Race Report-Delaware Diamondman

so this sunday 9/12/2010 was my first half ironman distance race. earlier this year i did the black bear sprint and philly olympic duathlon, then started an 8 week training plan from midatlantic multipsport. it was a challenging plan for me, having never followed a formal training schedule. i dont think i would have been able to finish the half without it, or maybe if i did finish it would have taken me a lot longer. another thing i did was take a few days off work before the race to relax and rest, which i think was a great idea.

the day started with chilly rain, which was great since id gotten used to training in the 100 degree heat this summer. once i got setup in transition, i forgot all about the weather and headed to the start. i met a couple guys from PTC and chatted a little, but i was feeling very calm which was good. i walked down the boat ramp right as they were finishing the pre-race blurbs and walked right into the water to head out to the start bouy. as i was making my way out i must not have heard the whistle (if there was one), beacuse the next time i looked up it was on.

i felt great in the water. i was able to get a enough open water on the way out that i didnt feel too crowded, and i was able to find a nice rhythm. by the time i got to the first turn bouy i knew i was having a good swim. this was a good omen for me. last year, i did my second sprint tri of my young career at diamondman and had a serious freak-out/panic attack in the water. i went out too fast, burned out, and started hyperventilating. nothing like that this time though, and i wound up with about a 38 minute swim time. this is pretty fast for me but not too fast, and i wasnt dizzy or blown out jogging back to transition.

heading out on the bike i felt really good. i set what i thought was a good pace to get off the bike in 3 hours. i was able to hold that time but strated having some physical problems on the bike a lilttle before the turn around. my lower back started cramping up and i couldnt stay comfortable. i also took too much liquids and had to stop twice for relief. im n ot sure what i did to my back, but im hunched over like my grandmother right now as i type this. either way, it was a cold wet agonizing ride for me and i was glad to get off my bike. i finished the bike leg in about 2:58 which was great time for me.

at that point i thought i would have no problem finishing in under 6 hours, whaich was great because i figured on about a 6:30 finish based on my times in training. the first half of the run io felt great but i soon realized that my little nike chronometer despite being calibrated about 50 times) was alittle off. at mile 2 it said 2.2, at mile three it said 3.3, etc. great, ive been running slower than i thought all thru training. no big deal. i settled in to about a 9.5 minute mile pace and felt good until the turnaround, then everything strated catching up to me. everything hurt, whaaaa! i had to walk the hills on the way back and hobbled in to the finish with about a 2:18 run.

my total race time was about 6:03 and change which is pretty fucking awesome. i honestly had doubts about how i would hold up as the race bore on. two years ago i coudnt even run a mile and now i finished my first half ironman. its amazing what you can do with a little determination. will i do it again? absolutely, already signed up for eagleman next year.