Half Ironman Race Report!

What an amazing experience! Crossing the finish line was a great personal accomplishment. On the drive back to Atlanta today I figured out what is so amazing about Triathlons. The combination of three different sports with the technicality of mixing nutrition variables, endurance, speed, and athletic technique makes Triathlon a great sport. But most importantly, it’s a part of my life I can control. I reached the finish line with the huge support of Natalia, but it was not handed to me. I was not dependent on a boss to give me the job, or a recruiter to grant me the interview, or a coach putting me in the game, or an immigration judge granting me my US Green Card. This was up to me! My own arms, legs, heart, and mind worked hard to reach the finish line in 6 hours 58 minutes and 32 seconds.

I woke up at 1:45am and I had a hard time catching any more sleep. I felt rested but anxious to start the day. My alarm clock went off at 4:15am. I took a quick shower, changed into my ZOOT tri shorts, made my morning smoothie, mixed all my nutrition drinks for the race, and we were out the door at 5am. We reached the Disney Ft. Wilderness transition area around 5:30am. It took me 45min to setup all my stuff for the race.

I met up with Nati and Carolina around the swim start line and I got to see the women pros start around 6:30am.

I took this picture with Nati around 6:30am wearing my lucky St. Patrick's day shirt. I still had another hour until my start time. I was group 21 of 22 starts.

Around 7:20am I was in the water ready to start at 7:21am. I was shooting for under an hour with a likely 50min swim. They had rock music really loud to pump up the athletes. I was setup with my goggles, ear plugs, and swim cap. The gun went off at 7:21am for males 30 to 34 in a red swim cap.

I started the swim at a very easy pace to keep my heart rate low. Once it gets too high early in the swim it's hard to bring it back down. I reached the first yellow marker at an easy pace. I passed a few guys from the round before mine. The water temperature was comfortable. Once I got into an easy pace, I figured I was 1/4 way through the swim.

Once I looked up, I was at the end of the first long stretch. This meant I was at least 1/3 through the swim. I turned left and I started passing guys in green swim caps that started 2 rounds before mine. I then ran into a fat guy who could not swim straight. He would constantly turn left and hit me on the side. On one instance he grabbed my leg and pulled me back a little. I kicked back and moved to his right. Once I was on the final long stretch I felt great.

I had to clear my goggles a few times since they were fogging up. I could see the finish area and I was feeling great. I started kicking harder and felt my left calf muscle cramp up a little. I slowed down the kicking since I had at least 5 more hours to go.

I came out of the water in 47 minutes which was 3 minutes faster than my expected time. I saw Nati and Carolina screaming and taking pictures/filming. I was in good shape. One event down, the toughest two still to go.

I took my time on the Swim to Bike transition (T1). Shirt, belt with number, socks, bike shoes, bathroom break, and I was off. It took me 8 min to leave T1. The bike ride was going very well. It was cloudy and not too hot. My shorts dried up fast and I was passing a lot of people. I was averaging 18.2 mph the first ½ of the bike leg.

About 1.5 hours into the bike, the rain joined the race. It rained for about 30 to 45 minutes, which cooled me down. My pace slowed down and I was eating a lot of gels versus drinking Cytomax sports drink. The Hornet Juice was also coming down easily during the bike. We passed a lot of farms, neighborhoods, and isolated areas. The streets were packed with police officers and red cones easily telling the riders which way to go. The 3 aid (water) stations on the bike were well prepared to hand out water, Gatorade, and gels (thanks to all the volunteers). I picked up 3 gels and 2 water bottles the entire ride. I was consuming less liquid than expected, but this was normal with the rain cooling me off. I started to feel my bladder filling up a little which told me I was over hydrating. I would have to take another bathroom break during T2. I saw a girl with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on her bike. At first I was not sure what it was. She then offered me 1/2 the sandwich (that was great). People on the bike were very supportive and nice. Everyone was having a good time out there.

Around mile 45 my legs started to hurt a little. I did not want to push too hard since I still had 11 miles to ride plus 13.1 miles to run. I figured finishing was more important that going fast. I must have passed 80 to 100 people on the bike.

I was expecting to finish the bike portion in 3 hours and I came in at 3:12min. When I arrived at T2 (picture on the left finishing the bike ride), I felt like all the bikes were back and I was running last. Granted I started in the second to last group, I did not expect to find T2 so full of bikes. Natalia and Caro later told me they were really worried for me. They were expecting me 1 hour earlier on the bike. I told them 3 hours, but they figured I would go faster on the bike since I went faster on the swim. Nice assumption, but that was not the case. I was slowing down to reserve energy for the run.

When I arrived into T2, I could not imagine being 1/2 way through the bike if I was doing a full Ironman (112 mile bike + full marathon at the end). I think I decided at that moment that Half Ironman was good enough for now.

I took my time in T2. My running shoes were wet from the rain and I had to change into dry socks. I took a bathroom break, picked up my new Ironman hat, and started the run. I saw Natalia and Carolina a few seconds later waving and taking pictures. The run was 3 loops so it was crowded with a lot of runners.

I started the run feeling very fresh and relaxed. I had a 10min/mile pace which was good after starting the triathlon over 4 hours ago. I was worried about my hip to see how the cortisone shot would respond. Around mile 2 I started to feel (not pain) the hip and I decided to walk and run at this time. I finished my first loop (4 miles) in about 45 minutes. On the second loop I slowed down a little more and I finished it in a little over 1 hour. I wanted to leave energy for the last run and not push my hip too hard. By the time I finished the second loop, I knew I was going to finish this race. I started to run a little faster and walk less. I had found a good strategy for the aid stations that were spaced around every mile or so. They had a children’s pool full of ice which was a great idea to allow runners to cool off. I placed a cup of ice inside my hat and around my neck at every aid station. My heart rate was around 150bpm and I did not feel too hot in comparison to the 91 degrees outside. The grass/dirt portion of the run was dry after the rain. I could not understand this. I have a feeling they might have covered this section during the rain and before the runners reached the course. I don’t know how, but the grass and dirt were dry.

During the last loop, most of the people left on the course were walking. Two miles before the end, I put it into high gear and I was running about 9 min miles and feeling great.

My entire body was aching, but my hip, heart rate, heat index, and hydration were doing great. I passed a lot of people going fast during the last 2 miles of the run. I passed Steve, who was a professional MLS soccer player and doing his first ever triathlon, and I kept pushing hard.

Once I turned towards the last stretch, I was fully concentrated. I did not want to stop and smile at the crowds. I did not want to look for Nati and Caro, I just wanted cross the finish line as fast and strong as I could. The announcer called out my name just as I was crossing the finish line. What a great feeling! I completed my first Half Ironman in 6hrs 58 minutes.

Since nobody was around me when I finished, they put up the black Ironman 70.3 plastic finish line and they snapped a picture of me right as I was crossing. I can't wait to see that picture once they email me the proof.

They immediately gave me my medal, I picked up my hat and t-shirt and Nati, Caro, Anita, and Jevan were waiting for me. All the pain and fatigue was gone (for a few minutes).

At that moment, I decided I wanted to come back to this race next year!

We snapped a few pictures and I wanted food! I had not had any solid food since 6pm the day before. They had pizza for the athletes and I grabbed a few slices of cheese pizza. It was warm (wow).

I found a rock and I had a seat by myself while they waited for me outside the athlete food area. Nobody was around me and I reflected on the main motivation for this race. I registered in September of 2007 when Natalia and I found out the baby's heart stopped 9 weeks into the pregnancy. This race was the exact day the baby was due. I am so glad I was able to finish this race in honor of the little one.