laughinplace199
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Congrats Krista! 
Team 'Ohana--No One Left Behind: The Continuing Adventures
- Thread starter tiberius
- Start date
jbucci
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Krista: Congrats on the 5K 
Richard: I hope you have a great race today, I look forward to the report.
As for me: I decided to go for it and run the Amish Half this weekend. I had a blast doing it and the "Amish flare" of the race was charming. It was in Bird in Hand, PA very rural and beautiful. The race started in a field with cows and horses and wound its way through country roads with breath-taking views of rolling hills and farmland. There was even a hot air balloon floating over the whole scene. It was a really brisk, cold morning. The race started a little late because the one road into town got a bit backed up with runners (about 1400 showed up for the half and 5K). The pacer car for the race was a horse and buggy. They used outhouses from one room schools as the restrooms on the course. Amish families were manning the water stations and they had tons of kids holding cups of water and powerade shouting out the name of the beverage they were holding.
I personally had an interesting race. I live about 2 hours away and got up crazy early to get there in time to pick up my stuff. In my haste to get out the door, I left my gloves on the kitchen counter and regretted this most of the race. I alternated between being too ht and too cold for most of the race. My legs were still tired from my 18 miler last week training for Goofy and after about 3 miles of rolling hills I started to really feel it. I resorted to a Gallowayish approach of intervals but instead of time I went to walk up the hills and run down them or on level ground. This effectively was walk for 2-3min then run for 7-8min. Consistency went out the window but I enjoyed the scenery and figured my overall time did not matter much. Surprisingly I wound up finishing in 2:25 (my second best time ever) despite feeling so rough on the course.
Post race they had a band and tons of food. They gave out fruit, yogurt, bagels, peanut butter, and pizza to the runners. You could buy all kind of Amish goodies to purchase if you wanted: shoo fly pie and whoopie pies as well as sandwiches, and other foods. I walked around for a while and cheered for those still finishing before heading home. I'm a bit sore today but happy I ran.
Richard: I hope you have a great race today, I look forward to the report.
As for me: I decided to go for it and run the Amish Half this weekend. I had a blast doing it and the "Amish flare" of the race was charming. It was in Bird in Hand, PA very rural and beautiful. The race started in a field with cows and horses and wound its way through country roads with breath-taking views of rolling hills and farmland. There was even a hot air balloon floating over the whole scene. It was a really brisk, cold morning. The race started a little late because the one road into town got a bit backed up with runners (about 1400 showed up for the half and 5K). The pacer car for the race was a horse and buggy. They used outhouses from one room schools as the restrooms on the course. Amish families were manning the water stations and they had tons of kids holding cups of water and powerade shouting out the name of the beverage they were holding.
I personally had an interesting race. I live about 2 hours away and got up crazy early to get there in time to pick up my stuff. In my haste to get out the door, I left my gloves on the kitchen counter and regretted this most of the race. I alternated between being too ht and too cold for most of the race. My legs were still tired from my 18 miler last week training for Goofy and after about 3 miles of rolling hills I started to really feel it. I resorted to a Gallowayish approach of intervals but instead of time I went to walk up the hills and run down them or on level ground. This effectively was walk for 2-3min then run for 7-8min. Consistency went out the window but I enjoyed the scenery and figured my overall time did not matter much. Surprisingly I wound up finishing in 2:25 (my second best time ever) despite feeling so rough on the course.
Post race they had a band and tons of food. They gave out fruit, yogurt, bagels, peanut butter, and pizza to the runners. You could buy all kind of Amish goodies to purchase if you wanted: shoo fly pie and whoopie pies as well as sandwiches, and other foods. I walked around for a while and cheered for those still finishing before heading home. I'm a bit sore today but happy I ran.
laughinplace199
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Jen - Sounds like a great race (with the exception of not having gloves). Your strategy of walking up the hills seems to have paid off - that's a great time! I love the idea of a horse and buggy as the pacer car, not so sure about the outhouses though, although I guess it's pretty much the same as a port-o-potty. Rest and relax for the rest of the day - you earned it!
I love the idea of a horse and buggy as the pacer car, not so sure about the outhouses though, although I guess it's pretty much the same as a port-o-potty. Rest and relax for the rest of the day - you earned it!
Rose&Mike
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Jackie--congrats on the MCM! I am sorry it was so tough--but woohoo for finishing!
Krista--congrats on the 5k!
Jen--We looked at the bird in hand--my sister lives in Lititz. The airfare was high, so we passed. Sounds like it was fun, and maybe something to look at for next year!
AFM--my 10 miles went great last week--fastest long run (over 8 miles) ever! And the today before we ran a local race--less than a 5k. Ended up at 24:18 for 2.74 miles--which I was pretty happy with. My stomach did good last weekend, not great but much improved. Then I did a hard 4 miles on the dreadmill and had some issues. I am going to just have to be very consistent with what I eat, etc. It's such a fine line. Decided to take this weekend off completely--and I must say it's been kind of nice.
Hope everyone is doing well!
Krista--congrats on the 5k!
Jen--We looked at the bird in hand--my sister lives in Lititz. The airfare was high, so we passed. Sounds like it was fun, and maybe something to look at for next year!
AFM--my 10 miles went great last week--fastest long run (over 8 miles) ever! And the today before we ran a local race--less than a 5k. Ended up at 24:18 for 2.74 miles--which I was pretty happy with. My stomach did good last weekend, not great but much improved. Then I did a hard 4 miles on the dreadmill and had some issues. I am going to just have to be very consistent with what I eat, etc. It's such a fine line. Decided to take this weekend off completely--and I must say it's been kind of nice.
Hope everyone is doing well!
laughinplace199
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corinnak
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Hi Cousins! Life, and my lemon of a computer are getting in my way a lot lately! Did I post a greeting to Krista??? I know I started one a few times, but I think my browser kept crashing before I finished and posted. 
Welcome, Krista!!! I'm probably your nearest cousin - in St. Paul's southern suburbs. I'm glad to hear your race went well! 33:xx is SO much faster than my first 5K!! Seems like you had good weather for it, anyhow! I agree - the snow can stay away until after Thanksgiving!!!! Which of the runs are you doing? I think there are several in the cities and a few other towns have them as well. I think I am doing an informal neighborhood run that day, but we'll see how it pans out.
Jen! - I am glad you decided to do the race! It sounds like a big adventure - nice job getting through it in your own inimitable style. How was the drive home? I was looking at a Wisconsin race (also this weekend, maybe next year), but the idea of the 2 hour ride home after gave me a bit of pause.
Nice job with the running/racing, Rose! I am glad you're figuring out your digestive challenges a bit more.
Richard - I hope your race was good today and not TOO squishy!
Jackie - I admire you for the MCM attempt. I still have not attempted a full marathon - it's daunting!!
A FOR ME... The Monster Dash was a bit of a beast. I mean, you get up in the morning, wait around in the cold, SUPER long port-a-loo lines due to not enough of them. I finally gave up on my second visit (I usually aim for 3x - TMI, I know) and changed out of my warm-up gear, checked my bag and waited about 5 minutes for the start to, well, start.
The run itself was fun - there were some people spectating in costume. Frankly, some of them (scary masks) were kind of creeping me out. My friend Lysa who was doing the 10 mile (which started after the half??) did catch up to me around mile 7. She ran with me a minute or two, but is always faster than I am, even when she's not doing a shorter distance, so our association was brief. There were some water stations that did not have enough water poured, so people had to wait for water. Me...I carry my own.
The worst part of the course was that you passed by the finish area on the way to the last 3 mile loop, which is around Lake Calhoun. Flat, and windy. And you can see the whole thing when you approach, so a little demoralizing as well.
When I finally got to the finish, it was a little confusing in the chute because they had 10 mile and half marathon medals, so you had to get the right one. My state of mind at the end of a race is not usually so good, but I did end up with the right medal. The bibs looked different for the two distances, and the 10 mile medal volunteers sent me on my way.
The food was pretty well cleared out - when you're in the back quarter of the half marathon and there is a 10 mile finishing ahead of you, too, you'd better believe all the salted nut rolls and most of the bananas are going to be gone. Also, strangely, they did not have bottles of water at the end - just a guy pouring cups of water. I had him top off my own water bottle instead.
I got my bag and changed back into my warm clothes and eventually made my way to the very, very long line for the shuttle bus back to the start. It was a walk to the line, and then I waited an hour and a half to get on a bus. It was the worst shuttle bus service at any race I've ever done, I think. Some people took cabs. I found some pleasant people to chat with in line and was pretty much OK due to my own water bottle, own food (I brought a luna bar as well) and adequate warm-up gear and hand warmer. Some people were really cold, appearing to be wearing pretty much exactly what they raced in. It took longer to get a ride back to the start than it did to get from the start to the finish in the first place. So the moral of the story is: do the 10 mile. You get practically the same medal, a salted nut roll AND only have to wait about 30 minutes to get on the bus. So Lysa later told me!
Any other day, I probably would have called DH and had him come and get me to take me back to the car, but he had both kids and was at a choir rehearsal that morning. I'm not sure who did the poor planning on that one...
Oh, and as for time - I decided I wanted to find out how fast I could "comfortably" run a half marathon. It ended up at 2:18, and with the exception of collapsing on the couch after my shower, and refusing to move for about 20 minutes, I've otherwise been feeling very little need to recover this week.
I had a nice 10 mile run today, and as I posted on Facebook earlier, I learned a few things:
The McRib is back, they have flu shots all day, every day at Walgreens, all the porta-potties in my town are now GONE for the season, geese have taken over the baseball fields, and it is warmer out there than I thought it would be!
Welcome, Krista!!! I'm probably your nearest cousin - in St. Paul's southern suburbs. I'm glad to hear your race went well! 33:xx is SO much faster than my first 5K!! Seems like you had good weather for it, anyhow! I agree - the snow can stay away until after Thanksgiving!!!! Which of the runs are you doing? I think there are several in the cities and a few other towns have them as well. I think I am doing an informal neighborhood run that day, but we'll see how it pans out.
Jen! - I am glad you decided to do the race! It sounds like a big adventure - nice job getting through it in your own inimitable style. How was the drive home? I was looking at a Wisconsin race (also this weekend, maybe next year), but the idea of the 2 hour ride home after gave me a bit of pause.
Nice job with the running/racing, Rose! I am glad you're figuring out your digestive challenges a bit more.
Richard - I hope your race was good today and not TOO squishy!
Jackie - I admire you for the MCM attempt. I still have not attempted a full marathon - it's daunting!!
A FOR ME... The Monster Dash was a bit of a beast. I mean, you get up in the morning, wait around in the cold, SUPER long port-a-loo lines due to not enough of them. I finally gave up on my second visit (I usually aim for 3x - TMI, I know) and changed out of my warm-up gear, checked my bag and waited about 5 minutes for the start to, well, start.
The run itself was fun - there were some people spectating in costume. Frankly, some of them (scary masks) were kind of creeping me out. My friend Lysa who was doing the 10 mile (which started after the half??) did catch up to me around mile 7. She ran with me a minute or two, but is always faster than I am, even when she's not doing a shorter distance, so our association was brief. There were some water stations that did not have enough water poured, so people had to wait for water. Me...I carry my own.
The worst part of the course was that you passed by the finish area on the way to the last 3 mile loop, which is around Lake Calhoun. Flat, and windy. And you can see the whole thing when you approach, so a little demoralizing as well.
When I finally got to the finish, it was a little confusing in the chute because they had 10 mile and half marathon medals, so you had to get the right one. My state of mind at the end of a race is not usually so good, but I did end up with the right medal. The bibs looked different for the two distances, and the 10 mile medal volunteers sent me on my way.
The food was pretty well cleared out - when you're in the back quarter of the half marathon and there is a 10 mile finishing ahead of you, too, you'd better believe all the salted nut rolls and most of the bananas are going to be gone. Also, strangely, they did not have bottles of water at the end - just a guy pouring cups of water. I had him top off my own water bottle instead.
I got my bag and changed back into my warm clothes and eventually made my way to the very, very long line for the shuttle bus back to the start. It was a walk to the line, and then I waited an hour and a half to get on a bus. It was the worst shuttle bus service at any race I've ever done, I think. Some people took cabs. I found some pleasant people to chat with in line and was pretty much OK due to my own water bottle, own food (I brought a luna bar as well) and adequate warm-up gear and hand warmer. Some people were really cold, appearing to be wearing pretty much exactly what they raced in. It took longer to get a ride back to the start than it did to get from the start to the finish in the first place. So the moral of the story is: do the 10 mile. You get practically the same medal, a salted nut roll AND only have to wait about 30 minutes to get on the bus. So Lysa later told me!
Any other day, I probably would have called DH and had him come and get me to take me back to the car, but he had both kids and was at a choir rehearsal that morning. I'm not sure who did the poor planning on that one...
Oh, and as for time - I decided I wanted to find out how fast I could "comfortably" run a half marathon. It ended up at 2:18, and with the exception of collapsing on the couch after my shower, and refusing to move for about 20 minutes, I've otherwise been feeling very little need to recover this week.
I had a nice 10 mile run today, and as I posted on Facebook earlier, I learned a few things:
The McRib is back, they have flu shots all day, every day at Walgreens, all the porta-potties in my town are now GONE for the season, geese have taken over the baseball fields, and it is warmer out there than I thought it would be!
tiberius
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- Jan 18, 2002
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I am just poking in to say that I had a tough, enjoyable and (most importantly) successful race yesterday. I finished the half iron tri distance iin 7:07:43, beating my previous PR by 44:24.
A full report will be forthcoming, however my computer died Saturday night as I was watching IM Florida's webcast, so I may be a bit delayed in posting that report; however I can say that there was not too much squishiness, Corinna.
A full report will be forthcoming, however my computer died Saturday night as I was watching IM Florida's webcast, so I may be a bit delayed in posting that report; however I can say that there was not too much squishiness, Corinna.
/
Jen117
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Hey Cousins!!! I am back to the living after having a nasty sinus infection the last week plus. I still have a little cold, but much better. Everyone in my house is sick! Just love what the kids bring home from school!!!
So this past Friday I went back to my strength training class after taking a week off. Oh MAN! I was in so much pain the whole weekend. She mixes things up each week and this time she targeted the arms, legs and butt (along with abs which is every week!). I love the class, but it kills me. Then Sunday (yesterday) I knew I needed to get some miles in but I was still sore. The weather here was beautiful for November, so DH made me get out and I did 4 miles!!!
Krista - I am in Central Wisconsin (Wausau area). I went to school in your neck of the woods, so I know exactly where you are!!
Mel - Ooops on the dog, huh! Good thing you weren't dropping peanuts out of your pocket.
Congrats to all the great races going on recently. I just found out that there will be a Thanksgiving 5K here FINALLY! We have so few races, so this is a big thing!! Eastbay/Footlocker.com corporate offices are here, but this is the first time they are organizing a race. And Eastbay originated here, so it's not like they are new to the area. So anyway... I am excited!!!
So this past Friday I went back to my strength training class after taking a week off. Oh MAN! I was in so much pain the whole weekend. She mixes things up each week and this time she targeted the arms, legs and butt (along with abs which is every week!). I love the class, but it kills me. Then Sunday (yesterday) I knew I needed to get some miles in but I was still sore. The weather here was beautiful for November, so DH made me get out and I did 4 miles!!!
Krista - I am in Central Wisconsin (Wausau area). I went to school in your neck of the woods, so I know exactly where you are!!
Mel - Ooops on the dog, huh! Good thing you weren't dropping peanuts out of your pocket.
Congrats to all the great races going on recently. I just found out that there will be a Thanksgiving 5K here FINALLY! We have so few races, so this is a big thing!! Eastbay/Footlocker.com corporate offices are here, but this is the first time they are organizing a race. And Eastbay originated here, so it's not like they are new to the area. So anyway... I am excited!!!
Worfiedoodles
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Hey Cousins!
I think I also neglected to welcome Krista, so
And a fantastic time for your first 5K! Heck, that's my usual time...
Not a lot of training going on lately, I plan to rectify that this week. I just got back from a few days in Tampa for a conference. My arrival day was sunny and 85, the next day it rained all day, and the following day it was down to the 60s. Not exactly what I was hoping for, but I found the conference really valuable, and also got to do a brief visit at my SIL's, so a good trip all in all.
Jen -- We are also contemplating a Thanksgiving 5K. It's complicated for us this year since the Pats play at 1:00, so I'm not sure we can make it all work. Yes, we are planning our day around a football game
Richard -- Wow! That is amazing! What an incredible time for you!
Congratulations!
Corinna -- I know you are already looking forward to the 10K Monster Dash next year, it sounds like it will be a big improvement!
Julie -- How did dd think she did on the test? I know it is a relief to have it over, now the waiting begins!
Rose -- I hope you enjoyed your weekend off, you have certainly earned it!
Glad to hear the tummy is better, you're right it is indeed a fine line...
JenB -- The Amish Half sounds like a lot of fun and a really different race. I'm sorry you had such a drive, but what a great experience!
John -- You do sound busy!
Jackie --
Thought that couldn't hurt!
Starting to think more about WDW marathon weekend -- gotta actually make the dining ressies and think about reserving the car service -- I feel like I am so behind right now, and by the time I catch up it will be Thanksgiving!
Maria
I think I also neglected to welcome Krista, so
And a fantastic time for your first 5K! Heck, that's my usual time...Not a lot of training going on lately, I plan to rectify that this week. I just got back from a few days in Tampa for a conference. My arrival day was sunny and 85, the next day it rained all day, and the following day it was down to the 60s. Not exactly what I was hoping for, but I found the conference really valuable, and also got to do a brief visit at my SIL's, so a good trip all in all.
Jen -- We are also contemplating a Thanksgiving 5K. It's complicated for us this year since the Pats play at 1:00, so I'm not sure we can make it all work. Yes, we are planning our day around a football game
Richard -- Wow! That is amazing! What an incredible time for you!
Congratulations!Corinna -- I know you are already looking forward to the 10K Monster Dash next year, it sounds like it will be a big improvement!
Julie -- How did dd think she did on the test? I know it is a relief to have it over, now the waiting begins!
Rose -- I hope you enjoyed your weekend off, you have certainly earned it!
Glad to hear the tummy is better, you're right it is indeed a fine line...JenB -- The Amish Half sounds like a lot of fun and a really different race. I'm sorry you had such a drive, but what a great experience!
John -- You do sound busy!
Jackie --
Thought that couldn't hurt! Starting to think more about WDW marathon weekend -- gotta actually make the dining ressies and think about reserving the car service -- I feel like I am so behind right now, and by the time I catch up it will be Thanksgiving!
Maria
laughinplace199
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Hi Cousins! 
Corinna - It sounds like your race was fun. Sorry to hear about the transportation situation though. Hopefully they'll work out the kinks for next year. Will you do that race again?
Richard - Congrats on the PR! Can't wait to hear all about it.
Jen - Glad you are feeling better. Enjoy the Thanksgiving 5K!
Maria - Sorry the Tampa weather wasn't the best, but it's good to hear that your conference was valuable. Erin said that the test wasn't too bad. She was expecting it to be longer, so she was pleasantly surprised when it was over. She did have a tough time with some of the math, though, so we shall see. We will get her score in a week or so, but of course, we won't know where she will be accepted until March (she's applying to a couple of private schools in addition to BLS), which is a long time to keep our fingers crossed!
Corinna - It sounds like your race was fun. Sorry to hear about the transportation situation though. Hopefully they'll work out the kinks for next year. Will you do that race again?
Richard - Congrats on the PR!
Can't wait to hear all about it.Jen - Glad you are feeling better. Enjoy the Thanksgiving 5K!
Maria - Sorry the Tampa weather wasn't the best, but it's good to hear that your conference was valuable.
Erin said that the test wasn't too bad. She was expecting it to be longer, so she was pleasantly surprised when it was over. She did have a tough time with some of the math, though, so we shall see. We will get her score in a week or so, but of course, we won't know where she will be accepted until March (she's applying to a couple of private schools in addition to BLS), which is a long time to keep our fingers crossed!
Worfiedoodles
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It does seem like a long time, but it goes by ok, I admit we were about to climb the walls when we got to the beginning of March -- good job getting the scores early. We did that as well (Ben also applied to BC High as our fallback), it will make you feel better when you get a sense of them. We were able to give his scores to the tutoring center and they told us based on them and his GPA they expected he would have a spot -- so if you can get that type of information, it will make you feel better!
I'm sure she did very well -- we look at it this way -- at least 50% of the kids who take the test don't have a real chance, so your odds are already better than you think!
Maria
dsnyfan21
I'd rather be on Main Street in WDW!
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DISboards WISH racing team members....
If you are interested in the order for WISH Racing Team Headsweats hats and or visors please go to the following thread to place your order.
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2537249
I have to have a minimum amount of orders to place an order, so this is usually only done ONCE a year.
If you want a WISH Racing Team hat/visor for the up coming year's races, now is the time to get one.
I need the minimum order placed by November 20th to get everyone's hats/visors to them by WDW January Marathon weekend.
Thanks,
Tracy
If you are interested in the order for WISH Racing Team Headsweats hats and or visors please go to the following thread to place your order.
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2537249
I have to have a minimum amount of orders to place an order, so this is usually only done ONCE a year.
If you want a WISH Racing Team hat/visor for the up coming year's races, now is the time to get one.
I need the minimum order placed by November 20th to get everyone's hats/visors to them by WDW January Marathon weekend.
Thanks,
Tracy
laughinplace199
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It does seem like a long time, but it goes by ok, I admit we were about to climb the walls when we got to the beginning of March -- good job getting the scores early. We did that as well (Ben also applied to BC High as our fallback), it will make you feel better when you get a sense of them. We were able to give his scores to the tutoring center and they told us based on them and his GPA they expected he would have a spot -- so if you can get that type of information, it will make you feel better!
I'm sure she did very well -- we look at it this way -- at least 50% of the kids who take the test don't have a real chance, so your odds are already better than you think!
Maria
I never thought of it like that. I like the way you think!
tiberius
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Hi Team! It looks like I will be mostly computer-less for 2 - 3 weeks, although I have...ahem...appropriated my younger DD's laptop for a bit this evening to come in to post my race report. This report is a bit overly wordy, as it is copied from my blog. Thanks to everyone for your support!
This past weekend was the Iron Star Triathlon, which is a half iron distance race (i.e. 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike and 13.1 mile run).
I went into this race with high expectations of having a good race, though I was a bit unclear of how to quantify those expectations. After a bit of thought during the pre-race taper period, I decided upon a way to put my expectations into numbers for comparison purposes.
I considered what would be a best case scenario race (it pretty assumes that I had the best race possible in each event) and I also considered a secondary scenario in which I assumed a slight improvement in each event from my best previous effort in each event (for reference my best half iron run time was in my first 70.3 race and my best half iron swim and bike times were in my second 70.3 race). From these I calculated a time in the middle of those two to be a reasonable, though still difficult, target goal time.
...........BEST CASE.......SAFE GOAL.......TARGET GOAL
SWIM............42:15..........52:48.............47:31
T1..................3:30............5:30..............4:30
BIKE...........3:17:39........3:35:00.........3:26:20
T2..................3:00............5:00..............4:00
RUN...........2:43:45........3:03:24..........2:53:34
TOTAL........6:50:09........7:41:42..........7:15:53
With a PR time of 7:52:07 each of these represented a PR time for me, some of them by a wide and ambitious margin. Still this gave me a starting point for my expectations; and the truth was that while I felt mentally ready to make that goal, I questioned whether I was physically up to that challenge at this point. The good thing is that I do not let the difficulty of a goal get in the way of trying to reach that goal.
When race day arrived, I was also armed with my retooled nutrition strategies: bike bottle of unflavored Perpetuem in between the 2 - 3 hour period before the race and a Hammer Bar about 45 - 60 minutes pre-race, 1 bottle of Heed/Perpetuem mix or a flavored Perpetuem mix for each hour on the bike with 1 Endurolyte capsule each 20 minutes on the bike, and finally a bottle of Heed/Perpetuem mix for run hour #1 and then Heed/Accel Gel for the rest of the run as well as 2 Endurolyte capsules each 2.5 miles. Overall my nutrition worked out well, with 2 small issues which I will get into later.
Race morning proved to be cold (around 40 degrees) and the water was fairly cool as well. The biggest issues on the swim were low lake levels--I had to get up and walk in two areas for a combined total of around 150 - 200 feet (which I don't thin had any significant impact on my time.) and that visibility was low in areas. Due to some fog it was occasionally difficult to see the buoys. After hanging with the bustling crowd for a bit, the pack thinned out and I felt like I had a good, strong swim. In actuality, I had an outstanding swim where I finished in 39:55, which is the fastest long swim I have had.
I started the bike feeling strong and working on keeping my heart rate within a target range to avoid over-doing things on the bike and not having anything left for a decent run later. I had a strong first hour, even working to hold back a bit so I could stay in the right area heart rate-wise. In the second hour I could tell I was working harder and my pace slowed slightly. By the third hour the hills seemed steeper and the wind was definitely a stronger headwind, but I kept going according to plan. Finally, the last half hour was returning back to the starting point, which still had some hills, though less wind. I'd say I probably passed more people in the last 30 minutes on the bike than I did in the 3 hours prior. I expect that this was due to their using up too much energy up front and they were effectively limping back in at that point. My bike time was 3:30:45, which was slower than I'd hoped but still acceptable.
I knew all along the run was the "do or die" segment for me. Each of my last two half iron attempts resulted in much more walking than planned where I effectively only had the energy to just try to finish the race. I opened up with an attempt at a moderate pace and held a 12:02 pace for each of the first two miles. At this point I was holding strong and went into my plan to walk for a minute under 3 circumstances:
a) while I take in 2 Endurolyte capsules every 2.5 miles
b) while I go through aid stations
c) when my heart rate exceeded 165 bpm
This plan seemed to work well for me because, while I did not run fast, I did keep a fairly steady pace throughout as I finished with a 12:54/mile run pace with a time of 2:48:59. This was apparently a new run course (3 loops throughout the La Torretta Resort vs. an out and back course). The run was very-well supported by spectators and had 4 aid stations for each loop.
To wrap up my race, report I enjoyed the course. The bike route was more difficult than I expected, but not more difficult than I was prepared for. Most of the bike was pretty lonely other than the other riders, aid stations and cows, although a few dedicated souls did drive out to spectate the bike ride (like my OutRival Racing coaches!!). I have to believe that the overall success of my run may have partly hinged on not going out too hard on the bike as I followed the heart rate goals mapped out by Coach Michelle, as I had the energy to keep moving pretty consistently throughout the entire run. I found the run well organized and very well supported. All in all, I think this was a great race and would recommend it to others.
As to my time, I finished in 7:07:43, a 44:24 improvement over my previous best time at this race distance last April, easily ahead of my expectations as I capped off an exciting and fulfilling race day.
In looking back at my race experience, I learned a couple good lessons. The first is that I felt really good after the race (tired and exhausted, but still good) where in my previous 70.3 efforts I was run-down and and just happy to be finished and off the course. I feel that between my better preparation and my previous experience that I have learned how to run the race without blowing up before the end. The second was learned during the run. I ran almost 2 of the 3 laps of the run with Carol, a woman wearing a Houston Racing and Triathlon Club jersey (one of the clubs of which I am a member). We ended up next to each other by chance as she started her first lap while I started my second lap and found that we were running the same pace. We kept each other company over that time with occasional conversation. Somewhere in our second lap together Carol told me that so many people were cheering my name that I must know everyone out there. While I certainly did not know anywhere near "everyone", I did realize that there were a lot of people out there that knew me from various local groups (OutRival Racing, Team Strive and Houston Racing Triathlon Club), and their effect was magnified on a looped course. I came to realize that I was truly blessed by the support I receive from my friends.
In the past several months, I've given up a lot of sleep and family time with early morning workouts, though I still feel better for the efforts I have made this past year. Next year I raise the stakes by aiming at the Ironman distance, and I know the personal costs will seem high at time. However, I also know the reward of finishing will be worth it as well.
This past weekend was the Iron Star Triathlon, which is a half iron distance race (i.e. 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike and 13.1 mile run).
I went into this race with high expectations of having a good race, though I was a bit unclear of how to quantify those expectations. After a bit of thought during the pre-race taper period, I decided upon a way to put my expectations into numbers for comparison purposes.
I considered what would be a best case scenario race (it pretty assumes that I had the best race possible in each event) and I also considered a secondary scenario in which I assumed a slight improvement in each event from my best previous effort in each event (for reference my best half iron run time was in my first 70.3 race and my best half iron swim and bike times were in my second 70.3 race). From these I calculated a time in the middle of those two to be a reasonable, though still difficult, target goal time.
...........BEST CASE.......SAFE GOAL.......TARGET GOAL
SWIM............42:15..........52:48.............47:31
T1..................3:30............5:30..............4:30
BIKE...........3:17:39........3:35:00.........3:26:20
T2..................3:00............5:00..............4:00
RUN...........2:43:45........3:03:24..........2:53:34
TOTAL........6:50:09........7:41:42..........7:15:53
With a PR time of 7:52:07 each of these represented a PR time for me, some of them by a wide and ambitious margin. Still this gave me a starting point for my expectations; and the truth was that while I felt mentally ready to make that goal, I questioned whether I was physically up to that challenge at this point. The good thing is that I do not let the difficulty of a goal get in the way of trying to reach that goal.
When race day arrived, I was also armed with my retooled nutrition strategies: bike bottle of unflavored Perpetuem in between the 2 - 3 hour period before the race and a Hammer Bar about 45 - 60 minutes pre-race, 1 bottle of Heed/Perpetuem mix or a flavored Perpetuem mix for each hour on the bike with 1 Endurolyte capsule each 20 minutes on the bike, and finally a bottle of Heed/Perpetuem mix for run hour #1 and then Heed/Accel Gel for the rest of the run as well as 2 Endurolyte capsules each 2.5 miles. Overall my nutrition worked out well, with 2 small issues which I will get into later.
Race morning proved to be cold (around 40 degrees) and the water was fairly cool as well. The biggest issues on the swim were low lake levels--I had to get up and walk in two areas for a combined total of around 150 - 200 feet (which I don't thin had any significant impact on my time.) and that visibility was low in areas. Due to some fog it was occasionally difficult to see the buoys. After hanging with the bustling crowd for a bit, the pack thinned out and I felt like I had a good, strong swim. In actuality, I had an outstanding swim where I finished in 39:55, which is the fastest long swim I have had.
I started the bike feeling strong and working on keeping my heart rate within a target range to avoid over-doing things on the bike and not having anything left for a decent run later. I had a strong first hour, even working to hold back a bit so I could stay in the right area heart rate-wise. In the second hour I could tell I was working harder and my pace slowed slightly. By the third hour the hills seemed steeper and the wind was definitely a stronger headwind, but I kept going according to plan. Finally, the last half hour was returning back to the starting point, which still had some hills, though less wind. I'd say I probably passed more people in the last 30 minutes on the bike than I did in the 3 hours prior. I expect that this was due to their using up too much energy up front and they were effectively limping back in at that point. My bike time was 3:30:45, which was slower than I'd hoped but still acceptable.
I knew all along the run was the "do or die" segment for me. Each of my last two half iron attempts resulted in much more walking than planned where I effectively only had the energy to just try to finish the race. I opened up with an attempt at a moderate pace and held a 12:02 pace for each of the first two miles. At this point I was holding strong and went into my plan to walk for a minute under 3 circumstances:
a) while I take in 2 Endurolyte capsules every 2.5 miles
b) while I go through aid stations
c) when my heart rate exceeded 165 bpm
This plan seemed to work well for me because, while I did not run fast, I did keep a fairly steady pace throughout as I finished with a 12:54/mile run pace with a time of 2:48:59. This was apparently a new run course (3 loops throughout the La Torretta Resort vs. an out and back course). The run was very-well supported by spectators and had 4 aid stations for each loop.
To wrap up my race, report I enjoyed the course. The bike route was more difficult than I expected, but not more difficult than I was prepared for. Most of the bike was pretty lonely other than the other riders, aid stations and cows, although a few dedicated souls did drive out to spectate the bike ride (like my OutRival Racing coaches!!). I have to believe that the overall success of my run may have partly hinged on not going out too hard on the bike as I followed the heart rate goals mapped out by Coach Michelle, as I had the energy to keep moving pretty consistently throughout the entire run. I found the run well organized and very well supported. All in all, I think this was a great race and would recommend it to others.
As to my time, I finished in 7:07:43, a 44:24 improvement over my previous best time at this race distance last April, easily ahead of my expectations as I capped off an exciting and fulfilling race day.
In looking back at my race experience, I learned a couple good lessons. The first is that I felt really good after the race (tired and exhausted, but still good) where in my previous 70.3 efforts I was run-down and and just happy to be finished and off the course. I feel that between my better preparation and my previous experience that I have learned how to run the race without blowing up before the end. The second was learned during the run. I ran almost 2 of the 3 laps of the run with Carol, a woman wearing a Houston Racing and Triathlon Club jersey (one of the clubs of which I am a member). We ended up next to each other by chance as she started her first lap while I started my second lap and found that we were running the same pace. We kept each other company over that time with occasional conversation. Somewhere in our second lap together Carol told me that so many people were cheering my name that I must know everyone out there. While I certainly did not know anywhere near "everyone", I did realize that there were a lot of people out there that knew me from various local groups (OutRival Racing, Team Strive and Houston Racing Triathlon Club), and their effect was magnified on a looped course. I came to realize that I was truly blessed by the support I receive from my friends.
In the past several months, I've given up a lot of sleep and family time with early morning workouts, though I still feel better for the efforts I have made this past year. Next year I raise the stakes by aiming at the Ironman distance, and I know the personal costs will seem high at time. However, I also know the reward of finishing will be worth it as well.
laughinplace199
<font color=blue>AKA Shrimpo or Flamingo Legs<br><
- Joined
- Apr 28, 2001
- Messages
- 6,746
Richard - Congratulations on a great race and PR! You worked hard training for this and your efforts paid off. Well done!
You worked hard training for this and your efforts paid off. Well done!
Worfiedoodles
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 19, 2005
- Messages
- 6,807
Let me add my kudos -- Wow! Richard! Absolutely amazing. I hope you are feeling very proud right now!
Maria
Maria
IASW Rider
<a href="http://www.wdwinfo.com/dis-sponsor/index.
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2000
- Messages
- 2,398
Hey Everyone!
So sorry that I've fallen behind on everyone's posts, once again! Hope that all has been well with all of you and hope that you're all enjoying a fantastic Fall race season!
Congratulations once again, Richard! Fantastic accomplishment and great work - an outstanding achievement! And thanks so much for sharing such a detailed race report with all of us!
Very belated WELCOME to Krista! And very belated CONGRATULATIONS on your first 5K! That is just wonderful and you should feel very proud!
Belated congratulations to you on the Monster Dash, Corinna! And thank you for sharing your great race report with us! So sorry to hear about the transportation situation at the finish and the last few miles of the course.......but it sounds like you did an amazing job!
I promise to catch up with everyone's recent posts and enjoy belatedly celebrating everyone's recent accomplishments, right away!
As for me, I'm gearing up for the Philadelphia Half Marathon next weekend, followed by a local 10K (which will also serve as my WISH Virtual Turkey Trot 10K) on Thanksgiving Day!
Hope that all is well with all of you and hope that you all have a great weekend!
Take care,
Lisa
So sorry that I've fallen behind on everyone's posts, once again! Hope that all has been well with all of you and hope that you're all enjoying a fantastic Fall race season!
Congratulations once again, Richard! Fantastic accomplishment and great work - an outstanding achievement! And thanks so much for sharing such a detailed race report with all of us!
Very belated WELCOME to Krista! And very belated CONGRATULATIONS on your first 5K! That is just wonderful and you should feel very proud!
Belated congratulations to you on the Monster Dash, Corinna! And thank you for sharing your great race report with us! So sorry to hear about the transportation situation at the finish and the last few miles of the course.......but it sounds like you did an amazing job!
I promise to catch up with everyone's recent posts and enjoy belatedly celebrating everyone's recent accomplishments, right away!
As for me, I'm gearing up for the Philadelphia Half Marathon next weekend, followed by a local 10K (which will also serve as my WISH Virtual Turkey Trot 10K) on Thanksgiving Day!
Hope that all is well with all of you and hope that you all have a great weekend!
Take care,
Lisa
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