Peterborough Tin-Man Report

Two years ago this was my first triathlon. (for the time curious, it was a 5:13) So it was kind of cool to come back and do this course again after 2 years. (by the way, I do not recommend doing a half Ironman as your first triathlon)
For those that regularly follow this blog, you'll know that I can suffer from tummy issues. This has been an on-going learning process and I'm happy to say that after my 6th triathlon, I've made some headway in that department. This, more than anything makes me a happy camper. I probably learned more this race than all my previous races put togethor. It was a good day. So without further adieu, here's the low down..

Short version:
Swim 2k: 27:40
Bike: 90k: 2:31:40
Run: 21k: 1:37:36
Total: 4:39:51 (3rd in age group, 10th overall)

Long version:
Nutrition, pacing, increased water consumption. I knew if I could make progress in these 3 things, I'd do ok. What can I say? Mission accomplished. I won't get into too much detail about them (cuz it's boring), but I'll touch upon all 3 within the report.

I'm waking up earlier and getting calories into my gut sooner. The main goal being getting to the start line with as little as possible in the GI tract, but with my energy stores at their max. Thanks to Sheila, for pointing out that I might be a slow digester. (thanks Sheila!)

Sally and I arrive a little later than I would have liked, so I ended up with a very crappy transition spot in an unusually overcrowded bike rack. On the way to registration, I'm lucky enough to run into Cliff, who actually has his own professional photographer. Cliff is doing his first half iron distance race and I have a feeling of what he's going through. However, I'm running late, so I wish him the best and make my way to registration and the swim start.
Swim 2k: Relax, keep heart rate down, focus. The swim is a mass start, which I like. The gun goes off, I let the elites get a 2 second head start and then I dive in and follow their feet. The plan actually worked, I had a nice pair of feet to follow for 3/4 of the swim. Out of the water in 27:40 for a fairly quick pace of 1:23/100m.(7th overall) It felt quite good and my heart rate wasn't too crazy upon exiting the water.

Bike 90k: Relax, keep heart rate down, focus. Stay in easy gears. Spin. At the 10 minute mark on the bike (and every 10 min thereafter), I begin consuming liquids. The first bottle is half strength sports drink, the next 2 bottles are regular strength. For the most part, the bike part is kind of lonely. The first 45k I pass a couple of people and a couple of people pass me. I hit the turn around point at 1:12, a full 3 minutes ahead of shedule. Upon turning around, I realize why I'm ahead of schedule, I had a tailwind. Now that tailwind has magically turned into a headwind. I'm enjoying the ride, it's hilly at times but it's a nice bike course. Every time I feel lactic acid in the legs, I ease off, nice steady biking, lots of liquids and relax - my mantras. I grab a bottle of water at an aid station and by the end of the bike I consumed that too. Four bottles for a 90k ride and the tummy feels good. I'm happy. Total bike time 2:31. Average speed 35.6kph, good for 27th overall.

Run 21k: I hit the run course running side by side with Paolina Allen (the woman's pro winner). Naturally the crowd cheers like crazy for her, so I soak up some of that free spirit. Actually I'm thinking to myself: 'hey she's a 4:40 is half IM'er, if I can stay with her, I'll have a wicked race!' So I shadow her for the first 2 or 3k, but she's seems to be fading... or maybe just correctly pacing, I'm not sure. So I make a bold move and pass her. At the 7k mark, I'm feeling good, actually make that very good. The run is 1/3 done, I'm taking it easy on the hills and maintaining a steady pace. At the turnaround, I see Paolina is less than 500m behind me, I tell her to catch me. She chuckles.
The run is my weakest link, I'm used to people passing me. But this time I'm not getting passed (as often), so I know I'm on track for a solid PB. My pace is good, I'm relaxed - just keep running. The last 7k is gut check time, some minor nausea is creeping in and I'm playing the "just 1 more km game". Just don't walk, keep running, 1 more km, relax, steady pace, good cadence, 1 more km, don't walk... you get the idea. The last 2k I get passed by a guy in my age group, I tell him to giver, because I'm going to be on his ass the rest of the way in. ( a blatant lie) He later waited for me at the finish line and said: "jeez you looked so strong I thought you were going to kick my ass!" The compliment made me feel good (me? a strong runner??), I told him " looks can be decieving!"
I finish the run in 1:37 (35th overall) - and I'm very happy with that split. Total time: 4:39:51 a full 9 seconds under my A+ goal. So in the end I was 10th overall and 3rd in my age group. And yea, I'm happy with the way the day turned out.