A half ironman triathlon isn't typically recommended just 2 weeks away from an "A" race Ironman. I like to do a half 4-5 weeks out, but 2 weeks is pretty close. However, my good friend Webb was racing the Liberty Half in Independence, MN, as was Jon DeGroot from Sioux Falls, SD. So, I wanted to race as well. Also, I raced it last year and enjoyed it, and wanted to get the feel for racing again before Coeur d'Alene on June 24, so I decided to go for it, but treat it like a long training day.
The conditions were pretty good. Temps got up to mid-80's by the afternoon, but overall it was nice. It was breezy on the hilly bike course, which slowed some times a bit.
Webb and I started in the first wave - 35 - 39 men. Per USAT rules, since I turn 35 this year, I race in the 35 - 39 age group. Jon DeGroot started 2 waves or 10 minutes back, as a young 26-year old!
I exited the water just a half minute ahead of Webb, but he beat me out of the transition, as I couldn't get out of my wetsuit! We passed each other a bit in the first 10 miles, and then I slowly pulled away. My new Felt B2 felt great, but I was going fairly easy as it was just a long training day for me. 42 miles into my race, I was passed by Jon DeGroot, even though he started 10 minutes back! He ended up out-splitting me on the bike by around 11 minutes or so, but paid for it on the run. My bike average was 20.2 mph, around 2 minutes faster than last year inspite of the wind and my training pace. I was OK with that. Jon averaged just over 21 mph, and Webb around 19.
On to the run. I felt pretty good on the run, inspite of the fact that I had slipped a disc in my lower back earlier that week. Just 2 days before the race I could hardly run at all. Praise the Lord for the good feeling on race day! Thanks also to Jon DeGroot for the public prayer at the swim start :-)
I passed Jon in the first mile of the run. He was hurting a bit, and the temps were climbing, making for a tough run. I felt pretty good and ran the first half in around 44 minutes. However, I slowed a bit after mile 9, and ended up with a 1:32 run split, or 7:04/mile pace. I finished 18th overall out of 225, in 4:58. It felt good to break 5 hours, and I felt ready for Coeur d'Alene. Jon and Webb both struggled on the run, but finished in one piece around a half hour later.
Praise be to God for my back and overall health. It felt good to break 5 hours before Coeur d'Alene, and I'm looking forward to the big day!
Results at http://onlineraceresults.com/race/view_race.php?race_id=4812
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