I started out the run with a simple plan, ten minute miles and break 7 hours. As before the earlier portions of the race were completely out of my mind and I was only thinking about the run, though my knee did keep my attention over the run. I kept my Livestrong cycling jersey on which led to lots of comments of support from those I passed on the sidelines. “Lets go Lance”, “Living Strong”, “Running Strong” would come out of the sidelines at various points of the run. I even had a volunteer at an aid station tell me how great the jersey was and how much she loved Livestrong. I’d like to say I had planned the whole thing out but mainly it came down to the fact that I like the jersey, it fits snugly, and it was faster to run in it rather than changing in the transition.

The beginning of the run was on the same road as the entrance into the park and as I started I heard the announcer acknowledging the fourth place finisher in the triathlon as well as the first relay team to complete. The road only lasted for a half mile before a right turn onto a gravel road going up a mile long uphill climb. I remembered from the website that there would be a gravel section because they made sure to note that it would be cleaned up by the park staff. I had assumed that it meant there was a gravel section. After a couple miles I realized that it meant the entire half marathon was going to take place on trails with the only paved portion being that section leading to the turnaround of lap one and the finish. If I had realized that I would’ve worn my trail running shoes which have stiffer soles to handle the uneven terrain rather than my normal running shoes.

As I started up the hill I saw my first walker which lifted my spirits. Not seeing him walking, which would have been cruel, but knowing that if/when I was forced to walk I wouldn’t be alone. At the top of the hill before a left hand turn was the first aid station. The course was setup great in that there was never a point where there was more than a mile to the next aid station. At the first station I began my running plan with a cup of water and a walk. I planned to have a cup of water at the first station, a cup of Cytomax at the second, a salt tablet at the third (which would be 30 minutes), and a gel at the fourth (which would be 40 minutes), and repeat. Each station would have me walk to drink and eat for a slight recovery before running again. The first and second station were the closest to each other and on both laps of the course I would feel a slosh in my stomach for a bit before it digested.

On the first lap of the run I felt really good, when I came across a mile marker I would check my watch to verify that I was running at exactly my planned pace of 10 minute miles. In the beginning I had to keep reminding myself to pull back a little as my heart rate floated over 150. 150 was the magic number I had found where I was maintaining my planned pace and not burning myself out too quickly. I made it 2/3 of the way through my first lap before I hit my first walking sections on a short steep hill. I would end up doing more on the second lap but I kept my first lap pretty fast with a constant pace. I also had my race number belt pop off and spent several minutes walking and fixing the buckle before moving again.

As I turned around to start my second lap I realized that I was dead on with 10 minute miles. I told myself that the next six were nothing I hadn’t done before and that it was only slightly more than my normal day to day run. A mantra I would attempt to repeat over and over for the course of the run. Sadly the miles were really starting to catch up to me and when I turned to face that first mile long hill I found myself walking again with over five miles to go. I got myself going again and found at the mile nine marker that my pace had finally started to slip and I was slightly over 10 minutes a mile. That got me going again and I walked less over the next two miles but I did walk nonetheless. At the next opportunity to check my pace I found I had maintained the same pace I had at the nine mile marker. There was another cool point about mile nine, it was the last time I was passed. For the first lap I passed people and people passed me but for the most part I was gaining ground. From the mile nine marker I was eating people up on the course and passing them regularly. Thats not to say I was going fast, just that I was maintaining where others were starting to lapse. Even with my walking once I passed someone they didn’t get back around me.

At mile eleven on the way back to the finish I was forced to walk again and checked my watch. A racer next to me asked the time and I let him know we had 21 minutes to beat 7 hours. He laughed and said these were going to be the hardest two and I told him all it would take were 10 minute miles which was all I was thinking of. That got me moving again and I left him behind as I ran to the last uphill of the race. At that point I walked the climb and he passed me to the aid station. When I got there I passed him again and ran to the final aid station and the steep downhill that lay ahead. The same racer passed me again as I had my last water and on the downhill I slid in behind him matching his pace. As we got to the bottom he slowed more and more while I still felt good. I knew that once i hit the paved road I wouldn’t walk again because there were too many people watching and the finish line was too close.

I passed the runner as I hit the pavement and didn’t look back.  I picked up my pace even though it burned my legs and I could tell I was going into the red zone quickly.  I made sure not to look at my heart rate.   As I rounded the last curve and could see the finish I heard my name called and looked over to find Zack and Caroline cheering me into the finish.  They had arrived while I was on my second lap and were watching for me to finish.  I got a grin for a second and turned back to the finish picking up the pace even more.  I heard the announcer saying everyone’s name but mine and remember thinking, and I may have said out loud, you better say my name or I’ll kill you.  He finally did as I entered the finish chute and my back seized up.  I crossed the line dieing to stop but not knowing where.  Finally I crossed all the mats and felt like crying.  I  couldn’t breathe at all and was gasping like a fish.  There were two little girls, one cutting the ankle timing chip straps and one giving the finishing medals.  I tried to say something but couldn’t and took the medal and put my foot out for the other girl.  I think I managed a thanks before stumbling out the other side.

I kept walking and trying to breathe as Zack and Caroline came up to congratulate me.  It was very cool that they made it out.  I tried to drink a Pepsi but couldn’t and gave it to Zack before sitting down under a table because I felt like I was going to pass out.  It was strange to be stationary again.  I finally got back up and walking and found my back relaxing and I was able to breathe easier.  I cleaned out my transition area and thankfully Zack agreed to carry my transition crate to the car while I pushed my bike.  I got another Pepsi and it took an hour to finish but I was able to get it all down.

We headed over to my house and I stopped at the store to pickup some beer and chips.  I had already started stiffening up and the walk in and out of the store plus the three flights of stairs to my condo took forever.  The rest of the afternoon was spent with my knee iced and HD football on the TV.  There were several recounts of the days events while we waited for food to arrive.  We ordered 20 wings, a pizza, and cheese sticks.

I felt great about finishing the race and I had beaten every goal I set for myself.  One of my ankles is still sore from the trail running and my knee is still tender.  In less than three days I’m back to relatively normal.  I’ve taken this week of off working out and eating right.  It’s my reward to myself for a race well done.  Starting Monday its time to train hardcore for the Livestrong Challenge with longer and more frequent cycling sessions.

My half-marathon time was 2:16:45 and my final overall time was 6:42:40.

I rolled out feeling pretty good considering how nerve wracking the swim had been. It’s weird and maybe this is something peculiar to me but I didn’t think about the swim again till after the race. After I finished the bike leg it was out of my mind as well. Each leg seemed like a brand new event, as if it were the only one I was doing and the previous leg wasn’t just completed but was the day before. I’m sure this is a pretty nice trick to have in my repertoire though it certainly wasn’t something I counted on.

I started out in a pretty big crowd of cyclists which made me think I was doing well so far. I wasn’t passing anyone and was regularly being passed myself. By the 10 mile mark I had been having a little dogfight with a girl in a white Zoot suit shirt. She’d pass me on the flats and I’d pass her on the hills, though the hills were by no means large at this point. Eventually she pulled away and for the rest of the afternoon I only saw people as they passed me. I set myself the goal of a nice evenly paced ride and would hope for 4 hours which I thought would be ambitious.

I had read a blog earlier in the week which helped me defined my nutrition plan. I ate a gel at the first 10 minutes and ate another at 1:10, 2:10, and 3:10. At 40 minute intervals I would eat a balance bar, the first 40, 1:40, and 2:40. At the first 40 minute mark I attempted the bar but it made me feel ill so I decided to eat half at each mark rather than push my stomach into something it obviously wasn’t prepared for. Over the course of the ride I drank a bottle of Cytomax and one full bottle of water and most of three more bottles. There were three aid stations where I would take on a new bottle regardless of how much of the previous I had drank. The first station meant i had to toss one of my real cycling bottles to make room for the sport water bottles they were giving out. I made sure to drink at least a couple swallows every 10 minutes switching between water and the leftover Cytomax. Granted I ran out of Cytomax about halfway but I kept to the plan with what I had left. For salt, extremely necessary because I tend to sweat way too much, I had one Endurolytes tablet every 30 minutes. Those pills are a lifesaver and I think they help me more than the gels do as far as endurance goes. Make sure you have some of these handy for your Livestrong Challenge ride.

A couple of interesting things happened at the halfway point of the ride. My knee started to hurt just like it did last year at the MS 150 where it promptly blew up and didn’t recover for months. It never got to the same level of pain as before but it did stay a constant throb for the rest of the ride, and even today as I type. This makes me a little nervous about the Livestrong Challenge because last year when this happened I was forced to change to the 70 mile route because it started hurting even earlier that day. I’m hoping since I never reached the same level of discomfort this time I wont have the same experience in Austin this year. The other thing I realized is that I was on pace to easily finish the bike ride in under three and a half hours. That coupled with my estimate of an hour swim meant I could be back at the transition by 11:30 and thus could beat seven hours by only running ten minute miles, which would be one of my slowest. I guess I was getting ambitious thinking of how fast I could finish when my goal the whole day was just to finish. To meet the goal of finishing I could walk the 13.1 miles and beat the cutoff.

When I was picking up my race packet at Inside-Out sports the guy gave me the tip to make sure not to burn myself out on the bike because at about mile 37 I’d start hitting some steep hills. I kept that in mind the whole ride and kept my heart rate in check with my heart rate monitor which I had decided would be a good idea for this race. My governing factor of speed though was the constant throbbing of my knee and not my heart rate. I think for the entire ride I never got higher than 145 even with the hills that came later. So my monitor was telling me I could really push it out faster but my knee, and later the other to a much lesser degree, was telling me I couldn’t. I kept the pace the same and shot for the 3:30 mark rather than push my luck.

At mile 37 right on cue the hills appeared. It felt like the Livestrong Challenge in Austin all over again. One big hill after another, some short and others long. They didn’t last long in comparison to the overall course but they were the bulk of the ride’s efforts. As with the rest of the ride I was still being passed but less frequently, which I attributed to the fact there weren’t many left to do so. I did notice after awhile the people’s age who passed me. As with any triathlon the ages were written on the back of each of our calves, mine being 32. So I knew that anyone, male, who passed me with 34 or lower means that I had passed them on the swim. Granted there weren’t many of these people but it did show that I wasn’t the worst one in my swim.

Around the 45 mile mark I finally passed my first rider which made me feel good. I would go on to pass three others before the finish line. There was a cruel trick played as I turned onto the road leading back to the park and transition area. Being a Sunday there were areas with groups of cars parked along the road for church. Each time I saw a group of cars I would think it was the drive leading back to the start/finish only to find that it was yet another church and my hopes were dashed again. As I felt myself getting closer I would stand up and stretch my calves so that they’d be loose and ready to go when I got to the transition. Finally I turned left onto the drive and was so glad to be back on the transition that i pushed out a quick pace into the transition area and hopped off my bike glad to be done and put the ride behind me.

As with the last transition I took my time, especially since i had gotten in faster than I could’ve ever hoped. I could average worse than 10 minute miles, though not by much, and still beat seven hours. I racked my bike and sat down to put on my socks and shoes. I lost some seconds because I hadn’t left my shoes with the laces loose and ready to go due to my lateness getting to the start, not that I minded. I emptied out all the trash from my cycling jersey that I had eaten on the road and threw it on my towel before heading out.

My cycling time was 3:26:47 and my second transition time was 3:49. Tomorrow the run and finish.

I woke up about 4:30 and headed straight to the shower to try and wake myself out of my usual early morning stupor. Mornings and me don’t work well together. After a quick shower I fixed a bagel with peanut butter and ate it quickly as I got my water bottles out of the dish washer and mixed up a bottle of Cytomax and one with water. By the time I got everything together and down onto the car and in the trunk it was close to six leaving me only 45 minutes till I was supposed to be at the start line ready to swim even though my wave wouldn’t start till 7:04. Needless to say I was flying down the highway. I had a pretty good idea of where the course was from previous rides with Ron but in the darkness of six a.m. everything changes a bit. By the time I got to the park it was 6:30 and i pulled up the drive into the park where I was promptly told that the lots were full and I’d have to park on the road a mile away. Luckily I did see a spot that no one had claimed yet so I was able to park right at the end of the entrance. I saw several people still heading up to the start running just as late as I did. I came across a couple carrying in their supplies as well both pretty upset with the parking situation but they weren’t panicking which kept me a bit calmer.

I’m guessing I finally got into the transition area right around a quarter to 7 and quickly setup my blanket and racked my bike asking the nearby USATF referee if all my stuff was correct so I’d avoid any penalties. I ran out to get my timing chip and was told I needed my race number so had to run back into the transition then back again to get chipped up and have my race number inked on. I got back to my rack just in time to hear them calling for the white cap wave to check in. This was my swimming wave and the second one to start. So I had to strip down to my Zoot suit and head to the water while putting my cap and goggles on. The air was frigid and I found out as I headed down that the suit did end up being deemed wetsuit legal at the last minute. It turned out that a lot of people weren’t in suits and would be in the same boat as me.

While we were sitting on the boat dock I’m the only one trying to do my stretches and get loosened up since I was so late. I looked out at the course and the furthest buoy seemed a lot further away than .6 of a mile. The first air horn sounded and the black capped elite men and women took off. Then it was time for my wave of white caps, which were 34 and under, to get in the water. Turns out we had to sit out there and tread water for four minutes. I guess it wasn’t enough to ask us to swim 1.2 miles, at least the water felt great and wasn’t cold at all. A lot of the guys in the water were cutting up and making jokes. The announcer gave a 30 second warning then out of nowhere blew the horn and we were off.

This was my first open water swim and it really was quite a change. I kept wanting to get a practice swim in the lake but circumstances kept blocking the attempt. Next time I’ll definitely know better. It felt like I was swimming in molasses and looked about the same through the goggles. Without the lane lines, lane ropes, and visual cues normally found around a pool it was hard to judge how fast I was moving. I felt tired and worn out by the time I even reached the first buoy. I looked up and could see the white caps pulling steadily away from me. Except for one lone white cap next to me, breast-stroking which added insult to injury I felt like I was all alone. As far as thinking about quitting the swim accounted for all occurrences. I remember thinking, screw it, lets get out of this and imagined raising my hand and being pulled in. Then I imagined being the only one ferried in and kept going.

At almost the halfway point the swells were battering. I’d have my head come out of the water and then back in with each oscillation. I realize my view was skewed but it seemed like they were at least a couple feet high. I couldn’t see anyone anywhere when I looked up. Finally I ran into someone and I looked up to see a blue cap and hope springed eternal. I figured that I caught someone so I couldn’t be doing too badly. A few minutes later I felt myself getting hit again and looked up to see a swarm of blue caps. Turns out that the next wave, men 35-39, that started 4 minutes after me were catching and passing me. Also after looking back the same white cap breast stroker was still hanging with me. A very demoralizing episode. Between the next to last buoy and the triangle turn around point I looked up to find myself way out of line and in the way of oncoming swimmer as I had to make a sharp turn back to pass the buoy on the right side to be legal.

I made the turn and figured that at least the swells would now be pushing me back towards the finish, in theory at least. It ended up feeling like I was being pushed forward and then sucked back as each one passed. At some times I felt like I wasn’t moving at all and I would get panicked. I would stop and breast stroke and look around and not see much of anything in the way of swimmers. At about the second buoy on the way back I looked over to see the yellow caps, men 40-49, catching and passing me. Id alternate between being angry and feeling hopeless depending on when I’d look up. I would buckled down and concentrate on my stroke and feel like i was flying because id see a buoy and look up a few seconds later and then it’d be gone and it seemed like I was back at a standstill.

Towards the end I could see the dock and one of those giant blowing men air socks on the end of the pier beckoning us in. I finally got to the shore and felt my hands on the rocks of the shore. I looked up and I was about 20 feet from the exit so I had to swim over to it and then make my way up the boat ramp to some cheering from the crowd.

In a decidedly un-PC moment I looked back at the water and said, “Fuckin’ Hell. Fuck that shit!” as I turned back to the transition area. I heard several in the crowd giggle and laugh so I guess I said it louder than I meant to. Hopefully no one was offended but I didn’t care at the time. I got into the transition are and decided that if I was going to finish this race I was going to take my time. There was a relay racer standing by my rack waiting for his swim partner to finish and I joked with him that to start with I was worried about my transition time but now I was going to take my time. He laughed and said you wouldn’t have caught him out there. He also looked at his watch and said don’t worry about it that I had made good time. I guess he didn’t see my white cap I had already taken off. I finally got my helmet, bike jersey (loaded with salt tabs, gels, and balance bars), gloves, sunglasses, and shoes on and headed out onto the course wishing the guy well.

My swim time was 51:11 and my first transition time was 4:08. Tomorrow the bike and transition 2.

Getting ready for the Duke Liver Center Half Ironman was an effort in itself. Friday night the race website put up an update that the lake temperature was 79 degrees and on the verge of being wetsuit legal. In triathlons if the water is 78 or below everyone is able to wear a wetsuit if they want. From 79-83 you can wear a wetsuit but you won’t be eligible for any prizes or points, and from 84 and above wetsuits are not legal for any reason. Finding this out sent me into a bit a of a panic because I didn’t want to be the only one without a wetsuit and I had been reading how that if there is any chance to wear one that you better do it. Also I figured if there were rules for it there had to be a pretty good reason to do it. So I called my friend Paul whose a surfer and he had a couple spring suits, which are wetsuits that have half arms and half legs and usually made just for surfing. He offered to let me borrow one for the race.

That night I did a lot of searching around and found almost universal agreement that doing a triathlon in a spring suit was a bad idea because they tend to be looser and hold more water and end up slowing you down and not helping. So I was on the fence and decided I’d ask for some advice the next day at the packet pick-up.

Saturday I woke up around 8:30 and met Charlie and Zack at a local diner for a big breakfast which I had read was a really good idea. It said to eat a big breakfast and big lunch and small dinner. Afterwards I helped Charlie empty out his storage unit and got home for one of my only “breaks” of the day. An hour later I headed out to Inside-Out sports to pick up my race packet which was pretty straight forward. While i was there I saw a bunch of people at the wetsuit racks and a couple people carrying them and one trying one on. It didn’t really help my frame of mind on what to do.

I finally found a guy next to the counter and asked him if I needed a wetsuit because I didnt have one. Another guy behind the counter said a wetsuit always helps. The guy behind the counter came across as one of those guys who knows everything and looks down on you but the other guy was pretty cool. He said if you can afford one it wouldn’t hurt and I said I could buy one but not really afford one. The other guy behind the counter then asked what was I looking to do and I said just finish and he said not to worry about it then and went back to what he was doing. I told the other guy I had a spring suit I could use and he said I shouldn’t worry about it but if I wanted to be sure to wear it out in a pool for a few laps and then decide. In the end I decided not to wear a suit at all because of what I read, heard, and the fact that doing something new on a race day is never a good idea.

By this time its after three and I still haven’t had any lunch and I wanted to be in bed by nine. Paul had called to work out when to meet up for me to get the wetsuit and since at this point I hadn’t decided against wearing it I had to meet him. I got a burrito which wasn’t the pasta dinner I wanted but I figured it was at least a lot of calories and got halfway through it before Paul called to meet him at a local park. Thankfully he said he could do another errand first so I could finish eating. I spent the next 30 minutes laying out my transition towel and making sure I had everything when he called to go meet him. So I spent the next hour driving out to the park, shooting the shit, and driving back in a rush to meet Laura for the Carolina Rollergirls match.

The Rollergirls were playing the team from Texas that basically started the whole sport and I had been on the fence about seeing them all week since it would be over around 8. Laura talked me into going so I had to be back at my house by 5:15 to meet her and drive to Dorton Arena. On the way Murphy struck again and my server from work went down but I was able to hold off on fixing it till after the bout. The bout was awesome and well worth attending, even moreso because it gave me the longest continuous time in one place of the entire day. The bout was probably the most competitive and roughest I’ve ever seen with the final score coming down to four points difference and the Carolina Rollergirls losing for the first time at home. I had felt guilty about not working the bout on the stats team but with all the mess going on that day I’m glad I didn’t.

Next up I had to get gas, then get dinner and some more power bars. I also picked up some bagels and peanut butter to eat the next day for breakfast because it was another tip I had found. I got home at 8:30 still having not eaten, having to fix the server for work, and pack up my transition towel. By the time I wrapped everything up, including more wetsuit research I finally got to bed at 10 and spent the next few hours tossing and turning trying to get to sleep after being so wired all afternoon running around. In the end I think I got five hours sleep before waking up for the race at 4:30 in the morning.

Next post will be up to the bike leg of the race.

I wanted to throw out a quick summary of the Duke Liver Center Half Ironman that I ran yesterday. I’ll be posting a detailed account, but decided to split it into sections so that it would be easier to read and not a monumental undertaking. I’ll post a summary of each leg every day this week.

Here’s the quick summary. I’m damn tired and my knees are killing me, I feel like I need a Greg Oden surgery. The swim was just shy of terrifying with the waves, murkiness, and distance. Of the entire event that was the absolute worst of it and the only time I ever thought of quitting. The bike went way better than I ever would’ve hoped considering I still felt underprepared going in. I think this may bode well for the Austin Livestrong Challenge but only if my knee soreness is just from the race and not a blow up like last years. The run was entirely on trails which I hadn’t expected but at least provided plenty of shade. The downside is that it also provided a couple of steep hills which on the second lap broke me down to a walk.

My estimated times are about 50-55 minutes for the swim, 3:30 for the bike, and maybe about 2:10 for the run. My transition times were slow because after each leg I was pretty happy to be done and took my time. I knew I wasnt winning anything and I was definitely going to beat my goal and finish the race. My overall time according to a quick glance at the clock on the way in to the finish was about six hours and 46 minutes.

I figure by the time I get the last leg report up the official times will be out for me to post.