Sunday, June 08, 2008

Eagleman 2008

Swim: Uneventful (1 min slower than last year - 49:37).
T1: Uneventful (8:03).
Bike: Side stitch. Barf. Barf. Stomach ache. (PR bike leg finish 1.5 minutes faster than last year despite stops to barf). 3:23:22.
T2: Slow. (6:30). Went through transition just to see if I'd change my mind about stopping. Didn't change my mind.
Turned in chip. (Heat index currently 103).

And it was all going so well until the puking started!
Bike leg, first 35 miles: Average heart rate 149, 17.5 mph.


Bike leg, last 18 miles: Average heart rate 149, 15.0 mph.


Perhaps I should note that my decision to bag the run was shared by 6/21 women in my age group today! That's 28%. We may be old, but we're no dummies! I was 13th/21 after the swim (woot, solid mid-pack!) but 18th/21 after a slow T1 and relatively slow vomitfest bike leg (16.6 mph). Most of the top ten women in my age group were averaging 18+ mph on this bike course. I would have had to finish under 6:46 total time to make the top ten today. Nope, not going to happen in this weather! Not with this body! (Athena results don't seem to be posted yet, either, but they started considerably later under even worse conditions).

I'm a little suspicious about the length of the swim course, too. There was some difficulty in setting up a new course. Last year the top times in my division were 31 to 32 minutes (while top pro men swam 21-22 minutes); this year in flat calm conditions the top times in my division were 37 to 38 minutes (while top pro men swam 23-25 minutes - although that difference may be due to no wetsuits for pros this year). That's slower in much calmer conditions. Hmmmm. I thought I had a reasonably good swim, I was a bit surprised by the longer time on course! Now it becomes clear!

17 comments:

21stCenturyMom said...

well damnit to hell on the weather. I would probably have had the same experience as heat is NOT my friend.

Unknown said...

Good call Nancy!

Recover well.

Ellie Hamilton said...

Sometimes winning is knowing when to stop. Today was one of those times. Too damn hot. You chose right. Congratulations on your swim and bike times!

Rainmaker said...

Bummer - but I wouldn't dwell on it. You did the right thing. I was out there today and did a brick, there's no way I could have done a half-marathon in that heat at that time of day. I was dying after just 5K (around noon).

Congrats on the bike PR!

jeanne said...

awww nancy, that sucks! but that was the smartest thing you could have done!

DAMN WEATHER.

congrats on the bike PR!!!

Lesser is More said...

Aside from the barfing, the last part of the bike course seemed to have a nasty headwind. I slowed way down at about the same point too. All the more impressive that you were able to fight through it. I seriously considered bagging it after the bike, but I told myself I'd start the run and see how the first few miles felt. Too bad the only shade on the run course was in the first few miles. Made me actually think there might be more of it later. It was really tough out there.

Great to see you out there!

Fe-lady said...

I think your swim and bike times rocked-and you were smart to NOT run in heat like that!
Congrats on being a wise old gal!

Sorry to hear about the throwing up part!

LBTEPA said...

stupid weather
Well done evn finishing the bike!
As you said, you're not out there to end up in an ambulance - well done

Joy | Love | Chaos said...

Nancy ~ it was BRUTAL out there today, you made a smart decision. Nothing to prove, so why hurt yourself? There were some racers in very bad shape at the end, trust me.

Next year, I'll join you in tackling the course! My first, your fifth?

Kudos for racing smart out there. Now. I have some sunburn to attend to... .

Wrenched Photography said...

I think everyone, including myself, ended up going splat the last 15 miles. I was doing 17-19 and then *POP*, but no barfing.

I walked all but 20 min of the run.

Wrenched Photography said...

You weren't wearing a jersey with flames were you? I kept playing hopscotch on the bike with a woman on a yellow felt and a jersey with flames

Nancy Toby said...

No, it only felt like it was on fire.... I had on a black and red top that was riding up and left a nice little sunburned stripe across my back!!

Jade Lady said...

Weather this summer has been hellacious and it's not yet officially summer! There's always a next time.

Formulaic said...

Way to play it smart and not let the ego get the best of you.

You played it smart and now can train for the next event.

Plus you had some good times to boot!

GatorJamie said...

formulaic is right about "ego". That played heavily into my decision to DNF the bike at Mile 22: My ego v. the health of the volunteers who were waiting on me, the last bike. THe barfing had to have been the worst. Yecch. Way to hang in there, though. We'll meet F2F one day!

TriGirl 40 said...

I kept thinking about everyone racing Eagleman and how incredibly awful it was outside. Congrats on a solid bike and run, especially given the conditions!

Comm's said...

despite the results of the race, your biking has really really improved in the last three years. That is something to take away from the race.