Athlete 174 - Mooseman Half Ironman

Mooseman 70.3 - Race Report

Leading up to Mooseman I started to get very anxious, not because of my preparation, but because of the course. There is a big 3 mile climb which gets very steep, but I wasn't concerned about the climb. I was concerned about the descent and safety. It got to the point where that's all I was thinking about because the forecast was for rain. I pictured disaster after disaster which is not what you want to be picturing entering a race.

Unfortunately the mental toll got the best of me and I couldn't fall asleep the night before the race. Friday night I was on my feet most of the day and I only got 6 hours sleep. I though for sure I'd pass out Saturday night and sleep like a baby. Instead I couldn't fall asleep. I saw the clock tick 11 p.m. which meant if I feel asleep right at that moment I would get 5 hours. That didn't happen. I finally fell asleep only to wake up at 2:00 a.m. to drink a Boost Energy drink. When the alarm went off at 4:00 a.m. it was like a slap in the face, but we got right up and got ready. I new adrenaline would take over once the race started.

Swim:
The rain started and stayed with us the entire race. I got off to a solid start in the swim and felt very smooth. I kept thinking about all the things Craig taught me and kept focused on the task at hand. I had a clear lane to the buoys and hugged them perfectly. As I rounded the final buoy to head back into shore my goggles were really fogged up. That caused my one mistake on the swim. I drifted right instead of hugging the buoys. It cost me some time, but I felt great! Just over 35 minutes and feeling fresh.

T1:
My transitions have become pretty solid. Minimize what you need to do and move forward. Off on the bike.

Bike:
This was my main concern for the day because of the rain. My two thoughts the entire time were 1. Be safe.. just get down the hill safely and you'll be fine. 2. Hit your number (watts)...ok, I had one more thought. I wanted Vin to be safe too. Part of me was hoping that he'd catch me on the bike (he started a couple of waves behind) just so I knew he was ok. I didn't see him on the bike.

Overall I thought my effort on the bike was solid. Looking back at my file my watts could/should have been higher. I was working hard though and the conditions were challenging. I could feel my body getting cold, I could feel my leg muscles tighten. I hate making excuses, but I know there are a few reasons why legs could have felt better. With that said the watts don't lie. Coach Cap and I will review the file and go from there. Could have, should have, blah, blah, blah.


T2:
I came back into T2 soaking wet as did everyone else. My sneakers and socks were soaked and the body was cold. It was a bit of a challenge getting my socks on while keeping my balance so I didn't fall in the mud. I slipped into my shoes, grabbed my hat and water bottle and I was
off.

Run:
I had 3 goals for the run. 1. No GI issues 2. Get through it without any IT band pain and 3. finish strong. I run with my Garmin 310xt which has GPS and cadence. I make sure my turn over is over 90 RPM and keep an eye on my pace. It seemed like my pace was all over the place and wondered if I lost the satellite signal. My goal pace was suppose to be about 8:30 per mile, but I didn't want to push that pace just yet.

When I did the Patriot Half last year my stomach was all over the place and I thought I was going to have a very big problem on the run. In addition, with a couple of miles left, my left IT band tightened and I was in tremendous pain. Those two issues where on my mind, so I went a bit easier than planned. I also wanted to have a faster finish. As a decent cyclist and slow runner I am accustomed to see athlete after athlete run past me on the run. I decided to let it be and focus on my race. As I came to mile 10 my Garmin said mile 9.5 or something like that so I started to think that perhaps I had been running faster than I thought and that's when I could start to feel some muscles tighten, but not my IT band.

At that point I knew I had one more climb and then two miles of a downhill and then a flat stretch to the finish. As I looked at my watch I realized I'd have a shot at breaking 5:30 if I moved it. I pushed and pushed, but I felt like I wasn't moving. :-) I was starting to hurt, but I figured the race was just about over... I pushed all the way to the finish.

Finish time: 5:29:49

Post Race Observations:
Besides some soreness I feel 100% better after this Half Ironman compared to last year's Patriot. It's a testament to my training and keeping my body healthy. Outside of the weather, I never felt so ready and prepared.

Plain and simple I thank my coach Jeff Capobianco for his support, knowledge and friendship. I also thank my swim coach Craig Lewin. As I was cruising along everything you have taught me clicked. I felt smooth, comfortable and stayed fresh. I could have easily continued on.

In addition, I want to thank my PT Sara Thatcher for keeping me fresh and loose. I saw Sara today to work out some post-race fatigue and I'm feeling better already. I truly credit Sara for keeping me healthy and pain free.

I really enjoyed my Mooseman experience. As I raced the course I heard customers cheer me on and I did my best to cheer you on too. I'm proud to toe the line and suffer with you. When I was tired you were there. I hope that when you were tired I was there.

Congratulations to all who raced... on to Lake Placid.

One more thing... Last year at the Patriot Half my brother beat me by 7 minutes. This year his dedication and commitment to training and his goal of completing Lake Placid under Coach Cap has been amazing to see. As I've bridged the gap a bit on the swim and bike, his run was just awesome. He beat me by 19 minutes! Vin, I am proud of you big brother. Great effort!