Eagle Creek Triathlon Recap

Indianapolis, IN - Eagle Creek Park (8-25-07)
500 yard swim, 10 mile bike, 5K run

Prerace:
Its important to note that I was doing this race with three good friends, two of whom (Scott and Jackie) were competing in their first ever triathlon. Matt and I drove up to Indy to stay with the newlyweds, and as to be expected, there was a lot of nervous energy the night before the race. It made me think back to my first Triathlon Eve, laying in a hotel bed in Baraboo, WI, unable to sleep or stop thinking about the race looming the next morning. It can be an uneasy and harrowing time, but one that you will never forget. It will never be that exciting again.

As we all got into our cars to drive to the race, it began to rain. What started as a few drops slowly progressed to a drizzle and so on. We got to the park plenty early, rolling in at about 6:30 for the 8:00am race. For those of you thinking of doing a triathlon, I can't stress enough how helpful it is to get to the race as early as possible. The last thing you want to do before your first race is to be rushed through things. The first one, in retrospect, is more of a mental obstacle than a physical one. I tried to be as helpful as I could to Scott and Jackie without crossing into the "overbearing" territory. Again, I look back to my first one and vividly remember wishing I had someone to talk to or to show me the ropes. Oh well. As the race began to get closer, the rain picked up more and more, finally reaching a full-fledged shower. It would be my first ever race in the rain.

Swim:
Eagle Creek Reservoir is what I call a "swimmer's lake". In a matter of 5-10 yards you go from standing in knee deep water to over your head, no running allowed. In what was the typical mass start, I was again caught in a sea of arms and legs, but this time managed to avoid being kicked. You take your small victories where you can! After about 75 yards of chaos, I found some open water and got into a rhythm that I was comfortable with. The lake water was a perfect temperature (no wetsuits allowed! Ha!!) to swim in. My only complaint was the grime that accumulated in my beard - not really all that pleasant. I came out of the lake in about 10 minutes even, bettering my time from last year by 10 seconds. It was going good, even if I do resemble Swamp Thing in the picture below. Sorry, being photogenic was not at the top of my priorities at this particular time!

Bike:
I have to admit, I was a bit winded getting onto the bike. It took awhile to get my heart rate down and settle into a rhythm. At this point it seemed like it was pouring. I decided to race sans shirt because I knew it would be drenched and heavy within minutes. As a result, I could feel the raindrops hitting my chest and arms by the slight stinging sensation. The best part about the rain was that it washed the lake film off of my skin and out of my beard (I may have to rethink racing with a beard). The bad part was that the first and last parts of the race were through the park, which was full of hills that wound around and down hills that screamed around blind corners. Not wanting to go down on the slick asphalt, I took the corners conservatively although still came close to going down on two occasions. It's a scary feeling.

Out of the park and on the city road, the sheer amount of standing water on the road hindered our speed, and I could tell I was having to work harder to keep my pace. About 3/4 of the way through the bike course I heard "Hey good looking!" It was Scott flying past me. I tried to stay with him and actually did for a bit, getting sprayed in the face by the water and grit flying off his back wheel (I had to wipe my glasses about every 2 minutes, but it was better than no glasses). Once we entered the park, we went up a series of hills and I let Scott go, I had no chance of staying with him. I actually got to see all three of our group out on the course which was awesome. After a few scary turns (your brakes take a bit of time to work when it's wet), I saw the end of the course and was glad to get out of my biking shoes which were logged with water something fierce. I did manage to better my bike time from last year, which was great considering the conditions. I banged out an 18.3mph average.
Run:
After pouring out about 2-3 cups of water from my running shoes, I hit the trail to a consistent beat of squish, squish, squish. I saw some friends when I was leaving the transition area, which always provides a quick shot of confidence and energy. It really does help. Once out onto the run course, my knee really started to ache, and I took a few breathers. I do remember thinking how much better it was to run in the rain instead of the oppressive heat that I was humbled by in my last race. About 1/2 mile from the turnaround, I saw Scott pressing on to what would be a great finish, especially for a first timer. Thankfully the last half of the run is either flat or slightly downhill, so I tried to coast as much as I could. Once I saw the sign that had an arrow pointing to the beach I knew I was close to home so I sprinted for all it was worth. It is important to realize that my "sprint" is very much the same as a decent runner's "normal" pace. Hey, whatever. Even with a few walk breaks, I averaged 9-1/2 minute miles, which was good for a 3 minute improvement over last year. Booyah! I call this picture "Hurts So Good". What an awful face.

You can find all of the results here. You'll have to scroll down a ways to see my name, but I am pretty stoked that I finished 198th out of 571, good for top half. Again, you take your victories where you can get them. This race really is a great course, especially considering the shorter distances and being mainly flat terrain, perfect for your first race. Scott and Jackie did outstanding for their first race and Matt turned in a great performance as well. One more race to go: Devil's Challenge in mid-September, the site of my first ever triathlon!

Thanks for reading and thanks for all of the help, it means a lot to me! I'll leave you with a picture of "Team Iowa". (R to L) Jackie Thompson, Swamp Thing, Matt Roll, Scott Thompson

Oh, and we are now over the $2,000 goal. So awesome!

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Big Creek Triathlon Recap

Polk City, IA - Big Creek State Park (8-12-07)
1500 meter swim, 40 kilometer bike, 10 kilometer run

Prerace:
Not much time to get ready for this one. I had to work until 2:00pm and then rode straight to Des Moines for Sunday morning's race. Much like last year, I was too busy/lazy/proud to check into a hotel room. I actually did find one hotel in Ankeny, and the only room they had was a luxury suite at $165 a night. After a quick "no thanks" I decided to load up dad's cargo van with a mattress and sheet and try my hand at being a Gypsy. After scouting places to stay, I chose Walmart over the interstate rest areas and my previous employer, Moehl Millwork. In retrospect, it wasn't all that bad. I covered the windows with shirts and towels, laid down at 9:00 and didn't get to sleep until 11:30, sweating in the stifling heat. This would be a bad omen.

Up at 5:30 and headed to the race site listening to The Allman Brothers to wake me up. I got to the park at 6:00 and the transition area was already half full. I guess I'll have to keep getting there earlier, which at this rate will have me there at midnight next time. Why do people have to be so serious? Other than that frustration, the organization was top notch. This really is one of the best run races I've ever done. Yes, I did this last year.

Swim:
The swim is in a reservoir and with the hot temperatures we've had lately, the water was quite warm: 84 degrees. This means no wetsuits, which is fine by me because I never wear one. I had a sly smile on my face hearing the groans of people who wanted to wear one. You see, they make you more buoyant, and thus, faster. Now it was all a level playing field. I was in the second wave to start (males 20-29), so 5 minutes after the Elite Wave took off, we were next. This was a wave start, and not a time-trial start like my last race. It meant that the whole wave runs in at once. It's a bit frustrating and can leave you in a panic. About 2 minutes into the swim, I was reminded of the harsh realities of swimming around 75 or so other guys; a kick to the face will do that to you. After things settled down and a pecking order was established, I got into a nice rhythm and was basically alone for almost 3/4 of a mile. The route was bit different this year, a rectangular course as opposed to a triangular one, which meant the water got deeper quicker, and we got to avoid most of the weeds. I got out of the water with a time of 31 minutes and 5 seconds. Not too bad! The best part was that you didn't notice the increasing air temp while you were in the water.

Bike:
I really tried to improve on this aspect of the race. Doing a few days of RAGBRAI helped tremendously as well as a few local rides at a hard pace. When I hopped onto my trusty steed during the race, I could tell my legs were in good shape. Normally I don't push too hard at the beginning, and I followed that plan again. There is nothing worse than having 5 miles to go and having nothing left. It's a truly awful feeling. Fortunately, that didn't happen here. After 6 or 7 miles, I knew my legs were good, and I decided to push it a bit. At the turnaround, I found that I had been riding with a tailwind. Now, the tables turned and the legs really started to burn. All you can do is grin and bear it, because you know everyone else is feeling the same. After gritting that out, the wind was no longer and issue, and it was fairly smooth sailing to the end. I went through my entire water bottle of Gatorade, which I never do. Even though you always have air blowing on you throughout the bike, I could tell that it was getting really hot. I finished the bike in 1 hour and 21 minutes, good for an average of 18.5 miles per hour, a personal best.

The Run:
I don't need to tell you how much I loathe running...but, I loathe running! Even after going so fast on the bike (at least by my standards!), my legs still felt great. With the absence of the wind in my face, I now started to sweat pretty heavily. The first mile marker came and I drank a full cup of water and dumped another on my head. I knew this was going to be tough. My legs and lungs felt as good as could be expected, but I really started to get hot. So hot, in fact, that I had to break down and walk. There was no shade to be had anywhere since the sun was directly overhead. The trees which lined either side of the road were useless in blocking the sun, but they did manage to block something out: the breeze. I've run quite a few times in hot, humid weather and I actually have enjoyed it, much more so than the cold. Today, it just didn't agree with me. Heat, sun, asphalt and sweat were too much for me. I managed to run for 3/4 of a mile at a time and then would have to walk again. I hated doing it, but it was the only way to finish. It was almost an "out of body" running experience. My legs were moving but I couldn't feel them. I was just praying to God that I wouldn't have a Julie Anne Moss moment and mess myself. In what were the longest 6.2 miles of my life, I finally crossed the finish line in a poor time of 1 hour and 16 minutes, only averaging 12 minute miles, which I suppose was so bad considering the amount of walking I did. As I crossed the finish line, I saw some people in ambulances, so it appears I wasn't the only one struggling. As a volunteer removed my timing chip, and paramedic took a look at my eyes and noticed I wasn't sweating. Apparently that is bad and is a sign of dehydration. He dumped a few gallons of water on me and said I could get an IV if I wanted. Me and needles aren't good buddies.

Postrace:
I grabbed some much needed shade and water, then a bagel with peanut butter. I started to feel better and I ran into a buddy of mine, Matt Davison, electrician and multisport wonder. I asked him how he did, and in his always modest way, he told me he did pretty well. What he neglected to say was that he got second in his age group, which is no small feat, especially given the conditions. All in all, it wasn't what I expected. I was happy with my swim time, I was thrilled with the bike, and needless to say, the run was not good. Maybe next year I can finally meet my goal of under 3 hours. Final time: 3 hours, 11 minutes and 50 seconds, 238 out of 309 people.

Next up, Eagle Creek Triathlon on August 25th

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