*note* This is an older race report that I wanted to be included in my blog archive. It has been fun to go back and read my thoughts about this race, which was my first half-ironman distance race. And a very hot day that we still talk about with grand disillusions. (And good reason for people to write race reports.) *end note*

Pigman Half Ironman Distance Race, 2003
At the start of the 2003, I had two main goals:

one - to put out a solid marathon qualifying for Boston
two - to race a half-ironman and to race it well

You can read my Flying Pig report to analyze goal number one. (It was the year of the pigs.)

Pre-Race:
I didn’t get much sleep the night before, but I felt rested. I had my normal breakfast:

* 2 cans of Purify (Kroger style Ensure)
* 1 bagel
* some Gatorade
* with 1 cliff bar 40 minutes before the race

Due to poor planning, I had to find an adapter for my CO2 cartridges right before the race. After a little running around, some borrowed cash and help from the guys at Gear West, I got the adapter a couple minutes before the pre-race meeting.

The Swim:
My strategy was to take the swim very, very easy. When my heat started, I saw everyone run into the water and dive. I jogged behind and kind of fell into the water. By doing this, I was able to make sure I didn’t lose my goggles. I also was able to make a point to myself that I wanted to take it easy.

The first buoy came after what felt like forever, but I wanted to stick to my game plan. I turned the corner and found someone swimming about the same pace so I dropped back and drafted for several minutes. At the last buoy I felt like I had yet to begin swimming so I picked up the effort just a bit during the last stretch.

Coming into the transition I saw my time was 38 minutes, which was about 5 minutes slower than I anticipated. I was a little disappointed but I knew the day would be long.

Analyzing the times after the race, I saw that all the times were a little slow. Even the better athletes that raced last year had times 3 minutes or more slower.

The Bike:
The biggest thing for me going into the bike was pacing and nutrition. I knew the climbs and demands of the course would not be too much because of the daily rides we do in central Kentucky. It was hard to hold back the first half hour but I kept repeating to myself that finishing strong meant more then starting fast. The pace allowed me to take in all the food and nutrition that I needed. I mixed the intake of water, Gatorade and GU’s just as I during training.

During the middle of the ride, I think I may have let my ego get to me? While going up hills I would ride by what felt like 10 to 15 riders, but on the flats there was a pelaton of 4 to 6 bikes that would fly by. My mind made a choice that my body should not have followed. I decided to step up the pace for the next 10 miles. I rode up the hills and pushed the flats. The pacing was not in line with my plan of easy riding the first half, pick it up during the middle and use the end of the ride only for preparation for the run.

Going into the second transition, I still felt really good! I spent the last 6 miles making sure I had every bit of liquid in me I could get. I had also planned on eating a cliff bar, but I couldn’t get it down. So I finished off my last gel. I finished the bike with a pace of 21.4 mph. This was exciting because I felt good and I had only anticipated a 20 - 20.5 mph pace.

The Run:
In one word - Miserable. I felt like I had prepared for everything correctly, used the proper nutrition, but I had not been subjected to that kind of heat in training. The temperature was in the low to mid 90’s by the time we were on the run. And one thing about running on the roads in Iowa, there is NO shade.

I knew immediately that I would not be running a sub 1:30, which is what I felt prepared to do. I quickly slowed my pace down to what felt very comfortable and decided that my goals were to:

a - not walk during the run
b - finish as close to 5 hours as possible

By the time I reached the 3 mile marker, I figured out that the run was going to be rough. There were a lot of people walking through the aid stations and for periods before, after and during. I was taking a glass of water, Gatorade and ice at every aid station (Although I missed ice at one aid station because I didn’t want to start walking).

At this point I believe that my dedication to the mental training during the summer paid dividends. Here is what I did:

* I focused on my foot cadence, upper body position and foot strike
* I moved my focus only to my breathing pattern
* I moved my mind to the mantras that I had been using in my practices and meditations

Psalm 23, for my meditations I had been spending a lot of time in this Psalm so I started repeating it twice

“I belong here, my body has done the training” - this is a phrase that I took from Gordo Byrn’s Book.

During my training runs I had practiced using this phrase as a guide for focus and imagery. I would repeat this to myself 4 or 5 times then I would go back to the Psalms

Finishing The Run:
I believe it was the 9 mile aid station that I decided that I needed to really be careful or I may not finish. I made the decision to walk through the remaining aid stations. It was a little disappointing but I knew it was necessary. I finished the run in 1:50:43, which was 20 minutes slower than I had hoped. My final time was 5:10:12. I had hoped to finish at or under 5 hours.

Post Race:
I felt great until we got in the van to leave. I had to make Eric, Beth and Jeff suffer through a couple stops so that I could deal with sickness. Motion sickness from the van or heat exhaustion, I do not know? But I bet a little of both.

Post Race Thoughts:
No excuses needed, I do feel a little disappointed. I have went back and forth about the heat and how I should react to that, but I think that my final analysis is that I do need to take into consideration the heat and should not have expected to be able to push myself the way I wanted. The bike pacing? Even though I felt good coming into T2, I know that I may have pushed it harder than I should have and trained for. I have second guessed myself a bit, thinking that if I would have stuck with the 20 mph pace I could have run better. I will never know! The final view is that it was a great experience. I now know that I have another couple years before I make it to the Ironman. I also know that I am still improving. And I still want to do more triathlons….!