This past weekend we traveled to Bristol [or really Alexandria] NH in Wellington State Park to participate in the Mooseman Triathlon Festival. J was doing the Bull Moose (both the International and Half Iron races on consecutive days) and Karen registered for her first Half. I also registered for the half but after a very dismal and inconsistent (read: nonexistent) training routine, I opted instead to transfer to the Aqua Bike (just the swim/bike) portions of the race. I think I may have been in the pool maybe 5 times prior to the race and on my bike many more times but certainly not 55 miles. I relied specifically on blind faith in my strength and ability and natural athleticism (yes, I said that with a straight face).
Some random notes:swimming 1.2 mi in 45 min isn’t bad considering lack of training; wet suit strippers rock; wearing a DC Tri Club jersey gets you noticed and you make connections to random strangers who know club members far and wide [Mariana in Brazil]; most humbling moment was getting passed by the lead runner while biking up a hill–he on foot, me on bike; speed range 3.2 mph to 38 mph.
We drove up to NH on Friday a.m. leaving a bit later than we’d intended and it was a torrential downpour (as its been lately) and didn’t stop raining until we crossed the northern border of MA. It made for a slower than expected drive, much more traffic and a sum total of 11 hrs to get there. Karen had reserved a small 2 bedroom cabin about 1 mile from the race which made it convenient to get to and from the site. After reviewing all his gear, J went to bed, ready to get to the start bright and early on Saturday. We arrived in time for him to get his packet and numbers and set up his transition and still have time to leisurely get to the start. The water temperature registered just below 60 degrees, much colder than I’d expected. J was wise enough to bring his neoprene cap that we’d gotten to do last year’s Alcatraz race. I thought about it but in the end, forgot it at home. During the race, I wandered over to the expo area and bought another one. I was going to have enough challenges without my head freezing.
J came out of the water pretty well, transitioned to his bike and made short order of the course and finished with a total time of 2:39:20. Its likely that he would have finished higher but he was doing his best to hold back in preparation for the Half on Sunday. We made our way to some pizza and then followed the last portion of the bike course to see what Karen and I were in for on Sunday. While J and Karen went off to get their packets for Sunday, I opted to put on my wet suit [will it still fit?] and take a short dip in the lake. The water was cold but not so much that I couldn’t stand it. The visibility is amazing and the water seem to be very clean [more on that later]. After a brief dip, I changed clothes and took the bike out for a less than 2 mile spin to get comfortable on the terrain; hills hills everywhere. We all took a nap later on and then cooked a nice chicken, potato and asparagus dinner. We all wanted to watch Game 5 of the Stanley Cup but an 8 p.m. game doesn’t jibe well when you’re planning to leave for the race at 5:30 a.m.
Sunday a.m. at 5 a.m. we all got up and ready to roll out by 5:30 a.m. We parked a bit closer than we had on Saturday but still had to walk a decent piece to get to the park. The mood surrounding Mooseman is significantly more low key than other large scale races in which I’ve participated. Transition was manageable, there were plenty of Port-o-pots, plenty of time to get set up and head to the beach for the start.
The Swim
As an Aqua-biker, I started in the last wave, which was only one wave behind where I would have been as a full 1/2 IM participant. Either way, it wasn’t likely that I’d be a “contender” so I wasn’t at all worried. The only downside of starting in the back is that the bike course tends to be pretty desolate once you get out there [unless of course, you're a fast swimmer...I'm not]. I didn’t have a time goal one way or another so I was out for fun, a day of exercise, see some of the NH countryside, and maybe jump-start my desire to get back into training.
J’s wave went off much earlier than mine [I think his was 2nd] so he’d be out on the bike by the time I finished swimming. I got into the water prior to my wave, splashed around, got used to the cold water before I actually had to swim. I can’t say I was nervous but maybe I should have been. Sometimes the nerves propel you forward and a touch of fear is a good thing.
My wave went off and I was towards the back to avoid the melee of the crowd. It took ’till nearly the first buoy to sort things out and get into a rhythm of sorts. I usually stick pretty close to the buoy line to avoid over swimming. It was rather windy and made the water a bit choppy. I made it to the fist turn buoy no problem. As I turned to go back to shore, it seemed more difficult on the way back. I attributed it to being out of shape but I’d also lost my nice tidy sight line on the buoys. I took a few swallows of water [luckily it was clean] and at one point stopped to look at my watch (why? I’m not sure). I finally got back into a rhythm and got back to shore in no time.
Swim time: 46:02
Lets compare this to the past two swim times I had on previous Half Ironman races: Barb’s Race 38:08 [that's with a lot of training] and my last Eagleman time of 44:37 (with training, no jellyfish, no 3 ft swells). So 46:02 with no training isn’t as horrible as I thought.
Note about wet suit strippers. I usually prefer to just struggle it out on my own but as I was running past the wet suit strippers and about to head off into transition and a very persuasive volunteer convinced me to let him help me. I’m so glad I did because he had that thing off of me in no time and with a heck of a lot less effort than I would have had to put out on my own.
Somehow I remember how to transition from the swim to the bike, but not very fast. My favorite part of my transition area was my Washington Caps towel that made finding my spot so much easier. Interestingly enough, Karen, J and I all used the same Caps towel in transition.
The Bike
Since we’d driven the back 10 miles of the course the previous day, I had a vague sense of what the course would be like. Rolling hills, some short steep ones, rough pavement, not a lot of traffic, very doable. Very well marked.
I started out on the bike just focusing on completing one lap without really “racing”. The first short steep hill came within the first 10 miles. There was a woman in a devil costume, complete with makeup, cheering people up the hill (she came in handy on the 2nd loop). Sections of the race were broadcast live on the Internet for anyone bored enough to watch. I joked about the camera being a speed camera and how cruel that was. My mantra was to maintain a positive up beat attitude and just get through it. Was I having fun? Well, about 1/2 way through the 1st lap, I think I started having fun. It was a totally different ride from Barb’s race where I was on a mission to pass people, keep from being past and really race the course. There were spectators along the way, out cheering on cyclists, loads of volunteers (who I always thank for being out there). There were two aid stations that you hit 2x and I made use of aid station 2 for Gatorade and a handful of grapes. After eating 2 servings of GU and one of Margarita Clif Blocks and an entire packet of electrolyte “sheets” [its complicated] I enjoyed having some “real” food. During the 1st loop, I set a final time goal of 4:30 and an average speed goal for the bike of between 15 and 16 mph.
Somewhere just before I finished the first lap, I noticed a motorcycle passing by with his flashers on, and then an Audi, driving rather slowly and it wasn’t until a serious cyclist zoomed by me that I realized that those two previous vehicles were lead outs for the first cyclist, Elite Male, pretty impressive. After that point, I heard them coming, maybe 5 or 6 at the most, all decked out in their “sperm” helmets, disc wheels and skimpy Lycra outfits. I tried to stay out of the way and not get caught up in the finisher/2nd loop chaos that was in front of the park entrance.
After the first loop was complete, I put my head down and tried to mentally get into “race” mode. It lasted for maybe 10 miles. This time on the grueling up hill, I noted my speed (3.2 mph) and wondered how it was that I didn’t tip over. On my fastest downhill I clocked 38 mph. On a regular flat portion, I was able to maintain 18 mph but those were few and far between. By mile 40 I was tired, and mile 50 seemed so far away…I was literally counting the miles until I could get off the bike. While I CAN ride 50+ miles without much training, its not a very fun 50 miles. My butt was killing me and I was just ready to be done. I finally came into transition and didn’t at all miss having to go out to run.
Bike time: 3:35:02 (15.6 mph, hilly, windy, not a whole lot of training)
Bike time as compared to my best 56 mile bike time at Barb’s race of 3:02:33 (hilly, rough pavement, loads of training) and my last Eagleman time of 3:06:51 (18.1 mph..flat, windy, loads of training)
The Aftermath
I took my time gathering my stuff together and tried to stay out of the way of other finishers who did have to go out and run. I calculated that I had enough time to get food, rinse off, change clothes and go see J finish. I got my finisher’s medal, ice cold Mooseman towel, and water bottle and headed toward the food, where there was no line at all. I sucked down a cheeseburger, potato salad, and 1/2 of my recovery drink before changing and nibbling on some Oreos (tasty). I wandered down to the beach to see J heading toward the finish line. I only waited 10 to 15 min before he appeared, right on time. Call me lazy, but I didn’t sprint to the finish to be able to see (or photograph) him at the finish line. I was there though, and did what I could to make sure he had what he needed post race.
That’s my race report, hope you enjoyed it, and if you like the swim and bike portion of a tri, I highly recommend the Aqua Bike or Aquavelo if you prefer. A whole lot less wear and tear on the body and it was the first time I finished and there wasn’t dredgs of food and amenities waiting for me. Now to get back into training in preparation for the S.O.S. in September.
