I finally took the plunge and purchased a dedicated triathlon bike. After much research and debate (amongst me, myself and I) I decided on a Cervelo P1. I had the custom fit at the Bike Doctor in Arnold Maryland and it came down to a Cervelo P1 and Trek Equinox as the best fit for my size and position on the bike.
I decided on the Cervelo because it had a better groupset and was slightly less expensive. The very first ride I had on the new bike was the Lums Pond Sprint Triathlon. It took a few minutes to get used the new position, but in a matter minutes I new I made the right choice. The new bike is like going from driving a SUV to driving a sports car. People who do triathlons or ride road bikes will know what I am talking about. The difference in speed on the bike and road feel in the saddle is like night and day. On my first ride during the Lums Pond race my average speed increased 2.3 mph. Now this may not seem like much but it is a 20% increase in average speed. I just felt faster and felt much more refreshed coming off the bike to the run. I had my best bike and run splits of the year. The new bike is just much faster.
So for those who don't think the right equipment can make a difference (and I was one of them) you are wrong. The right tool for the right job is important and a 2.3 mph increase over 112 miles is going to save me a bunch of time in November.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
This training thing can be hard!!
I have been training a lot more since I now have a coach setting up my workout schedule. I have lost 15lbs since I started training with the new workouts in July. I still want to lose another 10lbs to get to my goal weight for the Ironman in November.
Some days I just don't feel like doing the workout. But I have not missed a scheduled workout yet and I don't plan to. With demands of work and family I have had to adjust my training times a bit but I haven't missed a workout yet!
One of the hardest parts of training isn't the physical part, but the mental part. Having to get up on a Saturday morning and bike for 35-40 miles and then run 5miles is tough. Mentally I have to wrap my brain around the increase in distance and time. Riding and running for 3-4 hours gives you a lot of time to think. So while my body is getting physically stronger with the increased training volume I am also getting mentally stronger. I've got to get to the point where I can honestly believe that I can swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles and run 26.2 miles. I am not at that point yet but I am getting closer everyday.
Some days I just don't feel like doing the workout. But I have not missed a scheduled workout yet and I don't plan to. With demands of work and family I have had to adjust my training times a bit but I haven't missed a workout yet!
One of the hardest parts of training isn't the physical part, but the mental part. Having to get up on a Saturday morning and bike for 35-40 miles and then run 5miles is tough. Mentally I have to wrap my brain around the increase in distance and time. Riding and running for 3-4 hours gives you a lot of time to think. So while my body is getting physically stronger with the increased training volume I am also getting mentally stronger. I've got to get to the point where I can honestly believe that I can swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles and run 26.2 miles. I am not at that point yet but I am getting closer everyday.
Lums Pond Sprint 2009
This was my first time at Lums Pond and I really enjoyed the race. Especially on the out and back run I heard plenty of "Go Crabs". I'm only in my 2nd year of racing so I still enjoy typing up my official "race report" so here goes.
Packet pickup on race day was a mess. I'm glad i came the day before and picked up the race packet. It made for a stress free race morning. They also need some porta potties (or whatever you call them). There was still a line at the ladies room when the race started.
Swim
Somehow this was a wetsuit legal race at 76 degrees. The water felt much warmer than that except for the a couple of cool spots after the first turn. They only had 4 swim waves so it was a crowded swim start. For some reason they stuck the Clydesdales with the under 39 crowd. That is a recipe for the disaster (I race as a Clydesdale). So my plan was to find a clear spot at the beginning, get into a nice pace and weave my way thru. That went south after about 150yds when I was kicked in the face and my goggles came off. I have heard that that will eventually happen to everyone in a race so I am glad I am done with that. So my nose was a bit sore but I was able to make it thru the swim and it seemed like I passed a bunch of people, so I was happy.
Bike
I ran the 50yds or so to transition and saw my wife and daughter (which made me smile) and then I heard the first of many "Go Crabs" as Annette was right there at the swim in.
I just purchased a new tri bike and this was actually the first time I had ridden it. I know they say not to try something new during a race, but I was traveling for work last week and I just didn't have time to ride before the race. But for those that don't think a tri bike makes a difference think again. For me the bike was great. I took a few minutes to settle into the new position, but being able to changes gears in the aero position is great. I saw Ashley (my coach) at the bike mount area and he told me to take my time stay calm etc. Thanks Ashley! The bike course was nice and flat and seemed pretty fast. I was still passed by some faster riders but I also passed quite a few people. There were also quite a few groups of riders drafting. I didn't think drafting was allowed. So in the spirit of the event I did not try to get in line. I was really starting to get into the bike and then it was over. I felt great getting off the bike. Coming into T2 I again heard the "Go Crabs" but I didn't see who it was. I screwed up in the transition and went down the wrong side of my row and my bike wouldn't fit under the bar. So I had run around to the other side. I need to be more alert to than next time.Run
This is my weakness but I am really trying to work on my running and have a better attitude about it. This is where I always get passed and lose a lot of time. But I was off, running around the field and onto the tree lined course. I did North East last year and you just bake in the sun. Except for the beginning and end of the run, you are in the shade. I have been having some knee trouble and the pain flared up about a mile into the run. I had to walk for a few seconds and then started back up with a bit slower pace and the knee "locking" worked its way out. After the run turn around I came across my business partner running toward me. I had about a half mile lead on him. It was at this point that I kicked into another gear. There was no way in hell that I was going to let him run me down and beat me. I would have never heard the end of it. So I just picked up my pace and when I hit the field I just started to run as fast as I could.
I saw Ashley again taking pictures and then I saw my daughter and she wanted run in with me and that was great running thru the finish line with her.My overall time was 1:42:44. My goal was 1:45. I have never done a sprint under 2 hours so this was a big barrier for me to cross.
I cannot tell you how great it is when on the run every few minutes I would hear "Go Crabs". That race was littered with crabs of all abilities. The support from the members of ATC is great.
I also wanted to mention that we had two "Little Crabs" race in the youth tri on Saturday. If you haven't been to a youth event it is great to see. This was my daughter 2nd race and she loved it. She finished 4th in the 7-8F (by about 30seconds) and 7th overall in the 7-8 group. She has finished 4th in both of her races and she is determined now to "get a medal" next year. I couldn't be prouder of her. Her one request after yesterday's race was that she wants to get one of the "Crab" jerseys to wear in her races next year. So all in all I had a great weekend!
Friday, August 28, 2009
Nautica New York CityTriathlon 2009
This was the first race I had after I started working with my coach. Granted I only had a couple of weeks to work with him, but even in that two weeks he helped me. My problem has been my knee. I sprained my knee while running three weeks before the race. I actually considered pulling out of the race but was really looking forward to the weekend. So I went to the doctor and he suggested that before any surgical intervention that I try a cortisone shot first and then some rest. So I only ran twice in the two weeks leading up to the race. The week before the race I had the injection in my knee and that helped tremendously. I am glad I did the race. I had a horrible run. I was really just trying to finish without injuring my knee any more than it already was. Sometimes it isn't about how you finish it is about just finishing. So it in that spirit that I am posting my race report below.
Race Report
Swim
I was in the Clydesdale over 40 group. To call some of these guys Clydesdale’s is just wrong. I look like the Michelin man in my tri suit but these guys look like they just finished lifting weight. Some of those guys were in great shape. So I knew going onto the barge for the swim start I was going to stand back and not get beat-up at the start. Jeff Jacobsen had suggested starting to the right of the barge to stay further in the river and current. So rather than get in the water and hold the rope tied to the barge I stayed to the far end of the barge and just jumped in after the horn. I took my time at the beginning of the swim to get relaxed and into a good pace. I felt pretty good. The water wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be and I felt like I was swimming pretty well. It was a little hard to see the swim exit but I was passing people and caught the wave in front of me. Time 19:30.
T1
This is an interesting transition. You actually have to run about 300 yards to the transition. Now I hate running on the sand barefoot, so running on asphalt barefoot for me was painful. I probably had 30 people pass me running to transition. Once I got into transition I was ok and actually got out before several people that were already in my row when I got there. Time 6:04
We were warned of a steep hill leaving transition. The hill looked steep from the bottom but it actually wasn’t that bad. Onto the road the first thing I noticed was how crowded the road was. I have never been in a race with such a large field. I am surprised they didn’t have any collisions. The speed differential (between the fastest and slowest) must have been pretty large. I really tried to keep a steady cadence and I felt great on the bike. I usually get into a big gear and try not to change gears too much. But I really tried to focus on keeping a steady cadence and it really helped. The bike course was kind of bumpy and a lot of people had flat tires. I was a bit concerned about a flat because I had a really tough time getting air into my rear tire earlier. By mile 2 I figured my tire was ok and went as hard as I could. The course has rolling hills and I thought it was pretty fast. There was a lot of passing and you really had to pay attention. It was also the first time I was able to ride my bike thru a toll plaza. Overall I liked the ride and felt good off the bike. Time 1:22:54
T2
Pretty uneventful. I got my running shoes on, got a drink and got out. On the way out of transition I was right behind Jeremy Parks. We spoke for a brief moment and he was off. I thought to myself that I must have had a pretty good bike and swim because I was keeping up with Jeremy. Then I realized that I actually had started 30 minutes before him. Oh well, I still felt good. Time 2:52
Run
I hate running. I always have and probably always will. But the run is the third leg and it must be done. I have been nursing a knee injury so I have only run twice in the last month. Even so, I was hoping to reach my goal of finishing under 3 hours. (I know the current is fast but I it still counts). Coming out of transition there was a pretty steep hill and a tunnel before going onto 72nd ave. This is where the race changed for me. When I came out of the tunnel it looked to me like there were thousands of people lining both sides of the street cheering. It was pretty amazing to see. I felt like I was running thru a tunnel of people all cheering and clapping. It really makes you feel pretty good. So I felt good going into Central Park until I hit the first hill. Now people that think New York City is flat are dead wrong. And Central Park is even worse. I was not prepared for all the hills on the run. They are not real steep hills but long rolling hills with an incline and then a decent then another incline and decent. It was like this for 5 miles. I actually thought this was tougher than Columbia. I was able to pass some people on the run which is rare for me. I get passed a lot on the run which is difficult for me. But I was watching my time and I was still determined to finish in less than 3 hours. At around mile 5 you can start to hear the crowd at the finish line. This is also the point where other people from Annapolis or the ATC must have been, because I could hear the “keep going Iron Crab” and “Go ATC”. When I was coming to the last corner and last hill on the run I could hear a group of people really cheering me on from the ATC. I don’t know who it was or if they were cheering me on or not. If you were, thank you because it really helped me. It gave me the one last jolt of energy to step up that last 400 yards and finish. This run was tough for me. Time 1:07:06
Overall time 2:58:23 37/68
I had a great time this weekend. I got to spend the weekend with my 13 year old son. Even though it seemed like I walked 5 miles with him on Saturday visiting the natural History Museum it was great. He must have had a good time because he already said he wants to go back next year. I also got to meet and know some of the members of ATC. It was a lot of fun and ATC was really represented well. Neal Cooper found a new friend in the Naked Cowboy and the underwear run was a blast. But there was also something for me that put triathlon and the training we do in perspective.
I was able to see all the Para Triathletes start the swim. It is pretty amazing when you see someone in a wheel chair push themselves into the water with their legs tied together. Or watch a blind athlete jump into the water. And when you see the paralyzed swimmer dragging himself through the water it is pretty amazing. I also had an experience near mile 4 in the run that was unbelievable. I was passed by a runner wearing a US Army tri suit. When he passed me I could see that that he was a double amputee. He was running on two prosthetic legs. He had no legs from the hip down and he had to twist his entire upper body to run. To think what he must have gone through and that he wasn’t just finishing, but finishing strong and passing able bodied athletes was great. It was inspiring for me to see someone like that.
Life is good!
Hiring a coach?
It was after the Columbia Triathlon that I started to think about hiring a coach. Like most beginners to the sport I was not training as efficiently as I should be. I would ride when I could, swim a couple times a week and run maybe once a week. After Columbia and Cascade Lake I knew that approach was not working.
I had been doing some research into on line coaching services but really had no way of knowing if the services worked and I was not fond of having to commit to a coach I had never met. I think personal interaction is important and I kept searching. I decided I would like to find a local coach if I could.
I was going to more of the Annapolis Triathlon Club meeting and had met one of the members that was also responsible for the education clinics the club offered. His name was Ashley Halsey and it turns out he was a triathlon coach. I had listed to him talk at a few meetings and he seemed very knowledgeable. I decided I would contact him about my plans for the Florida Ironman and about hiring him as a coach.
Ashley and I had a long talk on the phone about my history of weight loss surgery and my triathlon training goals. I also asked him about his triathlon experience and he talked to me about his coaching philosophy. I knew in that first conversation I wanted to work with him. I needed someone that had the knowledge to guide me and help me plan for the Florida Ironman. But I also needed someone I could correspond with on a regular basis. I usually have a lot of questions and I didn't want a coach that was going to charge me every time I had a question. Ashley let me know up front that he did not believe in that type of arrangement. If he agreed to coach me I could ask as many questions as I needed and he was there to help me. He told me that he normally works with someone for a full year to train for an IronMan. But he understood my goal and desire to do this race and said if I was willing to train with a very aggressive schedule he could get me to a point where I would be prepared to finish the Florida IronMan in November.
So with that initial phone call I had a coach. Within a week I had a training schedule posted on Training Peaks. I felt good about the decision and I loved the idea of a weekly schedule that I could follow. I now had a coach that would outline and track my workouts and progress. Plus I had someone with much more experience than me to talk with about my training and race results. I was ready to kick my training into high gear.
The only thing Ashley asked that I do before getting started with him was to get the medical ok from my gastric bypass surgeon before the intense training started. So I made an appointment with Dr.Lin at George Washington Hospital. I explained what I had been doing over the last year and that I intended to race the Florida IronMan in November of 2009. Dr. Lin thought that given my success with the surgery over the last six years, there was no reason that I could not train and participate in the IronMan Florida. So with the medical ok and a coach lined up it was time let the serious training begin.
I had been doing some research into on line coaching services but really had no way of knowing if the services worked and I was not fond of having to commit to a coach I had never met. I think personal interaction is important and I kept searching. I decided I would like to find a local coach if I could.
I was going to more of the Annapolis Triathlon Club meeting and had met one of the members that was also responsible for the education clinics the club offered. His name was Ashley Halsey and it turns out he was a triathlon coach. I had listed to him talk at a few meetings and he seemed very knowledgeable. I decided I would contact him about my plans for the Florida Ironman and about hiring him as a coach.
Ashley and I had a long talk on the phone about my history of weight loss surgery and my triathlon training goals. I also asked him about his triathlon experience and he talked to me about his coaching philosophy. I knew in that first conversation I wanted to work with him. I needed someone that had the knowledge to guide me and help me plan for the Florida Ironman. But I also needed someone I could correspond with on a regular basis. I usually have a lot of questions and I didn't want a coach that was going to charge me every time I had a question. Ashley let me know up front that he did not believe in that type of arrangement. If he agreed to coach me I could ask as many questions as I needed and he was there to help me. He told me that he normally works with someone for a full year to train for an IronMan. But he understood my goal and desire to do this race and said if I was willing to train with a very aggressive schedule he could get me to a point where I would be prepared to finish the Florida IronMan in November.
So with that initial phone call I had a coach. Within a week I had a training schedule posted on Training Peaks. I felt good about the decision and I loved the idea of a weekly schedule that I could follow. I now had a coach that would outline and track my workouts and progress. Plus I had someone with much more experience than me to talk with about my training and race results. I was ready to kick my training into high gear.
The only thing Ashley asked that I do before getting started with him was to get the medical ok from my gastric bypass surgeon before the intense training started. So I made an appointment with Dr.Lin at George Washington Hospital. I explained what I had been doing over the last year and that I intended to race the Florida IronMan in November of 2009. Dr. Lin thought that given my success with the surgery over the last six years, there was no reason that I could not train and participate in the IronMan Florida. So with the medical ok and a coach lined up it was time let the serious training begin.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
May Race reports part 2
My next race was two weeks later at Cascade Lake. This was a sprint race I did last year that I enjoyed, so I wanted to do it again. Race morning arrived and it was again raining. There was construction on the road leading to the race site and I almost did not make the race. I only had 10 minutes to set up transition and get down to the swim. I was a very stressful morning.
Once I got everything set up and down to the lake I had few minutes to relax before my swim start. This is a pretty short easy swim of 1/3rd of a mile. After the problems with my swim start in Columbia I decided to hold back a bit at the start. Well that didn't work. I did not get hit this time, but I started out way to fast and had that tight chest feeling and had to again slow down and take a moment to get my breathing under control. Once I collected myself I started swimming faster but I was swimming blind. My goggles had fogged up and I had a problem seeing. It was a pretty short swim so I made it out ok. Once you exit the water there is about a 300 yard run uphill to get to the transition area.
When I got to transition I ran to where I thought my bike should be but did not see it. So I stood there for a moment and thought someone had taken my bike. Then I realized someone had knocked my bike off the rack and it was laying on the ground.
The bike course is pretty short (about 15 miles) but it has a few tough hills. I had a better bike than last year since I didn't get stung by a bee on my face this time. The bike was uneventful and I felt good coming off the bike.
Coming out of T2 you have a steep downhill to the main run course. The run is two loops of a fairly flat road. Last year I had pulled my hamstring a week before the race so I did not have a good race (plus i had been stung by a bee during the bike). My goal this year was to finish the run in under 30 minutes and the race in under 1:45. As I started the 2nd loop of the run I knew I would have to push it to make my time goals. When you approach the finish of this race the last 100 yds are almost straight up hill to the finish line. I simply ran out of gas on the last hill. I finished the run in 30:05 and my race time was 1:46:12. Not the results I wanted but still much better than the year before.
Once I got everything set up and down to the lake I had few minutes to relax before my swim start. This is a pretty short easy swim of 1/3rd of a mile. After the problems with my swim start in Columbia I decided to hold back a bit at the start. Well that didn't work. I did not get hit this time, but I started out way to fast and had that tight chest feeling and had to again slow down and take a moment to get my breathing under control. Once I collected myself I started swimming faster but I was swimming blind. My goggles had fogged up and I had a problem seeing. It was a pretty short swim so I made it out ok. Once you exit the water there is about a 300 yard run uphill to get to the transition area.
When I got to transition I ran to where I thought my bike should be but did not see it. So I stood there for a moment and thought someone had taken my bike. Then I realized someone had knocked my bike off the rack and it was laying on the ground.
The bike course is pretty short (about 15 miles) but it has a few tough hills. I had a better bike than last year since I didn't get stung by a bee on my face this time. The bike was uneventful and I felt good coming off the bike.
Coming out of T2 you have a steep downhill to the main run course. The run is two loops of a fairly flat road. Last year I had pulled my hamstring a week before the race so I did not have a good race (plus i had been stung by a bee during the bike). My goal this year was to finish the run in under 30 minutes and the race in under 1:45. As I started the 2nd loop of the run I knew I would have to push it to make my time goals. When you approach the finish of this race the last 100 yds are almost straight up hill to the finish line. I simply ran out of gas on the last hill. I finished the run in 30:05 and my race time was 1:46:12. Not the results I wanted but still much better than the year before.
May Race reports
My first race of 2009 was the Columbia Triathlon. This is a race I wanted to do last year and did not get in as it was sold out. This is a pretty popular race in my area and thought it would be a good race to start off 2009. It is an olympic distance race and it is earlier in the season. So for many people it is their first race of the year, as it was for me. This is a pretty challenging course with a tough bike and a very hilly run course.
For this race we picked up our race packets and racked our bikes on Saturday. Race morning on Sunday was rainy and cool and the traffic getting to the race site was terrible. I actually had to park my car and walk about a mile to get into the park where the race was held. Transition closed at 6am but my swim wave was the last of the day so I had to wait around for an hour and forty five minutes. Waiting was tough. You see the other waves going and you just want to get started.
The swim takes place in Centennial lake in Columbia Maryland. As my swim wave was starting it began to rain. It was a cool day so the water was actually warmer than the air temperature. As my wave was finally called to start I was ready to get going. My first mistake was to position myself in the middle on the swim. I usually start on either side but I figured I would give the middle a try. Big mistake! I was kicked and hit several times in the first 100 yards. It was then that I sort of panicked and had one of those "what am I doing here" moments. I had to take couple of minutes to collect myself and get my breathing under control. After a few minutes I was able to get into a smooth rhythm and steady pace. My swim time was not very good but considering the horrible start I was happy it was over.
Coming into transition was a bit odd. Since I was in the last swim wave, when I came into transition there were only a couple of dozen bikes left. It was an odd sight to see transition completely empty. It made it easy to find my bike but it just looked strange. I also had the person in front of me coming out of the water fall right in front of me so I had to hop over him.
Now the rain had stopped but the roads were still wet. I have never ridden my bike in the rain so I was really nervous. I was not going to crash in the first race of the year, so I decided to go as fast as I could SAFELY go. This is a really technical hilly course and I had never ridden it before. So I went as hard as I could for the conditions but it was definitely a tough ride and not my best effort. Plus I was COLD. The combination of the cool rain and the wind on the ride had me very cold. This was the toughest ride I have had in any race.
Coming back into transition all the bikes that were missing after the swim were now back. As I said it was cool and I was wet and cold. My feet were completely wet and numb. I didn't have another pair of socks or I would have changed socks. I also decided to put on another shirt as I was shivering at this point.
As I started the run my feet were really hurting. I actually sat on a bench about 1/2 mile into the run to tie my shoes again. It felt like I was running on nails for the first mile or so. As you run around the park there are a couple of small hills and then as you are leaving the park to go into the neighborhood you have to go up a MONSTER of a hill. It feels like it is straight up. Once up the big hill out of the park, you go into a neighborhood with some bill hills again. There are parts of the run where you just seem like you are walking uphill. Now as you reenter the park you do get to go down the big hill we went up earlier but by that time my legs were spent. As you reenter the park you can start to hear the announcer at the finish line. With about a 1/2 mile to go you can actually see the finish line and I just tried to finish as strong as possible. It was at his point a women was screaming at me "keep going you can make it. I must have looked really bad. This was the first race my wife and kids came to and it was nice to see them as I finished the race. My finishing time was 3:27, my worst time for any race to date.
This was a difficult race for me . I was not prepared for the conditions and I had not trained enough. I knew that I definitely needed to train harder if I was going to compete in an Ironman in 6 months.
For this race we picked up our race packets and racked our bikes on Saturday. Race morning on Sunday was rainy and cool and the traffic getting to the race site was terrible. I actually had to park my car and walk about a mile to get into the park where the race was held. Transition closed at 6am but my swim wave was the last of the day so I had to wait around for an hour and forty five minutes. Waiting was tough. You see the other waves going and you just want to get started.
The swim takes place in Centennial lake in Columbia Maryland. As my swim wave was starting it began to rain. It was a cool day so the water was actually warmer than the air temperature. As my wave was finally called to start I was ready to get going. My first mistake was to position myself in the middle on the swim. I usually start on either side but I figured I would give the middle a try. Big mistake! I was kicked and hit several times in the first 100 yards. It was then that I sort of panicked and had one of those "what am I doing here" moments. I had to take couple of minutes to collect myself and get my breathing under control. After a few minutes I was able to get into a smooth rhythm and steady pace. My swim time was not very good but considering the horrible start I was happy it was over.
Coming into transition was a bit odd. Since I was in the last swim wave, when I came into transition there were only a couple of dozen bikes left. It was an odd sight to see transition completely empty. It made it easy to find my bike but it just looked strange. I also had the person in front of me coming out of the water fall right in front of me so I had to hop over him.
Now the rain had stopped but the roads were still wet. I have never ridden my bike in the rain so I was really nervous. I was not going to crash in the first race of the year, so I decided to go as fast as I could SAFELY go. This is a really technical hilly course and I had never ridden it before. So I went as hard as I could for the conditions but it was definitely a tough ride and not my best effort. Plus I was COLD. The combination of the cool rain and the wind on the ride had me very cold. This was the toughest ride I have had in any race.
Coming back into transition all the bikes that were missing after the swim were now back. As I said it was cool and I was wet and cold. My feet were completely wet and numb. I didn't have another pair of socks or I would have changed socks. I also decided to put on another shirt as I was shivering at this point.
As I started the run my feet were really hurting. I actually sat on a bench about 1/2 mile into the run to tie my shoes again. It felt like I was running on nails for the first mile or so. As you run around the park there are a couple of small hills and then as you are leaving the park to go into the neighborhood you have to go up a MONSTER of a hill. It feels like it is straight up. Once up the big hill out of the park, you go into a neighborhood with some bill hills again. There are parts of the run where you just seem like you are walking uphill. Now as you reenter the park you do get to go down the big hill we went up earlier but by that time my legs were spent. As you reenter the park you can start to hear the announcer at the finish line. With about a 1/2 mile to go you can actually see the finish line and I just tried to finish as strong as possible. It was at his point a women was screaming at me "keep going you can make it. I must have looked really bad. This was the first race my wife and kids came to and it was nice to see them as I finished the race. My finishing time was 3:27, my worst time for any race to date.
This was a difficult race for me . I was not prepared for the conditions and I had not trained enough. I knew that I definitely needed to train harder if I was going to compete in an Ironman in 6 months.
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