Pigman Race Recap

Pleasant Creek State Park - Palo, IA
550 yard swim, 15.5 mile bike, 3.1 mile run

Prerace:
The 5:00am drive up there worried me as we drove into ominous clouds the whole way. After heading north on I-380, it seemed that all the dark clouds were hovering over Cedar Rapids. I've never competed in a triathlon that had rain as an element to deal with, and I sure as heck didn't want to start that today. Luckily, by the time we reached Palo, the clouds had broken up and it looked like it would be a rain-free race. We pulled into the race site at 6:30 to find that the parking lot was already full, so they directed us into a field.

The race didn't start until 7:30, and there was a race meeting at 7:15. I swear time moves at warp speed when you're setting up your transition area, getting a stretch in, and making one last bathroom trip to get rid of prerace jitters. It was 7:15 before I knew it, and I made my way down to the beach with "503" donned on both arms and both calves. You may not be able to tell from the pictures, but when you have super skinny arms and legs, your race numbers look HUGE! I was in the "Male 25-29" age group and we were the 8th wave to go, and that allowed me some time to warm up in the lake. It also allowed for the ever-present prerace nerves to creep into my system.


The Swim:

"10 second warning for Heat 8 - Males 25-29, take your marks, get set, GO!" After hearing that it sent me dashing into the water with about 45 other guys hell-bent on having a good swim. As is par for the course, the first 150 yards were a free-for-all. I was kicked, grabbed, ran into - just like everyone else is in the Sea of Arms and Legs that is the swim. I managed to get on the inside of the out-and-back swim course and found some room to work. I reached the halfway buoy and turned around to head back to shore. The lake was a perfect temperature to swim in: not freezing cold, but just cool enough that you don't worry about overheating. I swam my heart out until finally my hand hit the sandy bottom, and I wobbly ran out of the lake. I saw my mom, dad, and uncle cheering me on which is always encouraging. I'd have loved to stop and chat, but I was in the middle of a race, and I'm sure with my heavy breathing/panting I would not have been the best conversationalist. (9:02 swim time)


The Bike:

After putting my shirt, helmet, shoes and specs on, I headed off on my two wheels. The day was quite pleasant for riding and racing: low 60's, overcast, little to no wind. I took it easy leaving the park, trying to get my heartrate and breathing back under control. Once that was accomplished after about 1 mile, I tried to settle into a comfortable, yet challenging pace. I would say 2/3 of the course is flat, so on those areas I tried to keep a consistent speed. On the big descents I took short breathers and allowed gravity to do the work. Going up the hills was slow going, but I managed to do pretty well, and it helped that there were only two big hills. I managed to do the same route as last year one minute faster. (52:48 - 17.7mph)


The Run:

After switching shoes and losing the helmet, it was off to do some running, or slow jogging, depending on if you're a glass-is-half-full type of person or not. For those who've never tried an hour of hard biking and then immediately running, you may not understand the unique feeling you get. Uh, you're legs don't work so well, they only want to act like spaghetti with lead at the bottom. I make no secret to anyone who asks or listens that running is not something I like or am good at. I treat it more an unavoidable, necessary evil. Where most people take pride on how fast they can do a course, I take pride in not walking at all. This course is not exactly an easy run either. There are no flat sections, only rolling hills, but for some reason it seemed more uphill than downhill. Curiously, it must be the same route that my grandparents walked to school. Hmm, I'll have to ask them. As I sprinted down the finishing stretch, I experienced an eerie sensation that I usually get at the end of races: tunnel vision that is hazy around the edges, and lack of productive breaths. The finish line feels really good to cross. Somehow I did this run a minute faster than last year. (31:58 run time)

Overall I had a two minute improvement from last year, so I'll chalk this up as a success. My overall time was 1:38:58, which includes my transition (times between the 3 events) times as well. Thanks for reading!

- Nick

P.S. I wanted to say thanks again to all of you who called or emailed me to wish me good luck. Every bit helps, that's for sure!