Pigman Race Report

70.3! Completed my first half-iron distance race yesterday at the Pigman Triathlon in Palo, Iowa. All in all it was a good race for me. See the video here (8/17/08).

Race Report:

The Swim: A triangular 1.2 mile loop. I am a new swimmer and very slow, so my plan was to take my time and just get through the swim in good shape. I managed to do just that. Navigation was challenging, and there was occasionally a small chop, but I kept it steady and relaxed and finished in 46 minutes.

The Bike: A corn-filled 56 mile course through rolling Iowa countryside. My legs felt really good on the bike, but I planned to keep my effort moderate for a stronger run. I had no problem on the hills throughout the course as I had trained on steeper and longer hills - I actually thought the bike course was quite pleasant (many other athletes disagreed). I ended up averaging 19.2 mph for a 2:55 bike split.

The Run: The run course was an out and back on a shadeless, sun-soaked country highway. The first 3-4 miles I felt pretty strong except a minor stomachache that made me not want to eat at all. Things started going downhill around mile 4-5. I overheated and just felt awful, and mentally went into survival mode. I took a long walk after the next aid station where I took a gel and water, and a lot of ice. I started to pack myself in ice (shorts, jersey) as well as carrying a cup of ice water to dump on my head between stops. After 3 miles or so of extended walking breaks at aid stations and ice packing, I started to feel much better. I got into a good rhythm for the last 5 miles and finished well, with a 2:01 run split, despite a couple 11-12 minute miles in the middle of the run.

My final time was 5:47. My main goal was just to finish, but I thought if I had a good day I could go about 5:45m so I'm really happy with my time. I felt strong most of the day, except those middle miles on the run. Overall, it was a very good race for me.

Guess my finish time.

Use the poll at right to guess my finishing time. Winner gets a prize (prize TBA). Claim your time slot in the comments section of this post. One person to a time slot, first come first served.

COLORADO

Just got back from a fantastic week with the whole family in Leadville, CO. It was a great trip, including a couple beautiful runs, a swim in the warm Leadville pool, a couple bike rides (the following pictures from from a 65-70 mile ride to Independence Pass), cross training via canoe paddling, and climbing Mt. Massive - all of which were fueled by tons of good pizza, ribs, salads, and subs courtesy High Mountain Pies,

The view after a short section of a long climb. I came up along the road you can see.

Same spot as the first shot, but looking to the left. You can see where the road turns and heads uphill.

Me.

The old highway 24 coming out of Leadville. It was pretty much abandoned, and great to ride on for 5 miles or so.

A reservoir viewed through my spokes.

Same reservoir, sans spokes.

Twin Lakes.

Uphill, to where I took the first couple pictures.