©2009 Clarke Rodgers/SPORTZFOTO.com
GOALS:
* Stay within 2 1/2 mins from the main PACK of swimmers
* Sub 2:14 bike while still conserving some energy for the run
* Sub 1:15 run split
* Top 8 overall
* 3:57 – 4:03 overall time depending on conditions
ACTUAL:
Place: 6th
Time: 4:02:03
Swim Time/Place: 27:29 / 9th
T1 Time/Place: 1:14 / 9th
Bike Time/Place: 2:13:02 / 6th
T2 Time/Place: 1:36 / 9th
Run Time/Place: 1:18:46 / 6th
Complete Results
SWIM:
After they introduced the 2008 world champ (Torenzo Bozzone), 2008 Eagleman champ (Paul Amey), and Ritchie Cunningham, they had us all enter the water and immediately said “40 seconds to the start”. We had to swim out the start line and some people were already there while some of us weren’t and the race director said “Go”. It caught most of us off guard and some people were well ahead before we even got to the start line. I didn’t concern myself with this and just went as hard as I could go for the first couple of minutes and eventually settled in behind Chris McDonald and Paul Fritzsche for the remainder of the swim. I was able to settle in and feel pretty relaxed about half way through the swim but they stepped up the intensity when we turned the last buoy heading to the swim finish and I nearly fell off. I came out of the water with a group of five which was right where I wanted to be.
BIKE:
I got out of transition with McDonald, Fritzsche, Kozub, and LaMontagne. After the first couple of miles we lost Kozub and LaMontagne and my legs felt good even though my heart rate was having troubles getting under 170 bpm. I averaged 168 bpm for the first 15 miles of the bike and it started to settle down from there. After the first 6 miles McDonald threw in some surges for 3-4 miles at a time at 27+ mph and I just decided that I was going to go until I blow. He continued to do this for the first 30 miles or so. I took a few pulls at the front but after a while decided that it wasn’t in my best interest to do so since I had confidence in my run. I felt really comfortable at around 25.5-25.7 mph but when things got above 26+ for sustained efforts my lower back started to bother me. I would stand every once in a while to relieve the pressure and then catch back up to the group. Later in the ride with about 10 miles to go Caiazzo caught us and then started pushing the pace. We eventually caught up to everyone except Torenzo, Ritchie, and Lovato and it was going to be a footrace for 4th-8th place. Out of that group I knew that Amey and Caiazzo could both throw down sub 1:15 run splits but I felt I could do the same if my legs were there. I was very happy to be able to bike with a strong guy like McDonald, especially with the 5 bike length rule. I could tell that my watts have been increasing over the last couple of months due to my benchmarking workouts and this just let me know what I can do in competition.
RUN:
I had a slow transition and was about 15 meters behind a group of 6 guys all battling for the money (4th-8th). This was exciting because I was certain I could run 5:35-5:45 pace based on my recent benchmarking. I got out on the run and instantly felt massive cramps in my stomach. I think that it was from overworking my hip flexors on the bike and probably due to not taking in enough fluids. I went out in 5:34 pace holding my stomach and then saw Amey drop out so I knew I was now in 8th place. I didn’t think there were any really fast runners behind me so I decided to slow the pace for a while to see if the cramping would pass. I stopped for a second to walk and rub my stomach out to see if it would relieve some pressure and after a 6:24 and 6:05 mile I was back in business. At this point I was a bit behind and put in a 5:38 mile and it felt comfortable. I was making ground on McDonald and after the next 5:50 I passed him and was now in 7th. After making the pass my left hamstring cramped to the point where I thought my day was over. I stopped to walk and rub out my hamstring and knew that I need to take in more water and sodium to finish the race. I started running again and a half mile later my right hamstring cramped so I stopped again to repeat the process. This mile took 6:50 and put me further behind. I made it to the aid station and sucked down fluids and took a few salt tabs and made my way down the road. I passed McDonald again at mile 6-7 and saw Kevin Lisska up ahead. I clocked him at about 45 seconds ahead at mile 8 so put in a 5:44 mile to narrow the gap and passed him at around 9-10 miles and went by quickly to try and deter him from coming with me since I knew I could fold at any second. I got a 30 second lead on him and saw that Fritzsche was 40 seconds up the road and decided to play it safe and not shoot for 5th place. I was happy with 6th place and knew that if I pushed it I could seize at any moment so backed off and ran 6:13, 6:27, and 6:12 for the last few miles. This was the first time that I won any prize money in a pro field and even though I didn’t break 4 hrs I was very happy to have finished as well as I did with the troubles that I had on the run. I know I’ve got a much better race within me in the near future.
In the process I also got a Clearwater slot which I was very happy about because now I don’t have to worry about getting that the rest of the season.
SUMMARY:
* My run is good right now. I think I can run sub 1:15 off the bike in one of my upcoming 70.3s. The Eagleman run was basically a worst case scenario run for me and was still in the 1:18s. I’d like to run 1:13 at Clearwater in November.
* I like the 70.3 distance much better than the Ironman distance. It actually seems like racing vs. pacing.