Mooseman Half-Ironman 2012

My first triathlon of the 2012 season was this last Sunday, the Mooseman 70.3 in Bristol, New Hampshire.  I picked Mooseman because I raced there last year and had a great day, and it is just the right amount of time before Lake Placid Ironman to get a good read on fitness and adjust training targets if necessary. My goal for Mooseman was to go 4:45, hoping to be on the podium with a qualifying spot to the 70.3 World Championship in Las Vegas on September 9th.  I had a good race this year, but didn't reach my goals.

Mooseman is challenging race.  It's early in the season, so Newfound Lake is often frigid. The bike course is very difficult with a steep ascent that has to be done twice followed by a harrowing descent on the opposite side.  And the weather conditions tend to vary widely from year to year.  In 2011 the lake temperature was 59 degrees and the air was a chilly 41 when I walked into transition. However, it was clear and the sun soon warmed the venue to deliver a great day weatherwise.

Not so this year.  I arrived at Newfound Lake on Thursday and stayed at a sweet little cottage right on the shore.  The weather was fantastic and when I checked in for the race on Friday I had a bounce in my step and a lightness in my heart.  I was quite happy with my transition spot, which had fast, direct access from the swim to the bike, and from the bike to the run.

Mother nature had other ideas, however. By late Friday it had clouded over and by the time I awoke on Saturday morning the temperature had locked onto 50 degrees and it had started raining.  I did a quick swim off the beach where I was staying, went for an easy spin on the race setup for the bike, and headed out for my high glycemic index breakfast at the Tilton Diner.  The Mooseman Olympic Distance race was on Saturday and as I drove along 3A in Bristol I was able to see the racers on their bikes, miserable in the pouring rain.  That could be me tomorrow, I thought.

It rained all day on Saturday and the wind was blustery and fierce.  I rested in the cottage Saturday afternoon until my daughter Nicole arrived, then we went to dinner with some other athletes and turned in early, hoping the weather would be subside.

On race morning it was still wet outside, everything was water logged, but the wind had abated and it wasn't raining.  I arrived in transition to find my perfect spot under 6 inches of water!  I racked my bike and just stood there trying to figure out how this was going to work.  Eventually a race official came by and told me I could move to the periphery, where they had erected more racks and tables for us.  The photo below shows my transition spot, just beyond the partly submerged orange cone.

My new spot wasn't very central and the only way to and from it from the bike start-finish was via a winding path over roots and moss, right past the portolets, and through a tangle of other bike racks.  It was dry, but I couldn't run with my bike as I am used to doing in transition.

I got all setup, grabbed my swim gear, and started my warm up.  The air was cool and damp, but the water in the lake was maybe 65 degrees, warmer than last year and more comfortable than the air. My swim wave was the very last one and included all male athletes 45+ years in age.  Being in the last wave gave me plenty of time to warm-up, then I got myself to the front of the pack for the start.

Last year I did not have a great swim at Mooseman.  I sprinted at the start, went hypoxic, and then had to swim easy to catch my breath.  I meandered a bit and had trouble staying on course.  I was cold.  Given all that my time of 30:25 was not bad.  This year I dropped immediately onto a fast pair of feet, swam within myself for the sprint, and settled into a good, strong rhythm. 

I stayed on course and passed a lot of people from the earlier swim waves.  My wave was wearing white caps and after the first turn on the rectangle I didn't see any more white caps.  Nearing the finish my shoulders and lats were hurting from the effort and I felt I had delivered the swim I had worked for all winter.  Unfortunately there are just too many variables to account for and my time of 30:36 surprised me.  I was 7th in my age group out of the water, but I was already behind my goal race pace by two minutes.

The water was so cold in 2011 that I did not function well in T1, taking nearly 4 minutes to get going on the bike.  I wasn't stellar this year, but I got out onto the bike in two and a half minutes, which is acceptable.  The bike course was wet, so I rode more conservatively than normal.  Not everyone took this approach though, and on the long descent following the first major climb there were three riders down against the guard rail, bikes twisted, and blood flowing.  All three riders were hospitalized.

I changed the gearing on my bike for Mooseman, choosing to use a compact crank with a 34 cog chain ring.  This allowed me to climb very efficiently and even though some very fast riders caught me on the first lap, I was able to gap them going up the big climb the second time.  I was unable to hold that gap through to the end of the bike leg though.  Compared to last year, I felt like I had a better ride, but like the swim this was deceiving and my time of 2:53 was actually 3 minutes slower than in 2011.  I averaged 184 watts over the 56 mile ride, which is lower than it should be and slightly under my power output from last year. Cadence of 85 rpm was also not as high as I normally target. The good news is that for the first time ever I was able to pee while on the bike, a skill I have never before been able to use.

I had a good transition to the run but entered the 13.1 mile course having fallen to 12th place in my age group.  I settled into my pace of about 7 minutes per mile and enjoyed both the scenery and seeing other athletes.  The Mooseman run is an out and back, 2 circuits, so you see a lot of people coming and going.

I was able to hold my pace, but my left hamstring was threatening to cramp the entire way.  I was taking in fluids from the aid stations, mostly through my mouth, although I did dump quite a bit of Ironman Perform on my white tri suit, as drinking from a cup is a skill that eludes me when I'm running. I also took some in through one eye when I mistook it for my mouth, and let me tell you, energy drinks with lots of electrolytes do not mix well in your eye.

For the 2nd loop of the run I targeted a guy from my age group that passed me on the bike that I could see up the road from me.  I caught him with about 3.5 miles to go, passed him in an aid station, and then tried to dial up the speed a little.  My hamstring did not agree with this decision and the guy ran alongside me for a little bit.  I figured out that he was slow going up inclines and I used that to gap him at the turn around.  With two miles to go he was no where to be seen.

I ran hard the last couple of miles, faster than my goal pace.  It hurt, but my coach always says that we train long hard hours just so we can go deep into the pain cave during races.  I was making serious noise with every exhale as I chugged toward the finish.  This weekend I met another athlete that is also coached by Kurt Perham at Personal Best Multisport.  Her name is Mary Holt-Wilson and I saw her on the run course a couple of times and cheered her on.  As I neared the finish there was Mary in front of me, so I sprinted in and we finished at the same time. 

I ran a personal best half-marathon in a 70.3 race of 1:34, but my overall time of 5:02 was only a couple of minutes faster than last year, earned me 8th place in my age group, and was not good enough to earn a qualifying slot to 70.3 Worlds.  Nevertheless, it was a good first race for 2012 and it highlights the areas of focus for Lake Placid Ironman in July as well as for any future 70.3 races I pursue.

Thank you to my support crew in Burlington, Vermont including the folks at Green Mountain Rehab & Sports Medicine and Jenn O'Connor at Sustainable Wellness Massage.  Also thank you to Chris Coffey for loaning me his Flashpoint Powertap rear race wheel and to Gary Snow for all his advice about training faster to go faster.  A huge thanks to my coach, Kurt Perham, I've come a long way as a triathlete and I owe most of that progress to Kurt and his wisdom regarding training for multi sports.  Finally, a special thank you to my daughter Nicole who acted as pit crew, cheer leader, and photographer.  I appreciate your help and support, it wouldn't be nearly as fun or rewarding without you, and the photos you took are awesome.

   Next stop -Lake Placid Ironman - July 22, 2012