[Itc] DE Diamondman (Ironman Minus 50%) RR

[Natalie Couch]

This is the other F25-29 AG-er, reporting in, on the:

*Seventy point Three*... or was it more ??


*SPECS*

Location:  Lums Pond State Park in  Bear, DE <http://www.destateparks.com/>

Participants:  213

People playing bagpipes at mile 8 of the run:  sadly, there were none


Cloudy, little to no breeze, cool.

**

*SWIM*

I have not been training with a wetsuit, but when i made a last minute
outfit change from a one piece to a two, I decided to borrow Ryan's wetsuit
for the swim (since he wouldn't need it for the Sprint). As Kira mentioned,
the transition area was at least .4 miles from the swim exit. Once i opted
to leave my shoes at the exit area for this little pre-bike jog, I realized
i would also be either wearing or carrying my new addition, the ws. Two
minutes before our wave was called to the start, i changed my mind and left
the ws with my shoes. You know, just to carry with me for fun (too late to
take back to T1).

In water start.

At ~68degrees, i was pretty chilled by the time we got going. Immediately, i
realized the wetsuit would have been a wise choice, since my tank top became
a dragging balloon. The first four minutes were a chaotic mess (as usual).
Soon after, everyone seemed to separate into pace zones, with little to no
clobbering. I had trouble finding my rhythm. Not enough coffee!? The swim
lasted an eternity. And then some. I had joked with Kira the day before
about calling this a 71.1 thanks to the jog before transition. All jokes
aside, that swim had to be 1.35 miles.(Or was it? ;) The water and swimmers
were peaceful, but my time was disturbingly slower than i had anticipated.

41:48



Reaching for my helmet - - oh, the lats !!

The cheers of supporters who don't know me at all - - - -  I feel better
suddenly !!! ;)

T1: 2:15


*BIKE*

That little breeze started picking up.

An out and back.

Kira passed me before I even reached mile 10. Thanks to Kira for eagerly
recommending we drive the course the night before, the twists and turns were
numerous. It was fairly flat, with the exception of a mile+ climb each way
over the chesapeake and deleware canal bridge. Each time i reached the top
of the bridge with its spectacular view, I had to remind myself that
although it was my first time in DE, i was not on a relaxed bike tour of the
state - - i was in a race. My legs didn't let me forget for too long. As
suspected, i was passed by many faster cyclists during this section of the
tri. But my average mph told me to hold my chin high since i was maintaing a
pace that i rarely do. Strong head wind on the return. Very strong. Yet,
somehow, i picked it up and passed a few girls in my age group who had
caught me at mile 29. I kept telling myself i would catch the rest on the
run. I was feeling pretty good and trying to be very careful about my
nutrition. But i felt too full. I was thirsty but didn't have room for it.
So i held out for water on the run.

The sun literally parted the clouds on mile 54.

And that breeze that had become a wind, well, it went away with the clouds.

3:00:21 (18.6mph)


There were an intimidatingly large amount of bikes racked in my AG's
transition area. This was motivation.

T2: 2:16


*RUN*

Oh wow, the weather was gorgeous! I felt grateful for this.

Now, it's my turn to make some time. Needless to say, the legs were bricks
when i began. But i felt strong. 7:25 pace.

Good, let's hold it there. Stomach feeling heavier, uh-oh. Mile 3, ok, i can
ignore the pain. 7:59 pace. Passing people, yes! But not fast enough. Mile
5, slowing. Can i push it more ?!? Not sure. Very flat, except 2 or 3 hills
! Yikes, watch says i'm at 9:26 minute miles. Since this was an out and
back, everyone who was not in the top 3 overall had the privilege of seeing
everyone else's facial expression in passing. Oh, the thick air of empathy!!
I distracted myself from my own pain by attempting to smile and exchange
words with others...Have to pick it back up. Mile 10, where are you !? I
tell myself at 10.5 that i won't be doing this again tomorrow and in fact, i
may be sitting in front of a glowing screen. Opportunity is now! I picked it
back up to 7:55 for the last few.

I was disappointed with my run time. What better inspiration for
brick-induced-improvement, right !?

1:53:40 (8:41)


I kind of like these half ironman things.

Overall:

5:40:19


Congratulations to Kira on a strong race ! And to Ryan for pulling a quick
sprint out of his pocket.


Thanks for your time! Embrace rest and recovery,


- Natalie
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