I've learned something about Macon, Georgia...it's hilly and very hot! This past weekend Danny "Double D" Domingo and myself trudged up to Macon to do a 1/2 Ironman race. We knew there would be hills and heat, so it didn't come as a shock...but you always hope it won't be that bad. You have a mental plan in place "...hydrate, hydrate, hydrate, salt tab, hydrate, etc.", and hope that your body will respond accordingly...but, sometimes you just have a bad day. This happened to Danny at Gulf Coast, and I experienced it in Macon.
We stood in line for about 1 1/2 hours the day before...taking in the rays of the blazing sun. This confirmed that race day was going to be tough, especially when compounded by fresh black asphalt on the run portion.
On race morning word came that it was wetsuit legal, 77.5 degrees (78 is the cutoff)..so that was good news...at least for me. We put our stuff in the transition and made our way DOWN to the lake...like DOWN a pretty length steep hill that would help serve as the run up into transition...ouch! Getting my wetsuit on, I was already starting to sweat. I got in the water and it felt like a bathtub...jeesh, they must have taken the temperature from the very bottom of the lake! Anyhow, wave 1 containing the pro/elite's went off 3 minutes before our wave. The swim course was nice and pretty uneventful from my standpoint. Danny on the other hand tore off the front of our wave and caught all the pro/elite guys! He had the fastest swim time of the day, and was first out of T1! I got out of the water, ran down the beach to the hill...heart racing out of control...so, I walked up the hill until it leveled off before setting off again. It was a pretty good shock to the system.
Danny let the eventual winner go on the bike, but paced with two other riders for the rest and went into the run second or third overall. I knew 20 miles into the bike that I was having an off day. I couldn't get the gear rolling over, and it felt difficult even though I was keeping my heart rate pretty low. I battled back and forth with a couple guys, then ended up with totally clear road after mile 30...all the way to the end. About 15 miles to go I felt pretty fatigued and knew the run was going to be really hot. I thought about just dropping out after the bike, grabbing two beers (I always buy in pairs), and cheering Danny on to the end...but, I hate DNF'ing...so I HTFU and kept going.
I was 6th overall coming off the bike, and decided to run really slow and maybe pick it up around mile 9 or 10...it was a great plan. Two guys ran by me after a couple miles, and then the placings stabilized until around mile 9...then my stomach went south. I started feeling sick and had really bad cramps in my stomach. I chewed up some Tums and then finally got off the hot asphalt and bent over on the side of the road. Another guy ran past me and shouted encouragement...unlike in cycling where you try to break the guy next to you, fellow competitors cheer each other on...nice change of pace. Anyhow, I started running again...although at a slow pace, and kept going until the finish. I was passed by several guys, but did at least pass one guy inside the final mile. In the end I was 15th overall and 4th in my age group...I guess everyone was having a tough day. Danny was 3rd amateur and 6th overall. He had major issues on the run also, but HTFU'd and finished.
As I crossed the finish line, they asked me how I felt...I gave them the standard "...like shit" response...then made a left turn to the medical tent to get an IV, and there was Danny along with everyone else who finished in front of me getting one also...it was a tough day! The medical staff was awesome...they took off my shoes and socks, covered my body in ice cold towels, gave me a drink, and started my IV drip! Really, the medical folks there were incredible.
I'll post pictures as soon as I have them sorted out, and here are the results.
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