Amy Sorensen HiTS North Country RR
HiTS North Country –Hague, NY
Half Iron Distance 6/27/15
Race Report
This event was well organized and set in a beautiful location. The swim was in Lake George. The bike and run were set on Adirondack Mountain roads. Overall, I would say that this is NOT the course for you if you are looking to set a PR, but if you are looking for a challenging event with a small town feel and breathtaking views, come race Hague!
Race day:
My feelings going in to this race were pretty calm. I knew ahead of time that the course was tough, so I did not set a specific time goal. My goal was to race on feel, trying to be strong and steady through all three disciplines. I really wanted to “test” how things are feeling (in a longer race situation) this far in to my training. I am about 7 weeks out from my “A” race.
Woke easily after a sound night of sleep. Had coffee and a small amount of egg/cheese sandwich.
Prepped last minute nutrition to add to bike and headed to race start. It was an easy check in with a great transition area set-up.
The race was a mass-start with both half and full participants. The swim was a counter-clockwise loop. The water was shallow, calm and a comfortable temp. I was using a full wetsuit that was only purchased a few weeks ago, so I was eager to see how it would go. (I did choose to pull off to the far side of the starting area to begin the swim. –This is just because I am more comfortable NOT stuck in the middle of the swim pack.) The swim felt good. NOT fast, but comfortable. I popped out of the water at 48 minutes, but then had to walk several yards through the shallow water to the beach, so my actual swim time was 50:31.
T1 (1:52)
The bike was an out and back, and quite challenging. The first 5 miles are pretty intense climbing, then the course is rolling until the turn around. Miles 47-51 you climb up again, then it is a steep 5 mile descent into town. I knew the first 5 were going to be hard to climb, so I just took it easy and spun up in my baby gear. The rollers throughout the rest of the course were manageable and I thought I could use them to make up some time, but in the end my average pace was still pretty slow, which is somewhat disappointing. However, I kept a good eye on my heart rate, watts and overall feel on the ride –and kept everything in check. My nutrition was appropriate and energy felt balanced. The final climb (from mile 47-51) felt the hardest, most likely because of where it falls in the ride. Again, I just put it in the baby gear and spun up. The last descent in to town is a gift. My bike split was 3:39:06 with an actual ride time of 3:37:39. (Stopped to adjust equipment/pee)
Here are the stats from my Garmin: HR 144, Watts 140, AVG Speed 15.4, Elevation gain: 4,159 loss: 4,157.
T2 (3:23- lollygagged!)
The run is rolling hills along the lake. Some of the run is on pavement and some is on dirt road. Like the bike, this run had some challenging terrain. I felt good on the run. I did not use my watch too much, just went on feel. I used the nutrition provided by the race (water/HEED). I was able to keep a smile on my face, felt light on my feet and encourage other runners along the way, -so that is a successful run for me!
(This run was short according to my Garmin 12.52m)
Time: 149:38
Avg HR 161, Avg pace 8:47
Overall, it was a great day for a race. Little to no wind and decent cloud cover. I would do this race again for the half. I do not think I would choose Hague for a full IM, mostly because it is SO small. (We were there cheering on some of the iron distance finishers and the finish line was like a ghost town. Most everything was cleaned up and most people went home by the time the first place IM finisher came in. How Sad! Call me crazy, but if I am putting in the effort for a full distance event, I would like just a tad bit more excitement at the end. J!!!)
In the end I felt really good. I am writing this report 2 days later and still feel good. –Not too much muscle tenderness or fatigue, so hopefully that means I am on track for my IM at Tremblant.
Overall race time: 6:24:32 (2nd place age group finisher 40-44)
Comments
Thanks Doug! It was an adventure!