I'm actually really tired...
I found out the hard way that RAGBRAI is not adequate training for the long course Pigman Triathlon. I woke up Sunday morning to thunderstorms on my way to Palo and arrived shortly after 6:00 am to get my transition gear set up. The first thing I noticed, was every participant had a triathlon bike. If you are not familiar with them, they are super light, aerodynamic, and sport wheels that cost more than my car. I was rocking the borrowed 1980′s “Panasonic” teal bike. At this point, I had to reassure myself that I was trained for the event. I mean, how hard could it be? I would be fine without an official bike.
The 1.2 mile swim was first and since I am a younger male, my age group was one of the last to enter the water. By this time, it was still raining and the wind was blowing pretty hard. The first part of the triangular route featured some choppy waves, which kept me hydrated taking in plenty of lake water. In final two sections, I was able to get in a good rhythm and finish in 55 minutes without exhausting myself. Running up the beach and into the transition area, I noticed 95% of the bikes were gone. It wasn’t that I was extremely slow, but rather just paired with really good people in my age group. I had a feeling I was not going to catch anyone on my bike.
Turning out of the park and on the county road, I was greeted with a 30+ mph headwind. Wow, was that not welcomed and I had two more stretches (7 miles and 5 miles) of wicked headwind. At this point, I just wanted to finish. It was still raining, which also hurt because of the wind speed. I even thought to myself, if I get a flat tire, I’m done. It’s not meant to be. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a flat and I trekked on for 3 hours and 50 minutes. Most of the 56 miles was covered solo, while only passing three older ladies in their 50s. Not exactly motivating.
Leaving T2 for the run
Heading back into the transition, I was noticing the sun coming out just in time for the run. Michelle was also waiting for me and gave me some encouragement. At this point, I was wiped. I had no energy left for the 13.1 mile run. I decided to start off slow and ease into the run. There was no point in trying to push myself now. The first mile went alright and I hydrated with water and some disgusting “heed” drink. By mile 2, I had stripped off the bike jersey and was feeling the affects of dehydration setting in. Thank god I knew that feeling before and was able to curb it the best I could. During the next five miles, I would stop at each water station grab three cups and a handful of pretzels. My system was drink one cup, pour one on my head, and save the last one to wash down the salty goodness. The halfway point gave me some encouragement and I could feel the finish line ahead. Mile 9, on the other hand, was a huge disappointment. They had ran out of water and the next leg was uphill. At that point, I decided to walk. The sun was too much, I was short on water and I still had roughly 50 minutes of work left. Thank god the next stop had water and pretzels, just enough to keep me going to the end. I finally jogged across the finish line, while the awards ceremony was in progress, 7 hours and 37 minutes later.
I thought this would never come...
Overall, I am glad I did the half ironman. Will I do it again? Not anytime soon. I realized biking competitively is not my thing. A lot has to do with the equipment and I don’t want to put in the time training to get decent at it. I’d much prefer riding 15 miles and stopping for beer and pie. The swim surprised me, though. I actually felt good for the 2nd half and my breathing was great. I may not have speed but I enjoyed it. I’ll probably do more sprint distance triathlons in the future, but for now I have had my fill. Someone asked me, “what was harder, the tri or a marathon?” I would say marathons are easier because they take less time to complete along with less preparation and worrying about equipment.
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