.  I had not run this in practice, but there is an even steeper hill right near the beach that doubles black onto the sand dune bluff, so I knew what to expect.   A lot of people were walking, I definitely slowed down, but used my initial pent-up energy to power up it, also energized by seeing the first three women finishers during the that first mile.  

They had an aid station in the first 2-3 miles, and normally, I would pass one up that early on a run, but the 70.3 distance, and  6-7 hour race duration was new territory for me, so I was going to be cautious when it came to nutrition and hydration.  I drank a Gatorade and picked up a couple of Gus, to stash in the side pockets of my new DeSoto shorts.   On a couple of our long runs this summer, my running partner, John Molchin used a strategy of walking 30 steps through water stops, so I was going to try that on this run. 

We left the “stick” part of the run course, and got onto the double loop of the “lollipop”.   This had some nice curves, and went through some neighborhoods, with a firehouse putting out a water sprinkler.  I was glad they did, but I would wait to see if I needed that until the second loop.  It was getting warmer, but nothing like I felt in the Chicago Marathon in 2007 and 2008, or Boston earlier this year.  When your body temperature is pushing above 100 degrees, it takes a lot of 50-60 degree water to cool it off, so the few seconds of a sprinkler feels good, but does not effectively lower your core temp.  Plus, when you run through them over and over again over the course of 13.1-26.2 miles, your clothes just get heavier with water, especially your shoes, which can lead to blisters.   I definitely respect the heat, especially after seeing several of my friends, strong runners and seasoned triathletes, in the medical tent after Racine.   My approach to today’s run was to minimize the heat’s effect on me, so I could use my long run speed without overheating.  For this I had brought a cooling bandana, and a Trigger Point Palm cooling device.  But, with the cooler temperatures, I decided to leave them in transition and travel lighter. 

I have read, and found, that using ice, or a cool cloth, or cooling bandana on your carotid artery is more effective at cooling your core temperature on the run.   The blood flow is strongest going through your neck, your armpit and your groin, so applying ice to one of those spots  for a few minutes can be more effective than pouring cold water over your head.  So, I would get ice from the water stops, and put it in my hat, then take a few cubes out, and hold it by my armpit, and my neck, and drop a few down my shorts.   In hindsight, I probably spent too much time getting the ice, but running a race this late in the day was new to me, as was running a half-marathon after 4 hours of swimming and biking.   In my first two marathons, I made bathroom stops, but I have not needed to do that since.    Likewise, I should be able to learn what my body can take at this type of distance and in hotter temps.  

I was having a lot of fun on the run course, talking to some of the spectators, and commenting to a few fellow runners.   But was really fun was passing people.  Not only was I fresher, but I felt unrestrained from the drafting and passing rules on the bike.  I take the inside on corners, left side or right side,  cut the tangents between curves, and accelerate around people.  Hopefully, I am not a jerk about it, but I am carving my own path in a race,  so I anticipate the position I want to be in, and hold that line-  if someone else is faster, they can get ahead of me, then I will have to adjust my pace or path.  But I noticed some younger, faster looking runners, who did not always seem to be willing to do that.   The only place where I would not take the shortest distance was when there was a pitch to the road, and I tried to stay on the flatter middle part.  I also tried to avoid the gravel shoulders.  I like the softer surface, but when you run between two surfaces like that, your foot can slip if it catches a piece of both.

As we wound around the Whirlpool/Maytag campus, we could see runners coming back from that loop and then turning in front of our path, where they ascended up a looong hill, and we turned to go on the loop.  So, you get a preview of this killer hill a few miles before you actually have to climb it.   Part of that mental torture was alleviated by seeing John Molchin and Brian Comiskey at this spot, taking pictures and cheering me on.   I won’t ever be as good a triathlete as these two guys, but I know they respect my running, so I had to live up to that rep.    After I passed them, I could see Forrest in his TriSmart gear.  I knew he had issues with his calf, and was planning to run/walk the half-marathon.  He was walking, and I could see a hitch in his stride, so I slowed to a walk and check in with him, hopefully distract him from this toughest part of the race for him.   Forrest seemed ready to pick up his running again for a while, so we went at a steady pace.    After a few minutes, we came to a water station, so we went back to a walk.  As we left, I wished him luck, and went back to my pace.  My brother is a  firefighter (and a runner) too, so I knew Forrest was tough/stubborn enough to finish, I just hoped that it would not set him back for Ironman Florida.   

The next part of the course was one of my favorites – the Whirlpool Campus trail.  We started downhill on a narrow, worn asphalt path.  I have done 5 marathons that have partially used paved running paths, and sometimes it seems people go back into “training mode” on these trails.  Usually, there is no oncoming traffic, so you can use both sides.  I like the change from the streets, and try to keep the pedal  down .  The only thing, is that on this trail, we took a sharp turn, onto grass, and then back onto the trail.  Luckily, the grass was not wet, and for a half mile or so, we had pretty good shade.     For all the turns, the course was well marshaled and marked.   Pretty soon, I was coming out of the loop to see the spot where Molchin and Comiskey were waiting.  That was a good boost, so I took the 180 degree turn past their spot and went up that hill that had been waiting for me for 3 miles.   I heard a running coach tell her client on some hills in the Grand Rapids Marathon to “Look Down and Pull Up (with your arms)”.  The idea is that you do not want to keep your focus on the height you have to cover and get discouraged,  just the next few steps.  And when your legs are tired, like at the end of a race, or the work is extra hard, like on hills, you recruit the counterbalancing locomotion of your arms to help your legs.

While getting up that hill without walking seemed like an accomplishment, knowing I would have to do it again with another 5 miles under my belt, and weighing on my legs was daunting.    Maybe that slowed me down as I ran about a mile so on Blue Star Highway, because that seemed like one of the tougher parts for me.     I came to a water station, and was getting to the turnoff to start the loop again, and there were Melanie Neuman and Tom Randich.   I was not expecting them out there, and felt so glad to see them.  Tom did the Rockman 70.3 which was Laura’s first, and the first one I went to, and the last triathlon for our good friend Michelle Chaput, who we lost to breast cancer a year later. (Ask Tom about the bike he rode for that race).  Melanie had been on the course when I ran Boston for the second time, so I got a flashback to the sheer joy of running that race brings me.   They were cheering, and telling me how strong I looked, which was better than I had just been feeling.

As I started the loop again, my colleague from work, and OSB swimming partner, Jim Burns was starting his first loop.   Thanks to Jim picking me up at 4:45 a.m. every Wednesday to drive downtown and get into the water by 5:30, I had gained a lot more confidence in open water.   I had to check in with him, and see how his race was going. He looked his usual, laid-back self.  As a former water polo player, the swim was a given for him, and he felt the bike went good. We ran together for a little while, and I started seeing all the spots on this loop I had hit before, so I was ready to attack them again.   Just like when I hung with Forrest for a little bit, I felt so energized after talking to Jim , and sped up as I left him.     

And sure enough, some of my splits on the second loop were in the neighborhood of the first ones –good and bad, so  I think it was the terrain, not fatigue.   As much as I passed people, there was one guy consistently 10-15 yards ahead of me, wearing a “Maryland Iron Crabs” shirt.  He just seemed be going so steady, where I would speed up – slow down –speed up –and never get any closer to him.

I was a little concerned about my nutrition on the run-  I had not really planned out my calories exactly, and on the run, I would be entirely reliant on Gatorade and GU.  My stomach started to feel full from frequent cups of water and Gatorade.  I felt the hydration was good, but seeing a lot of athletes with compression socks/sleeves, I was hoping my calves would not cramp.  I had put 2-3 Endurolyte capsules in my new Trishorts.  I planned to take them with just a little water, so I would get the electrolytes without getting bloated with a lot more sticky-sweet Gatorade.  But when I looked in the pockets on each side, I only found Gus.  That meant I might have to take more Gatorade.  But the next time I checked, there were actually TWO pockets on each side, and the Endurolytes were in the upper pocket. 

In some ways, the second loop was mentally harder, because I knew the challenging parts were coming up, but physically, it was like my muscle memory kicked in to run a section the same way I had a half hour ago.  By the time I came to Molchin ‘sand Comiskey’s viewing spot, I was on autopilot,  - smile for the camera, turn right, go up hill.  So, it was with mixed feelings I saw my friends there, glad for the  encouragement, but fearful of that hill that came next.  They said they would pace me up it, and I thought, that will make me seem slow, these guys will be all fresh.  But then I realized they had ridden bikes out, and I figured grinding up from a dead stop they would not be going very fast.   So, I was determined to get as far up the hill before they caught me- sort of a man vs. machine.  I almost made it to the top , when Brian pulled next to me, saying that out of respect, he had not shifted into the little ring.  They gave me some last words, and I ran on to Blue Star Highway- point back towards the finish. 

I finished the double loop, and started the 2-ish mile run back past the last outbound runners.  Near this crisscross of paths, Barb Shoemaker jumped alongside me, cheering, and holding out a water bottle with just some powder in it.  I was confused, because I thought she wanted me to ingest it, and after 4 Gus on the bike and 3-4 on the run, I did not want anymore.  But she said something about getting it to her husband Jeff at the finish, and then it clicked, so I took that bottle of what must have been his recovery drink.  I had seen TriSmart member on the run, but I figured Jeff was far enough ahead of me at the finish that he would be done 5-10 minutes before I got there.  But subconsciously, I figured he is supposed to have a recovery drink soon after the finish, so I kept my pace going, like a man on a mission.

I came upon the first outbound water station, doing double duty as the last outbound one, just 1.5 miles from the finish.  I did not take anything, but I thanked the volunteers for the last time.  I felt a lot better cruising past that water station than I had at some of the others where I had walked through them.   I think the loss of momentum from walking through cost me some time;  if I am going to go 30 steps through water stops, I have to keep it in high gear until I walk, and then quickly ramp back up. 

At the start of the last mile, you get to go down that first big hill, so that ups your speed.  But that hill was so steep, it was not like and easy glide down.  After 6 hours on the triathlon course, it would be easy for too much momentum to make me stumble down this hill, especially with the steep turn back into the park area.  So, I was a little more cautious going down this hill than I normally was.  Then I saw the guy in the Maryland IronCrabs shirt walking up the hill.  Wow, I thought, that guy really picked it up and put a mile between us and was doubling back after the finish.  I wasn’t demoralized by that, but I congratulated him.  A few minutes later I saw anther IronCrab shirt just ahead of me at the finish, and I realized it wasn’t the same guy.

I had a curvy stretch of road entering the park, and then a left turn into the finish.  There were a lot of spectators here, and even people just walking out past us. I noticed a lot of runners following the contour of the path, staying to the right, but I made a beeline from one major curve to the next, using minimum number of steps.   I started looking for ages on guys legs, and I passed a couple, but I could see one guy with a 42 that was accelerating as much as I was, so I was not catching him.  Just as we passed under Blue Star Highway, I passed a guy in my age group who was much bigger than me, so I kept my pace up, and figured, if he was able to pass me at this pace, he deserves a higher spot at the finish.  I did get passed by a guy in the last half mile, but he had 33 on his calf, so I did not feel bad at all.  The crowd was 3-4 deep near the beach, and as we turned into the chute, I passed inside a couple of women side-by-side.  I figured if the other 50 year old guy was going to try to catch me, he would have to spend more energy going around them.  I could hear Laura cheering, I knew she was closer to the finish.  I was almost laughing out loud I was smiling so much.  I saw a group of TriSmart spectators near the curve, and one of them who stood out was Dario, who I did not know had come to see the race.  When I called out  “Dariooooooo!!”, the crowd erupted in a cheer.  Now, I could see Laura on the right, I was still coming in fast, she was leaning over the barrier saying she loved me and that she was proud of me – I got in close and kissed her, barely breaking stride, and surged to the finish line, with my arms raised up. 

I was pretty pumped, but this was one part of the race where I was not sure what would happen.  It was a cooler day, but 6 hours even in the 70 degree temps, and running at an 8:00 minute pace that last mile  -you still get heated up.   I needed  someone to steady me while they took off my chip, but I would not end up in the medical tent like I did when I first qualified for Boston in the Green Bay Marathon. 

It was a blur seeing Laura and our friends from TriSmart – all of them with so many full and half Ironmans under their belt, but genuinely impressed by my debut.   I got Jeff his recovery bottle, and we took some pictures.   By my watch, I knew the run time was under 1:55, so that beat my goal of 2 hours.  And I was pretty sure that I got a little under 3 hours on the bike.  But it wasn’t until the way home that someone texted me that my time was under 6 hours that I beat my best case scenario -  by only 41 seconds.  But to be anywhere close to 6 hours was great, and nice to have a five in the first digit. 

My splits were:

Swim: 49:18

T1: 11:49

Bike:  2:55:47

T2: 8:58

Run: 1:53:27

Total: 5:59:19

Laura convinced me to walk into the lake to cool my muscles off, so I am sure that helped me recover.  We watched for other people to cross, and saw Forrest, Chris Bannon and Jim Burns.  Even though the temperature was cool, there was no shade by the beach, and I had be careful not to get burned.  It was a great day to experience half of that Ironman experience, and I am going to want to do it again next year.