Eagleman redux... post race debrief
Hey guys! So great to meet so many of you over the weekend! Hope you all fared well in the crazy hot weather.
I posted my race report... a tad on the long side (for those of you who met me at dinner... you probably figured out I like to tell stories) 
. But I was curious what you thought of the day, particularly the swim. I am just still completely baffled by my swim time. Last year I logged a 35. Granted that was with a wetsuit... but I've done a few OLYs without a wetsuit and done 1500m in about 27-28. It should not have taken me another 13 minutes to go 400m. Do you think the course was mismarked/long? I just find it hard to believe I was so relaxed and calm that I was swimming that slowly...
Anyway... bummed at my time... but happy with my time. It seems like although slower, my rank improved slightly in my division and a decent amount in my gender from last year (and my first and only other HIM) - not sure about overall. I'm very, very curious to see the run stats (not yet posted) - to see if holding myself back on the bike really paid off... I will say it totally stunk to get passed by so many more people than I passed on the bike... but sort of nice to pass so many walkers on the run... although it was a total test of will to not walk myself. My legs didn't need it, but it was a total body exhaustion situation... ugh...
definitely curious about your experiences and your thoughts! in any event, congratulations - it was a rough day!
Comments
hey, a tri clubber friend just sent me this... interesting!
Still trying to get myself right after yesterday. My thoughts on the swim.
I think there was a good current on the first leg. Now I stink at swimming, especially without a wetsuit. But in all my times swimming 1900m in the pool I have hit rigth around 38'. I swam well yesterday and sighted well. Shockingly I went straight. I checked my watch at the first turn. 30'. It took me 26' for the second two legs. How is that possible if not current? I just don't think the wind would have blown the buoys that far away and still justify my time, albeit terrible.
Good to see you pre and during race. You could have said hello when you passed me on the run! I think it was around mile 7 or 8 but to be honest I was pretty dizzy out there.
Nemo-- good to met you yesterday. How are you feeling. My friend got an IV and he perked up quick.
For the last 24 hours I have been bitching about this race, but my perspective is starting to change. I met so many cool people and we all gave words of encouragement along the run. It was tough, I gutted it out, PR'd, and added the experience to my mental 6 pack! I'll be back to fight another day!
PS- anyone who PR'd yesterday deserves HUGE kudos!!!
Yeah, when I got out of the water and looked at my watch and saw 48 minutes I just started laughing. I had problems with leaky goggles right at the start which probably cost me a minute or two and I'm not the best at swimming in a straight line but overall I felt good during the swim (didn't feel like I was struggling) so I was really surprised to see 48 minutes. I swam 36 minutes last year with a wetsuit. When they announced no wetsuits before the race I assumed it would add maybe 3-4 minutes max to my time. It wasn't until later when I learned the EVERYBODY'S swim times were slower that I didn't feel so bad about it. I gotta figure it was some combination of current, wind, long course, etc. But everyone had to deal with the same thing I suppose.
In the end I finished with almost the same time I had last year but considering the swim and the brutal conditions on the run I was very satisfied with the result. Had a great day on the bike and even though I had to really dial down my target pace for the run I practiced good aid station survival skills and was able to hold that pace all the way (any notions of "picking it up" at the end were quickly killed).
But I must say I've never been so happy to finish a race as this one. The last mile I was just praying I wouldn't see anyone in my age group ahead of me because I just didn't have anything left to pick up the pace.
Becky/Nemo, wish I had found you guys in transition or saw you out on the course. I was lucky enough to see/meet Dan, Joe, Cary and Tucker and also got shouts from a couple of EN women out on the course (were you guys in your EN kits?) so it felt good to see the team out there getting it done. Hopefully, we can meet up next year (although I don't want to think about next year right now
).
-Chris
@Chris - about the same as last year - with a longer swim and crazy hot/humid run - that's fantastic! If I factor out the swim I'm about the same as last year... so I call it about even and in my heart of hearts I know it was a sub 6 day for me and I gave it what I could.
Yup, the EN chicas were all wearing kits... I gave a shout out to anyone wearing an EN kit, so it may have been me (but I suspect Kate and Nemo were doing the same). I have a room booked for next year (at the Hyatt) for Sat and Sun (never want to deal with that traffic again, especially after that brutality)... but still not sure if I'm going for a 3-peat... we'll see. Might go on a European bike tour instead... because the week after is my drop dead IM date (assuming I become a cowgirl next year).
OK, then I definitely saw you guys out on the course at some point. I was in a bit of a haze toward the end. Yeah, those DC tri club kits had me doing double-takes the entire run.
Yeah, if I had been able to do the swim just a couple minutes faster it would've been a PR but no complaints. It was mostly about survival at the end. After that horrible start I was pleasantly surprised to find out I was 17th out of 238 in my age group (M 40-44) and 79th overall!
Nice race, Chris. Thought I was holding my own on the bike at mile 40 until you streaked passed. Dang!
I can say you were the only person to pass me like that after mile 20-ish! I knew from Brierman you're a runner. Great job...
Patrick
Hey, Cary, sorry I totally missed your shout-out. Like I said, I was deep into the hurt at that point and just hoping to see the next aid station.
Dan, you looked great out there. Congrats to you on 55th in our AG! You really rocked the swim and bike! Next year I'll try to follow you on the swim so I can go straight.
Hey, did you guys see that "Coach Troy" Jacobson from Spinervals fame won the M40-44 AG? He came out of "retirement" this year to race as an age grouper. He won Eagleman a couple of times when he was a pro several years back. I was only 7 minutes behind him on the bike but he totally smoked the run.
FWIW, registration for 2011 opened this morning (at 9am EST). I'm in again. Why? Well, obviously I'm a glutton for punishment. Kate told me she was planning to register, too . . . hope you'll join us. Let's start praying now for cloudy skies, cool temps, and no sea nettles.
And, since some of you are somewhat close to the area - Cheseapeake Man (9/25/10) is still open. In addition to the IM and the Aqua Velo, there's a new race, a skip jack, this year. It's a 1.2mi swim, 64 mi bike, and a 10 mile run. The timing works out really well for my RR for IMFL, so I registered for the AV...
Oh, and on a totally unrelated note... for the NoVa men in this thread... were you riding Beach Dr yesterday (8/1). I am almost positive I saw an EN jersey twice - once alone, the second time with a woman (wearing a blue kit)... I gave a shout out, but I wasn't in my EN threads... so you probably thought I was some nutty woman staring you down.
Twas not I, as I was going in circles at Prince William Forest on Sunday doing my best to avoid the most suicidal squirrels on the planet.
@Tony - PWF was my plan but there was a crazy traffic jam on 95 so we bagged it, turned around and headed to rock creek park. hmm suicidal squirrels, nice! they've stayed away when I'm out there.