Beach 2 Battleship Race Report

Back on Saturday October 26th I took part in the Beach 2 Battleship 70.3 mile "half iron" distance triathlon in Wilmington, NC..... I guess this race report is long overdue. I'll try to keep it short!

This race is gaining a very good reputation and (somewhat surprisingly, I have to say) is rated by Triathlon Magazine readers as one of the top five triathlons in the world.... It's a great race, but how can this be when there are so many great races and venues?

Anyway....

I'll spare you all of the usual preamble; suffice to say that I made the two hour drive down to Wilmington on a beautiful, crisp Friday morning and arrived at the Convention Center on time. The check-in line was pretty long....

...but apart from that, everythiing was very well organized. After taking a look around the expo. and buying a natty new bike jersey, I attended a long, but entertaining compulsory athlete briefing (where I sat with fellow OSB athlete and fellow Brit Anne McDonald and her family) before dropping my "T2" gear bag off and heading out to Wrightsville Beach to drop off The Slut and set-up my "T1" transition area

Anne - pretending to be nervous before the race, when really she knows that she's going to absolutely crush the run and smash her personal best tomorrow!

The transition area was on the grounds of the Wrightsville Beach Municiple Complex. Thankfully there was plenty of parking and I soon had The Slut in position before heading over to take a look at the swim finish.

How T1 would have looked before color photography was invented....



....and in 2013



It was nice that my number matched the year of my birth!

The ubiquitous shot of The Slut in position

The swim for this race is in the intercoastal waterway. The start is on Wrightsville Beach island and once in the water you basically turn right and swim about 3/4 of a mile to a single turn buoy before turning left and cutting diagonally past a small island to the swim exit at Seapath Marina.


 



The swim finish showing the path around the island and diagonal swim to Seapath Marina

There were numerous athletes from the Outer Banks Tri Group competing and it was nice to run into Jim Snyder and Samantha after checking out the swim finish. The following day Jim would run the entire 26.1 mile marathon (he was doing the "full iron" distance) in a gas mask to raise awareness for wounded warriors - awesome!

Now that I was set-up and had the lay-of-the-land, there wasn't much to do but head back to the hotal and wait for SWMBO and the Junior Sassoons to arrive! Once they were safely checked-in we enjoyed dinner at the local Olive Garden and headed back for an early night!

This race starts at 07:30 for the 140.6 distance and 08:00 for the 70.3 mile distance so it made a nice change not to have to set the alarm for 04:00! On top of this, there was a wave start for the 70.3 and my advanced age meant that I was in the second to last group to start and wouldn't be entering the water until around 09:20. The previous evening I had arranged a taxi to take me from the hotel to Wrightsville Beach and it arrived only a few minutes late at around 06:45 (phew!). The first thing that I noticed as I stepped out into the fresh air.... it was freakin' cold! The O/N low was close to a record for the date in Wilmington and it was around 34 F and breezy as we left.

Once I had double-checked my T1 area and spent some time chatting to Anne and her husband Dave and also to OSB Athlete Audrey Shipprack (who wasn't racing, but was supporting her friend Diane) I headed to the shuttle bus that would take me to the swim start.

Despite my late wave start, all athletes had to be over the bridge and onto the island early, so unfortunately I was in for a long wait in the freezing conditions. I had my wetsuit on and was layered-up with a long-sleeve T, a ratty old sweathsirt, socks, old sneakers and Dollar Store gloves (all of which would be left at the start and donated to the Salvation Army) but it was still COOOLD! Things improved slightly as the sun got a little higher, but I was very pleased when it was finally my turn to get into the water, which was still close to 70F.

Swim: 1.2 miles. 00:39:43

Beach 2 Battleship has a reputation for fast swim legs because there is often a "tidal push" that helps propel you to the finish. Unfortunately this year.... not so much! The tide was basically slack, so there was little, if any, push as shown by my time, which was slightly slower than I swam at Raleigh Ironman 70.3.

After getting "that constricted feeling" for a short time while wearing my wet suit at Lake Royale Sprint, I decided to stay out of the fray and waited for the faster guys in my age group (white caps) to get going before I started. I pretty soon got out to the middle of the channel and found good water and a nice steady stroke. There were a few guys who were a little erratic and crossed my line, but in general I had no difficulty sighting off the large orange turn buoy that was 3/4 of a mile ahead. No problem with the turn and then think that I took a good line cutting closer to the jetty on the right, followed by the grassy island on the left as I headed to the finish. Overall I was satisfied with this.

The swim exit was up steps onto a dock and there were "wet suit strippers" to help you remove your rubbery warmth.... brrrrr! It was chilly when that came off! There was a long run (about a quarter of a mile) over rough pavement to T1, but on the plus side, there was a walk-through tent with warm showers running to help flush away some salt water.



Coming out of the water with wetsuit under my arm and sporting my new OSB Racing Team shorts!


T1 was uneventful. 00:06:23 - sounds slow, but that includes the long run and putting on arm warmers, gloves and a wind jacket for the bike - it was still COLD!

Bike. 56 miles. 03:11:06.

Definitely slower that I was targeting (and slower than Raleigh Ironman 70.3, but this was a common story because of the wind). The way the course is set-up you basically ride ~35 miles north out of Wrightsville Beach and then ~20 miles south back into downtown Wilmington. Unfortulately there was a pretty good wind from the north, so the first 35 miles plus felt like a lot of hard work! I kept in aero position and maintained a good cadence, but it was always destined to be a slow ride. I didn't have any issues on the two "metal grid" bridges that everyone had talked so much about last year. Another plus was that I managed to judge my clothing well and stayed warm without over-heating. My major observation is that the bike course is bor-ing! Lots of flat highway and not much of interest until close to Wilmington. Because I was in a late wave start, I wasn't overtaken by many people and overtook loads, so that at least made it a little more fun!


Wrapped-up warmly somewhere on the bike course!


T2 was pretty uneventful.  Somewhat unusual in that you hand your bike off to a volunteer who racks it inside the Convention Center before running to a changing area where you pick-up your gear bag and change into running shoes.  Unusually I stopped to pee!    00:04:33

Run.  13.1 miles.   02:21:17.

Ugh!   This is where I fell apart a little because my right knee started hurting so badly!   The run started well and I felt good when I first spotted Compass and Flipper cheering me on and making sarcastic comments about my hair!   :-)   They had come to support me, Rabbit and others that they know - awesome!  Shortly after that, as I passed the finishing chute on my way out, it was even more awesome to see SWMBO and the Junior Sassons, who were making posters as I passed.   The course went south along the river walk and out of Wilmington Center before a long out-and-back section through a park around a lake.  Apparently at one point there was a juvenile alligator lying on the course, but I didn't see it!  

About three or four miles in I became acutely aware that my right knee was hurting and, before long, I was down to not much more than a jog.   I'm pleased with myself for "toughing it out" and running the whole thing (apart from a couple of aid stations where I walked so that I could drink) but the time is obviously pretty dismal!   It was nice to see Compass and Flipper again as they rode their bikes next to me and chatted a while before disappearing (presumably to some bar or house of ill-repute!). Great also to see speedy Anne and crazy Aussie Eleanor Richardson as the passed me on their return legs as I was still running out. Somewhere out there Angie McDonald, who I had seen at the swim start, was also rocking it. There was a great OSB cheering section in downtown Wilmington, but I have no idea who they were! All I know is that I want some of what they were drinking! :-)


Overall:   06:23:01    Much slower that I was targeting, but I'm not beating myself up - many others were in the same boat because of the conditions and my knee problem didn't help!

After ice cream with the Junior Sassoons we picked-up my bike and gear bags before heading back to the hotel for a shower and short rest. The wonderful Thai food that evening was well earned!



The run before my knee started hurting!

 

On Sunday we enjoyed a really nice day looking around historic downtown Wilmington and touring the Bellamy Mansion before heading home.

Another one in the books!



The Sassoons on Sunday morning with the USS North Carolina in the background.   Thanks so much for coming out to support me - I love you!

Lake Royale Sprint Triathlon Race Report

When my plans to race the Outer Banks Olympic Tri fell through because of a scheduling conflict I got a little "itchy" because I have raced fewer times than usual this year and I wanted to get in at least one more "practice race" before Beach-to-Battleship 70.3 at the end of the month. While the Lake Royale Sprint is obviously nowhere near the same distance, it is relatively local and well-timed at three weeks before B-2-B so, after checking with the Coachman, I signed-up.

In 2010 this was the second triathlon I ever did so I thought that it would be fun to compare performances. The race takes place in the Lake Royale development (resort community?) just outside Louisburg, NC - a nice 40 minute or so drive from home. It's organized by FS Series and I remembered it being a nice, friendly event.

The logistics of the race mean that you have to drop your bike and gear at the transition area before driving a couple of miles to the parking area and taking a shuttle beack to the start, so I knew that I wanted to get there early. I woke before my alarm (as usual) and took my time over coffee and a bagel. I had packed my gear into the car and loaded The Slut the night before, so it was then just a case of jump in and drive.

The dark drive along Route 98 through Wake Forest was pretty cool - it certainly had a good "Halloween Vibe" as the car head lights illuminated the fog banks.

Pretty soon I arrived at Lake Royale, took the long drive down to the lake and off-loaded my gear and bike. I was pleased to see that my race number (90) put me right at the bike exit from transition and I was early enough to get the first slot on the rack. After parking and waiting quite a while for the shuttle back to the start the sun finally emerged from behind the trees and the transition area started to fill....

The ubiquitous shot of The Slut wearing her Zipp 808 race wheels (and my "yard sale" of gear and clothing!)

Frantic preparations.

After collecting my timing chip and getting "body marked" I had plenty of time for warm-ups and so took The Slut for a four mile spin before slipping on my running shoes and running for a while on the first part of the run course. I was pleased I did this as it quickly reminded me of how hilly the run course and the first part of the bike course are - I made sure that The Slut was left in a low gear when I re-racked her! Finally it was time to go for a warm-up swim and get ready for the start.

Sun emerging over the swim start.

While listening to the race briefing I ran into fellow One Step Beyond Athlete Erin Cutrell who had signed-up for the race at the last minute and after a fist pump I was called down to the men's start....

Swim: 500 M.
The water in the lake was pleasantly warm, but still cool enough for the race to be declared "wet suit legal". I decided that, given that I hadn't swum in a wetsuit for months and that a wet suit is compulsory for Beach-to-Battleship, I would wear mine. Only a short swim, but I figured that the time lost taking it off in transition would probably be balanced out by the added buoyancy that a wetsuit provides during the swim. For this race there were two mass starts - first all men and then all women three minutes later. The course was roughly an clockwise elongated triangle. I lined-up on the right as it seemed a better angle towards the turn buoy, but it ultimately turned out to be somewhat of a mistake.... This was definitely one of the rougher swims that I have been in - there was a LOT of contact and I took several good blows from arms and legs (and, I think, delivered a few too!). Never-the-less, I felt pretty good on the first leg - until, that is, I approached the turn buoy. Holy crap - what a scrum! As I positioned myself to round the buoy, dozens of swimmers who had started further left started to squeeze over. I was pretty much pressed right up against the buoy and had to switch to breaststroke and basically fight my way around. As I came out the other side into the second (longest) swim leg, I felt unsettled and that all-too-familiar panicky constricted feeling - why, oh why, did I wear that darned wetsuit? I told myself to slow down and breathe, did a little side stroke and managed to find some open water by deliberately swimming a little to the right. Thankfully I was soon back to freestyle and finished reasonably well. Ultimately it was a good lesson for Beach-to-Battleship (I don't do well in scrums!) and on reflection I can be pleased with the way I handled it and recovered.

Time: 09:31. 1:54 per 100M. My target was "sub 9" but the scrum incident obviously messed that up! [My 2010 time was 11:19]. Somewhat surprised to be 29th male out of the water!

T1: The first transition was uneventful. I had sprayed PAM on the ankles of my wetsuit before the race and it worked like a charm as my ankles slipped out of the legs without me having to look as if I was fighting a sea lion! 01:14

Bike: 15 miles.
The out-and-back course features two very distinct sections. The section leaving and returning through the Lake Royale community is extremely technical, with hills and a lot of very tight turns. Once out onto public roads the course is (relatively) flat through farm land, but the road surface is a little rough in places.

During the race there were at least two crashes. Thankfully these two were not too seriously hurt and managed to smile about it afterwards. The young lady broke the forks on her bike and got nasty road rash, but still managed to go on to finish the run - Bad Ass! :-)

My ride was pretty uneventful apart from at the tight turnaround point where I went in a little fast and skidded the back wheel. Thankfully my cat like agility (yeah right!) saved me and I just managed to keep things upright! Erin cruised past me a few miles in and was obviously going very well as first lady on the course. I feel that I kept things going pretty well - maintained aero position and kept a good cadence. Geared well on the hills and cornered well too.

Time: 48:15. 19.1 mph average. I was targeting 20 mph, but must admit that I had completely forgotten how hilly and twisty the Lake Royale community section was - I'll take it! [2010: 54:13]

T2: Uneventful. 00:36

Run: 5k (3.1 miles). My run was really a tale of two halves. Off the bike I really struggled to get my legs moving. This wasn't helped by the hill straight out of transition, but it wasn't the usual "rubbery legs" syndrome - I just couldn't seem to get any stride length and felt as if I was shuffling along. I focused on keeping my run cadence up but it took the first mile before I really started to feel as if I was running, but when I finally got things going I felt great! (even with all of the hills - this must be one of the hilliest 5k courses around). Despite being slow out of transition this has me feeling strangely confident about B2B.

Time: 28:26 9:10/mile (I didn't wear my Garmin, but I would estimate 11 min/mile to start and 7:##/mile at the finish. I definitely did a very significant reverse split!). [2010: 31:51]


Overall: 01:28:05. 4th in Age Group; 44th male and 52nd overall.

There were some smokin' fast people out there on a difficult course. The guy who won overall took 01:05:12 and the winner of my age group came home in 01:13:24 (7th overall). Best of all Erin was first place overall lady in 01:16:42 (12th overall). Rockin!



A happy Erin after the race.


Very pleased that I decided to do this one. A good little warm-up for B2B and a few good reminders. I think that ultimately my two "problem areas" during the race turned into the biggest positive takeaways: I overcame the minor "panic" during the swim and finished it well and once I finally got my legs under me in the run I felt very strong.

Beach-to-Battleship here I come!

Updated Race Calendar

Because someone asked.....

No, unfortunately, I didn't race the Outer Banks Olympic event in the end. There was an unanticipated calendar clash and I couldn't get down to the coast. Usually I would be pissed-off at losing my registration fee, but in this case I know that all money made by Outer Banks Sporting Events goes to local food banks and educational charities so I'm happy to have contributed (and the race was sold out, so I also let them know that they could sell my spot to someone else and make even more for good causes).

So.... what does the rest of my season look like?

The "big one" is the Beach to Battleship 70.3 mile race on October 26th in Wilmington, NC. Looking forward to that one, especially as SWMBO and the Junior Sassoons will be joining me, along with some good friends. Rumor has it also that Compass may be coming down to cheer wearing her "Baby on Board" shirt!

Tomorrow I will be racing the Lake Royale Sprint Triathon in Louisburg, NC. I signed-up on a whim because I have missed racing this year! This was the second triathlon I ever did back in 2010, so it will be interesting to compare performances.

Picked-up the race packet from Inside Out Sports Raleigh yesterday.  My race number accurately describes the age that my legs feel at the moment!

Spiderman!

So yesterday I went for an early morning 8 mile run and I ran like Spiderman! :-)

No, not like this guy:

Or even like this guy:

Much more like this guy:

It was a beautiful crisp Fall morning so I headed to Barton's Creek to start my run by running the trails that criss-cross the neighborhood. I was clearly the first person on the trails because within a few seconds of turning off the road and onto the trail I was running through a continuous line of spider webs that were strung across the path! Now it's not unusual to run through the occasional web, but this was different - for some reason there seemed to be a huge number of them and pretty soon I was starting to feel a bit like a human cocoon! I plowed on, looking like a mad man wiping imaginary flies away from my face as I ran and after about a mile saw a figure running towards me in the opposite direction doing the same routine. I'm not sure who she was, but I'm sure that the mystery Spiderwoman was as pleased that I had cleared the way for her as I was that she had cleared my path!

Please don't tell SWMBO about this post - she's absolutely petrified of spiders and if she knows that I was covered in webs she will very likely not come near me for a month!

Triangle Open Water Championships - Race Report

A few weeks back I was eagerly reviewing what workouts The Coachman had scheduled for me on www.trainingpeaks.com when I noticed:

Saturday September 14th

"1.2 mile open water swim. Triangle Champ Swim would be good."

A quick online search told me that FS Series would be hosting the final event of the Triangle Open Water Swim Series - the championships - at Vista Point on Jordan Lake that day. Now that all sounded a bit intimidating, but when the Coachman told me that entry was free if I volunteered, the cheap bastard in me took over and I signed up!

Saturday morning came and I woke to an early alarm and headed out to Vista Point (which was also the site of the swim portion of the Raleigh Ironman 70.3 event) in plenty of time to get there for 06:30 when I was needed to help with set-up and the registration table.

It was chilly! The wind was whipping and I was pleased that I decided to wear an extra layer over my T shirt! Brrrr..... It was pretty dark when I arrived, but I knew that the water conditions wouldn't be pretty!

We soon had the registration tables set-up and registration lists, T shirts, timing chips and swim caps laid out and waiting for the first arrivals.




The early crew......



Pretty soon the first competitors turned-up and the whining about the cold started! Now it certainly felt chilly after a long Carolina summer, but it wasn't that bad! The water temperature was still around 80 F, so the race would not be wetsuit legal.

The big concern in my eyes was not the temperature, but the wind! The flag on the FS Series trailer was whipping around and, sure enough, once the sun came up we could see white caps on Jordan lake and waves coming ashore. Not exactly ideal conditions!

Another major concern (for The Otter at least - she worked very hard not to stand next to me!) was that I was still coughing and sneezing as a result of a nasty late summer cold that I had picked-up. Breathing was a bit of a struggle - not exactly ideal for swimming!

After checking-in 120 or so hardy souls, it was time to head down to the start area on the beach and get ready to swim! There were 2.4 mile and 1.2 mile races and I was thankful that I had signed-up for the shorter distance!

The course was an elongated rectangle - out on the left side; right around a buoy; a shorter leg to the second turn buoy and back to the beach (2 laps for the folks doing 2.4 miles).

As expected based on the wind, conditions were tough (but at least the water was warmer than the air temperature!). The wind was blowing on-shore and slighlty from the swimmer's right, so the first long leg was a relentless "face wash" as you swam into the wind. I like to breathe every third stroke, but I soon figured that breathing to my right just resulted in a refreshing drink of muddy Jordan Lake water, so I switched to breathing every second stroke on my left hand side.

The outward journey felt like hard work, so I was happy to reach the first turn buoy. I made a reasonable turn and tried to sight to the second turn buoy, only to find that I had gone blind! The glare of the sun off the water was intense and, coupled with the chop, it was pretty much impossible to see. For a while I just followed the swimmer in front of me and hoped that they had either super eyesight or a better sense of direction that some people I know (Compass!). Eventually I made visual contact with the buoy and was relieved to realise that I was at least swimming roughly in the right direction! I made a slight course correction and switched to breast stroke now and again on the second leg to make sure that I was staying on track.

Finally I was on the final leg. The swimming finally got easier was there was a nice surfing effect from the waves. The only issue was that they were coming from over my left shoulder so, if I wasn't careful I would find myself being pushed to the right and off-course.

I finally made it ashore in the horribly slow time of around 45 minutes, but am certainly not beating myself up given the conditions, the fact that it was a training outing and, in particular, because I was having trouble breathing on land, let alone in the water! For reference, I swam the same distance in 39 minutes at the Ironman Raleigh race.

All-in-all, I was pleased that I did it. If I can do that in tough conditions and without a wetsuit, the swim at Beach-to-Battleship 70.3 at the end of the month will be a breeze!

Highs and Lows

Wow! Where did summer go? As I type this post (which I notice is my 200th!) it's almost September; the Junior Sassoons are back at school and I haven't made any entries to this blog for well over a month. Fear not, however, dear reader, I'm alive and well and still training hard! (Yeah, like you really care that much - if you're reading this drivel I'm assuming that you're suffering some sort of terminal insomnia or are mind crushingly bored!) :-)

I haven't raced since Ironman 70.3 Raleigh back in early June, but I have been keeping-up with The Coachman's instructions (more-or-less!) and I'm preparing for the Outer Banks Olympic Distance race on September 21st and the Beach-to-Battleship 70.3 miler in late October. Looking forward to both races immensely!

To get me back into the swing of things, here are a few highs and lows from the last couple of months of training:

High: Spending a good deal of time in Nags Head and being able to run on the beach! There's nothing quite like a barefoot run as the sun is coming up!

Low: A double flat ride that ended before it had really started.

High: Biking! I've had a bike focus over the summer and feel as if it's starting to pay off.

Low: Not having much opportunity to ride with Compass, Snort and Flipper. How I miss their bitchy banter, frequent pee stops and completely inappropriate potty humor!

High: Some really nice, steady open water swims in the ocean.

Low: Sore knees! Nothing too bad, but just a little concerning.

High: Riding with a group of experienced "roadies" and being able to keep-up!

Low: Another ride where I flatted 4+ miles from home. Changed the tire but found out that my CO2 cylinder was empty. Walked home in cleats....

High: Best workout of the year(or, maybe, ever) was when I had run about three miles up the beach early one moring and came across a huge pod of dolphin feeding in the waves very close to shore and putting on an amazing ariel display. Absolutely awe inspiring! I gave up my workout and walked/jogged as I followed them back down the beach for a couple of miles before they headed off-shore.

Now if only I could work out how to swim like they do......

Oh and one more final High: Finally getting to drop Compass on a few hills! [Sorry Compass, couldn't resist that one!] :-)

What Are The Odds?

Ugh.  Another disasterous ride down here on the Outer Banks this morning.....

We have guests this weekend, so I was determined to get in my long ride early today.   I was quiet as can be as I made coffee so as not to wake the passed-out masses and soon headed out on a beautiful sunny morning with just a mild breeze from the west.

As it was so early I decided that I would be safe riding over the bridge to Manteo and then on through town and over the old bridge to Mashoes and beyond.   Well, it wasn't to be....

I crossed the bridge and was a lttle over five miles into the ride on the causeway between Pirate's Cove and Manteo when I ran over something metallic (I heard the clinking sound) and felt that unmistakable feeling as my back tire deflated.   Damn!   Not to worry - a quick change and I would be on my way.  I found a pretty good gash in my brand new tire (see previous post) but no obvious cause of the flat.  I cleaned things carefully and put the new tube on the rim.  The tire was a little more difficult than usual to get back on the rim as it was new, but after just a little wrestling that too was in-place.   Now just pump it up and I would be on my way.  I got out my CO2 cylinder, placed it over the valve, pressed the button and......  pfffffttttttt......   just a pathetic little puff of gas and the thing was empty.   WTF?   It has never been used, but apparently must have been happily and slowly leaking gas without me knowing.   No spare canister and no pump with me.   Now what?

It was still too early to call SWMBO, who enjoys her bed on Sunday mornings, so I decided not to disturb her unless absolutely necessary.  There are usually plenty of riders here, so I figured that I would just start walking slowly and I would be sure to run into some friendly soul with a pump.   Ummmm... not so much!   One very nice lady on a beach cruiser stopped, but her tires had different valve to mine, so her pump was of little use.  I kept walking and was soon at the bridge.   This left me in a quandry: walk over or try to catch a ride?   I tried to look suitably pathetic on the side of the road for a while, but what little traffic there was just kept speeding past.   What the heck, I'll walk....   now the quandry became do I walk into oncoming traffic for safety reasons, or do I walk with traffic to increase the chances of someone giving me a ride?   I chose the former and walked over this baby:

OK, OK, I know it's upside down.....    Can't manage to rotate this one!   :-)

A little later I saw a biker coming towards me - finally!    Unfortunately, it was a guy on a roadie who completely and utterly ignored me, despite me yelling to see if he had a pump as he passed.   Who rides past someone walking their bike in the middle of nowhere?   What a D-Bag!   Oh well, keep walking....

Soon enough I was walking back up the beach road.  Surely now someone would stop to help?   I was within less than a mile from home when finally a friendly voice called out from a driveway.  Two very nice couples from Virginia were just heading out for their ride and had a pump - phew!   After pumping-up and having a nice chat I was able to ride the last few minutes home.  Six miles of riding and walking four plus miles in bike cleats counts as a workout, right?

Now I'm off to OBX Cycles to buy another new tube; a couple of CO2 cylinders and a small hand pump.  Damn you Bike Gods!