What did I learn???

The SC Half was great. Yet again the Set-up inc guys held a great event and the weather was awesome.

Let me start from the beginning. The night before I agreed with one of my buddies I would stay with him on the run as long as he was running and not walking and he would hold back on the bike for me as long as we were doing 20mph or greater. This is yet again the last time I do that because he as a cyclist would kill on the bike and hates that he doesn't and I feel the same way on the run. So the next morning, the kid decided he would wake up around 230AM because he was so excited about the race day. Then he wouldn't go back to sleep so he decided to play in his crib until I decided to just get up and get going. We needed to leave the house around 445 so we could follow some friends down to Greenwood,SC. When we arrived at my friends house we were waiting on another guy. When we called him he was still asleep, this was par for the course for this guy for the whole day, so we had to leave and go get him and then we were finally on the road around 515 or so. We got checked in once in Greenwood and took our time getting to the transition area. Well once in there they made an announcement that we had to be out of transition in 10 mins. for a mandatory pre-race meeting. HOLY COW!!! So I rushed and got everything ready and I was prepared and ready to go, I was surprised at how calm I was. Grabbed my wetsuit and some baby oil and goggles and timing chip and swim cap and was out. Got the wetsuit on while he was talking and prepared my mind. The fat boys or Clydesdale division was in the third wave and when it was our time to go I hopped and immediately got my wetsuit to body temperature. HA HA. The water felt great and I was ready.

The gun sounded and I was really surprised by how spaced out everyone was. I got punched once in the face but nothing to bad and from there on it was just a few slaps in the back of the foot and as I got up to the second wave a few of those guys seem very disoriented but I was around them in no time. I had a much better swim at this Half then I did in the Festival of Flowers, matter of fact I pretty much had the same swim time for the half as I did the olypmic. SWEET!

Once in T1 I waited for my buddy that was a minute behind me and we jotted out of T1 and hopped on the bike. Immediately the third guy that was supposed to stay with us dropped back. We were cruising for the first half of this ride. I mean cruising. I was not in my aero bars for the first half because we were trying to slow down so he could catch up. At mile 30 we pulled over and took a pee break and waited for him to catch up which he did and we let him full his water bottles and we were off again. Then after mile 40 we decided we would wait for him in T2 until he arrived. So we pounded it out and I really felt good keeping a 20mph average. This course was rolling but had long sections of flat. It was a really good race course. I will be doing that race next year for sure. Once in T2 I felt great I was ready to go. My hips were a little tight but I was used to that in my training. OK so now were in the waiting game for our third buddy. I want to note here I didn't agree to do anything with this guy. It was my other buddy. To bad we are men of our word because we would have been gone. 10 mins later the other guy arrived.

The run course is up and down and actually tougher than I thought or remembered. Well as we started going the third guy was already saying he wasn't going to keep the pace we were at which was somewhere around 830. So we all slowed down to about 9 or slower. We held this pace until about mile 3 I was dropping them because I couldn't run as slow as they were going. As soon as I was about to turn around and tell them I am off if someone wants to follow behind me then come on or be left, the third guy started walking and my buddy caught up to me. He said don't kill me but keep a good solid pace. I did that and we had a great run. I could have gone faster but I honored my word to him until he decided to walk, which he didn't. We really started dropping people on the second loop. It was starting to get hot and at mile 10 I was starving. I was grabbing pretzels and whatever else to subdue the hunger pains I was having. I didn't take a gel because I wasn't sure if that would make it worse or not. Well once we got to mile 12 we kicked it up a bit. My buddy started feeling bad but was able to keep up. The thing about the finish which is awful and cool at the same time is there is a straight up 10% incline about 30 yards to the finish line. My buddy took two steps and his hamstring cramped up. He pushed through as much as he could to the finish.

Overall the race was great but I did learn a few things.
1) Eat a little more on the bike regardless of the temp because I would need the food and calories. I hydrated well but it was food I needed.
2) I need to find out what is rubbing my neck raw in my wetsuit. OUCH!
3) I need to pace myself on the run regardless of how well I feel for the first 8 miles. I could have pushed an 830 pace but I don't know how I would have finished with my body depleted as much as it was.
4) Never say you will stay with someone unless it is really important to them for you to do so.
5) Next time some jerk, finishing lap 1, decides to run straight out you just because he is in front of you and expects you to move and you have no where to go lay him out with a forearm shiver. JERK!
6) Show up early to race day so you don't feel so rushed and you get better parking.
7) ENJOY THE DAY! I did this but it was important to do so!
8) Yelling at yourself is not only for crazy people it helps to motivate.
9) Don't try the flat coke on an empty stomach.
10) Buy cheap water bottles because I seem to lose one per race. This time due to a rough and bumpy patch of road.

That was it guys. I finished 3rd in the "fat boy" division. Should have been second and a close first place chance. My overall time was 5:37:24, as SHOWN HERE!

Have a good week while I recover today!