Eagleman 70.3
This race report is a little over due and as such I’ll make it brief. I last raced Eagleman in Cambridge, MD in 2006, where I first punched my ticket to Kona as an age grouper. Needless to say I have fond memories of the race and the city of Cambridge, so I thought I would venture back and see how big a difference 4 years and racing as professional can make.
I drove up to Maryland so I did not have to hassle with bike boxes, airports or packing everything I need in the smallest space possible, a rare and welcome change from my normal pre-race routine. I was hosted by a great family who lived right on mile 2 of the run course and it made for a very comfortable and convenient location. Not to mention they spoiled me with a huge pasta and crab dinner on Friday night after my arrival! 
Swim: 30
The water temp was almost 80 degrees, so no wetsuits for anyone, especially not the pros. The swim start was delayed for 10-15min because of some buoy misplacement. However, I think they were still wrong and the course was a little long, because all the swim times seemed a little slow. The good news is that had a solid swim and I exited the water at the front of the main pack of pros, something which I have been working hard to do and in a non-wetsuit swim no less. All those hours in the pool and work on form and technique are finally paying off.
Bike: 2:16
I had no juice in my legs on the bike and watched many of the other athletes ride away from me. As hard as I tried and as much my legs were burning I could not produce the power I am usually able. My PowerTap wasn’t lying, my legs were still pretty tired from all the downhill pounding the prior month at Ironman St. George. The wind, desolate bike course and isolation made for some tough racing conditions, however, I pushed forwards.
Run: 1:25
Not a very impressive run split, but the heat (90 degrees), humidity and wind were getting to all of us out there by this point in the race and the run became a proverbial “death march.” I tired as best as I could to put a pretty weak bike leg behind me and focus on the run. The first few miles I found my rhythm and my legs were happier on the run than on the bike. I slowly began to pick people off ahead of me. At the 6.5 mile marker I found myself in 11th position with a several minute gap up to 9th and 10th a seemingly insurmountable distance. I began to enter “survival mode,” wanting to slow down and simply make it to the end, however, I fought off the desire and tried to stay smooth and steady all the way to the finish. My approach paid off and I moved into 10th position just before the 13 mile marker. Like I always say, never give up!
Nutrition:
The heat and humidity made for some tough race conditions and hydration became an issue earlier than normal. I did my normal half nutrition approach with a few changes: 8oz EFS and ½ scoop PreRace 15min before the swim, on the bike 24oz bottle with 4 scoops EFS and 1 Liquid Shot flask mixed with water and 8 salt tabs, (I added 2 more than usual). I also made sure to try to fill and drink water from my aero bottle 4-5 times as opposed to the normal 3-4. Running out of T2 I drank 8oz EFS with a scoop of PreRace. On the run I took a salt tab and Clif Shot block every even mile marker and sports drink from the aid stations on the odd mile. I found that this protocol kept me pretty well fueled and hydrated as I was able to run the second half a little faster than the first while many of my competitors faded in the last miles. I took 3 scoops of Ultragen right after crossing the finish line and I was good to go!
I would say that I am happy with my race at Eagleman, however, I am far from satisfied. I know that I have the ability in each sport, yet I have yet to put together a single race where I acheive my full potential in all 3 elements. I think it is a matter of simply practicing, racing often and most importantly, being patient. Rome was not built in a day, and neither will my triathlon career. Persistence, patience and repeatability will pay off eventually.
