EAGLEMAN DONE!!! Whoopie!!

It was a successful day because of the cool t-shirts, the amazing weather [had pleaded with the weather spirits all week and they delivered on 2 of 3 counts; no heat, humidity, or wind...not bad]

As some of you may have already read my race report on the club site, this might be redundant but I'll repeat myself to be thorough.

Set my sights on Eagleman last year in response to a challenge I couldn't accept the previous year from my biking clan. They suffered through the temps and conditions last year while I was race support, cheering at mile 37 [blister from the cowbell] and chalk messages along the bike course. So this year was my turn.

I had a plan in place but never really seem to have good execution of a plan. Suffice it to say that I felt poorly prepared for the run portion of the race given that I hadn't run more than 10 miles since April and had been dealing with some foot pain and just wanted to finish comfortably. Mission accomplished but read on to see how....

I had a tremendous support group [family, friends, and not least of all, John] in addition to Club support, which was everywhere. I freaked myself out at 3 a.m. thinking that I hadn't prepared enough, wasn't getting up early enough, bla bla bla...the night before I freaked out about not having my usual breakfast so John went to find me oatmeal and yogurt .... what a great guy!! I got up early and started to load weird stuff into the car and managed to catch Nate and Meghan on their way out....Great quote "Checking out is for losers" so I just didn't worry about that, hung out with them and absorbed great mellowing vibes from them and got hugs before they headed off to transition. I was hoping to be in transition very soon after them.

Morning wake up, got prepared, left the hotel intending to be at transition at 6 a.m. with plenty of time to set up. Well, we hit the usual traffic and at Summerset, I hopped out of the car with my stuff and set off to transition, leaving John to go park and meet me. Got into transition, had enough time to rearrange my set up so that I had space to sit down [something I never do...but thought I might] and could gear up and just roll out with the bike in the right direction. Saw Jen in all her disheveled mess...having spoken with her the day before and her 'missing' front wheel story...knew she wasn't having a great day.

During packet pickup I heard someone ask Chris Legh about his intended strategy for battling a head wind and he responded that he would gear down and spin through it...sounded like good advice so I tucked that away for future use.

Once I'd set up, I went to the tent, stashed some post race gear, laughed at Jen a bit [it was tough not to], saw a bunch of club folks, gave Wayne my cow bell, and headed off to wait my entry into the water. Just prior to entering the water, I went to zip up my wet suit and managed to get my jersey caught in the zipper and thanks to Nate [and I think Jen] I avoided a really frustrating T1...they unjammed my zipper and hooked me up.

The Swim
Getting into the water, we [I was with the Athenas and 16-29 yr olds] joked around, noted who were 1st timers, there was a pregnant woman with us [under 5 mo preg, I think] and off we went. As you've all read earlier, going out wasn't too bad and I avoided getting kicked and runover and managed to merely "exist" with my fellow swimmers. The trouble came at the turn at the boat. Swells, stings, sighting problems, all were factors in my misery. Turning back to the shore, it only got worse, more stings, tough time breathing [which I solved with a weird "bounce" stroke I invented] and I eventually gave up trying to see the yellow triangles [which I saw lifted right out of the water by the stiff wind] and sighted instead on the huge red and white radio tower which was exactly where I needed to be. Goal time for the swim was 45 min; actual time: 51:41. Best thing shouted at me as I exited the swim "Lets go ride bikes!" by John. Saw Nate at the swim exit too...he shouted words of encouragement which I can't specifically remember now.
T1
I remember John telling me that at Columbia a woman stripped off her wet suit prior to entering transition so I thought it would be a great idea; I got hosed off [no beard for me] and then stood at the transition entry for what felt like forever stripping off the suit and carried it to my area which was really close to the bike out. Good call overall. Jen came in just behind me and we 'raced' to get out on the bike; she had an advantage of no socks to put on. T1 time: 4:21

Bike
My best leg of this sport by far and I've been working at this and have a new carbon Specialized Roubaix to make me go faster. I have also been practicing the "pill" delivery since several people recommended Enduralites and Naproxin on the bike in addition to water, Gatorade, and nutrition. I've never been able to use my bento box with success but Sunday was my exception. I had 2 servings of Cliff Blocks, two GUs, 4 Endurolites and 2 Naproxin, and 4 bottles of hydration while on the bike. I was indeed the really annoying happy smiley, chatty competitor. The kind you want to punch when you're having a crappy bike. But I was having a great time, and executed my race day strategy like a pro...use the wind when you can, leave some for the last 10 miles, spin through the wind, eat every hr, drink every 15 min, try to maintain 18mph average. At times I was going 25mph and others 14mph but I averaged 18.2 mph and felt great. I saw Natasha Badman on her way back in on Davidsonville as I was headed out...pretty cool. I think I passed more people than passed me. Sang "We all live in a yellow submarine" to amuse myself, steered clear of the club of competitors who seemed to be drafting in front of me, managed to avoid any flat tires, accidents, or bottle exchange issues. Made it through the bike without a "potty" break. Saw Meg Toy and clan, Brent, Tom, and David at all sorts of places. Read with amusement the chalk messages from Tom to HVS. Tried to stay focused as I passed the runners on my way back in...I am still competing and while I had to keep my head down and focus, it was tough not to cheer for a DC Tri Club jersey. Had hoped to break below a 3hr bike but just didn't get there. Bike time: 3:03:51 (18.28 mph )

Came off the bike and saw my Dad, John and the DC Tri Club cheering squad.

T2

Now just the run to complete; Helmet, gloves, shoes off, socks off, socks on, shoes on, hat, shades, GU, race belt and we're off. Stopped to dump the trash from the back pocket of my jersey since I'd eaten all my nutrition and stuffed the wrappers there to keep from littering. Saw John on my way out on the run, and many more along the chute out. Felt great and just wanted to keep an even pace to finish well. Time: 2:27

Run

Since I just wanted to finish, I wasn't pushing myself too hard on the run and sort of relaxed into a comfortable pace. Did the first 2 miles at 10 min mile pace but knew I'd not be able to sustain that so I just chilled, enjoyed the sudden overcast conditions and thanked all the volunteers along the way. On the way out, I saw Brent [again] and one of the most amusing moments of the race was Ian Weinstock running backwards in front of me chatting with me...with two flags sticking out of his visor. I saw Meghan coming back in from her amazing run around my mile 5. She looked great!! Passed Melissa Merson around mile 4 and cheered her on, got passed by lots of people and just before mile 6.5, got a nice boost from a fellow competitor who said I looked comfortable like I could sustain my pace forever; actually, this was one of my most comfortable runs ever...and I hate the run. Heather passed me just after the turnaround and was annoyed because I wasn't in her age group...haven't been for some time, my dear but more power to you...I just needed to stay on track and I could maybe finish this thing in 6:30 rather than my hopeful 6:00. Ate 2 GU, a few cookies, water, Gatorade, and poured water on my face since the salt was stinging my eyes and really making me uncomfortable. Saw Rebecca on her way to the turnaround and gave her a hug...she seemed to be in some pain...wished I had some Advil but I'd left it on the bike. Kept chugging along...like the energizer bunny. Saw Bruce on his way out and urged him along...he keeps going and going and going Yea Bruce!! By the time I hit mile 11, I felt okay but was really tired...not sore, not mentally popped but tired. I needed a nap. If I hadn't walked through the water stop at mile 12, I would have made the 6:30 goal but as it was, I came back along the river, turned left [after some traffic jam that just irked me...there's people trying to RACE here...have some consideration...grrr] I saw Meghan, Nate and Yvonne at the end of the stretch, sprinted with this woman next to me --- she smoked me, and then picked up the pace a bit as I turned the corner into the home stretch. Saw my mom and John and asked where my finishers beer was.....smiling the whole time.

Heard my name and crossed the finish line!! Whoopie!! Done and I didn't feel like an overused dish rag and I had my wits about me, felt great and would do it again!!

Run time: 2:29:08 11:23/mile

Total time: 6:31:28

All in all, it was much more fun than I expected, I'd do it again and this time I'm working on my run. Thanks to all who came out to spectate, support, and generally provide a tremendous atmosphere in which to compete.

Meghan and I spent the next day eating, walking funny, and just generally reveling in our Eaglmandom...It was a whirlwind weekend, filled with friends, family, and food, not to mention loads of physical activity. I might actually want to do this race again next year and am considering the Vineman in Sonoma next July...can we say ROAD TRIP?!?!?? I'll try to post some photos...unless Meghan took a pic of the two of us with medals [which I don't remember] we missed the opportunity to get the finishers on film!