Mighty Montauk 10/1/2006

Background

After getting sick 4 weeks before IM Canada and not being able to race, focus has been a problem. I raced a team 24 hour mountain bike race in September and won and have just not been excited about swimming or consistent training. No open water swimming since July and only 3000 yds of VASA work. Also, I had several family commitments planned that were suppose to be in the off season which were now very much in season. I haven't had a training week over 9 hours since July. At least I was rested. I decided to put some of my Summer fitness to use and get something for all my efforts even if it was an unenthusiastic effort. I signed up for MM the week before the race (just in case I wanted to back out)

The weekend was beautiful. 70 degrees and sunny every day except.....more on that later. I stayed on the beach with my family (wife, son and Parents) and there were several friends staying in the area. Great location for a race and a nice weekend.

Pre Race

I woke up at 4AM for my pre race routine. Out the door at 5.30AM.....what the **** happened to the weather??!! 30 mph winds and raining sideways!! I had trouble holding my bike in place. About 1/4 of the way to the race start, I turned around to go back to the hotel. I decided the rear disc wheel had to come off, it just wasn't safe. A little stress but mission accomplished.

Transition was one big puddle and it was still very dark. I managed a run warm up but nothing else, the weather was just too bad. EVERYTHING I had was now soaked. I decide then and there that I'm not going for time, I'll going to be safe.

700 people pre registered, in the end only 485 entered the water and 387 finished the race.

Swim

Race Director announced the race would go!! I have to believe most RD would have cancelled the race. 15 min before the start, the buoys were still in the truck so it must have been touch and go. The RD announced that the waves were to stay in the tent until called, I was in the third wave of 4 so I hung around. After a while, I decided to make my way to the start with a co-worker doing the race. While we were still about 50 yds from the start, they announce wave 3 is to go off in 45 sec!!! So, much for the announcement!. I run to the water and as I hit the water, the gun goes off, still don't have my goggles on and I haven't even seen the course. I don't even know if the course is clockwise or counterclockwise!!

I get the goggles on but visibility is very low. I stop one more time for a goggle adjustment. Its VERY windy. The waves are high for a lake and it is just pouring. Anyway....I never find any feet, I stop often to try to site and I come out of the water in 33.19 min for the 51st fastest swim. Not bad for no goggles, no prep and no visibility. Lack of open water swimming clearly hurt my time as well.

Bike

Decent transition considering the condition. I start really picking people off because I had a decent swim and was in the last wave of non relay racers. I have done ALOT of training in the rain this year getting ready for IM. I would say 3/4 of my long rides were in the rain this summer. The only real challenge was the downhills. It was slick and VERY windy and there were big puddles especially at the bottom of hills. I pretty much coasted every downhill upright out of the aero bars.

At about mile 15 (an out and back) I notice the top 5 guys and probably 7 out of the top 10 are using discs. Shit....that's going to cost me - but I'm really not sure I could have stayed upright. No one else but those 7 had a disc.

At mile 30, I come very close to going over the handlebars when a puddle is actually about two feet deep!! I hit it at about 25mph. Ykes, be carefull!! I come through the 1/2 way point in about 1.20 and feel pretty good considering... I think maybe I should start to push. On the second loop, they close the out and back where I almost went over the bars. It cut 8 miles off the bike. Bummer, they're taking away 8 miles of my strength. Also, now my pacing is all messed up. I don't have a bike computer so I'm just not sure, so I just put the hammer down.

Amazingly I only consume a 1/2 bottle of water and 1/2 bottle of SE the whole bike.

I come off the bike in 2.10 for the 12th fastest bike split. I'm right up there with everyone except the guys with discs. They all had about 10 minutes on me. If I could have stayed upright, I clearly should have used the disc.

Run

Another good transition and the run starts. I only have two things to say here. Holy crap was it hilly!! And I can't believe they didn't call the race. The thunder and lightning started on the bike and now it was really bad. We were constantly running through ankle deep water. I heard a fire whistle (sounded like the horn they blow when they want you off the golf course) and I think, that's it there going to start pulling people off the course, but no!! I just keep trucking. At mile 9 my calves start to really hurt but I plow through. I run fairly well for me. I finish in 1.40.30 for the 41st fastest run. As usual, slowest in the top 20.

I finish 15th overall and 3rd in the 40-44 in 4.27. Somehow, the guy who won the age group finished second overall but because he did not register as an elite he wasn't given second. The guy that was second in my AG was 1.30 ahead and I had a much faster bike. The 8 miles would have helped there.

I always wanted to break 4.30 (my PR is 4.34), this is one way to do it, cut 8 miles off the bike. I figure the 8 miles was around 20 minutes, so a 4.47 in bad conditions. That's a pretty slow bike for me but the course was surprisingly hilly. FYI, the end of Long Island is NOT flat.

Not a bad result for no real focus, no swim training and just horrendous conditions. I wore racing flats (with socks this time) and I really injured my lower legs. Time to put those away for anything more than a 10k. Of course the extra weight I'm carrying around since hanging up my IM training didn't help.

My biggest losses came from 1) the swim - a little more course prep (and being there for the start) and I would have had another 2-3 minutes and 2) the disc, although as I stated, I'm still not sure. For those of you that know me, bike handling is not my strong point (can you say Jan Ullrich going down hill!!)

Until next time....