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William C's race report
My goal heading into Eagleman was to race smart. I crashed one week before the race and was dealing with right shoulder weakness and road rash. A practice swim on Friday confirmed I could swim and I was ready to go to Cambridge for the race.
My wife and I arrived Saturday and went straight to race registration. After registration it was off to the race site to drop off the bikes and then back to registration for the athlete talk. Following the talk, we registered at the Hyatt, ate dinner, prepped for race day, and went to bed.
The alarm went off at 4 am and it was time to get up and get breakfast. I was not feeling great so I decided to get my oatmeal and take it with me to transition. We arrived to set up and I realized I left my water bottles in the hotel room. I finished setting up and went to catch the shuttle bus back to the hotel. I managed to get the bottles and get back to transition as they were closing transition. I managed to get in to drop off my nutrition, but could not set up my bike. Oh well, at least I had a long time to calm down before starting the race. The race was not wetsuit legal and I made the decision to wear my wetsuit and start in the last wave. The decision would allow me to settle down and would virtually eliminate the possibility of being beaten up in the swim and re-injuring my shoulder.
Unfortunately, I realized I left my oatmeal in transition along with my pre-race gels. I was about to start a 70.3 race and I had not eaten anything all morning. How bad can that possibly hurt me? (The answer is a lot.)
The swim was uneventful, as expected. I took it very easy and finished feeling fine. I entered transition and loaded my bike with my Infinit bottles and headed out on the course.
I was one of the last people out of transition and was very careful not to start too fast on the bike in an effort to pass people. I kept within my numbers and finished the bike in 2:5* something. The course is very flat and allows you to stay in aero for the entire 56 miles if you are so inclined. I did stay in aero for the overwhelming majority of the time. I felt surprisingly good since I normally train on hills and do not get to spend so much time in aero. I will try to train in flatter areas leading up to IMMD. The only negative is I ran out of nutrition 15 minutes before I finished the bike leg. I think I must have tried to overcompensate for my lack of breakfast and drank my Infinit faster than normal.
T2 was only eventful because it is when I began to cramp in my legs. I immediately began a salt tab/water/gatorade/gel plan for the run. They said the on course drink would be Perform, but everyone at the aid stations said it was Gatorade. i had two salt tabs and water leaving T2. I then grabbed Gatorade and water at every water stop. I still could not avoid the funk and was reduced to walking for long stretches. Sadly, it still did not stop me from getting nauseous. I tried to eat a gel at mile 6.5 and could not force it down. I was now resigned to running slowly/walking the rest of the run. I did keep taking salt tabs and water but abandoned the Gatorade.
At mile 11 I had an asthma attack and began coughing uncontrollably. Sadly, my inhaler was in transition.
I did finish and managed to run the last .5 miles to the finish. My time was 6:30, which is my slowest HIM to date. I received treatment for my asthma in the medical aid tent and began to reflect on my day. In the end, I did not finish with the time I expected, but I did manage to overcome multiple self-inflicted issues to finish the race. I hope I have learned the importance of eating properly before a race, double checking everything before heading to the race, and carrying my inhaler with me on the course (something I usually do but for some unknown reason I thought having it in transition would be a good idea).
My wife and I arrived Saturday and went straight to race registration. After registration it was off to the race site to drop off the bikes and then back to registration for the athlete talk. Following the talk, we registered at the Hyatt, ate dinner, prepped for race day, and went to bed.
The alarm went off at 4 am and it was time to get up and get breakfast. I was not feeling great so I decided to get my oatmeal and take it with me to transition. We arrived to set up and I realized I left my water bottles in the hotel room. I finished setting up and went to catch the shuttle bus back to the hotel. I managed to get the bottles and get back to transition as they were closing transition. I managed to get in to drop off my nutrition, but could not set up my bike. Oh well, at least I had a long time to calm down before starting the race. The race was not wetsuit legal and I made the decision to wear my wetsuit and start in the last wave. The decision would allow me to settle down and would virtually eliminate the possibility of being beaten up in the swim and re-injuring my shoulder.
Unfortunately, I realized I left my oatmeal in transition along with my pre-race gels. I was about to start a 70.3 race and I had not eaten anything all morning. How bad can that possibly hurt me? (The answer is a lot.)
The swim was uneventful, as expected. I took it very easy and finished feeling fine. I entered transition and loaded my bike with my Infinit bottles and headed out on the course.
I was one of the last people out of transition and was very careful not to start too fast on the bike in an effort to pass people. I kept within my numbers and finished the bike in 2:5* something. The course is very flat and allows you to stay in aero for the entire 56 miles if you are so inclined. I did stay in aero for the overwhelming majority of the time. I felt surprisingly good since I normally train on hills and do not get to spend so much time in aero. I will try to train in flatter areas leading up to IMMD. The only negative is I ran out of nutrition 15 minutes before I finished the bike leg. I think I must have tried to overcompensate for my lack of breakfast and drank my Infinit faster than normal.
T2 was only eventful because it is when I began to cramp in my legs. I immediately began a salt tab/water/gatorade/gel plan for the run. They said the on course drink would be Perform, but everyone at the aid stations said it was Gatorade. i had two salt tabs and water leaving T2. I then grabbed Gatorade and water at every water stop. I still could not avoid the funk and was reduced to walking for long stretches. Sadly, it still did not stop me from getting nauseous. I tried to eat a gel at mile 6.5 and could not force it down. I was now resigned to running slowly/walking the rest of the run. I did keep taking salt tabs and water but abandoned the Gatorade.
At mile 11 I had an asthma attack and began coughing uncontrollably. Sadly, my inhaler was in transition.
I did finish and managed to run the last .5 miles to the finish. My time was 6:30, which is my slowest HIM to date. I received treatment for my asthma in the medical aid tent and began to reflect on my day. In the end, I did not finish with the time I expected, but I did manage to overcome multiple self-inflicted issues to finish the race. I hope I have learned the importance of eating properly before a race, double checking everything before heading to the race, and carrying my inhaler with me on the course (something I usually do but for some unknown reason I thought having it in transition would be a good idea).
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Comments
It was nice meeting you guys before the race also. You could have come by the Team Fight tent for nutrition. Some random racer asked for a banana, so IF it ever happens again, just ask at one of the tents.
Glad you got to finish even with all the extra's in your day.
Wow, crazy day! Next time staple breakfast to your hand?
Congrats and every race is a learning opportunity!
Huge kudos to you for powering through! My husband told me about your water bottle debacle... I'm glad you guys ran into each other so you didn't have to wait for the shuttle bus.
Anyway, It was great to meet you and Kathy!