It had been quite a good while since I did a Half Ironman(1.2mi/56mi/13.1mi), so I was very much looking forward to this race. This is the earliest in the year I have done a long distance event, and I must say it is a great way to ensure the motivation remains high through the cold and gray winter.
In a way, felt like I had forgotten the intensity at which to race a Half IM, so I was very fearful of blowing up early, leaving me to decide to just race my race instead of counter the attacks I knew would come throughout the 4+ hours of racing.
The weather forecast was calling for 25 mph winds and 38F at the start. Awesome! Fortunately, though, the temp was in the low 50's by the time the gun went off, which was much more manageable. I had a vest and gloves next to my bike, but in the rush of transition, I simply went without them.
I exited the water in 4th place after what felt like an easy swim, most of it done with a small group of 3 others. At the turnaround they put on a surge and I was dropped. I definitely need to work on my "snappiness" in the water! I exited 2 min down on the leaders and 40 seconds down on the group I did most of the swim with. It is unusual for me to be so far behind after the swim, but I was more focused on doing my race than on being in the mix, so 4th was ok by me.
I rode alone for 30 minutes, when Justin Daerr passed me. I tried going with him, but within a couple of minutes I realized I was pushing 15% higher watts to keep up with him, so I backed off. He went on to have the day's best ride - he was on fire! I stayed in 5th place for the remainder of the bike, riding alone.
The winds REALLY picked up on the second loop of this truly urban race course. It was difficult at times to be on the aerobars.
On the run, I lost my gels when leaving transition ( flask fell and broke) so I had to count on the on-course nutrition - unfortunately, not allaid stations had gels, and my 38-something first lap was all in vain, as the pace crumbled for the second lap. With 4 miles to go I saw that was securely in 5th pace, and just jogged home to save myself for the week of training ahead.
I think the quick pace of the first lap was too much on my body as have been having a foot problem all week. I can barely walk on it, and am hoping it will go away quickly.
My many thanks go out to my super supportive sponsors, without whom I would not be able to race for a living. Ian at Cahaba Cycles did a tremendous job getting my steed race ready and tuned to perfection. Jonathan must also be mentioned for putting up with my attention to detail in getting the bike ready. And also thanks to the Clines family who so graciously made me very very much at home for the short time I spent in the Dallas Metroplex.
It was a good start of the year for me, and I am looking forward to the next races: The Alabama Coastal Triathlon (May3) and the Tri-America New Orleans race (May 24).
Ciao,
Felipe Bastos
www.FelipeBastos.com
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