Shaun's Race Reports: 2010 Timberman 70.3 Race Report

Back in January when I signed up for the Timberman 70.3 race, I set a goal of finishing 5 hours. This was a bit of a stretch goal seeing that the only half ironman race that I completed was in 5 hours 40 minutes on an easier coarse in Rhode Island last year. I mapped out a plan to break 5 hours that included a 30 minute swim split (1:25 per 100 yards), 2:40 bike split (21 MPH), a 1:43 run (7:50 minute miles), 5 minutes for T1/T2 and a couple minutes of fluff. These splits didn't seem unattainable with the proper work, but they were definitely not a slam dunk.

As typical for a triathlete balancing life, work, job, etc, I wasn't able to put in all of the training that I had hoped for leading up to the race, but I definitely did some hard work. My focus was on the bike and swim seemed to get pushed to the back of the priority line - the return on bike work can be huge when compared to gaining a couple minutes based on 10's of hours of following the black line in the pool. According to my training log, I’ve spent 51% of my time in this year on the bike (2145 miles), 34% on the run (554 miles), and 15% on the swim (87K meters).

Finn was born three weeks before the race and it has been a whirlwind. I was able to get some of my training in, but the broken/shortened sleep definitely took a toll. The workouts I got in felt pretty sluggish. Rather than peaking, I felt my fitness slowly fade away as race day approached. I reset my expectations and decided that I would be happy with a finish in the 5:15-5:20 range. Results aside, I was really looking forward to enjoying a great event with friends.

With Timberman being a fairly local big race, I knew about a dozen folks racing including the Lopez brothers - Mike and Val - that made their way of from Texas to race. Also the local triathlon club that I'm a member of would have a tent setup - creating a gathering spot for everyone's friends and family.

The week leading up to the race was pretty hectic, I was traveling on business and didn't get home until late Thursday evening. Friday's activities included getting ready for our Texas guests, making an airport run to pick the crew up, picking up my bike that was built up (finally) from the shop, and attempting to get dialed in on a new bike two days before an A race. As typical I ran into a few snags with the bike, but we got it to a race-able state.

Saturday was a long day of heading up to the site for check-in and bike drop off. Before racking our bikes, we went out for a 30 minutes tune-up ride. The Lopez brothers got to experience what I meant when I said the race course was right next to a ski mountain - a little different from the flat roads of Dallas. We also jumped into the lake for a quick swim before heading back to the seacoast for some carbo loading.

Race morning wake up was set for 3:30. Finn had other plans and I was up at 2:30 for a changing and rock back to sleep session. In full disclosure, I was offered a hall pass from this activity but the reality was I knew Sara had a longer day in store for her than I did. The logistics and fueling requirements of taking Finn to watch us race requires a report in itself. The changing / rocking session went a little over my goal time and when I laid back down at 3:20 I wasn't sure what the point was. 10 minutes later it was go time. A little coffee, breakfast, last minute gear checks, and we were on our way.

Arriving at transition for a large scale triathlon is one of the coolest experiences. It's 5:00 AM, still dark out but slowly getting light, athletes are bustling around, music is cranking, volunteers are body marking race numbers and ages, etc. There were 2800 signed up to race, including some of top pro's in the sport. I setup my transition area, talked with my neighbors in transition, and pretty much hung out waiting to be ushered over to the swim start.

My swim wave (M30-34) was 17 out of 18, so I had a bit of time to hang out before it was time to go. The weather was perfect, maybe 70 degrees. The water was clear and comfortable. We did a quick warm-up and watched as each wave was sent off in 5 minute intervals. The excitement was definitely in the air and I felt pretty comfortable - not really nervous. As my wave was on deck, I watched this guy in a speedo warm-up - I think he was the only person not swimming in a wetsuit in my wave. The speedo guy was swinging his arms around like Michael Phelps and he looked to be double jointed based on his flexibility. I heard him tell another guy that he was hoping to break 28 minutes - impressive for a non-wetsuit 1.2 mile open water swim.

As we got into the water for our 5 minute countdown, I lined up in the 2nd row back and a bit on the outside. I thought I might be a bit far forward, but would rather have a couple guys swim over me than get stuck in a traffic jam trying to swim over a bunch of bodies. We were off. I mimicked the earlier wave starts with a few dolphin dives in the shallow water before settling into a rhythm. Surprisingly, I didn't have anyone trying to swim over me and I didn't really hit any congestion. Being on the outside really helped me to find clear water. The first 3rd of the swim was pretty uneventful. The water was pretty smooth and I settled into a good rhythm. I tried to keep my effort at a minimum level - maybe 5/10. After the first 3rd or so, we started to hit a bit of traffic from the slower swimmers in the earlier waves. The turns at the buoy's were pretty uneventful as well. I continued to stay a bit outside - not 100% on purpose, I definitely did a bit of drifting and zig-zagging that added to the swim distance. As we were making our way towards the home stretch, I noticed the speedo guy was right next to me. Either I was having a great swim or he was having a terrible one. It was the latter - I exited the water just under 35 minutes. This was pretty much exactly where I should have been based on the effort level and the amount of time I put in at the pool leading up to the race. Swim time: 34:46 - 58/223 in my age group and 463 overall.

T1 was fine. I made my way over to the wetsuit strippers, they were mostly kids volunteering. I ran past 3 kids and went right over to the biggest adult I saw. I laid down and he pealed me like a banana. I actually got up and started running without taking my wetsuit, but he threw a nice pass which I caught like I was going for the end zone. Dumped my goggles / wetsuit, threw on my helmet / race belt / sunglasses, and I was off. T1 time: 1:49

The bike started with a nice mount; I got my feet into my shoes and was up to speed as we approached the first turn and started the climb out of the race site. I didn't feel too great during the first 3-5 miles, but I tried to stay patient knowing I would settle in. The first 10 or so miles of the ride is mostly climbing. I tried not to kill myself early, but I didn't want to start out too slow either. As I crested the large climb - Marsh Hill there was a lady dressed as a devil cheering folks on - I knew it was time to get into gear. I kept a good tempo for miles 10-35 and it started to rain as I was about halfway through the bike leg. As I was making my up the long false flats of miles 35-40, I really started to feel the fatigue in my legs. From a cardiovascular standpoint, I felt good. From a muscular endurance point of view, my legs were entering a world of hurt. The climb up the backside of Marsh hill wasn't as bad as I remembered from my reconnaissance ride, but I rode the breaks down the descent due to the wet roads. I was pretty happy to hear the crowds as I made my way back to the transition area and it was time to get off of the bike. Bike time: 2:38:57 (21.1 MPH) - 49/223 in my age group and 354 overall.

T2 was quick and uneventful. Dismount, run over to my bike rack, helmet off, visor on, go time! T2: 2:05.

As I made my way out of transition, I can't begin to describe the excitement at the start of the run course. The run out chute is lined with cheering spectators, including my crew at the Seacoast Tiptide tent. As I made my way by, I saw the crew, Sara, and Finn. I pulled over, gave Sara a sweaty kiss, and made my way out for the run with a smile on my face. As I pulled away from the screaming crowds, the pain began to set in. Those first two miles were some of the toughest two miles that I've run. My stomach was in rough shape; maybe from the nutrition I took in on the bike - 3 Hammer Gel's, 1 bottle Hammer HED, 1 bottle HED and Carbo-Pro, 4 salt stick pills. I was running right around 8 minute miles - I knew it was a little slower than my goal, but during those first two miles I thought I was destined for a long slog of walking and jogging. After the first two miles, I settled in but I didn't feel comfortable enough to pick up the pace. It was a two loop course and the energy going back around the transition area and through the gauntlet of cheering spectators pumped me up. I went into a bad place on miles 8-10, but after that I knew I could battle through another 5K. I was tracking my time and knew I wasn't going to beat 5 hours, but was pretty pumped to know I wasn't far from striking distance. The last mile felt great as I picked it up quite a bit. Crossing the finish line and hearing your name across the speakers is a great feeling after such a long hard effort. Run time: 1:46:35 (8:06 minute miles) – 76/223 and 477 overall.

When I crossed the line I was given my finisher medal by Chrissie Wellington. How cool is it that the top female pro triathlete in the world (3 time world champion that only a select group of male pro triathletes can beat) hung around after her win and gave out medals to all of the age groupers?

Final time: 5:04:35 – over a 35 minute PR at this distance
56/223 in the M30-34 age group
344 overall

I wound up finishing 5 minutes slower than the goal I set at the beginning of the year, but it is tough to be disappointed with that finish. It definitely beat the expectations that I had going into the race. Overall an amazing event and I’m really grateful to have been able to spend it with great friends and family. Congrats to all of my friends that finished including a couple PR’s and first time finishers.

Next event is the Pumpkinman Half Ironman on September 12th. Does anyone smell a sub 5 hour finish?

The Lopez brothers - Mike and Val - get their bikes built up after the flight in

They say you should get a good night's sleep two nights before the race. Finn and I took that advice - on Julie and Jordy's couch during "outdoor movie night"