White Lake half report

Well is was a beautiful day for a triathlon. The temp at sunrise was 70 degrees with light winds and clear skies. Bill G. and I left our hotel at 0515 on our bikes with all our transition gear. It was only about 3 miles to the start/transition/finish area and parking was sparse. We arrived and got our bodies marked, picked up our timing chips, setup our transition area and then waited....and waited.....and waited. I'll never understand why I show up so early, but the one time I decided to show up "on time" is the time I'll forget something or the porti-potty line will be 2000 people deep.

The official start time was 0700 and my age group start time was 0725. I was ready to go at 0715 with my support team in place. Thank you Lisa! I entered the water and spent about 5 minutes warming up. I then took my place in line for the start and we waited....and waited...and waited. Finally at 0735 my age group (45-49) got the start horn. I have to say that if I need to work on anything it's my swim and especially my swim start. I took off like a marlin and got about 100 meters when I suddenly realized that I couldn't breath. OMG I went out waaaaay to fast. It took me 400 meters to settle down and get into a good rhythm. I was able to pass a few people on the way to the swim finish. My time out of the water was 38:01. I was really trying for 30 minutes but came up short.

The swim to bike transition went really well. I was in and out in 1 minute and 55 seconds.

The bike was mostly flat with OK roads, you know when you drive over a bridge and it sounds like...thump, thump, thump....well that was most of my 56 mile bike. We started with a nice tailwind but that soon turned into a headwind and cross wind for most of the race. The only issue with the bike was the lack of water points. There was one point at mile 18, mile 28 and mile 52. I'm not sure who set them up but I was out of water by the time I got to mile 52 and I ride with three 24 oz water bottles. Overall the bike was good and I hit my predicted time. I finished my bike ride in 2:45:48.

The bike to run transition went smoothly also. I can tweak a few things but overall it was pretty fast. I was in and out in 1 minute and 26 seconds.

When I started the run I had a cramp in my left leg. I was worried that if it didn't get better I might be walking all day. The best thing about these triathlons is the water station at every mile. So at mile one I was yelling for some salt tablets and a young lady calmly handed me a small dixie cup with one salt tablet and a cup of water. I said thank you, took my pill, drank my water and took off. By mile 2 the cramp was history and I was moving. Of all the events in a triathlon the run is my favorite. I was enjoying this run because I was slowly picking off guys in my age group that had passed me on the bike. I think I pass 5 or 6 but whose counting? The heat was a major issue and I ended up walking through every water station. That was a big help because just a few seconds walking and getting a good drink of water makes a big difference when it's that hot. My run time was right on. I finished strong with a 1:46:45.

My total time was 5:13:53 and that got me a 7th place age group finish. I'm very happy with my results. Now it's time to crank up the training for Ironman Louisville. I've been half the distance, now I want to go the full distance.

I want to say a very special thanks to Lisa my girl for being there for me all weekend. Thanks Baby!! And my parents, Jack and Linda for watching my girls while I was out playing.

Have a good weekend friends.