HIM Race Report and Show 29 In Transit

Hey all-- Show 29 of In Transit is up and ready for your listening pleasure.

Here's my half ironman race report:
What: Nutmeg HIM (1.2 mi swim/56 mi bike/13.1 mi run)
When: 23SEP07 @ 7am
Where: Lake Waramaug, New Preston, CT

Pre-event: I chose this course b/c I wanted to do a half that was close to home and at the end of the season. So, I narrowed it down to this one or the Extrememan. I mostly chose this one b/c I liked the sounds of the lake swim over the sound swim. I rode the bike course twice prior to the race and drove the run course. I made the decision to change my gearing, based on how the pre-rides went (i.e. major major hills). Thankfully, my friend Joe graciously let me borrow his compact crank set, which I believe made a pretty big difference-- maybe not in my speed, but in terms of not burning up on the bike and having something left for the run. I had also done the Nutmeg Sprint, so I had a pretty good idea of how the swim and transition areas would be set up since the race was run by the same people. Race morning: Had a bagel and cream cheese for breakfast. I meant to have a gel before leaving the hotel and then ~ 10 minutes before race start, but both those totally slipped my mind until I was in the middle of the swim.

Swim-- 38:48
I couldn't get into a good rhythm until about 2-3 bouys in. It wasn't my best swim, but I got through it and didn't go off course, so I was happy.

T1-- 3:23
Not the fastest for me, but wanted to make sure I definitely had everything set for the rigorous bike course ahead.

Bike-- 3:55:11
This was just over 14mph. Pretty slow, but compared to the rest of the field, especially compared to the rest of the women I seemed to fare pretty well. I was definitely glad I had pre-ridden the course and knew what to expect. Thankfully, I was able to ride the whole course without any dismounting. That was a feat in itself!Nutrition: I had 1 Gu and 2 packs of Clif Shot Bloks. I had taped another Gu to my bike, but it fell off at about mile 2.5. I also drank 1.5 liters of water and ~ 8oz of gatorade.

T2-- 2:09
Pretty uneventful. Would have liked to be under 2min, but my stuff had been kinda kicked around a bit by either myself or others around me.

Run-- 2:13:06
I actually felt pretty good on the run. I was surprised my legs weren't more spent. I ran the whole thing minus walking through 2 or 3 aid stations. I brought 3 GUs with me, but only used 2. I drank water at every aid station, poured some over my head, and had gatorade at 1 aid station. Oh, and I had to stop and pee at the turnaround on the run, so that set me back about 1-2 minutes. I was glad I had to pee though, so I knew I was staying hydrated.

Overall, this was a very challenging course. I'm not sure it was the greatest choice for a first time HIM, but I finished it nonetheless and was stoked to have broken 7 hours.