The Swamps of Jersey...

Well I've been thinking about how I'm going to write this race report because it was a weekend to remember for many reasons...first of all, racing is completely and totally addicting and the race I competed in, the NJ Devilman 1/2 Ironman was a blast! However, I will NEVER enter this race again if they don't change the lake we swam in...Iron Benny, it makes swimming in Tempe Town Lake like swimming in a pool of Evian water. I was in wave 6 and as I saw the first 5 waves enter all I heard were moans and groans because the "water" was basically dirt, algae, twigs, mush, and mud...did I mention that before wave 4 went, two water snakes just happened to swim by! FOR. REAL. (that's for you Nytro) So at that point I knew I would set a personal best in the 1.2 mile swim for the pure fact I wanted out as soon as possible! So it went and went well, thanks Iron Benny for the cue on goggle strap under swim cap because I got the googles kicked off twice and punched off once but I persevered! And yes, I was out of the water in 37:41, a personal best. If swim conditions were better I think I would've even scored better but the dirt water drag kept this brother down! Seriously, that was nasty and I would discourage anyone form swimming in a NJ lake ever again! HaHa... After a 100 yard jog to T1 I was on the bike after a somewhat disappointing 4:15 transition (new wet suit I didn't get off as easily as planned, more body glide perhaps).
Speaking of conditions, the bike course was set up for speed with fairly flat conditions and a little but not a lot of wind. This is where it got interesting. The second I got on I was out...flying! The first 46 miles I averaged 22.5 MPH and then disaster kind of struck...I went over a TINY bump and I heard a rattle on my back tire, of course I thought I flatted so I got off, checked the tire and it was all good soooooo... confused, I got back on and started to go when not 3 seconds later it really rattled and something popped...not the tire, but a spoke on my rear wheel broke and popped off! Now, I really never knew what spokes actually are there for but I found out the importance of even one. I thought to myself, "OK, what does this mean"? So I said screw it, only 10 more miles but as I started to go, my back wheel shook farily viciously back and forth against my rear brake cage and so I thought it would help if I opened it up...not quite, it just shook worse. So I closed it back and grinded out the last 10 miles with my back tire gripping each side of my rear brakes. My MPH dropped to around 17 the last 10 miles and I finished the 56 miles in 2:40:28...and average of 21 MPH for the course. Which I was happy with but kind of bummed to see what kind of damage I could've done with a healthy bike...anyhow, I was on my way to a good race. (FYI = you can bike with a broken spoke, but don't expect to go far or for the ride to be smooth or safe. Drop your MPH and eliminate your aerobar position for stability purposes. Pray it doesn't happen at mile 46 in a 112 mile ride or IT. IS. OVER.)
As I got to T2, my legs felt great even after grinding through this mechanical problem. After a 3:06 transition (a little disappointing but I was intrigued by my bike problem so I checked it out longer than I should have), I was on the blacktop. I think in a Tri you can tell within the first 100 steps how you can expect to feel the rest of the way. I felt a good run coming...I started out at about a 7:45 pace and slowly faded as I made it through the fairly flat, somewhat hot, but beautiful countryside run. For the first time I thought to myself...whatever training I've been doing, I'm gonna keep on doing. Not one cramp the entire way (which, as Iron Benny knows, is almost impossible in my skinny legs), no aid station stops or walks and a consistent pace until the end. My run split was 1:45:08, or an 8:02 minute per mile average, by far the best 1/2 Ironman distance run ever. As I crossed the finish line, feeling like I could've attempted a Full Distance today, the clock read 5:10:36 and I thought no way, maybe that's the time of day or something. But it was real and I felt great...a little bit of a sore booty from a butt busting last 10 miles of biking, but it was a good day. It was a TOTALLY fun race, about 400 1/2 distance competitors and about 400 sprint distance competitors, it was sunny and hot, and again, a total blast. But you're always left to wonder, what if the lake was better, would I have swam faster? Or if I had a clean bike until the finish?????? Or, well, I don't know if I could've improved my run time except for more training and transition practice.
After an off day today, I'll be back in the pool tomorrow morning and getting back on it Wednesday, Thurs., Fri., etc., etc., etc.......Iron Benny, thanks for the advice on practicing nutrition habits during training and practice competition, it totally paid off with no hunger pangs or cramps the entire day...thanks dude!!!
And I called my Mom as soon as I was done and said thanks for being there!!! It was a solo journey physically this weekend but like I said in previous posts, my Momma was there! And I killed another Snickers on the way home! BP Out!