Over the Hump at Ironman Providence 70.3

Well, this was the big one, the big step up. Having spent the last three seasons racing sprint and Olympic distance triathlons I tackled my first half-ironman this past Sunday, Bastille Day Eve, at the inaugural Ironman 70.3 Rhode Island. A point-to-point race that began on the beaches of Narragansett and ended at the state house in Providence, the course offered a nice tour of the Ocean State as well as a few significant challenges.

The race weekend began Friday afternoon as I met up with TOMasz to begin our drive down to race headquarters, casa de Jankowski, in Warwick. We arrived in the late afternoon and then headed over to downtown Providence for a welcome pasta dinner. Let the carbo-loading begin! I packed my gut to the breaking point with zitis in tomato sauce, meatballs, and salad. After dinner we took a walk over to the state capital building to look at the bike-in transition and had a pleasant chat with the head referee.

Just finished the carbo-load dinner with the beautiful downtown Providence in the backdrop

Now, at this point I realized I had made the right choice traveling with our fearless team captain because I was just clueless when it came to all of the logistics and coordination that needed to be put in place for this race. Usually I just show up, flash my USAT membership, get my race bag, and hit the beach. But apparently when there are over 1,600 athletes racing across 60 miles of Rhode Island, things get a bit more complicated. But, while I may have been as clueless as Colonel Mustard, TOMasz had done my homework for me and a very busy, and tiring day was laid out before us.

Saturday was registration and bike racking day. Normally this is a one-stop affair, but with the point-to-point setup we had to do a bit (okay, many, many bits) of running around Rhode Island to get all of the gear in place. After more carbo-loading on pancakes, the recipe for which had been perfected after many post-run breakfasts, we headed to the convention center in Providence for packet pick-up and a bit of expo touring. This was a pretty painless procedure, though I have to say I was a bit disappointed with the skimpiness of the race bag--oh well. But, a magical thing did happen. Somehow Ironman pulled a few strings, made superman fly a few laps around the sun, or something, because I was 29 again. Yippee!Medical check-in, however, gave me a bit of pause, particularly when I was asked if was allergic to bee or jellyfish stings. Now, this was going to be my first race swim in the ocean, and being a little nervous about it already, I did not need to hear the bit about the jellyfish. It wasn't the stinging that worried me, it was the thought of reaching my arm forward to stroke and grabbing a fist-full slimy jellyfish. Eww.
From here, things got a bit more complicated. First I needed to go and drop off my bike a the race start in Narragansett, then I needed to pack a back with my run gear and bring it back to T2 in Providence. But, we made a day of it--unfortunately a large portion of that day was spent sitting in beach traffic. But, the bike got racked, and I even got to enjoy of a bit of the nice weather relaxing on the beach while TOMasz relaxed with a nice, long run. We returned to Providence to drop off the run gear, and I was pleased to see that I had a great spot in the transition rack--the last spot on the rack closest to the fence. This would make it easy to remember my spot and help keep the kicking of my gear down to a minimum. With the goods in place, we headed back to Warwick for--you got it--more pasta. With the race slated to begin at 6 a.m., it was early to bed.

Ah race day. You know it because it's still dark when you wake up. I was still feeling well fueled (maybe a little too well fueled) from the feasting of the last couple of days, but still had a bit of granola before heading over to Narragansett. I got to my bike, wiped the accumulated moisture off the seat and handlebars (here, and experienced racer would have put plastic over these pieces the day before) and put my fuel and fluids together. Then I noticed I was missing a critical component--sunglasses! I had brought two pairs, both of which were doing lots of good for me back at the house. Fortunately, the big T came through and let me borrow his.

Almost awaken - 6AM

Around 5:50 I headed off to the beach, though being in the last wave I was in no real rush. The water was looking pretty rough, with high swells and big breakers crashing on the shore. The swim course was a long, skinny rectangle that was more or less an out-and-back. The pros hit the water at 6:00 and came out 24 minutes later. The first age groupers began at 6:15. Around 6:30 I went over to another section of beach and warmed up a bit in the water. Around 7:00 I entered the holding pen with the rest of the 18-29 year old men in very stylish purple swim caps. The last few races I've tried to get out in front to avoid the massive mob, but I just couldn't do it this time. When the cannon went off, I entered the water. Things were pretty messy but I was feeling good that, unlike other swim starts, I wasn't feeling over anxious, working too hard, and struggling to maintain my breath. Despite the waves and the mob I managed to stay calm and try to find an open patch of water. That was pretty hard to come by. I also found, that, given the way the waves were moving, I needed to turn to breath away from the market line, which made it a bit harder to sight. As usual, I took a more...meandering track around the swim course before hitting the first turn. Then it was just a short stretch swimming parallel to shore, and then another left back to the beach. The bodies remained thick, not just from my wave, but from the swimmers from the two previous waves that I had started to catch. Despite that, however, I escaped with only minor contact--one kick to the nose, and one dislodged goggle.

Fully awaken at 7:05AM and 7:37AM

Out of the water after a strong swim

At 31:17 I exited the water and grabbed my bike. After a fairly long jog out to the bike mount, I was in the saddle and ready to tackle 56 miles of RI roadway. The bike was my biggest concern coming into this race. I had had a disappointing ride at Mooseman, mostly because I felt like I couldn't maintain my focus, and I worried that this would happen again over the longer distance. Yet, despite my concerns, I had what was definitely the best bike of any race I had done. I had thought, coming into this race, that it would all be a very flat course--I was way off. The first 10-15 miles was fairly flat and fast, but then for the next 15 miles it was fairly steady climbing, though nothing too steep. I was feeling good and was being pretty aggressive on the hills. Early on, however, I had to change my nutrition strategy. I had five gels and two cliff bars, and my thinking was to get in the cliff bars early, then finish off with the gels. So, once I got settled in, after say the first 15 minutes, I pulled out a cliff bar but could jot not eat it. I got in a tiny bite and then just put it back in my pocket. I was a bit worried that I would crash only having the gels but ultimately I think all the pre-race fueling paid off because it didn't become an issue. I did learn, however, that for my next race I need to adjust my hydration strategy. I had four bottles--two powerade, one nuun, and one plain water. I felt like I was drinking enough, but around mile 35 was just feeling drained. I had passed up the first two fuel stations, but took advantage of the third one. I grabbed a bottle of water--and it never tasted so good. So, next time, I need to keep more plain water in rotation. Lesson learned. Car traffic was a bit of an issue, in some cases the line of cars narrowing the bikeable roadway quite a bit, making it difficult to pass. Overall, however, the course was very well managed the volunteers and PD.

I think, I look good in those glasses

Despite my original concerns, I really enjoyed this ride. I managed to keep my focus throughout and kept up a good pace. After finishing the last few miles biking through the city of Providence, I arrived at T2 in just shy of 2:39, averaging 21.2 for the course--the fastest I had ever biked. After a long jog to my rack, I made the transition into the run. Here I took my time getting my shoes on, drinking a bit of my few remaining fluids, and setting off on the two-loop run course. From the start I made decision to start conservatively. The run is usually my strong suit, but I had only raced one half-marathon before (as its own event), so wanted to take the time to get my legs under me. So, I set off at a comfortable pace. I came into the first water stop around mile one, slowed to a walk, and took in some fluids. Already I could tell this was going to be an issue, and here I think is where my poor hydration planning on the bike manifested itself. I was feeling thirsty, a bit depleted, but if I drank too much I felt full and sloshy. Soon after the first water stop I was confronted with "Angel Hill." For those of you who are used to running in the Lebanon area, the steepness was equivalent to Eastman Hill--just not quite as long. Most people walked it, but I managed to keep up a slow jog. For the first three miles I followed the strategy of slowing into the water stops, hydrating, cooling off, and then setting off. After the first turn I started to pick it up a bit more. Like the bike course, the run course was a lot hillier than I would have thought. Even after Angel Hill, the rest of the run had some kind of pitch to it. My legs felt okay, and my breathing seemed good, it was really just my stomach that was giving me trouble, and some growing tightness in my back. I made the turn after the first loop and headed out to do the run all over again. Up Angel Hill one more time. I was moving at a swifter pace, but around mile 9 I was starting to struggle again. I hit the water stop around mile 10, and decided to ease up and take in some fluids. The brief break seemed to help. I ran strong the rest of the course, and picked it up for a last push as I came into the brick walkway to the finish. I finished the run in about 1:38, giving me a finish time of 4:52.

Almost there. The finish line is only 15 yards away

I was greeted by TOMasz, Kasia and some friends at the finish, and then made my way over to the food tent for some much needed liquid refreshment. Food was out of the question at that point, but ice cold coke did the trick. I grabbed a couple of cups and then headed over to get in line for a post-race massage.

Team picture with Kasia and TOMasz. Two hats are definitely better than one

So, overall, a race that I was very happy with, and a real confidence booster for Timberman.