Showing posts with label Hawaii. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hawaii. Show all posts
Thursday, November 4, 2021
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
How Far to the Big Island?.....415 Feet! (Eagleman Race Report)
The goal for this race was to try and get one of the coveted qualifying slots for the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii....the holy grail of long distance triathlon racing! As I had previously stated, to get one of the slots I would need the race of my life, either that or hope for a roll-down.
The weather was almost perfect for fast racing, there was cloud cover, a slight breeze and no blazing heat. The 30-34 age group swim wave was one of the last to start and was an hour after the pro's had already started. By the time that we got onto the course about 90% of the racers were already out there.
The swim was slightly choppier than I expected. The swim is always relatively choppy in the Choptank River, but with only a slight breeze I though it would have been calm. I felt good in the swim, not super fast as the swim is the weakest of the three elements, but I came out in 24th place in age group. I really need to try and work hard on my swim training as I generally lose a couple of minutes to the rest of the top guys.
From the off I felt strong on the bike and was quickly at race pace and trying to keep it powerful and efficient. Having been out on the course the last few weeks and all day on Saturday, I knew that the first half of the bike would be a tail or cross wind and so decided to make hay while the going was good. At around mile 8, I had a minute or so of panic as it felt like the front tire was going soft....fortunately it wasn't and so must have been the pavement surface or something like that. The bike continued to go well and a few guys from the 30-34 age group gradually caught me and we had a group of us together for quite a period of time (5-6 of us). Some of the guys were blatantly drafting while the rest of us were working together (legally) and trying to push the pace. It wasn't until the referee's came by at around mile 35 that a couple of the guys got drafting penalties (fortunately they were the ones drafting the majority of the time) and then the group split for good. The headwind started to kick in at this point and I rolled off the front of the few remaining guys to try and get some separation. It was at this point that you noticed that the slight breeze at the start had kicked up a few notches around the bike course and the going wasn't so easy now!
After 2hr 22mins on the bike at 23.7MPH (12th in AG) I rolled into T2 and exited for the run in 14th place. The run is an out and back and so I knew that at some point I would be able to find out my position, or at least approximate it. This is when it really becomes a mental game. I knew that if I had had a good bike split then the real strong cyclists would have had equally as good days and it would be up to me to run everyone down. I really need to drop a few minutes off the bike but keep my run speed!
So the run started off real well at 6min/miles and the legs were feeling good. That's always a positive thing as you never get quicker, you only gradually get slower on the run! By this time in the race the sun had come out and was beginning to make you bake....water, gatorade and ice were my choices at the aid station with the ice going straight down the top. Coming to the turnaround I had calculated that I was in approximately 9th place and was 12mins off the leader...the goal continued to be to get as high as possible for any slots that might roll down! Over the remaining half of the run I settled into a solid 6:30min/mile pace and tried to focus on any potential guys from my age group that were up ahead. It was difficult to make out those guys as the course was pretty full at this point and people get crafty about showing the age on your calf! (i.e., rubbing it off or smudging it etc)
Coming into the finish it was cool to hear Sarah and Lisa cheering as they had been all day but I knew the Kona slots were out of my hands....no top two, so I would have to hope that people would turn it down! I placed the 5th fastest run at 1 hour 25mins and a final time of 4hrs 20mins 53secs....a PB for the Eagleman course.
The final results went up and I was in 7th place in age group (although the first two placed overall in the amateur so I did get a 5th place award) and 33rd overall (out of 1600!). The World Championship slots would be given out at 1:30pm and so it was about an hour to hang around and wait....and wait......
After going through the younger age groups we finally got to 30-34 age group and the first two guys quickly said no to the slots (both Kona and Clearwater)....their was a glimmer of hope! From there it all went a bit awry, one guy I think he was 3rd took a slot but they didn't announce what slot he was taking....still a chance. 4th placed guy was a no-show and so was 5th place. We still didn't know if the 3rd place had taken a Kona slot....6th place was called and took a slot, what was it, tell me god damn it, did they not know that people wanted to know! The 6th place guy sat down near us to fill out his forms and we saw it was a Hawaii form.....one had definitely gone! We needed to find out what 3rd was taking!
In a matter of seconds the dream at Eagleman was shattered, Sarah asked the 6th guy what Kona slot he had taken.....2nd slot! NNNNNOOOOOOOOO! And then my name was called, did I want a Clearwater slot at 70.3M Worlds, I double checked that Kona had all gone, which they had, and declined my Clearwater slot.
I had missed out on Kona by a mere 31 seconds....at my running pace I was 415 feet away from the Ironman World Championships on the Big Island. That was my day at Eagleman 2009 and that 31 seconds will stick with me for a long time :-(
Onwards to Ironman Louisville at the end of August where there are tentatively four slots for Kona!
The weather was almost perfect for fast racing, there was cloud cover, a slight breeze and no blazing heat. The 30-34 age group swim wave was one of the last to start and was an hour after the pro's had already started. By the time that we got onto the course about 90% of the racers were already out there.
The swim was slightly choppier than I expected. The swim is always relatively choppy in the Choptank River, but with only a slight breeze I though it would have been calm. I felt good in the swim, not super fast as the swim is the weakest of the three elements, but I came out in 24th place in age group. I really need to try and work hard on my swim training as I generally lose a couple of minutes to the rest of the top guys.
From the off I felt strong on the bike and was quickly at race pace and trying to keep it powerful and efficient. Having been out on the course the last few weeks and all day on Saturday, I knew that the first half of the bike would be a tail or cross wind and so decided to make hay while the going was good. At around mile 8, I had a minute or so of panic as it felt like the front tire was going soft....fortunately it wasn't and so must have been the pavement surface or something like that. The bike continued to go well and a few guys from the 30-34 age group gradually caught me and we had a group of us together for quite a period of time (5-6 of us). Some of the guys were blatantly drafting while the rest of us were working together (legally) and trying to push the pace. It wasn't until the referee's came by at around mile 35 that a couple of the guys got drafting penalties (fortunately they were the ones drafting the majority of the time) and then the group split for good. The headwind started to kick in at this point and I rolled off the front of the few remaining guys to try and get some separation. It was at this point that you noticed that the slight breeze at the start had kicked up a few notches around the bike course and the going wasn't so easy now!
After 2hr 22mins on the bike at 23.7MPH (12th in AG) I rolled into T2 and exited for the run in 14th place. The run is an out and back and so I knew that at some point I would be able to find out my position, or at least approximate it. This is when it really becomes a mental game. I knew that if I had had a good bike split then the real strong cyclists would have had equally as good days and it would be up to me to run everyone down. I really need to drop a few minutes off the bike but keep my run speed!
So the run started off real well at 6min/miles and the legs were feeling good. That's always a positive thing as you never get quicker, you only gradually get slower on the run! By this time in the race the sun had come out and was beginning to make you bake....water, gatorade and ice were my choices at the aid station with the ice going straight down the top. Coming to the turnaround I had calculated that I was in approximately 9th place and was 12mins off the leader...the goal continued to be to get as high as possible for any slots that might roll down! Over the remaining half of the run I settled into a solid 6:30min/mile pace and tried to focus on any potential guys from my age group that were up ahead. It was difficult to make out those guys as the course was pretty full at this point and people get crafty about showing the age on your calf! (i.e., rubbing it off or smudging it etc)
Coming into the finish it was cool to hear Sarah and Lisa cheering as they had been all day but I knew the Kona slots were out of my hands....no top two, so I would have to hope that people would turn it down! I placed the 5th fastest run at 1 hour 25mins and a final time of 4hrs 20mins 53secs....a PB for the Eagleman course.
The final results went up and I was in 7th place in age group (although the first two placed overall in the amateur so I did get a 5th place award) and 33rd overall (out of 1600!). The World Championship slots would be given out at 1:30pm and so it was about an hour to hang around and wait....and wait......
After going through the younger age groups we finally got to 30-34 age group and the first two guys quickly said no to the slots (both Kona and Clearwater)....their was a glimmer of hope! From there it all went a bit awry, one guy I think he was 3rd took a slot but they didn't announce what slot he was taking....still a chance. 4th placed guy was a no-show and so was 5th place. We still didn't know if the 3rd place had taken a Kona slot....6th place was called and took a slot, what was it, tell me god damn it, did they not know that people wanted to know! The 6th place guy sat down near us to fill out his forms and we saw it was a Hawaii form.....one had definitely gone! We needed to find out what 3rd was taking!
In a matter of seconds the dream at Eagleman was shattered, Sarah asked the 6th guy what Kona slot he had taken.....2nd slot! NNNNNOOOOOOOOO! And then my name was called, did I want a Clearwater slot at 70.3M Worlds, I double checked that Kona had all gone, which they had, and declined my Clearwater slot.
I had missed out on Kona by a mere 31 seconds....at my running pace I was 415 feet away from the Ironman World Championships on the Big Island. That was my day at Eagleman 2009 and that 31 seconds will stick with me for a long time :-(
Onwards to Ironman Louisville at the end of August where there are tentatively four slots for Kona!
Saturday, May 24, 2008
And the wait goes on.......
As if you couldn't have guessed it from the posts of the past 5-6 months, the sole goal of the first half of the season is the Eagleman 70.3M race on June 8th. This is where you can qualify for the coveted Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii. Obviously these slots are very competitive and there are only 1 or 2 slots per age group....and that's what I am waiting for!
We are two weeks out from Eagleman and as of yet there are no inklings about the slot distributions...last year the 30-34 AG had 2 slots, in 2006 there were 2 but in 2005 and 2004 the age group had 3! The slot distribution all goes on the amount of people in your age group as a percentage of the overall field.....the higher the percentage the higher the number of slots! At Eagleman there are 30 slots to be awarded.....
I guess the only way to be assured of one is to win the age-group.....;-)
We are two weeks out from Eagleman and as of yet there are no inklings about the slot distributions...last year the 30-34 AG had 2 slots, in 2006 there were 2 but in 2005 and 2004 the age group had 3! The slot distribution all goes on the amount of people in your age group as a percentage of the overall field.....the higher the percentage the higher the number of slots! At Eagleman there are 30 slots to be awarded.....
I guess the only way to be assured of one is to win the age-group.....;-)
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
I'm Iain Banks and I approve this schedule.....
The time has come to announce the 2008 race schedule, or rather, the first half of the 2008 schedule (mainly so my parents can plan their vacations over to the US to coincide with any big races!). The second half has a few definite races but is still a little up in the air depending on what happens in the first half! It is definately an Ironman year though.
March 2nd, 2008 - B & A Trail Half Marathon
March 29th, 2008 - Suntrust National Marathon
April 5th, 2008 - Tour of Walkersville (ABRT Race)
April 6th, 2008 - Cherry Pit 10 Miler
As is the usual case in my season it starts off with some running races before the triathlon events begin to kick in. This tends to give me some motivation during the winter months and also makes me put an edge onto my running build. Last year I scheduled my first ultra trail race and this year I have scheduled my first stand alone marathon (The only marathon I have ever run, aside from two ultras, was at IMFL). This marathon is the Suntrust National Marathon, here in Washington DC on March 29th. It isn't a huge race and so should be a nice course to get out and run, rather than be crammed in with 25,000 of your closest friends! In preparation for the marathon I also have scheduled the local B&A Trail Half Marathon on March 2nd.
April 27th, 2008 - Short Course Duathlon Nationals
May 4th, 2008 - Devilman 1/2 Ironman
That brings us into April and the start of the triathlon/duathlon season and right off the bat I have the Short Course Duathlon Nationals down in Richmond, VA. Although this is the nationals it is really a warm-up race to get the season started and to see what I need to work on as the rest of the season gets going. Of course it would be great to get a result but the race itself is the most important thing.
The week after the Duathlon Nationals is the first triathlon of the year, the Devilman 1/2 Ironman race in New Jersey.....no nice hot and sunny races for me, no Florida 70.3m, no St Croix, just plain old Cedarville, NJ. If conditions are like last year I won't be pleased...winds were gusting at 25-30MPH, the temps were high 40's and fortunately for me but not others still out on the course, the rain started just after my finish! This really is a key race as it will give me a huge idea of where I am in terms of fitness and to get an good idea of what I can do to prepare for my "A" race in the next month. The primary element for Devilman is to run strongly and get a PR in the 1/2 Ironman run.
May 18th, 2008 - Columbia Triathlon
My early season is a bit crammed and it is scheduled that way for a reason. I did almost the same schedule in 2007 and it worked really well in getting me in good racing condition after a not so great winter training period. With a good winter of training behind me this year I hope to be able to actually focus on the racing and be able to try a couple of different race plans and strategies.
The Columbia Triathlon (Olympic Distance) in mid-May is my closest triathlon geographically and so has become a staple of my season and comes three weeks prior to Eagleman 70.3M. Being only three weeks from Eagleman, Columbia will be a great test and will give me a race to blow off some steam that builds up during the training phase.
June 8th, 2008 - Eagleman 70.3M
The Eagleman race is my first "A" race of the year, with slots being available for the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii and the 70.3M World Championships in Clearwater. The main aim is to get to Hawaii but I know that I would have to pull off the race of my life and perhaps be lucky with some roll-downs....if you don't shoot for the stars! Last year I had a great race, managed to snag a 70.3M Worlds slot and now am coming back looking for more. The entire first half of the season is working towards this race and even if I don't get to Hawaii at least I might have a PR to take home with me.....everything will be left out on the course and I will know that I have given it my best.
So that rounds off the first half of the season. The events at Eagleman will shape the rest of my season but tentatively, if I don't get to Hawaii, the season will include the ChesapeakeMan ultra distance triathlon (An independant Ironman race) on September 27th and the JFK 50 mile trail race on November 22nd. Of course there will be other triathlons, running and cycling races thrown in for good measure.
August 2nd, 2008 - Catoctin 50KM Trail Race
September 7th, 2008 - Diamondman 1/2 Ironman
September 27th, 2008 - ChesapeakeMan Ironman
October 11th, 2008 - Baltimore Marathon
November 22nd, 2008 - JFK 50 Mile Trail Race
Lets look forward to the season ahead!
March 2nd, 2008 - B & A Trail Half Marathon
March 29th, 2008 - Suntrust National Marathon
April 5th, 2008 - Tour of Walkersville (ABRT Race)
April 6th, 2008 - Cherry Pit 10 Miler
As is the usual case in my season it starts off with some running races before the triathlon events begin to kick in. This tends to give me some motivation during the winter months and also makes me put an edge onto my running build. Last year I scheduled my first ultra trail race and this year I have scheduled my first stand alone marathon (The only marathon I have ever run, aside from two ultras, was at IMFL). This marathon is the Suntrust National Marathon, here in Washington DC on March 29th. It isn't a huge race and so should be a nice course to get out and run, rather than be crammed in with 25,000 of your closest friends! In preparation for the marathon I also have scheduled the local B&A Trail Half Marathon on March 2nd.
April 27th, 2008 - Short Course Duathlon Nationals
May 4th, 2008 - Devilman 1/2 Ironman
That brings us into April and the start of the triathlon/duathlon season and right off the bat I have the Short Course Duathlon Nationals down in Richmond, VA. Although this is the nationals it is really a warm-up race to get the season started and to see what I need to work on as the rest of the season gets going. Of course it would be great to get a result but the race itself is the most important thing.
The week after the Duathlon Nationals is the first triathlon of the year, the Devilman 1/2 Ironman race in New Jersey.....no nice hot and sunny races for me, no Florida 70.3m, no St Croix, just plain old Cedarville, NJ. If conditions are like last year I won't be pleased...winds were gusting at 25-30MPH, the temps were high 40's and fortunately for me but not others still out on the course, the rain started just after my finish! This really is a key race as it will give me a huge idea of where I am in terms of fitness and to get an good idea of what I can do to prepare for my "A" race in the next month. The primary element for Devilman is to run strongly and get a PR in the 1/2 Ironman run.
May 18th, 2008 - Columbia Triathlon
My early season is a bit crammed and it is scheduled that way for a reason. I did almost the same schedule in 2007 and it worked really well in getting me in good racing condition after a not so great winter training period. With a good winter of training behind me this year I hope to be able to actually focus on the racing and be able to try a couple of different race plans and strategies.
The Columbia Triathlon (Olympic Distance) in mid-May is my closest triathlon geographically and so has become a staple of my season and comes three weeks prior to Eagleman 70.3M. Being only three weeks from Eagleman, Columbia will be a great test and will give me a race to blow off some steam that builds up during the training phase.
June 8th, 2008 - Eagleman 70.3M
The Eagleman race is my first "A" race of the year, with slots being available for the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii and the 70.3M World Championships in Clearwater. The main aim is to get to Hawaii but I know that I would have to pull off the race of my life and perhaps be lucky with some roll-downs....if you don't shoot for the stars! Last year I had a great race, managed to snag a 70.3M Worlds slot and now am coming back looking for more. The entire first half of the season is working towards this race and even if I don't get to Hawaii at least I might have a PR to take home with me.....everything will be left out on the course and I will know that I have given it my best.
So that rounds off the first half of the season. The events at Eagleman will shape the rest of my season but tentatively, if I don't get to Hawaii, the season will include the ChesapeakeMan ultra distance triathlon (An independant Ironman race) on September 27th and the JFK 50 mile trail race on November 22nd. Of course there will be other triathlons, running and cycling races thrown in for good measure.
August 2nd, 2008 - Catoctin 50KM Trail Race
September 7th, 2008 - Diamondman 1/2 Ironman
September 27th, 2008 - ChesapeakeMan Ironman
October 11th, 2008 - Baltimore Marathon
November 22nd, 2008 - JFK 50 Mile Trail Race
Lets look forward to the season ahead!
Friday, October 12, 2007
Let's try this one again...
Before the flurry of events in the next month I have one last quest.....to get under 17mins for the 5km. This Saturday I have my last chance of the year (based on the current schedule, anyway) at the Run For Kathy. Last year I did 17mins 3secs for my current PR and so it is certainly a possibility on this course. I have done a bit more speed work than I had last year (just prior to IMFL) and so will give it everything.
After the race my taper starts for the Duathlon World's on Sunday Oct 21st and also for the rest of the day I will be glued to the internet watching the live stream of the Ironman World Champs from Kona. [Looking for tips for next year :-)]
After the race my taper starts for the Duathlon World's on Sunday Oct 21st and also for the rest of the day I will be glued to the internet watching the live stream of the Ironman World Champs from Kona. [Looking for tips for next year :-)]
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
The Mac-Daddy of them all!
Yep, this coming Saturday October 13th is the Ironman World Championships on the fabled Big Island of Hawaii. This is the ironman race that started it all back in 1978 and has spawned the growth of Ironman and long-distance triathlon around the world. The race takes place in Kailua-Kona and is the holy grail for the majority of long-distance triathletes. 1800 competitors get to the event through the qualifying process that takes place throughout the year at 70.3M and Ironman races around the world, the remaining 200 get there through the lottery process, initiated in 1990 to allow the "common-man/woman" to still take part. As you can imagine the qualifying standards are high and only the best of the best ever get to the startline. For example the Eagleman 70.3M race(which is local to us in Maryland) is a Hawaii qualifier and only the winner/top two of each age group are awarded the slots.
Since watching the Ironman World Championships on TV back in the early 1990's, there has always been something nagging at me that it would be something and somewhere cool to do/go. So having started triathlons in 2005, the next logical step was to get on the Ironman train and I hopped on last year at IMFL. Now what? I love the Ironman distance and kinda missed doing one this year. Ideally I would love to get to Kona next October and experience the mystique of the Big Island. I have an outside shot, and with a dedicated training plan and an all out effort at Eagleman 70.3M on June 8th, 2008, I may have a chance. And besides I have quietly told myself that the first time we would go to Kona would be to race at the Ironman.... and it would be shame to miss out on Hawaii, so the motivation is there!
Anyways with all the media surrounding the race this year it has been a great motivational tool for the past 2 weeks as I gear up for the Duathlon World's on Oct 21st and then the final race of the year at the 70.3M WC in Clearwater....which will provide a good stepping stone to the off-season and next years plans.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Have disc wheel, will travel....
So last week turned out to be a good week not only training wise but also as some new toys arrived. I have finally taken the plunge and invested in a disc wheel for my triathlon bike. After much consideration and delving into the sofa for missing pennies I decided to order a Renn 575. It would have been very tempting to order a ZIPP, but I just couldn't justify spending $1000+ on a single wheel....perhaps if they would like to sponsor me :-) Anyway, I had heard nothing but good things about the Renn, and quality and service as well as value for money are known to be great. So far I have only taken the bike out for a quick spin and will ride it again on Saturday prior to racing an Olympic triathlon in North East, MD on Sunday.
A few days before the disc wheel arrived, my new bike case also turned up on the doorstep. For a long time I had thought about getting a bike case so that whenever we go traveling, I could take a bike. Cycling on vacation always seems like a great idea as it allows me to explore the area in a way that a car can't. Last November for IMFL, I borrowed a case and was always on edge a) hoping that the bike made it ok and b) hoping that the case made it intact. So now I have my own case I will never have the excuse not to train while traveling (I'm sure that Sarah is well pleased!).
As the title of the post suggests, I now have a disc wheel and will travel.....is the Big Island of Hawaii on the cards for 2008! I will be able to give you more details regarding the impact of the disc wheel after the race this weekend. Weather looks as though it will be hot and conditions good for the early morning start.
A few days before the disc wheel arrived, my new bike case also turned up on the doorstep. For a long time I had thought about getting a bike case so that whenever we go traveling, I could take a bike. Cycling on vacation always seems like a great idea as it allows me to explore the area in a way that a car can't. Last November for IMFL, I borrowed a case and was always on edge a) hoping that the bike made it ok and b) hoping that the case made it intact. So now I have my own case I will never have the excuse not to train while traveling (I'm sure that Sarah is well pleased!).
As the title of the post suggests, I now have a disc wheel and will travel.....is the Big Island of Hawaii on the cards for 2008! I will be able to give you more details regarding the impact of the disc wheel after the race this weekend. Weather looks as though it will be hot and conditions good for the early morning start.
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