D
Dingo
Guest
The Eagleman 2005 was last Sunday - sorry this is late (and long)... 'just a
view from the middle of the pack.
I was up well before the clock went off at 4 am. Truth is, I slept fitfully
(if at all) thru the night. This was my 5th Eagleman and I knew the drill -
but I was in a noisy hotel room and thinking about the next day.
I got to the transition site early (I was up, right?) and went about setting
up. This year my age group got a bad location - the farthest corner from the
entry / exit points. Oh well, it would disadvantage everyone pretty equally.
I set up my area, checked everything, started stretching and pushing fluids.
The transition areas have a smell that's unique: a mixture of early morning
dew, adrenalin, warm wetsuits, sunscreen, spilled sportsdrinks, and
bodyglide. I can imagine it in my mind and it always makes me think of the
start of the race. This was no different.
I stood in the long line for the johns, did my job, and got ready for the
swim. I was in wave 8 so I had some time. Before long we were walking across
the timing mat and getting into the water. I warmed up and waited for the
start.
When the horn went off I focused on trying to find a good line and swim as
straight a course as I could. The course is a simple out-and-back triangle
(you finish in a different spot than you start) and is susceptible to tides
and the chop of the open bay. The swell was more rolling this year than in
2004 and I decided to breathe off my left going out, which kept me clear
most of the time. The water was murky this year and I couldn't see well at
all. I got a little off course (I noticed that everyone was getting pushed)
but rounded the turn and headed back to the docks. This time the swell was
more directly into my face and my goggles started taking water more than I'd
ever experienced - it's a drag to have to clear them 4 times, but you do
what you have to do. After a while I was swimming into the launch dock area
and getting ready to transition.
The Eagleman has a short run from the swim to the transition area, so I was
able to grab some water, think through my race plan, and trot over to my
bike. I'd gone with the sleeveless wetsuit due to the temperature, and was
out of the transition pretty quickly.
The Eagleman ride is kinda like a "lollypop" course, same start / finish leg
with a loop in the middle. This year was pretty much the same as last year -
the winds came up on the bike. As I was headed out on Dailsville Rd. the
wind was stiff in my face.... and I noticed that the flags were standing
straight out on the flagpoles, so I figured the winds were over 15 knots.
Unfortunately that continued for at least the next 25 miles. I tried to
settle down, get comfortable, keep my heart rate even, and drink/eat the
mixture of carbo-pro/ultima, succeed caps, and the 1.25 hourly Gu. At about
mile 17 we had to cross some rough road construction and my bike computer
got out of whack - well, I knew the course and I was dedicated to making the
best of it...... and so you try to think about keeping your legs going in
strong, even circles and ignoring the numbness down south and in your lower
back.
The Eagleman ride is flat as a pancake and can be beautiful - I've seen my
share of nesting eagles and wildlife, along with enjoying the odd game of
"tag, you're it" as you pass and get passed by the same person repeatedly
over the 56 mile course. This year I got to play tag with a woman on a baby
blue Guru for about 40 miles. I felt I was making good progress and turned
on to the return leg only to find that the wind had shifted - no happy
tailwind today, but only a hard crosswind as I went back home.
T2 was a bit slower than I would have liked: I felt heat on my shoulders and
took the extra 30 secs to reapply sunscreen to the shoulders and back of the
neck. That turned out to be a good call. And then I headed out on the
run......
The Eagleman course is known for four things: flat (fast!), windy,
shadeless, and hot. The last two factors came directly into play as I
started out on the run. The gauge in my truck read 91 degrees F when I
checked right after my finish, so I think it was probably 89 - 90 when I
started. The run is an "out-and back" course that has a couple of
predictable sections: nice start by beautiful homes in Cambridge, a
transition to an industrial section, and a long portion of farmland leading
to the turn-around. At mile 1 of the run I knew that I was going to have to
change my plan..... it was HOT and I was feeling BAD. I adopted a more
moderate pace (no records here today.... my Eagleman was looking more like
an endura-thon) and took water and Gatorade at each stop. I splashed water
on my head, but I was still overheating so at mile 5 I started stuffing ice
in my hat as I ran. The ice kept me from feeling the heat as badly, and I
was able to keep going without blowing up. I saw alot of folks really losing
it on the run due to the heat and I focused on the task at hand and getting
to the finish.
The run is well supported and the volunteers are great. I was able to get
good stuff to drink throughout the course, get ice where they had it, and
take a couple of succeed caps and a Gu at the turn around. The return leg
wasn't any easier than the outbound leg, but I was passing more people than
passed me, and I knew that each step took me closer to the finish.
Eventually I crossed the finish, got my medal, got something nice and cold
to drink and some stuff to eat. The time I finished with wasn't what I had
hoped for - but I was happy that I hadn't gone down on the course or wasn't
lying in the med tent (which looked fuller than usual this year... ).
Overall my swim was a little bit slower, my bike was right on par with
previous years, and my run was MUCH slower than I had expected. Through all
of this I learned to try to take away that some days are harder than others,
sometimes the course wants to fight you, and the best job you can do is to
keep your head in the game - run your race - and learn the lessons on
endurance or toughness that you're being taught. The next race and the next
year will be different events.
all the best -
view from the middle of the pack.
I was up well before the clock went off at 4 am. Truth is, I slept fitfully
(if at all) thru the night. This was my 5th Eagleman and I knew the drill -
but I was in a noisy hotel room and thinking about the next day.
I got to the transition site early (I was up, right?) and went about setting
up. This year my age group got a bad location - the farthest corner from the
entry / exit points. Oh well, it would disadvantage everyone pretty equally.
I set up my area, checked everything, started stretching and pushing fluids.
The transition areas have a smell that's unique: a mixture of early morning
dew, adrenalin, warm wetsuits, sunscreen, spilled sportsdrinks, and
bodyglide. I can imagine it in my mind and it always makes me think of the
start of the race. This was no different.
I stood in the long line for the johns, did my job, and got ready for the
swim. I was in wave 8 so I had some time. Before long we were walking across
the timing mat and getting into the water. I warmed up and waited for the
start.
When the horn went off I focused on trying to find a good line and swim as
straight a course as I could. The course is a simple out-and-back triangle
(you finish in a different spot than you start) and is susceptible to tides
and the chop of the open bay. The swell was more rolling this year than in
2004 and I decided to breathe off my left going out, which kept me clear
most of the time. The water was murky this year and I couldn't see well at
all. I got a little off course (I noticed that everyone was getting pushed)
but rounded the turn and headed back to the docks. This time the swell was
more directly into my face and my goggles started taking water more than I'd
ever experienced - it's a drag to have to clear them 4 times, but you do
what you have to do. After a while I was swimming into the launch dock area
and getting ready to transition.
The Eagleman has a short run from the swim to the transition area, so I was
able to grab some water, think through my race plan, and trot over to my
bike. I'd gone with the sleeveless wetsuit due to the temperature, and was
out of the transition pretty quickly.
The Eagleman ride is kinda like a "lollypop" course, same start / finish leg
with a loop in the middle. This year was pretty much the same as last year -
the winds came up on the bike. As I was headed out on Dailsville Rd. the
wind was stiff in my face.... and I noticed that the flags were standing
straight out on the flagpoles, so I figured the winds were over 15 knots.
Unfortunately that continued for at least the next 25 miles. I tried to
settle down, get comfortable, keep my heart rate even, and drink/eat the
mixture of carbo-pro/ultima, succeed caps, and the 1.25 hourly Gu. At about
mile 17 we had to cross some rough road construction and my bike computer
got out of whack - well, I knew the course and I was dedicated to making the
best of it...... and so you try to think about keeping your legs going in
strong, even circles and ignoring the numbness down south and in your lower
back.
The Eagleman ride is flat as a pancake and can be beautiful - I've seen my
share of nesting eagles and wildlife, along with enjoying the odd game of
"tag, you're it" as you pass and get passed by the same person repeatedly
over the 56 mile course. This year I got to play tag with a woman on a baby
blue Guru for about 40 miles. I felt I was making good progress and turned
on to the return leg only to find that the wind had shifted - no happy
tailwind today, but only a hard crosswind as I went back home.
T2 was a bit slower than I would have liked: I felt heat on my shoulders and
took the extra 30 secs to reapply sunscreen to the shoulders and back of the
neck. That turned out to be a good call. And then I headed out on the
run......
The Eagleman course is known for four things: flat (fast!), windy,
shadeless, and hot. The last two factors came directly into play as I
started out on the run. The gauge in my truck read 91 degrees F when I
checked right after my finish, so I think it was probably 89 - 90 when I
started. The run is an "out-and back" course that has a couple of
predictable sections: nice start by beautiful homes in Cambridge, a
transition to an industrial section, and a long portion of farmland leading
to the turn-around. At mile 1 of the run I knew that I was going to have to
change my plan..... it was HOT and I was feeling BAD. I adopted a more
moderate pace (no records here today.... my Eagleman was looking more like
an endura-thon) and took water and Gatorade at each stop. I splashed water
on my head, but I was still overheating so at mile 5 I started stuffing ice
in my hat as I ran. The ice kept me from feeling the heat as badly, and I
was able to keep going without blowing up. I saw alot of folks really losing
it on the run due to the heat and I focused on the task at hand and getting
to the finish.
The run is well supported and the volunteers are great. I was able to get
good stuff to drink throughout the course, get ice where they had it, and
take a couple of succeed caps and a Gu at the turn around. The return leg
wasn't any easier than the outbound leg, but I was passing more people than
passed me, and I knew that each step took me closer to the finish.
Eventually I crossed the finish, got my medal, got something nice and cold
to drink and some stuff to eat. The time I finished with wasn't what I had
hoped for - but I was happy that I hadn't gone down on the course or wasn't
lying in the med tent (which looked fuller than usual this year... ).
Overall my swim was a little bit slower, my bike was right on par with
previous years, and my run was MUCH slower than I had expected. Through all
of this I learned to try to take away that some days are harder than others,
sometimes the course wants to fight you, and the best job you can do is to
keep your head in the game - run your race - and learn the lessons on
endurance or toughness that you're being taught. The next race and the next
year will be different events.
all the best -
