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Race Result

Racer: Alex Rochette
Race: Eagleman
Date: Sunday, June 12, 2005
Location: Cambridge, MD
Race Type: Triathlon - Half Ironman
Age Group: Male 30 - 34
Time: 4:55:00
Comment: Tired from Brazil, hot day... but mission accomplished.



Race Report:



I pitched my tent and spent the night before the race near the start site. This is good to have ample time to prepare the food for the day and set up transition. (One little problem: one night with my nose in the fresh hay had me slightly wheezing in the morning.)

Swim: 0:43 - Doh!
Well, 1/ this is a tricky swim due to currents; 2/ I went way off course (there were boats to go around but some/most people turned at the buoys - I didn't go all the way but still...). It was confirmed that I was right after the race... oh, well. I didn't care about this race so: water under the bridge. :)

T1: 0:02
Nothing to declare. Speedy transition.

Bike: 2:34 (21.7 mph)
I was still tired from Brazil. On IM or 1/2 IM, I usually have a "bad patch" every 3:15-3:30 and then things get better until the next "bad patch" (it's almost like clockwork) but that Sunday the cycle was more like 2:00. It was windy and I essentially kept going at a similar pace to Brazil's (that is before the crank issue). Which is alright in spite of the shorter distance but given the fatigue. I guess.

T2: 0:01
Speedy transition. One of the fastest actually.

Run: 1:34 (7:15)
It was early afternoon by then and the heat was at its maximum: ~85F (reel feel ~95F due to the humidity). The mile markers were completely out of whack (my splits are anywhere from 4:00 to 9:00 - a bit of a shame for an usually well organized race) so I didn't really know how I was doing. But what I know is that I felt like crap. Real crap. My HR was up there (170+) and I thought about stopping. Luckily there was ice on the course, and after about five miles, I got things under control (HR ~ 160-165) even though I still had no idea about my pace (except that it felt slow). I saw a friend about 4 minutes ahead of me (bad day himself) at the turn around and I started to think about catching him (a good sign). I kept it easy until mile 10 or so - or so indeed... :) And then I accelerated to finish strong out of principle. Cherry on the cake: I caught my buddy with one mile to go.

Overall: A measly total time of 4:55+. But this was enough to snatch the last slot for IM Lake Placid (barely: two minutes!). So, not without difficulties, mission accomplished. :)

Now I know that two weeks is not enough for me to recover from an IM (even a slow one) or at least not in the heat. :)