2010 Great Buckeye Challenge Half Ironman Triathlon

My first triathlon of the year was on August 15. I was hoping to participate in at least a couple others, but due to events happening this summer beyond my control, it made sense to not plan any races until late in the season. So no build up like last year. Just straight to a half IM distance event: the Great Buckeye Challenge at Buck Creek State Park in Springfield, OH.

I was hoping this race would be a good training race for IM and an indicator of my fitness to that point. As it was only 3 weeks out from race day, if I wasn't in shape there wasn't much I could do about it anyway. But I had some very long rides in already, as well as long swims, and hot runs. All my swims had been in the pool so the open water part would be new for the year, but it was just a training race.

Once set up in the transition area I wanted to get right into the water to warm-up for the swim and acclimate to the open water. Water temperature was decent, but there was a wind blowing across the reservoir creating just enough small chop to make swimming against the current tough. I'm mostly a left side breather and trying to breath swimming into the wind was hard. Hard to the point I didn't know if I'd be able to do it. The swim was two laps around the buoys set up in a long rectangle. We would start from the beach, swimming out to the first buoy and turning north. From there it was a long swim down to the end, where we would make two right turns before heading back, this time with the wind and current aiding us. After the first lap was done, we got to do it again! I left the water disgusted with the conditions and worried about making the swim cutoff, as seen in the photo below.

I tried to stay relaxed and waited my turn to start. There were also sprint and mini distance races being held that day and we went last. It took over half an hour before the half distance waves were called to the starting line. I was in the third wave. I started towards the back again so as not to get in the way of many other people. The start went well and I wasn't dropped nearly as quick as I thought I would be. Heading out the far side was as hard as I thought it would be, but luckily I was able to develop a rhythm to the waves and got my head up higher to breathe without inhaling a bunch of water.

I encountered one drawback to wearing a wetsuit while swimming that day: too much buoyancy. The way the waves were coming in, how small they were, was just enough to slam me back down into the water when taking a breath. It hurt and was very tiring mentally. I was getting beat up out there. My other big problem, which I can't attribute directly to the wetsuit, was a temporary overheating. At least it felt like I was overheating. It may have simply been stress induced near panic. At one point, about halfway down the far side of the course, I felt hot all over. Even the top of my head covered by the swim cap. I was fighting the urge to rip my cap off or even unzip my wetsuit to let the water cool me off. It was nearly maddening! Fortunately I had the presence of mind to realize it wasn't overheating and just a panic attack. I concentrated on relaxing and getting my breathing back under control. It passed as quickly as it began and I pressed on swimming.

My swim split was 1:05:22, over ten minutes slower than at Steelhead last year. Upon reaching shore I was surprised to learn I wasn't the last person out of the water. But I was close!

Once on dry land I was more in my element. I took my time in transition, making sure socks were on correctly and I had everything I needed for a long ride. Then I was off on my third ride of my new tri bike. (Long story for another post) I wasn't planning to hammer the ride, but I wanted to ride harder than I will at IM. The course proved to be hillier than I expected and the wind gave us serious headwind at a couple points. Road surface conditions on the two loop bike were very nice, with one stretch of freshly paved road possibly being the nicest road I've ever ridden on! My bike split was 3:21:04. Not great but not bad for me either.

I was looking forward to the run, as it's my strongest of the three sports. By the time I finished the bike the clouds departed and the sun was out in all her glory. I've been training in heat all summer so bring it on! In the photo below I'm heading out on the course with a little encouragement from Jr. P. The course was well stocked with aid, but I was smart to wear my Fuelbelt with my own fluids. It was a hot run and I needed as much electrolytes as I could get.

I felt great on the run! It was so nice to be able to run well after the rough swim. Just like at Steelhead, not a soul passed me. I made like a machine and just ran. I would offer constant encouragement to those I was passing whom both looked strong and looked pretty out of it. While I didn't suffer from any cramping, the heat slowed my pace considerably. With a 1:54 run split, I wasn't setting any half marathon PR's.

All in all a great training day. I got some open water experience before IM. I was able to get a serious ride in on the new Felt. And I had a strong run at the end. I like the half IM distance. It's a manageable distance. It doesn't feel like a second career training for one. I look forward to competing in more half distance races in the future. I'll let you know in a week if I plan on doing another full!