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1998
Great Floridian Race Report
October 30th,
1998
Swim 2.4 Miles, Bike 112 Miles, Run 26.2 Miles
Since watching the Hawaii Ironman triathlon on TV in the early
80's, I have always wondered what it would be like to do an Ironman
distance triathlon. For 2 years I have seriously planned
and trained to accomplish this feat.
Today, I can hardly believe that… I, am an IRONMAN!
Overall thoughts:
I feel I am a very
lucky person to have accomplished my goal of finishing this race. The
event was spectacular and I will never forget my first Ironman
distance race. I had a tremendous amount of fun with all
my friends. But, with that said, I am a little disappointed
in myself for making silly rookie mistakes throughout the race
that all year long I promised myself I would not make. As
a result of these mistakes, my IM was a lot longer and more painful
than it needed to be. Considering the 4:50:08 time I did
on this same course in the ½ Ironman 6 weeks earlier, my Ironman
time is not up to par. But, I have learned a lot of very
valuable lessons that I will call experience, and if I ever decide
to do an Ironman again, I will be ready with this first hand knowledge.
Support:
I was very happy
to have more support at a race than I have ever had at any race
before. In attendance was Lisa
(my girlfriend), my dad and my close friend since childhood John
and his girlfriend Katherine. Additionally, I had many training
partners, other friends and acquaintances in attendance.
Race Weather Conditions:
Generally, the weather
was perfect for racing. Temperatures all throughout the day
were in the middle to upper 70's with very little humidity. The
sun never got very intense due to the patchy clouds that were present
all day long. Once or twice I felt tiny raindrops, but no
real rain to speak of. The only changes I would have made
were to lose the high swirling winds on the bike starting at about
mile 70 just about to the end, and to lose the rather nasty head
wind and chop in the water on the way out on the swim.
The Race
Race
Morning:
I slept about 5
hours and as usual was awake before the hotel's wake-up call could
do its job at 4AM. I ate breakfast and did the usual morning
routine. I drove 8 miles down to the race site. My
bike was left overnight in the transition area so I went in to
do some last minute preparation. As I was bending down, my
heart rate monitor strap breaks. I could not believe it,
because the only other time it has ever broken was just over a
year ago in this same spot as I prepared for my biggest race of
last year. This is weird. As a result of this happening
last year, this time, I was prepared with an additional HRM strap
in my bag.
As I was pumping up my tires I kept hearing this hissing sound. After
several adjustments to the pump valve, I realize that I had a hole
in the tire. GA…REAT!! I look at my watch. It's
7:00, 30 minutes to the gun. Quicker than I ever have before I
change the tube, using the spare I was going to carry on the
course as a replacement. It went on with no problems. But,
I did not have another spare for the race. 112 miles is a
long way to go hoping you won't get a flat. My dad quickly
comes to the rescue with a tube he bought somewhere around the
transition area from a bike shop that must have known this would
be an issue.
The Swim:
Wetsuits were allowed
due to the 76 degree water temperatures. The swim start was
a mass start (approximately 1,200 total entrants). The starting
line was about 25 yards out from the beach (in a fresh water lake). Some
racers chose to wade in the water at the start while others waited
on the beach. I am a pretty fast swimmer and decided get
in a few rows back from the start. I was nervous about this
mass start, thinking I would get bludgeoned out there.
The race begins. I surged forward
with the crowd staying to the outside. I got touched a few
times, but nothing traumatic at all. As I pulled out I noticed
that I was out there with only a handful of people and my mind
immediately was at ease relieved that I would not get bludgeoned
after all. Swimming into a good wind with the choppy water
breaking over my head, as I took a breath, was a little frustrating. It
was very hard to get into a rhythm. For the first time ever
at a race swim I actually saw someone I knew out there. A
guy named Eric from NYC I met at the pre-race festivities. Living
in the south, I said, "Hey", and living in NYC he said, "Yo" and
we kept swimming. On the way back to shore the wind was at
our backs and somehow it just didn't seem that bad. The
swim finish actually came up a lot quicker than I thought and
I actually swam until my elbows touched
ground. I was happy with my time.
Swim Time: 1:01:18 |
